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Good practice load?

3K views 26 replies 17 participants last post by  ontargetagain 
#1 ·
I have a friend that has offered to reload some 9mm for me. I am shooting a SR9c.. Anyone have a good recipe for a good dependable practice load I could give him?
 
#3 ·
W231 with extreme 115 grain fmj, very cost effective, hs-6 can be used as well. I have sent many downrange and their price allows you to shoot to your hearts content.;)
 
#6 ·
You really need to start with a bullet and powder combination according to published data and then tweak from there if you have an issue with the gun such as not cycling.
Keeping in mind the advice above, when I reload for myself I will load a small number of rounds spanning a range within published specs and keep track of what they do and go from there.
 
#9 ·
Easy shooting loads that I use for 9mm:

124 grain Extreme plated bullet - 6.6 grains of Blue Dot (run it up to 6.8 grains if cycle issues)

124 grain Extreme plated bullet - 5.1 grains of Power Pistol ( lots of flash and a little more oomph so some do not care for it)

These are an easy, cheap load and shoots to POA all day long. Both powders meter well and can be found relatively easy. JMHO
 
#10 ·
Since you have the chance to vary your rounds, you may wish to consider changing the mix based on what type of training you're doing.

Going for muscle memory? You may not need a heavy load or expensive bullet.

Training for followup shot? Load to match the recoil of your SD rounds.

See what a I mean?
 
#13 · (Edited)
You should get into reloading, lots of fun doing it and you can do it anytime you have a chance....it is addictive....I've loaded up on 18# of powder lately all different types to test out different results. Titegroup, lil'gun, trailboss, HS-6 and longshot. So far titegroup for 9mm trailboss for 38sp and lil'gun for .357 are my favorite.
 
#15 ·
You can start with a Lee press not expensive great introductory presses to get you started, and slowly start added to your reloading equipment, lots of info on this forum about benches and setups, do you research and you will see how fun it will be, for me I find it relaxing, I reload, 9mm, 38sp and .357, I have a progressive press from Lee, it works great but I do not rush to spit out 200 rounds an hour as some people on youtube say they have done. The whole fun part is make quality rounds that will be fun to shoot.

Just a warning once you start you can't stop :)
 
#16 · (Edited)
Try it

Like many, I will not reload for others, although I'll let others that don't come over and do there own with me watching.

My 9mm loads are with Extreme or Berrys plated bullets, as developed using a chrony, with best ES & SD. I have not had a chance to check how accurate these are yet.
As you are looking for practice loads, I listed the power factor, so you could get an idea of the recoil.

115 gn.
Power Pistol - 5.8 (1137 fps, power factor: 130),
CFE Pistol 5.0 (1013 fps, PF: 116), 5.2 (1165, PF: 122) 5.4 (1110, PF 127)

124 gn.
700X - 4.1 (1012 fps, PF 125),
Power Pistol 5.0 (1020, PF 126), 5.2 (1056, PF 131)
CFE Pistol - 4.7 (939, PF 116), 4.9 (1004, PF 125), 5.1 (1049, PF 124)

147 gn.
Power Pistol - 3.9 (823, PF 121), 4.1 (843, PF 124), 4.7 (950, PF 140)
CFE Pistol, 4.0 (872, pf 128)
 
#18 ·
Some of the most accurate ammunition out of my SR9c was Freedom Munitions 147g RN reman. I would suggest you buy a few boxes and see what you think. If you like the way they shoot, experiment to try to find a similar load on your own. If you load them to the optimum OAL for your gun, might even scratch out a bit better accuracy. Just keep in mind that your short barrel is somewhat limited in accuracy, so don't be disappointed when fancier loads have a limited return.
 
#19 ·
You guys have convinced me into taking the plunge or at least getting my feet wet, into reloading... Main question I have looked at a few single stage presses, and a few turret..
The Lee Classic Turret press has caught my eye. Your thoughts on this press would be appreciated..
 
#21 · (Edited)
I use both electronic and beam to check about evey 10th load just to make sure my drops are correct. Can never be to safe. Actually today i bought another electronic scale just to make sure my other electronic scale is good.....call me paranoid :cool:
 
#23 ·
Oldfox, I have a Lee Classic turret press. I believe it is a good press for beginner reloaders because it can be used as a single stage press to begin with. When you are comfortable with the reloading process you can easily convert it back to a turret press. It's a quick switch back and forth from single stage for batch loading and round development, to turret press where you get a completed round with four pulls of the handle.
 
#26 ·
I start with my carry ammo, and work backwards. For example, if my carry ammo is 9mm, 124gr bullet with a published velocity of 1100fps, build my practice ammo around it. The critical numbers are bullet weight and velocity. Searching through reloading manuals will give you plenty of loads to try.
 
#27 ·
Lots of good info here. I have found Alliant Bullseye to be a great powder, it meters very well in powder chargers and is value priced and versatile in most all calibers.

Your friend may be comfortable with a specific powder or bullet brand. In that case just look over the reload data offered from the powder manufacturer for the specific bullet you choose. Semi Wadcutters offer a nice hole for paper target shooting. Berry's bullets are a nice value in a plated bullet. I've shot the HyTek coated bullets from Bayou Bullet Company and if decide to try lead then Dardas Bullets has to be one of the very best I've seen and the support is outstanding.

My friend told me he would not sell me his reloads but he would teach me reloading, that offer has worked out very well for me. I have two very inexpensive Lee single presses and Lee and Lyman die sets. The hobby can be addictive and rewarding, it is therapeutic to reload your own ammo, I'm not in a hurry and can easily put out several hundred rounds per week.

Enjoy
Karl
 
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