Newbie help 9mm reloading

[Dudedog]

I don't use one in my LPD but some people report having better results with a powder baffle. You can make one fairly easily.

https://www.shootersforum.com/attac...ures-powder_baffle_instructions_and_templates

Also tapping the measure can help.
My LPD just "likes" some powders better than others. It usually will throw autocomp with a little better results than your getting but it could be your measure just needs a little bit of break in.
Usually on powders it like my LPD is + or - .1

 

[njl]

My advice for someone just starting out with 9mm is, get a powder (if you can find any) that has published data for the bullet weight you plan to load and that will use up most of the space in the case. Things like Universal, Red Dot, Promo cannot be double charged with lighter bullets in 9mm without overflowing the case.

Also, start out with jacketed bullets, not plated or coated. Either of the latter is much more easily damaged by overcrimping.

 

[Dudedog]

I started out "wrong" by using MBC lead bullets. Shot a couple thousand before I learned I should have started with jacketed. My thought at the time was to learn to load pistol with less expensive bullets.
I didn't know at the time it was the "wrong" way to learn.


Yes jacketed are a little more forgiving when learning to load but it is not than much harder to load lead or plated IMO.
The RMR Hard Core plated are more forgiving about crimp than some other plated bullets.
(Note: no reason not to get the crimp correct however)


Congrats on your loads Ghost glad they all went bang in the right way!

 

[Ghost In The Fog]

Good morning and thank you to all of you for your help.
Saturday after the range debacle I switched the powder dispenser to .40 loaded 20 more rounds with 5.2 to 5.4 grains and I was able to return to the range Sunday morning to test them out. ALL cycled and performed flawlessly. I had the target at 15’ and shot groups of 5. The first 5 shots were spread about 4” the next 5 shots were grouped in the size of a half dollar with 3 holes touching. The next 5 were just as good. The last 5 I shot as fast as I could to see if I could force any misfeeds or jams. Again, absolute success.
I went home and reloaded 150 rounds using the same formula. The first 75 I weighed each and every charge. The Pro Auto Disk would consistently load 5.3 and just when I thought I could skip a few rounds, it went to 5.2 and stayed there for a while. Again, it switched to 5.4 for 10 or 12 rounds and then threw two 5.5’s and back to 5.3. I dumped the 5.5’s back in to the hopper and just kept repeating. After 90 rounds I then began to measure every 5th round. All that I checked were in the 5.2 to 5.4 range.
I am getting an eye for looking in each case at the amount of powder and knowing if it will be on the 5.2 side or the 5.5 side. I checked a few that I thought were too full and only one of those was at 5.5 the rest were less.
It took me just over 2 hours to load 150 but I am happy with the process and I know speed will come.

Last night I took my 150 shiny new bullets and went to my local gun club for the monthly IDPA match. I shot 83 rounds last night and every single one performed perfectly.
After the first stage, which I did horribly on, I calmed down and realized these were as good as if not better than the ammo I have been shooting for the last year from Freedom Munitions. The second stage was “Don’t SAS me” and I was down ZERO. This has never happened before. Also considering I totally blew this same stage two months ago!
Overall I am gaining confidence daily and I am enjoying this new hobby/obsession.
Thank you to you all for reading this and replying with some very helpful information. On top of that, I have made a new friend here that has been absolutely fantastic in sharing his time and knowledge with me.
I look forward to reading your stories and asking more questions as they arise.
Thanks.
Brad.

 

[tcoz]

Nice work. Just don't get lazy and stop weighing every 5th charge. About the time you start doing that, the PAD will get a mind of its own again.

 

[SC Shooter]

Like you I did a ton of research, bought a Lee turret press, and started going through the manuals. When I actually started reloading, I found most of my questions were not answered in the manuals. At a local gun show, I stopped by a booth that was selling brass, and offered classes in casting and reloading. I signed up, and spent one of the most fun days of my life. It was real world, hands on training that was invaluable to me. It also gave me a source to buy supplies, and access to a mentor for my many many questions. If the are any reloading classes in your area, get into it. If not, try to find someone with heavy experience, that is willing to act as a mentor.

 

[deadeye dick]

Like you I did a ton of research, bought a Lee turret press, and started going through the manuals. When I actually started reloading, I found most of my questions were not answered in the manuals. At a local gun show, I stopped by a booth that was selling brass, and offered classes in casting and reloading. I signed up, and spent one of the most fun days of my life. It was real world, hands on training that was invaluable to me. It also gave me a source to buy supplies, and access to a mentor for my many many questions. If the are any reloading classes in your area, get into it. If not, try to find someone with heavy experience, that is willing to act as a mentor.

Very good advice. SC, are you anywhere near Easley.

 

[thomas15]

Fog,

I load 9mm for a G17 and a G26. Several thoughts:

1. You should if you are not already doing so, remove the barrel from your G19 and do a plunk test with every single round you produce. Another thing to spend your money on is a headspace gage. I do both a plunk test and headspace gage test on all of my 9mm ammo. I went from having all kinds of problems like you are having to never having a problem at the range.

Remember, a round that almost fits or almost fully seats will not work. It should plunk into the chamber just using the weight of the cartridge. Practice the plunk test with factory ammo before you do it with yours to know exactly how it should be done.

2. Dies: I use the Lee 4pc die set and really struggled to get it right at first. Your size and flair dies are fairly straight forward to set. The fun starts at the seating and crimp die.

I back the seat/crimp die out about 3 turns and then use it to only seat the bullet using the adjustment screw on the top of the die. After seating there should still be the flair at the case mouth.

Use the factory crimp die to remove the flair only and add a very slight taper crimp. You just want enough tension on the bullet to keep it from moving. You should feel the die pass over the flair when you pull the lever down.

3. I think the problem you are having is one or more of the following, too much crimp, cartridge not sized all the way to the base of the brass, primers not seated fully.

4. Although carbide sizing dies do not require case lube, it helps to lube them anyway. I use Hornady one shot, a little spray is all you need.

5. If you have a light spring in your Glock then you might need to use softer primers like Federals. I doubt this is your problem with rounds not going off, probably primers not fully seated is the issue.

I think another poster mentioned using a heavier bullet. The 115 that you have will work so use them but in the future consider a 124 or even a 147g plated RN. I use a fairly common 9mm load for IDPA it is 3.2-3.4g Titegroup, 147g Berrys or XTREME plated RN, coal 1.124

As a general statement, it took me a "few" weeks to get my 9mm loads workable. make sure it really works before you make 100s of them. Hang in there, even when things don't work you are still learning something.

While you are having success and that is what it is all about, you will start to experiment or for numerous reasons change things. I wrote the above for you to file under "future things to consider". Even experienced handloaders have a bad batch from time to time. You might find a heavier bullet with a faster burning powder has less snap/recoil and makes powerfactor. But I would recommend that you gage every round you make.

 

[Dudedog]

Off thread but welcome
Thomas15.

Usually if you have the FCD adjusted right you don't have to worry about plunking all the rounds IMO.

Some people don't like the FCD (I do) but I have loaded 10000+ 9mm never guaged the cases and only plunked to get my MAX OAL for a given pistol.
I have various 9mms and have never had any issues with any of the ammo ran thru the FCD chambering if I have the OAL correct.