HELP: Powder for 9mm with Short COL?

[RET15]

Gents,
I’ve been reloading quite a while—primarily .45 acp for IDPA competition/SD and 300 BLK for hunting/plinking. New to loading 9mm. Just bought a Glock 45 and want to reload for competition shoots—and maybe SD. I have N320 that I use exclusively for my .45 and also some W231.

I use new Starline Brass and CCI primers. I like Hornady 124 XTP’s and Berrys RN with same grain. My problem—this Glock 45 will not handle any COL over 1.089 on the XTP’s and 1.095 on the RN. And I mean .001 over that and it’s stuck in the lands and FTE—every time. I measured also to confirm.

With the N320 I start showing overpressure on my primers at 4.1 under. Velocity is barely 1025fps. With W231 I can’t get any decent velocity either. VV only shows load data with 1.142 for XTP 124.
Was also considering loading for SD like I do with my .45, but again, I can’t get to the velocity I see in commercial SD loads.

Can any of you fine gents recommend a good, most importantly accurate, powder and/or recipe you use or know of that can be used with a short COL with higher speeds? A bonus would also be a rec for a super accurate 124 grain bullet that I could use to compete that might mimic a SD load I could get. I like to train as if I were in a SD situation so I ensure shot placement. My PCC eats up the 124’s also...

Any ideas super welcome.

 

[LiveLife]

9mm ... new Starline Brass ... 124 ... Berrys RN

problem ... Glock 45 will not handle any COL over 1.095 on the RN

Do you have any issues chambering factory FMJ/RN ammunition?

 

[RET15]

No, not at all, but I’ve been firing Sierra V Crown which is 1.067 and some Winchester that are about the same.

 

[LiveLife]

9mm factory FMJ/RN are typically loaded longer than 1.135".

 

[RET15]

The Sierra V Crown are 1.057. My 124 grain Remington Golden Sabers are 1.125 and yea, they have fed fine.

 

[RET15]

Just measured the Sierra V crown..1.057 true

 

[LiveLife]

For now, let's work on RN.

Berry's 124 gr RN and 124 gr HBRN-TP will chamber in various factory and aftermarket barrels loaded to 1.169" OAL (even in match barrel with almost no leade) as indicated in this thread - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...let-max-working-oal-col-for-reference.848462/

 

[LiveLife]

Try this:

• Resize several brass and make sure they drop in the barrel freely and fall out (So you know it's not the brass that's causing the hang up)
• Since Berry's sizes their 9mm bullets to .356", use .378" taper crimp amount (bullet + case wall thickness = .356" + .011" + .011" = .378")
• Make a dummy round (no primer, no powder) loaded to 1.169"
• Chamber check the dummy round to see if it falls in freely with a "plonk" and spin without hitting the rifling

 

[RET15]

Gotcha—will try first thing in the morning. I found a box of Winchester White Box 124gr and the OAL is 1.165. That’s the free box of ammo they gave me when I bought the gun last month and it ate them up. I taper now to .377 on the XTP’s that are .355. I tried the plunk without the crimp originally too. Don’t get it...but I’ll let you know what I find. Thanks again...

 

[fxvr5]

Power Pistol. Very accurate in 9mm.

Use Hornady's data. They seat the hollow point bullets very short.

 

[RET15]

That info is truly appreciated!

 

[AJC1]

If your looking for short 124 loads the lyman 50th lists all loads at 1.060.

 

[RET15]

Well that’s good to know—thanks! I’ve been using the VV app. I’d like to go as long as possible which is why I measured to see the lands engagement. But if that’s the max I can get with the XTP’s for some reason, I’ll check that out. Just want to get up near 1100-1125 FPS.

 

[9mmepiphany]

recommend a good, most importantly accurate, powder and/or recipe you use or know of that can be used with a short COL with higher speeds? A bonus would also be a rec for a super accurate 124 grain bullet that I could use to compete that might mimic a SD load I could get.

I have a friend who has been loading over at my house who has a G17 and G19 for which he bought an aftermarket barrel (sorry can't remember the manufacturer) which only works with very short OAL also.

We've been loading the RMR 124gr Matchwinners to 1.08" OAL over 3.4-3.6grs of Alliant E3 ignited by CCI 500 primers. This has proven to be a very accurate load out of his Glocks...as well as his CZ and my SIG 320...and easily makes Power Factor for IDPA.

 

[TBL65]

I have a friend who has been loading over at my house who has a G17 and G19 for which he bought an aftermarket barrel (sorry can't remember the manufacturer) which only works with very short OAL also.

We've been loading the RMR 124gr Matchwinners to 1.08" OAL over 3.4-3.6grs of Alliant E3 ignited by CCI 500 primers. This has proven to be a very accurate load out of his Glocks...as well as his CZ and my SIG 320...and easily makes Power Factor for IDPA.

I am also loading 124gr RMR match winners at 1.080” using cci primers and 3.8gr of Alliant Sport Pistol. Works in both my stock Glock 19 and Glock 26 I built with an aftermarket barrel.

 

[Erief0g]

I've switched to sport pistol but don't have the chrono results yet. Here is what I got with titegroup, rmr jhp 124gr at 1.060.. spacing got mixed on the copy paste but you get the idea

Rocky Mountain Reloading Multi Purpose Round: (MPR) max OAL 1.06 124 grain Jacketed Hollow Point

Tite Group
Shadow 2: 4.1 grain Shadow 2: 4.1 grain 2nd string

FPS: 1112 FPS: 1100

1103 1106

1086 1094

1118 1107

1113 1091

Standard Deviation: 12.621 Standard Deviation: 7.09

Average FPS: 1106.4 Average FPS: 1099.6

Power Factor: 137.19 Power Factor: 136.35

 

[forrest r]

For raw accuracy in the 9mm's it's hard to beat WST or AA#2.

As far as bullet designs/what they are made out of go. Typically bullets with longer bottom drive bands (bullet bases) will have higher velocities (same powder weight/load) then bullets with small/short bottom drive bands/bullet bases. Coated bullets tend to have the highest velocities and plated bullets the lowest with the same powder charge/weight.

I cast & pc my own bullets and use these Mihec 125gr cast bullets for 99% of my 9mm needs.


Accuracy means different things to different people. This target is not hand/cherry picked by any means. It's nothing more than the test target used that day test WST loads in the bullet/1911 combo pictured above. A 10-shot group @ 50ft, this is what I consider accurate


That 5.0gr load of WST pushes that Mihec cast/coated 125gr hp @ 1150fps in that 5" bbl'd 1911. It's called rack em and stack em!!!!

 

[RET15]

I have a friend who has been loading over at my house who has a G17 and G19 for which he bought an aftermarket barrel (sorry can't remember the manufacturer) which only works with very short OAL also.

We've been loading the RMR 124gr Matchwinners to 1.08" OAL over 3.4-3.6grs of Alliant E3 ignited by CCI 500 primers. This has proven to be a very accurate load out of his Glocks...as well as his CZ and my SIG 320...and easily makes Power Factor for IDPA.

Wow, thanks guys. This is all great info. I’m curious...never used RMR before. What load data do you use? And yea, the picture of that non-cherry picked target is what I call accurate too lol. Still trying to get the feel of this Glock 45....

 

[RET15]

Try this:

• Resize several brass and make sure they drop in the barrel freely and fall out (So you know it's not the brass that's causing the hang up)
• Since Berry's sizes their 9mm bullets to .356", use .378" taper crimp amount (bullet + case wall thickness = .356" + .011" + .011" = .378")
• Make a dummy round (no primer, no powder) loaded to 1.169"
• Chamber check the dummy round to see if it falls in freely with a "plonk" and spin without hitting the rifling

Ok, did everything as you mentioned. No joy. They stick as soon as they drop in and wont spin. I lowered the OAL to 1.165, 1.160 then ultimately down to 1.1395 where it juuuuust makes it without catching the lands.

 

[LiveLife]

Ok, did everything as you mentioned. No joy. They stick as soon as they drop in and wont spin. I lowered the OAL to 1.165, 1.160 then ultimately down to 1.1395 where it juuuuust makes it without catching the lands.

Do you have other FMJ/RN bullets you can load and test?

If same issue, then it may be a barrel/rifling issue.

If no issue, then it may be a Berry's bullet issue.

 

[RET15]

Do you have any other FMJ/RN bullets you can load and test?

If same issue, then it may be a barrel/rifling issue.

If no issue, then it may be a Berry's bullet issue.

No, just the 124 XTP's that do the same thing. But an interesting observation. I just tried the same bullet configurations you gave me on my 9mm Walther P-99 and the EXACT same thing happened.

 

[RET15]

And BTW, I just had the opportunity to read that post you did on all the bullet OAL's. Super nice work--a huge source of info.

 

[RET15]

Do you have any hands-on experience with the Glock 45"s themselves?

 

[RET15]

Has to be the Berry's and the XTP's....what luck and what odds...

 

[LiveLife]

And BTW, I just had the opportunity to read that post you did on all the bullet OAL's. Super nice work--a huge source of info.

Thank you. With increasing number of gun manufacturers using shorter and shorter leade barrels that require reloaders to use shorter and shorter OALs, I figured a reference thread listing various leade length barrels (to almost none) and corresponding max/working OALs would help reloaders loading for barrels with shorter leade.

Do you have any hands-on experience with the Glock 45"s themselves?

I live in CA so we are limited to Gen3 Glocks but Glock started using "Marksman Barrel" with match grade barrel features in some of their models which was done to produce greater accuracy as typical Glock rifling is rounded with very smooth start of rifling with longer leade length.

This forum discussion shows pictures of new "Marksman Barrel" with different rifling and indicate shorter leade length requiring shorter OAL than previous - https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/questions-on-the-gen-5-marksman-barrels.1749728/

interesting observation. I just tried the same bullet configurations you gave me on my 9mm Walther P-99 and the EXACT same thing happened.

There are two possibilities:

• Your Walther also has shorter leade length which requires shorter OAL

• Berry's bullet nose profile (ogive) and bearing surface (bullet base that rides the rifling) are such that it requires shorter max/working OAL

At this point, I would suggest testing some factory FMJ/RN ammunition and some other FMJ/RN bullets to load test rounds. If they work fine, then I would suspect Berry's bullets.