First reloading with 9mm, bullet seating drama! - Page 2

jetinteriorguy · May 28, 2016, 06:43 AM

I shoot a ton of 9mm using 700X and it works great. I load 3.6 gr using both copper plated and HiTec coated 124 gr bullets. Shoots clean, accurate, and very economical. Only issue is at these small amounts you have to check for short throws, it can bridge depending on what measure you use. I tried with the Lee Pro Disc and it didn't work so well, but works good from my Auto Drum.

pathdoc · May 29, 2016, 10:37 AM

3.6gn is the upper limit given to me by the factory ballisticians for 124gn jacketed bullets so I don't think I'll ever go that hard (3.0 was the starter), but we shall see. Once my week on call for the hospital ends, I can think about loading some more, and I will probably load a magazine full of 124gn to compare against the 115gn bullets. I mostly only need it to go bang anyway; if it shoots worth a damn I can try it out on plates sometime, and if it doesn't drop them cleanly on impact, THEN I will think about going harder.

9x45 · May 30, 2016, 08:52 AM

Something doesn't add up, the Hodgdon website shows 3.3 to 3.7 grains at 1.100" for a 115 XTP, but then it's only going about 1,100 fps, which is nowhere near what a 115 can get to. It may not even cycle the gun correctly at the low end. The 124 XTP load data is showing 3.7 to 4.2 grains at 1.150", still about 1,100 fps. As bullet weight increases, charge weight goes down. I think there is an error for the 115 data, it is generally .5 to 1 grain over 124 data. The only way to know what's going on is to chrono your loads, keeping in mind most published data is for a 4" barrel. Also as the OAL goes down, the pressure goes up, as does the resultant velocity. I know USPSA shooters running 4.2 grains of 700x on top of a 230 grain .45acp making the major floor of 165, guys running 5.0 grains of 700x with a 115 making the minor floor of 125 ( about 1,100 fps).

As a reference, plates and poppers are calibrated to a 115 floor for USPSA.

jetinteriorguy · May 31, 2016, 08:06 PM

I did work up to the 3.6 gr of 700X, I believe I went all the way up to 4gr but the most accurate load was at 3.6. It's a plenty energetic load but seems ok as far as pressure signs. I think starting at 3 gr and working up if you feel necessary is a good place to start, although I believe I started at 3.2.

pathdoc · June 5, 2016, 05:05 AM

Okay, after loading thirty rounds of this stuff, I am now a lot more confident about everything.

The handloads look just like factory, which I like.

I have ten rounds of 115gn Hornady FMJ which... well, with a 0.4gn min to max spread, they could be anything (I weighed them all individually as close as I could to 3.9/4 grains); ten rounds of 124gn Winchester FMJ weighed to minimum (3gn), and ten rounds of 115gn on top of the same charge. With these, I will be watching very carefully for holes appearing in the paper. If they feed, cycle and eject cleanly, this will probably become my plinking and practice load; I won't feel hesitant about dumping them from a powder measure if I'm a whole grain under maximum. The next thing I need to do is dump some 700X into a powder measure and throw a whole bunch of charges to see what sort of consistency I can get with this stuff.

Man, it feels strange to load this cartridge. In everything else I've done, half a grain is an accuracy adjustment or a tidying-up function; in this one, it's more than the difference between min and max!!!

May 30, 2016, 08:52 AM	#28
9x45 Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2000 Location: Southern California Posts: 1,089	Something doesn't add up, the Hodgdon website shows 3.3 to 3.7 grains at 1.100" for a 115 XTP, but then it's only going about 1,100 fps, which is nowhere near what a 115 can get to. It may not even cycle the gun correctly at the low end. The 124 XTP load data is showing 3.7 to 4.2 grains at 1.150", still about 1,100 fps. As bullet weight increases, charge weight goes down. I think there is an error for the 115 data, it is generally .5 to 1 grain over 124 data. The only way to know what's going on is to chrono your loads, keeping in mind most published data is for a 4" barrel. Also as the OAL goes down, the pressure goes up, as does the resultant velocity. I know USPSA shooters running 4.2 grains of 700x on top of a 230 grain .45acp making the major floor of 165, guys running 5.0 grains of 700x with a 115 making the minor floor of 125 ( about 1,100 fps). As a reference, plates and poppers are calibrated to a 115 floor for USPSA. __________________ Sometimes my Glock forgets where to look..... Last edited by 9x45; May 30, 2016 at 09:24 AM.

June 5, 2016, 05:05 AM	#30
pathdoc Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2013 Posts: 669	Okay, after loading thirty rounds of this stuff, I am now a lot more confident about everything. The handloads look just like factory, which I like. I have ten rounds of 115gn Hornady FMJ which... well, with a 0.4gn min to max spread, they could be anything (I weighed them all individually as close as I could to 3.9/4 grains); ten rounds of 124gn Winchester FMJ weighed to minimum (3gn), and ten rounds of 115gn on top of the same charge. With these, I will be watching very carefully for holes appearing in the paper. If they feed, cycle and eject cleanly, this will probably become my plinking and practice load; I won't feel hesitant about dumping them from a powder measure if I'm a whole grain under maximum. The next thing I need to do is dump some 700X into a powder measure and throw a whole bunch of charges to see what sort of consistency I can get with this stuff. Man, it feels strange to load this cartridge. In everything else I've done, half a grain is an accuracy adjustment or a tidying-up function; in this one, it's more than the difference between min and max!!! Last edited by pathdoc; June 5, 2016 at 05:10 AM.

May 28, 2016, 06:43 AM	#26
jetinteriorguy Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 3,182	I shoot a ton of 9mm using 700X and it works great. I load 3.6 gr using both copper plated and HiTec coated 124 gr bullets. Shoots clean, accurate, and very economical. Only issue is at these small amounts you have to check for short throws, it can bridge depending on what measure you use. I tried with the Lee Pro Disc and it didn't work so well, but works good from my Auto Drum.

May 29, 2016, 10:37 AM	#27
pathdoc Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2013 Posts: 669	3.6gn is the upper limit given to me by the factory ballisticians for 124gn jacketed bullets so I don't think I'll ever go that hard (3.0 was the starter), but we shall see. Once my week on call for the hospital ends, I can think about loading some more, and I will probably load a magazine full of 124gn to compare against the 115gn bullets. I mostly only need it to go bang anyway; if it shoots worth a damn I can try it out on plates sometime, and if it doesn't drop them cleanly on impact, THEN I will think about going harder.

May 31, 2016, 08:06 PM	#29
jetinteriorguy Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 3,182	I did work up to the 3.6 gr of 700X, I believe I went all the way up to 4gr but the most accurate load was at 3.6. It's a plenty energetic load but seems ok as far as pressure signs. I think starting at 3 gr and working up if you feel necessary is a good place to start, although I believe I started at 3.2.