Light 9mm REVOLVER ONLY reloads?

[TTv2]

Sometime in April I'm planning to get my first 9mm chambered revolver. I've thunk over the pros and cons of 9mm vs .38 and .357 in a revolver and the one that I would miss is the ability to load mouse fart loads in the .38 and something that I've never seen talked about is people loading 9mm very weakly obviously because it's meant for cycling an autoloader, but for use in a revolver I'm sure there's gotta be folks who've done this.

Has anyone made up some 9mm loads using a light bullet going around 800 fps?

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Sometime in April I'm planning to get my first 9mm chambered revolver. I've thunk over the pros and cons of 9mm vs .38 and .357 in a revolver and the one that I would miss is the ability to load mouse fart loads in the .38 and something that I've never seen talked about is people loading 9mm very weakly obviously because it's meant for cycling an autoloader, but for use in a revolver I'm sure there's gotta be folks who've done this.

Has anyone made up some 9mm loads using a light bullet going around 800 fps?

No, but based on case capacity any loads intended for the .38S&W should work for starting loads.

 

[algaeguy]

OP, you may find this thread of interest: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/practice-9mm-loads.640021/

 

[W.E.G.]

You can probably pick up a spare cylinder for your .38, and have it cut for moon clips. Price of admission for a conversion cylinder will be about half the price of a quality 9mm revolver.

Still be able to shoot .38's in that gun without moon clips.

Of course any excuse to buy a new gun is always worthy. Maybe even get both.

Yeah, I know the "accuracy" argument about shooting .355 bullets through .357 barrels. Its a matter of what you need the gun to do. I don't need a 9mm revolver to hold the 10-ring at 25 yards. Minute of dirt in front of tin can at 10 yards will suffice for my needs. Not many 9mm revolvers known for great accuracy anyway.

I've been accumulating spare cylinders. I'll send them out to be cut after I get done stocking up on stuff that will be outlawed when we lose our Virginia governor.

3.7 grains Winchester 231 with a 124-grain bullet in a 9mm case makes about 900 fps out of a four-inch barrel.
Take it down to 3.2 grains, and you should be in the 800 fps range.

 

[DMW1116]

When I first started reloading a couple of years ago I tried to make a Quiet 9mm load for my M&P9. I was using data for 125 grain cast bullets and got as low as 2.7 grains of W231 before I decided I’d never get there unless I wanted a straight pull action 9mm pistol. I bet they’d work in a revolver fine though. Had I been more patient I would have held out for a 9mm/357 Mag convertible Blackhawk but I found just a 357 version and had to jump on it. That said I don’t actually know the velocity but I’d guess 900 or so.

 

[TTv2]

You can probably pick up a spare cylinder for your .38, and have it cut for moon clips. Price of admission for a conversion cylinder will be about half the price of a quality 9mm revolver.

Still be able to shoot .38's in that gun without moon clips.

Of course any excuse to buy a new gun is always worthy. Maybe even get both.

Yeah, I know the "accuracy" argument about shooting .355 bullets through .357 barrels. Its a matter of what you need the gun to do. I don't need a 9mm revolver to hold the 10-ring at 25 yards. Minute of dirt in front of tin can at 10 yards will suffice for my needs. Not many 9mm revolvers known for great accuracy anyway.

I've been accumulating spare cylinders. I'll send them out to be cut after I get done stocking up on stuff that will be outlawed when we lose our Virginia governor.

3.7 grains Winchester 231 with a 124-grain bullet in a 9mm case makes about 900 fps out of a four-inch barrel.
Take it down to 3.2 grains, and you should be in the 800 fps range.

Yeah, I don't think shooting 9mm out of a .38 is such a great idea...

 

[bullseye308]

First off. What barrel length are we talking about? That could make a bit of difference here.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Yeah, I don't think shooting 9mm out of a .38 is such a great idea...

You might be doing exactly that, depending on which 9mm revolver you're planning on getting

If you're looking at getting one of the current production S&W or Ruger 9mm revolvers, they are using the same barrels as on their .357" barrels

 

[N555]

My light 9mm non-semiauto load is a 90gr 380acp bullet over 4.5gr of wst, it doesn't want to cycle a full size pistol.
I'm going to try and using nitro100nf, same bullets, around 3gr of powder.
Load up some of both, do a shoot off and see which one I like better.

 

[TTv2]

First off. What barrel length are we talking about? That could make a bit of difference here.

snub 2 inch Taurus 905

 

[dobedo]

Sometime in April I'm planning to get my first 9mm chambered revolver. I've thunk over the pros and cons of 9mm vs .38 and .357 in a revolver and the one that I would miss is the ability to load mouse fart loads in the .38 and something that I've never seen talked about is people loading 9mm very weakly obviously because it's meant for cycling an autoloader, but for use in a revolver I'm sure there's gotta be folks who've done this.

Has anyone made up some 9mm loads using a light bullet going around 800 fps?

3.8 grains of titegroup with a 115 gr round averages 850fps based on my last chrono.

 

[FROGO207]

A frend and I purchased those Ruger 357/9MM convertable Blackhawk revolvers years ago, mine is a 6 inch barrel. It is as accurate as I can shoot with full power 9MM loads. I also experimented with various lead bullets and Red Dot/Promo loads. IIRC I used around 3.5 grains with a 124 grain lead bullet for accurate loads at a level that would work a semi auto. Worked it down to about 1.5 grains for an accurate load in the Blackhawk with the 9MM cylinder. Lower than that would be eratic ignition and inaccurate.
I would think that any fast shotgun or pistol powder would work with those approximate levels.
Do check for squibs when working down from published min loads. Also older manuals had load data for RD in most handgun calibers but now they have dropped all but the most common calibers.

 

[N555]

snub 2 inch Taurus 905

Definitely want fast burning stuff like wst, reddot, nitro100nf ect.

 

[jmorris]

I haven't but I used to load 45 acp to 125pf for revolvers for SSR in the old days.

A 230 grain bullet ~ 550 fps, you could often see the bullet in flight. The joke back then was that, "the rules don't say the bullet has to go through the (cardboard) target..."

I didn't make the rules, just played by them.

 

[reddog81]

I’ve loaded a bunch stuff that would never work in a semiauto for my S&W 929. Light loads, long loads, heavy bullets, etc.

3 grains of bullseye with a 147 grain bullet was doing 850 FPS and I’m sure that charge would work OK lighter bullets.

3.6 grains of N340 with a 124 grain TC was going 820 FPS.

3 grains of titegroup with a 105 grain SWC was getting 900 FPS out of the 6” barrel but would probably by under 800 FPS with a snub nose.

 

[Soonerpesek]

It’s been my limited experience that the lighter 115’s were “snappy” whilst the heavier 147’s were “pushy”…..
……IMO…….

 

[Walkalong]

My light 9mm non-semiauto load is a 90gr 380acp bullet over 4.5gr of wst, it doesn't want to cycle a full size pistol.

That’s where I would start, or Competition or N-310. Mouse fart loads out of 9MM brass in a revolver should be as easy as falling off a log.

 

[Walkalong]

A 230 grain bullet ~ 550 fps, you could often see the bullet in flight. The joke back then was that, "the rules don't say the bullet has to go through the (cardboard) target..."

I was doing a how low can you go test that I documented here, saw one bullet leaving the barrel and bouncing off the top of the chrono at seven yards

 

[9mmepiphany]

. The joke back then was that, "the rules don't say the bullet has to go through the (cardboard) target..."

I've had that argument with an SO before. It is sort of cool to see a bullet stuck in the cardboard

 

[LV Gun]

I have a S&W 929 PC revolver I was having a lot of accuracy issues then I slugged the barrel to my surprise it was .357and so are the cylinder throats I checked them with pin gauges.. I also have a S&W 627 PC revolver in 38 super that barrel is .3545 . I was told by a CS person at smith that the barrels for the 627 were made by Walther and the barrels for the 929 were made in house at smith and some were made at Thompson Center but are .357 . I don’t shoot light loads as the weight of the 929 really absorbs any recoil. I use .357 inch diameter MBC 135 gr. LRN , the powders I like are W244 or Ram Shot Silhouette and just a sp primer . I use mainly starting loads in the S&W 929 revolver. With .357 inch bullets the S&W 929 is extremely accurate they are the bullets I like and use all the time.

 

[EricBu]

Sometime in April I'm planning to get my first 9mm chambered revolver. I've thunk over the pros and cons of 9mm vs .38 and .357 in a revolver and the one that I would miss is the ability to load mouse fart loads in the .38 and something that I've never seen talked about is people loading 9mm very weakly obviously because it's meant for cycling an autoloader, but for use in a revolver I'm sure there's gotta be folks who've done this.

Has anyone made up some 9mm loads using a light bullet going around 800 fps?

Yes, TiteGroup is your friend, works well for mouse fart 9mm, 115 and 124. You can easily get it down to 800 fps if you don't need it to cycle a pistol. AA2 will also work well for this. If your using a measure, AA2 meters better. To get started, work butt backwards...start at the lowest charge in your load data and reduce until it's where you want to be.

 

[TTv2]

Yes, TiteGroup is your friend, works well for mouse fart 9mm, 115 and 124. You can easily get it down to 800 fps if you don't need it to cycle a pistol. AA2 will also work well for this. If your using a measure, AA2 meters better. To get started, work butt backwards...start at the lowest charge in your load data and reduce until it's where you want to be.

Titegroup is fine, I have lots of that. I'll probably try out some 700x as well, that powder always seems to shoot well for me in revolvers, but is pretty low on the velocity end, which is exactly what I want.

 

[jmorris]

I was doing a how low can you go test that I documented here, saw one bullet leaving the barrel and bouncing off the top of the chrono at seven yards

Yep the only time I ever shot a chrono was "how low can you go", bounced off the table and right into it.

45 fps was the slowest I was able to clock, that made it over.

 

[FROGO207]

Oops Dupe post! Now removed.

 

[lordpaxman]

I haven’t loaded 9mm that low, but my SCSA friends have. Typically it’d be a Clays load, and you could see the bullet in flight. SCSA doesn’t have a minimum PF while the other games might. The joke was on outer limits you’d hit the stop plate before the bullets hit the back targets.

I've had that argument with an SO before. It is sort of cool to see a bullet stuck in the cardboard

Yes, but, now they have to pass through. Technically they have to meet a PF, but most level I/II don’t chrono.