9mm HP vs Round Nose Flat Point Bullet

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ruger 15151

Ruger 15151

Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
514
Location
Pacific Southwest
I have a M&P 9mm CORE with a Storm Lake barrel. The chamber in this barrel is very short. I have no problem loading a 124 gr RN at 1.450.

However, I would prefer to load a hollow point for my target loads (NOT SD loads). If I load an Xtreme 124gr HP, Xtreme 124gr FP, or Hornady 124gr XTP, I have to seat them at 1.050 to keep them off the riffling which effects my pressures.

I have heard the XDms have similar issues. Does anyone load a jackets 124gr HP that has a more rounded shape that allows they to load a longer COL?

What about 124gr RN Flat Points? Will they have a similar effect as an HP regarding accuracy?
 
My 9 also has a "short chamber" and I load Speed Gold Dots at 1.130". Speer sells those in boxes of 100 and lots of retailers sell them. They perform very well in every test, and are available in 115, 124 and 147gr weights.

Also check out the new Hybrid Hollow Point bullet from Berry Mfg. They should load equally as long.
https://www.berrysmfg.com/item/bp-9mm-356-124gr-hhp
.
 
Any bullet if it it is a different shape.or style of the nose ,is gonna change the COAL for correct seating.

And yes certain gun barrels will also change how much the bullet is seated. I can load some 9mm bullets that will drop in all my guns but not in a CZ, They need to be seated a bit deeper
 
I have to load RMR 124gr RNFP plated @ 1.0725 to plunk in my 9mm xdsc. Other pistols are not so tight.
 
Speer ammo with the 124 Gr GD measures around 1.120 to 1.125 OAL. Maybe they know something. Speer manual lists 1.120 OAL. Naturally there will always be a spread.

I load the X-Treme 124 Gr HP at 1.060, but stop short of max. I'm just plinking with it.

I don't see why 1.050 wouldn't work as well. What counts with the data one is going by is how deep the bullet is seated, not the OAL so much, so we would need to know bullet lengths to compare them to ones the data was worked up with. If it is seated deeper at 1.050 than the bullet from the data, just realize you have to stop short of max. For this we need both OAL's and both bullet lengths. I record the bullet length of all bullets I load, and the OAL as well of course.

Worry about the seated depth, not the OAL so much. It just needs to be an OAL that will function 100%.
 
3.9 Grs of N-320 for about 1050ish from a 5" barrel. The 2011 Vihtavuori PDF lists 4.0 to 4.3 Grs as max with various bullets. The max for the plated Ranier 124 Gr RN is 4.1 Grs loaded to 1.142 OAL for 1069 FPS from a 4" barrel.

Use this load at your own risk, start low, work up.
 
Using a flat point doesn't necessarily change the pressures the difference in OAL is the difference in length from the top of the RN and the top of the flat point. I load both the Extreme 124 gr Flat and RN and the seating depth of the bullet is the same which does not change the pressure but changes the OAL
 
Walkalong said:
Speer ammo with the 124 Gr GD measures around 1.120 to 1.125 OAL. Maybe they know something. Speer manual lists 1.120 OAL. Naturally there will always be a spread.
Click to expand...

That's what the Speer book shows, but the factory rounds I bought actually measured 1.130 to 1.135" !!
 
Interesting, that is what I load various RN to. I wonder if they have changed, or one batch was just off. .010 is pretty small.

When I tried some 124 Gr Gold Dots working up a load for some pulled GD's, I used the 1.120 to 1.125 for two reasons, the ammo I bought fell mostly in that range and my Speer manual suggested 1.200. Plus they functioned 100% for me that way. :)
 
I got mine from RMR, I also bought 1k of pulled 124 Gr HST's more recently. I don't think the slight crimp marks, I saw no "pull" marks, affect them enough to worry with, and you still have a premium bullet at a good price.
 
buy a box of hornady 124 gn xtps and see how they shoot. if good, copy that col and reduce your charge a bit if you have to reduce your col. if you have a chrony, match the muzzle velocities, too.

luck,

murf
 
ColoradoShooter77 said:
I've been loading 124 grain HP's at 1.100" and they plunk in all of my pistols. For RN bullets, 1.130" works great for me.
Click to expand...

Most of my 9mm pistols will as well including the stock barrel from my M&P Core. However, the Storm Lake target barrel I now use has a much shorter chamber. The plunk test only works in that barrel with HP and FN rounds seated at a 1.060 COL. or shorter.

That is why I asked if anyone else was seeing the same issue and had found either an HP or FN with a rounder shoulder that could be loaded at a longer COL.
 
Last edited:
murf said:
buy a box of hornady 124 gn xtps and see how they shoot. if good, copy that col and reduce your charge a bit if you have to reduce your col. if you have a chrony, match the muzzle velocities, too.
Click to expand...

XTPs are great bullets. However, factory Hornady with XTPs dont pass the plunt test in my Storm Lake barrel in my M&P CORE.

I have multiple 9mm pistols all with longer chambers including my Glock with a Lone Wolf barrel. My current go-to recipe works well in every other 9mm so i would rather see if i can find a HP or FN that is more rounded rather than work up one load just for my M&P CORE.
 
If you have to use the 1.060" OAL, just reduce your powder charge accordingly. I would say at least 3/10ths reduction in powder charge.
 
Ruger 15151 said:
M&P 9mm CORE with a Storm Lake barrel ... The chamber in this barrel is very short ... I have multiple 9mm pistols all with longer chambers including my Glock with a Lone Wolf barrel ... factory Hornady with XTPs dont pass the plunt test in my Storm Lake barrel
Click to expand...
All barrels whether factory or aftermarket replacement/match grade, should have chamber length to barrel hood within SAAMI minimum of .754" and max of .776" - http://saami.org/specifications_and...wnload/Z299-3_ANSI-SAAMI _CFPandR.pdf#page=10

When we say "short chamber", we mean "short throat" where leade/freebore is shorter sometimes with sharper start angle of rifling.

If factory ammunition won't fully chamber in your barrel, your barrel may be out-of-spec and I would give Storm Lake customer service a call.
 
Last edited:
ruger 15151,

i am talking about buying factory cartridges, not factory bullets. are you saying factory cartridges do not plunk in your barrel?

murf
 
When I load truncated cone bullets in my CZ I need to reduce OAL to around 1.070-1.080 for them to plunk and spin. Round nose bullets in the same gun can be loaded to 1.14-1.15. I wouldn't sweat the lower OAL as long as they run reliably in the gun, are accurate and chrono consistently to your specs.

BTW, I find that the TC bullets have more seating variation (OAL) than the RN, using the lee seating die. I believe it's due to the shape of the bullet compared to the seating stem/insert.
 
Drail commented on another post..

"Storm Lake ships their barrels with what is known as a "short reamed" chamber. They assume that the smith will use a finish reamer to cut it to the depth desired for a customer's chosen loads. Most match barrel makers do this.
Drail..."

Wasn't aware of that. In fact, when I called Storm Lake and asked if they had "short" chambers he said No.

BDS reminded me that everyone's chambers are machined to SAMMI specs so the case seats correctly. I verified this with an empty sized case. It seated to the same (within a few thousands) in all my barrels including the Storm Lake.

Therefore, the Storm Lake barrel must have a "short reamed" chamber because that same case with an HP seated at 1.100 hits the lands. Its makes sense that these target barrels have a "shorter ream" so they can be customized to the correct bullet jump of a shooters favorite load.

Makes a lot of sense! Great information. Thank you!
 
bds said:
When we say "short chamber", we mean "short throat" where leade/freebore is shorter sometimes with sharper start angle of rifling.

If factory ammunition won't fully chamber in your barrel, your barrel may be out-of-spec and I would give Storm Lake customer service a call.
Click to expand...
That would be my take also.

All aftermarket barrels should chamber factory ammo
 
Yes, the chamber the brass fits in has to at least meet minimum spec. The leade/freebore/throat/angle into the lands (Long and smooth, short and abrupt) can vary widely. I really don't know if there are specs for those, but these do affect chambering because of differences in bullet ogives.
 
Walkalong said:
Yes, the chamber the brass fits in has to at least meet minimum spec. The leade/freebore/throat/angle into the lands (Long and smooth, short and abrupt) can vary widely. I really don't know if there are specs for those, but these do affect chambering because of differences in bullet ogives.
Click to expand...
Correct. I am going to take to have my local gunsmith ream the lands a bit deeper so I can chamber HPs and FNs at the same COL as my stardard round for my other 9mm barrels.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
Recommend .45Auto/9mm Loads...
Replies
2
Views
669
Galil5.56
Galil5.56
gonoles_1980
  • Locked
LE Wilson 9mm die, OAL, etc.
Replies
8
Views
509
gonoles_1980
gonoles_1980
rfwobbly
  • Locked
124gr Berry 9mm Hollow Point vs Flat Point
Replies
8
Views
924
Walkalong
Walkalong
vaalpens
  • Locked
X-Treme 124gr FP load workup in 9mm
Replies
16
Views
2K
vaalpens
vaalpens
U
  • Locked
Please Double Check my Thinking for this 9mm Load
Replies
9
Views
1K
alientrainwreck
alientrainwreck
Back
Top