9mm Lead - 115 gr & 125 gr

arfan · June 2, 2010, 12:24 PM

I have been reloading 9mm lead 125 grain with 4.2 gr Unique powder. They are consistent and cycle perfectly.
I just received some 115 gr lead bullets. Will it be ok/safe to load them with the same 4.2 gr of Unique?
Thanks

briandg · June 2, 2010, 02:02 PM

Max load listed for a 115 jacketed bullet is 6.3 Your load should be safe, but you still shouldn't use unpublished data. I could be anybody, and taking my word for it is just dumb.

Send off for the reloading guide.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/resources/catalog.aspx

Somebody else will confirm it here, eventually. In any case, I suspect that your load may not function well. I don't think you'll have pressure problems, but you may have failures to operate in some guns.

FrankenMauser · June 2, 2010, 02:21 PM

Similar to your load, I use 4.3gr of Unique under a 122gr LFP for my primary 9mm load.

I believe I used 4.6gr under the last 115gr LRNs I had. (Can't tell you what the OAL was, but it was not a max load in any of my data; as long as you're at a near-max OAL.)

However, your "115 gr lead bullets" needs to be clarified. Are they wadcutters? semi-wadcutters? round nose? flat points? truncated cones?

What size are they? .355"? .356"? .357"?

The design, diameter, and bearing surface of the bullet are just as important as the weight.

chris in va · June 2, 2010, 08:26 PM

If anything, you may have reduced accuracy with the lighter bullets if pushed too fast. Play around with different charge weights and see what works best.

WESHOOT2 · June 2, 2010, 08:45 PM

Old standbye 9mm / 115g lead / 5.5g Unique. Jacketed, too....

arfan · June 3, 2010, 10:05 AM

They are 115 gr lead RN, 356 Dia. I'm using the Lyman reloading handbook, 49th edition, and there is virtually no difference in the beginning load grains for the 115gr and 125 gr bullet. I've been told that when reloading lead bullets you should start 10% lighter than recommended for jacketed bullets. You Agree?

Thanks again...

WESHOOT2 · June 3, 2010, 10:14 AM

What do your other manuals offer for data (you DO have other manuals, don't you?)?

FrankenMauser · June 3, 2010, 01:26 PM

Quote:

They are 115 gr lead RN, 356 Dia. I'm using the Lyman reloading handbook, 49th edition, and there is virtually no difference in the beginning load grains for the 115gr and 125 gr bullet. I've been told that when reloading lead bullets you should start 10% lighter than recommended for jacketed bullets. You Agree?

I have seen data for lead bullets reduced as much as 60% from their Jacketed counterparts.

It's generally only a 10-15% reduction, but certain bullets build more pressure than you would expect.

CAUTION: The following post includes improvised loading data, possibly beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

You should probably be safe starting at 4.0gr, as long as you aren't deep-seating the bullets. If it were me, I would back off to 3.8gr, and work up from there.

With lead, you're rarely looking for a "maximum" charge. You're looking for reliability, accuracy, and no leading in the bore. Push things too hard, and you'll have to strip-mine that barrel to get the lead out.

As for having issues finding data - I'm with you. I really like ("new" Alliant) Unique in the 9mm Luger, but there is little data, and almost zero data for 115gr bullets (imagine that - the most popular bullet weight has the least amount of data with this powder). I just went through 9 reloading manuals, and didn't find a single set of load data for this combination. It's always the wrong powder, or wrong bullet weight.

June 2, 2010, 12:24 PM	#1
arfan Member Join Date: October 30, 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 20	9mm Lead - 115 gr & 125 gr I have been reloading 9mm lead 125 grain with 4.2 gr Unique powder. They are consistent and cycle perfectly. I just received some 115 gr lead bullets. Will it be ok/safe to load them with the same 4.2 gr of Unique? Thanks

June 2, 2010, 02:21 PM	#3
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Similar to your load, I use 4.3gr of Unique under a 122gr LFP for my primary 9mm load. I believe I used 4.6gr under the last 115gr LRNs I had. (Can't tell you what the OAL was, but it was not a max load in any of my data; as long as you're at a near-max OAL.) However, your "115 gr lead bullets" needs to be clarified. Are they wadcutters? semi-wadcutters? round nose? flat points? truncated cones? What size are they? .355"? .356"? .357"? The design, diameter, and bearing surface of the bullet are just as important as the weight. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

June 2, 2010, 08:45 PM	#5
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	Old standbye 9mm / 115g lead / 5.5g Unique. Jacketed, too.... __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

June 3, 2010, 10:05 AM	#6
arfan Member Join Date: October 30, 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 20	9mm Lead - 115 gr & 125 gr They are 115 gr lead RN, 356 Dia. I'm using the Lyman reloading handbook, 49th edition, and there is virtually no difference in the beginning load grains for the 115gr and 125 gr bullet. I've been told that when reloading lead bullets you should start 10% lighter than recommended for jacketed bullets. You Agree? Thanks again...

June 3, 2010, 10:14 AM	#7
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	not necessarily What do your other manuals offer for data (you DO have other manuals, don't you?)? __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

June 2, 2010, 02:02 PM	#2
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	Max load listed for a 115 jacketed bullet is 6.3 Your load should be safe, but you still shouldn't use unpublished data. I could be anybody, and taking my word for it is just dumb. Send off for the reloading guide. http://www.alliantpowder.com/resources/catalog.aspx Somebody else will confirm it here, eventually. In any case, I suspect that your load may not function well. I don't think you'll have pressure problems, but you may have failures to operate in some guns.

June 2, 2010, 08:26 PM	#4
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	If anything, you may have reduced accuracy with the lighter bullets if pushed too fast. Play around with different charge weights and see what works best.