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Old December 8, 2013, 11:20 AM   #1
Brutus
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Winchester Autocomp

Managed to buy a can but I've never used it before, same burn rate as AA#5 or HS-6.
Got load data from Hodgdon but they are the only source of data I can find and I like to have other sources for safety's sake.
I will be using it with either Berry's 124gr plated RN. or Extreme 124gr. plated FP.
Looking for good accurate target rounds. Any help would be appreciated.
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Old December 8, 2013, 11:38 AM   #2
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Congrats on the autocomp. My favorite powder by far!! Now this is just some of my personal favorite loads. Some are very light and just make min power factor and some are a little stiffer. Use at your own risk.

I load a ton of 9mm because that's what I compete with. Mainly using rainier bullets but I have used thousands of Berrys.


Rainier 115g hp- 5.0g autocomp- 1.126 COL
This shoots under an inch at 15yrds

Rainier 147g RN- 4.0g autocomp- 1.160 COL

Rainier 124g RN- 4.8g autocomp- 1.160 COL


These are my top 3 9mm loads. I also used autocomp in 40 for a long time but recently switched to wsf. A big surprise was how well it did in 38 special. I tried some out of curiosity one day and liked them.

It's a very versatile powder but excels in 9mm for me.
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Old December 8, 2013, 01:29 PM   #3
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Thanks for the reply. Think I'll start at the bottom with the 4.8gr. load.
None of my favorite powders are available, at least around here.
As a result I'm getting lots of practice working with whatever powder I can get my hands on. So far I've lucked out with WSF in 9mm but just can't seem to ring out the accuracy I get with 231, which I'm hoarding for .45ACP.
I've also tried Power Pistol and AA#7 but muzzle flash and felt recoil seem excessive.
Hoping Autocomp will do the trick.
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Old December 8, 2013, 02:05 PM   #4
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Quote:
Thanks for the reply. Think I'll start at the bottom with the 4.8gr. load.
Pay close attention to your COAL. Notice the load data calls for a 1.150" OAL.

If you slide up the chart and notice the 115 GRN LRN (same recommended data for plated) has a smaller charge. This normally would the opposite. Usually the lighter bullet contains a heavier charge than the heavier bullet. The difference is the COAL. It is shorter with the 115 GRN.

The reason I say this is two part.

One: If you do a plunk test @ 1.150" and have to shorten the COAL to insure feeding you could change the pressure substantially.

Two: Your using plated bullets that are pressure sensitive. Over pressure (even in pressures easily handled with a jacketed round) can cause problems with the plating separating etc.

I have been using WSF in my 9mm with good results other than the soot. Such a dirty powder in the mid pressure range. WSF is suppose to clean up at max pressures where it performs better in FPS and accuracy making it a performance powder for FMJ or JHP.

Still having problems finding powder I had a choice of another lb. of WSF or a LB of Autocomp. I hope the Autocomp works a little better for my plated 115 GRN RN. and plan to find out some time this week. I saved enough WSF to compare performance and soot. I'll share my findings and compare notes when I get them. Good luck and stay safe!
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Old December 8, 2013, 04:01 PM   #5
Sure shot wv
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Brutus- if you can/ would like to, try IMR PB in your 45acp. I think you'll like it.

Another 9mm powder that does great is 700x. BUT... It doesn't meter that well in some powder measures. I've shot that loaded very light experimenting with my comp gun. At very light and I mean VERY light loads at 2 grains it burned very clean. If it metered a little better I would probably switch to it in 9mm. But for now autocomp works great.
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Old December 8, 2013, 11:49 PM   #6
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Interesting observation on COL. 1.150 is what I've been using for plated RN loads, when setting the Extreme FP's to that length they appear overly long do to the geometry of the bullet.
Couldn't find a recommendation on Extreme's web site but Hornady lists their jacketed FP at 1.050. After doing some caliper measurements I calculated that 1.050 would not create a compressed powder charge leaving the bullet just about flush with the powder column. I settled on an over all length of 1.080 just to be on the safe side. Feedback on this issue would be greatly appreciated.
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Old December 9, 2013, 07:09 AM   #7
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I use autocomp for 9's with Hornady XP 90gr HP's. You guys got me wondering about seating depth now because I have to load 5.6gr before I get enough power to cycle the gun and at that point the recoil seems excessive.
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Old December 9, 2013, 11:53 AM   #8
Sure shot wv
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105- 90g bullets is not a very common 9mm bullet. That is very light. Did you buy 380 bullets by mistake? I just find it odd when people use such a light bullet in 9mm.

On the COL subject, in 9mm I load on the long side generally. In my 9mm guns they seem to feed better. Actually the only time I had an issue was loading a HP to short. So ever since then I load a touch longer.

All of my 9mm loads have cycled fine through springfields, Rugers, smiths, high points, berettas, taurus, and even GLOCKS lol. Point is I've never had an issue at 1.160. I have some loads around 1.120, 1.100, 1.040. It all depends on the bullet. The three I listed just happened to be some of my favorites.

ETA: for plated rounds like Berrys and rainier I follow jacketed load data when working stuff up. I just don't push them crazy fast. I do have some 40s that hit 1230FPS though. They shoot great and the recovered bullets have been fine.
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Old December 9, 2013, 01:04 PM   #9
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No, they are 9mm. I never thought that it might be because they were so light. I have some 115's also but havent tried them yet
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Old December 9, 2013, 03:55 PM   #10
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Quote:
I use autocomp for 9's with Hornady XP 90gr HP's. You guys got me wondering about seating depth now because I have to load 5.6gr before I get enough power to cycle the gun and at that point the recoil seems excessive.
As long as your COAL is 1.010 or longer your fine. I have a few of the 90 GRN HP Hornady rounds. I had to load them to the low end of the load data scale to get a good cycle. Lighter rounds require more oomph to get many slides to cycle. Atucally your charge is below the minimum 6.1 GRNS as listed.

Quote:
On the COL subject, in 9mm I load on the long side generally. In my 9mm guns they seem to feed better. Actually the only time I had an issue was loading a HP to short. So ever since then I load a touch longer.
That's why COAL is subject to the gun. I would guess the reason the longer round feeds better because of the design of the Chamber. The shorter COAL allows the casing to drop a little further into the chamber making it harder for the extractor to get a bite. The main reason to do a plunk test on every type of round and for every gun to insure proper feeding.
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