[Unclenick]

AhChi WaWa,

Welcome to the forum.

Good information and a good reminder of how manual authoring practices have changed over the last 50 years. Not only do you have the greater use of pressure testing (Speer is now owned by ATK as is Alliant, so Alliant now pressure tests all Speer's load data). They used to develop it in production firearms and exactly how loose the chamber and bore might have been was catch as catch can.

Herco has vanished from a lot of manuals, but Speer #14 lists the 124 grain Gold Dot at 1.12" COL in a Speer case with a CCI 500 primer with a maximum of 8.9 grains of HS7 at 1249 fps, and 7.9 grains of Blue Dot at 1238 fps. These are not +P loads. Using a faster powder will let you use less and have less muzzle flash and blast and total recoil, but will get to higher peak pressures if you try for those same velocities. You probably don't need to go there. The same manual shows 9 grains of AA No. 7 getting to 1180 fps, and just 5.8 grains of Unique hitting that same velocity without venturing into +P territory. In between on charge weight is 6.4 grains of VV 3N37 at 1179 fps. Again, those are all manual maximums for standard pressures, so work up to them from 10% lower. Between them you should be able be able to find one that comes close to the feel as well as the performance of the factory load.

Readers note that SAAMI standard pressure and velocity data for the 9mm is taken using a 4" barrel with minimum chamber dimensions and a specified bore cross-sectional area and land and groove count. If you don't have a 4" tube, you cannot expect the same velocities as are published by 9 mm ammo makers or by the current Speer manual (also using a 4" barrel). Your chamber and bore may be a little looser, lowering pressure, but that has to be determined by careful load workup.