Getting ready to start reloading 9mm

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Jack B.

Jack B.

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I've been loading 45 ACP for years. I have never reloaded any 9mm but I'm getting ready to start. I'm trying to keep equipment to a minimum. Is there any special thing that I need to know about 9mm that's vastly different from loading 45ACP. Here are a few questions that I have.

Will the plunck test work on 9mm? I don't plan on buying any case gauges till I'm sure that I'll be reloading 9mm a lot.
What is the best weight bullet to use? I prefer jacketed or plated over lead.
I plan on using Bullseye and Unique powder and CCI or Winchester small pistol primers as I have plenty of these items on hand.
At first I'll be reloading once fired factory brass that I bought. I always have only used brass from my guns (don't like range pickup brass although I see plenty of it).
I have everything to reload I need except dies and I'm going to get them.
Should I apply a taper crimp or none at all?
 
The plunk test is actually better than a case gauge, since your trying to fit your gun only.

Taper crimp is required to remove the flaring done by the expander. Some jacketed bullets have a nice radius bottom that will allow you to seat the bullet with minimal flaring. I always use a taper crimp as my last station on my AP. Depending on the gun and bullet combo you may not need to use the TC die. Like the 45 it head spaces off the mouth of the cartridge.

I don't like Unique due to it's poor metering characteristics. BE will work fine. I prefer 124gr over the 115's.

As long as you inspect the range brass it will be fine. 99% of my brass is range brass.
 
124gr shoots best for me.
I like hp-38 but its the only powder ive ever tried.
plunk them and forget the gauge.
I do a slight fcd but I don't flare a lot just enough to hold the base of the bullet.
 
Plunk test will work just fine. Set up the taper "crimp" so that the shortest cases get the bell removed completely, which means the shortest will get a hair more inward movement of the case mouth. No more than that. Start bullets straight. Do not rely on sleeved seaters to "straighten" the bullet for you. They help, but nothing beats starting the bullet straight to begin with.

My "plinker" load is a plated 124 @ 1050ish from a 5" barrel using a medium fast powder. The recent RMR jacketed offerings are priced very well too. The in house 124 Gr JHP shoots quite well. I like to save them for full power loads though.
 
I started using the Lee deluxe set for the 9mm, but found that I don't like the flaring die that comes in the set. I like ones that go deeper into the case and expand the entire case as well well as the flaring the lip. I ended up going with the PTX die with the Hornady powder dispenser. I was tempted to buy a Lyman expander die before I got the LNL. lf done right, the bullet seats straight with minimal effort.
 
peels said:
I started using the Lee deluxe set for the 9mm, but found that I don't like the flaring die that comes in the set. I like ones that go deeper into the case and expand the entire case as well well as the flaring the lip. I ended up going with the PTX die with the Hornady powder dispenser. I was tempted to buy a Lyman expander die before I got the LNL. lf done right, the bullet seats straight with minimal effort.
Click to expand...
I'm very much a Hornady man. Will be getting Hornady dies.
 
Sounds like 124gr bullet is the way to go. That was something I was unsure about. So far I've reloaded mostly .40 caliber and up and I'm used to heavy bullets . Wasn't sure about 9mm. You guys have helped a lot!
 
I like RMR 124s with BE86. Normally I don't like to follow the crowd but it's an excellent combo.

I'll respectfully disagree with peels in that I really like the Lee dies. My crimp is minimal as others said, just enough to make the case smooth?

I've also used Berry's 115 with Win 231/HP38 and it's a decent combo. Likewise for the RMR 115s but I just like the the 124s better.
 
Use the same methods and cautions you use for the 45 ACP (plunk test works, just like the fatter cartridge). I have a tendency to use the weight bullet that a cartridge was designed for or was most popular. I believe the 9mm started life with a 124-125 gr TC bullet, so 90% of my reloading is with 124-125 gr jacketed bullets I have used a lot of RMR 124 JHP. I don't recommend plated bullets for new reloaders as I've seen way too many basic questions on plated bullets in the forums I frequent (load data and crimping being the most popular).
 
I am using missouri bullet company coated 125 gr truncated cones with BE-86. I had to shorten the OAL so the loaded bullets would play nice with my wife's new gun (tight tolerances). My other 9mm guns could care less what you do, they just eat anything. My OAL is down to 1.110 and I barely add, if at all, add a crimp. I call more of a squeeze. My brass measures .378 +/- at the neck. I use a much lighter load than most; 4.6 grains. I get decent accuracy, pretty much as good as I am going to get anyway. I do not have a lot of experience with different powders because I am new to reloading. However, I have found that BE-86 appears to have quite a range. I have taken it down as low as 4.4 with no problems and I know others have loaded to 5.9 grains, maybe even higher.

My wife just went through 300 rounds and not one issue. I got a lot of help from the folks here trying to figure out how to get her gun to feed my bullets with 100% reliability. The bullets I use have a diameter of .356, so I believe I was running into some Ogive problems. Once I reduced the OAL to 1.120 her gun started to run nicely. I brought the OAL down a bit more because I pick up brass and I want room for error. I also reduced the amount of powder I use by .2 grains from my normal charge because I used to set the OAL at 1.130.

One last thought about crimp. Somebody here taught me this one. Take your bullet diameter (mine is .356) then multiply your typical brass thickness by two (.013 x 2). Add the two together and that is where you basically want to end up; or maybe just a little teeny tiny bit smaller.

Pete
 
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"...been loading 45 ACP for years..." 9mm is done exactly the same way. No difference at all. Except 9mm is small if your hands are big.
"...plan on using Bullseye..." Partial to cast 121 grain TC(truncated cones) with 3.5 of Bullseye. Data for 124 or 125's will be the same. Couple grain difference won't matter. Dunno why the assorted companies separate 'em.
 
Ruger 15151 said:
Many reloaders on THR are liking BE-86 with 115/124 gr bullets. If you search on this forum, you will find multiple threads with COL, velocity, and load data.

Here is one with pages of data:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/be-86.760289/page-25#post-10109485
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. Very hard to find BE-86 powder around here. Have a lot of Bullseye and Unique on hand and will stick with them for now. Can find BE-86 on line but not willing to pay Hazmat fees for a cartridge I might decide later I'm not willing to reload for. This is pretty much an experiment. Getting gun for free and not sure I want a 9mm in my line up.
 
9mm is the first pistol round I'd ever loaded. It's easy, and no different than 45acp, other than the external dimensions. Same rules apply in its assembly.
I'm using Lee dies, but don't hold that against me!

I use CCI primers, a peppy load of Unique, and so far, whatever FMJ or JHP I've had on hand. 124 is my favorite, but 115 work just as well, on paper. Apply a light crimp to iron it out, and there it is.

Here's a link to a page on the late Stephen Camps, Hipowersandhandguns.
It was the page that encouraged me to bump up my original anemic charges a bit, to find a place where the pistol was happy.
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Handloads.htm
 
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