Question about MBC smallball

Because of the rounded nose profile compared to the typical more pointed 9mm nose profile, MBC smallball has more bearing surface to stabilize the bullet.

I have test loaded the 125 gr bullet from 1.10"-1.125" OAL. Try at 1.125" as it has fed well in numerous pistols.

Shinbone, start at 1.125" OAL as the smallball has "fatter nose profile" but you can test longer OALs Walkalong mentioned (1.130"-1.135") to see if they feed/chamber well from the magazine in your pistol.

The longer the OAL, sooner the bullet will engage the rifling and the more accurate your load will be.

But determine your max OAL first by dropping your "long" OAL dummy round into the barrel out of the pistol.

They touch the rifling in my glock 26 and Kel-tec PF-9 at 1.110", so, I load at 1.100". Pretty short, but it is due to their profile. Net result is the exact same amount of case capacity being used by a GA Arms 124 gr LRN set at 1.140" which has a more pointed profile.

I don't know how anyone could seat them to 1.150" without them jamming into the rifling and preventing the round from fully chambering.

I have to load them at 1.06 to get reliable feeding in my CZ 75B

ETA 4.3g HP-38 gave me 1080 fps

I have to load the smallball pretty short too, otherwise it hits the rifling in my 9mm XD. If you have this problem and don't want to seat so short, try their 115gr offering. It has more of a traditional profile.

I've been loading them short, too, for my CZ - 1.068" is my target OAL; anything over 1.07" and they won't chamber.

I had been using AA#5 per Lyman's pistol manual (they actually give data for these shorter OALs) but when I ran out and the LGS didn't have #5, I bought Win 231. I just loaded a batch with the Win 231 (I think I used 3.7gr) but haven't shot more than a dozen or so to make sure they would function well. More smoke than I recall from the AA#5 loads...

Q

My buddy has to load them to 1.090" in his XD.

I load mine at 1.05 for my CZ-75b

I load mine around 1.070" to 1.075" for my XD. Use the link that bds gave you to let your pistol determine what suits it. Walkalong did and awesome job explaining in detail how to go about it.

Smallball hits the rifling in my Sigs at 1.115 so I load to 1.100.

For my CZ 75 B 1.060.

1.10 in a Springfield Loaded 1911. Functions great, but accuracy is not good. Tried 231, AA #5, and Universal, so far. I'll try to seat them out a little more after reading this thread.