Your most accurate 9mm load

[murf]

if you want accuracy at 100 yards, i would first start with an accurate bullet. the hornady xtp bullet comes to mind.

murf

 

[jmorris]

It is looking like JHP's are the best so far for me.

 

[LiveLife]

never played with 9mm a lot further than 35 yards ... found a noticeable difference in the accuracy @ 100 yards of the various loads I had on hand.

Let us know how they turn out BDS.

Range Report:

Sorry for the late reply, had a lot of pictures to upload.

I started my 9mm carbine 25/50/100 yard testing with the 115 gr bullets (known to be less accurate than 124/125/147 gr bullets). Note that since this is my "practical" plinking carbine load testing, I used mixed 9mm brass that were reloaded several times by me (so flyers were anticipated and excluded from shot groups).

While I planned to test my loads in Just Right carbine with 9/40/45 barrels, I built two 16" PSA 9mm carbine kits with Anderson lowers for my sister/BIL and needed to break them in so I used them for the test using 3-9x40 Bushnell scope and AR Stoner magazines - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/356535/ar-stoner-magazine-ar-15-9mm-luger-stainless-steel-black

I loaded the following for the test (My PAD dropped Promo at 4.0-4.2 gr) in limited numbers and plan to conduct further testing in the future:

- 115 gr Winchester FMJ @ 1.135" with 4.8 gr HP-38/4.0-4.2 gr Promo
- 115 gr Berry's HBRN @ 1.135" with 4.8 gr HP-38/4.0-4.2 gr Promo
- 115 gr RMR HM RN @ 1.135" with 4.8 gr HP-38/4.0-4.2 gr Promo

25 yard groups (I used Winchester FMJ HP-38 loads to zero the scope so I reserved the remaining rounds for 50/100 yard testing):

50 yard groups:

 

[LiveLife]

and jmorris, here are the 100 yard groups:

Impression:

Spot chrono sampling showed velocities in low to mid 1300s (Will do more chrono testing in future sessions).

PSA 9mm carbine kits on Anderson stripped lowers using AR Stoner magazines worked reliably without feeding issues.

Looking forward to testing more powder loads for comparison in the future. I am planning to test Bullseye/WST/Titegroup/BE-86 loads next along with more HP-38/Promo loads.

 

[LiveLife]

if you want accuracy at 100 yards, i would first start with an accurate bullet. the hornady xtp bullet comes to mind.

JHP's are the best so far for me.

For me, the main reason for 9mm carbine was the price/availability of 22LR ammunition. When my wife asked me why I wasn't shooting the Ruger 10/22 take down as much even though I had plenty of 22LR ammunition, I told her availability was still spotty with uncertainty for replacement (this was 2014-15) and I could reload 9mm at comparable cost. So I am not looking for precision at 100 yards but 22LR level of accuracy at 25-50 yard plinking fun with family shooting aluminum cans.

Second reason was 9mm/40S&W/45ACP accuracy testing at 25-50 yards. Since Just Right carbine with modular magwell allowed caliber change using Glock magazines (which I have plenty of), I figured it was a good testing platform (with 17" free floating barrel, I am expecting better accuracy than PSA 9mm carbine). Guns & Ammo produced 50 yard 1.2"-1.7" shot groups with the JR carbine in this review - http://www.gunsandammo.com/reviews/jr-american-flag-carbine-review/

But I do have some 124 gr Speer Gold Dot HP bullets and could order additional JHP bullets on my next order from RMR.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Good range report bds, thank you.

I have a handful of go to loads similar to everyone above but I have a new load I'm currently shooting that is accurate and inexpensive. I rarely shoot a 115gr bullet in the 9mm but I do have several hundred 115gr Magtech bullets bought when there was nothing else. I mainly shoot 124/125gr cast, bracketed, plated and one coated bullets. Now for the current load, it's with the coated bullet I mentioned last.

I bought 500 124gr coated cast bullets from the MBC and I'm very happy with them. I loaded them with charges of between 4.0 and 4.4gr W231 with an OAL of between 1.100" and 1.125". The most accurate load in my pistol w/4" barrel was 4.4gr W231 with an OAL of 1.125". The AV was 1090 fps and off hand unsupported accuracy was an average of 2.0" @15 yards. (10x 5 shot groups) Sorry, I don't have access to a Carbine to test them.

 

[LiveLife]

I could always test them for you.

It's going to take some time to test the 115 gr bullets with various powders but 124/125 gr bullet testing will be next.

It's the rain season and my access to the shooting spot will be limited by mother nature.

 

[jmorris]

Well, I still haven't been able to match the accuracy of some of my .22's but that may be a rifle limitation not the fault of the ammunition.

So far the best I have is this 10 shot @ 100 yards group, using Winchester 115g JHP's @ 1.10" with Speer brass and Universal (never found anything it did better than others before). They chronograph right at 1400 fps, so you'll understand why I didn't list charge weight.



Benched in rest with a Burris 12x scope, have some more stuff to test now but it has been too windy so far this week. So I have been playing with the cheap bullets and mixed brass banging steel instead.

 

[LiveLife]

Good group at 100 yard for 9mm carbine!

I was trying to do comparative testing to see which bullet/powder combo produced smaller shot groups. I think absolute accuracy testing will be done later with Just Right carbine and most accurate loads. And these were not my most accurate loads rather reference loads.

The two 16" PSA 9mm carbines needed to be tested/broken in for my sister/BIL so I figured I do an initial 100 yard testing using old brass reloaded several times that I will likely use for my plinking loads.

Just as Guns & Ammo article indicated (1.2"-1.7" groups at 50 yards), I anticipate better groups with the 17" Just Right carbine with free floating barrel and I may test mixed vs same headstamp groups.

I will be ordering more bullets to include JHP bullets.

 

[jmorris]

Good group at 100 yard for 9mm carbine!

That is the best one so far and under just about ideal conditions.

The worst one only had 6 holes for 10 shots on a 17x14 target! So they are certainly not all winners and we don't post photos of the losers

 

[LiveLife]

But the key is "consistently repeatable" accuracy.

I will be shooting several hundred rounds through each of two PSA 9mm carbines before I deem them reliably tested for me to hand them over to my sister/BIL/niece/nephew to use.

For now, I can deem them accurate to 25 yards with minute of aluminum can using W231/HP-38 and Promo reference loads.

I am hoping for minute of can at 50 yards using more accurate loads with Bullseye/WST/Titegroup/BE-86 powders next.

 

[jmorris]

But the key is "consistently repeatable" accuracy.

Why I didn't stop with the much more impressive 3 shot group...

Would have posted this combination and omitted the "flyers" and complete miss, if that were the case.

 

[lauderdale]

J. is that the same round as you used and did so well w/in post#33 or I missed?

 

[PO2Hammer]

125 HAP over Universal with sorted brass.

 

[jmorris]

J. is that the same round as you used and did so well w/in post#33 or I missed?

No different bullet, powder, primer and mixed brass.

Just pointing out that I didn't rely on a 3 or even 5 shot group before moving on.

If I have something that has been previously proven and say going hunting with, a 3 shot group is fine for me to make sure things are "still on". However, more shots are needed to get me to say a load is "proven", thus the 10 shot groups.

If you notice 3 of the shots in #33 are one ragged hole but the total of all 10 would be more representative of what could be expected as far as bullet impact under the same conditions.

 

[LiveLife]

But the key is "consistently repeatable" accuracy.

Why I didn't stop with the much more impressive 3 shot group...

But can you call 3 shots a "group"?

I think 5 shots are better and 10 shots are even better for checking repeatability of accuracy of loads. Unfortunately, I had limited number of test rounds loaded for this range trip. Once I determine the most accurate loads for 100 yards, I would certainly do 10 shot groups.

OK, for the 100 yard shot groups, I actually did shoot 6 rounds. In the bigger 100 yard target picture below, you'll see the 6th hole on target (red circle) on bottom left which was the first shot I used to determine the bullet drop (as the scope was zero'ed at 50 yards) and adjusted my POA for the 5 shot group.

 

[jmorris]

But can you call 3 shots a "group"?

Nope, why I don't shoot 3 shot groups.

If I did that turd of a pattern in #37 would have looked like a decent load, when it obviously was not ideal.

 

[lauderdale]

BDS how many fps would you say your shooting at? Guess what I'm getting to is accuracy and pushing the round faster for distance. @ around 1300 fps as mentioned earlier?

 

[LiveLife]

RMR 115 gr .356" 4-4.2 Promo @ 1.135" .377" taper crimp:

- 1331
- 1358
- 1346

FMJ 115 gr .355" 4.8-4.9 gr HP-38 @ 1.135" .376" taper crimp:

- 1315
- 1234
- 1334
- 1307
- 1296

 

[lauderdale]

scope choice cancel that be another thread. Which u think b better to use.