The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - loads for 9mm using IMR 700-X, help

Misssissippi Dave · March 24, 2013, 09:59 AM

Some of the powders I have used that do measure well are AA2, AA5, AA7, AA9, W231, WST, WSF, and some VV powders. There are several more powders available to use for pistol loads that measure quite well.

It does matter if you are loading lead or jacketed bullets and what you want to achieve. Some powders are only good for very light loads. Some powders preform better at the upper end. There are some powders that burn clean while some are quite dirty and everything in between. Many powders can give you accurate ammo once you figure out the load your gun likes and the OAL that works for your gun. Fast burning powders tend to give you softer recoil and slower moving bullets. They can also be very accurate. Slower powders tend to have more recoil and you can get the bullet to move at higher speeds before you reach the max pressure levels. Things might change with the length of barrel used. There can be quite a difference how a round works in a 1.75" barrel compared to a 15" barrel. Twist rates of the barrel do also affect things. These are some of the reasons we will work up a load from the low end to the high end trying to find where it works best for our needs. Many loads will work well if you are only shooting at 7 yards or less. When you start loading ammo to shoot at greater distances like 25 yards or more you start noticing minor changes a lot more. Testing of ammo should always be done shooting from a stable surface such as sand bags and rests. This it to take the human factor out of the equation as much as possible.

About the only factor I don't look for when trying to decide on a better powder is how many grains are needed per load. For the most part powder is cheap and has less effect on the total cost per round loaded than other things like bullets. Even when I use more expensive bullets (jacketed) and some powders that you use higher amounts of powder per load, I still load for less than the cost of factory ammo. I also get ammo that suits my desires rather than having to put up with what ever I can find.

March 24, 2013, 09:59 AM	#20
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,411	Some of the powders I have used that do measure well are AA2, AA5, AA7, AA9, W231, WST, WSF, and some VV powders. There are several more powders available to use for pistol loads that measure quite well. It does matter if you are loading lead or jacketed bullets and what you want to achieve. Some powders are only good for very light loads. Some powders preform better at the upper end. There are some powders that burn clean while some are quite dirty and everything in between. Many powders can give you accurate ammo once you figure out the load your gun likes and the OAL that works for your gun. Fast burning powders tend to give you softer recoil and slower moving bullets. They can also be very accurate. Slower powders tend to have more recoil and you can get the bullet to move at higher speeds before you reach the max pressure levels. Things might change with the length of barrel used. There can be quite a difference how a round works in a 1.75" barrel compared to a 15" barrel. Twist rates of the barrel do also affect things. These are some of the reasons we will work up a load from the low end to the high end trying to find where it works best for our needs. Many loads will work well if you are only shooting at 7 yards or less. When you start loading ammo to shoot at greater distances like 25 yards or more you start noticing minor changes a lot more. Testing of ammo should always be done shooting from a stable surface such as sand bags and rests. This it to take the human factor out of the equation as much as possible. About the only factor I don't look for when trying to decide on a better powder is how many grains are needed per load. For the most part powder is cheap and has less effect on the total cost per round loaded than other things like bullets. Even when I use more expensive bullets (jacketed) and some powders that you use higher amounts of powder per load, I still load for less than the cost of factory ammo. I also get ammo that suits my desires rather than having to put up with what ever I can find.