Powder substitute for 9mm 115gr lead

[Prof Young]

Loaders:
Looking in the Lee reloading book and the chart that came with my 9mm die set, the ONLY thing recommended to propel a 115 gr 9mm lead bullet is Accurate 2 or 5 or 7. I can't find any of those any where, and have about 1000 9mm 115 gr bullets. Surely there is another powder one can use? Help!!!

Live well, be safe
Prof Young

[Sevens]

Prof Young, do you own any load manuals? And what powder do you actually have access to?

It's been my (hands-on) experience that in 9mm, if you can use that powder for jacketed bullets... you can use that powder for cast lead bullets also.

I've loaded many thousands commercially cast Dardas 125gr LRN slugs over a charge of Hodgdon Universal and they've done very well for me. That powder happens to be irrationally hard to find right now, but it does work awfully well for me in 9mm.

[5whiskey]

I'm confused... I just checked my Lee manual and it listed 2 dozen powders or so for a 115 gr lead bullet. It had listings for H38, HS6, Ram Zip, 700x, 800x, Clays, Titegroup, True Blue... the list goes on. If you needed even more options, you can look a heading down into the plated bullet loads and stay around 5% under max load (there are powders that are double listed under both... their max load for lead is ALWAYS well over the starting load for the plated. Most of the double listed powders list identical data between lead and plated.)

Lee's reloading manual is cumbersome at times. It has good info and it's pretty darn conservative (which honestly I like), but info isn't sorted very well. For instance, there is a very long listing for load data with 124 gr lead projectiles... then there is another equally long listing (with some different powders) under 125 gr lead projectiles. While I wouldn't recommend "playing" around too much with reloading, these two bullets are close enough to use mostly comparable data so long as you aren't trying to push max loads.


Are you beholden to accurate powders for any reason?

[noylj]

For 9x19, 112-118gn bullets are the same.
121-125gn bullets are the same.
You start at the starting load and work up. Within that range, every bullet is slightly different.
For lead bullets, you will see almost as much difference between two and one lube groove bullets as from one weight to another. Start low and work up and find what your gun does.
If you can't find 115gn data, you use 121-125gn data and work up charge weights.
Lee's data is a compilation from various sources. You have found the Accurate Arms data summary. Lee's data combines data of the same bullet weight, construction, and powder and tends to list the lowest starting load and the lowest max loads for safety--just like all reloaders should do for themselves.
If you want data for a specific powder, let us know.

[zxcvbob]

Bullseye works very well in 9mm with lead bullets.

[Prof Young]

5Whiskey:
I'm using Modern Reloading - Second Edition by Richard Lee. Cover touts " . . . World's Most Comprehensive Load Data."
Attached is pic of page 532.
Clearly I'm not using the best handbook.
Thanks to all here for all the info. Very helpful.
Live well, be safe
Prof Young

[hartcreek]

What pistol powders do you have access to and why dont you have a better manual? You can purchase them on CDs now too.

[jj320]

Check the powder manufacturess website also. The have plenty of listing. I also have the lyman 49th eddition good info.

[Mike Irwin]

My powders, in order of preference, would be:

WW 231/HP38
AA 2
AA 5


But, given that all three of those are so danged hard to find right now...

I suggest you start scouting for Alliant powders. They seem to be a bit more available, at least from what I'm hearing...

Bullseye, Unique, and Red Dot, and possibly American Select or Power Pistol, should get you there.

Don't bother with the Alliant reloading site on the web, though, they don't give any loading data for 9mm with lead bullets that I can find.

[Brian Pfleuger]

No need to purchase a ton of manuals. There's more official data available online, for free, than you can ever use.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=435562

As far as I'm concerned, paper manuals are needed at the End of the World when technology fails.

[Mike Irwin]

Ah! I did not know that about Alliant's offerings. What pain in the butt they are to do that.


Wait one damned second...

Even going to the Products and clicking "view all recipes" for a particular handgun powder, the Alliant data still does NOT show any 9mm Luger lead bullet recipes.

The ONLY data they have is for Gold Dot bullets.

In other words... Buy a competent, comprehensive reloading manual.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Yeah, Alliant's site is weird. Sometimes you have to follow the product link to get more data, sometimes you don't get any more there either.

Their 2010 and 2013 manuals are both available online too. I don't know if they're the same as their printed books. If so, they have no lead data for 9mm either.

[serf 'rett]

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

Do the search for 115 grain 9mm Luger and you will find the Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester powders.

If you could tell us what powders you can get, then someone will likely help you with their favorite load.

[Mike Irwin]

Holy crap... Powder Valley is pretty much out of EVERYTHING.

They have a few Vhit powders available, and that is about it.

I'm REALLY glad that I'm sitting on probably 10+ year's supply of powder.

If you were local, I'd share some with you.

[Machineguntony]

Powder Valley and some other site, which I won't mention, are awesome because they don't impose limits. Limiting a buyer online to an 8 pound jug or a few one pound container really hurts the overall cost due to the shipping and the Haz Mat fee. If a site allows a max purchase up to the allowable single Haz Mat weight (usually 50 pounds), often it is cheaper to buy online. If purchased in bulk, on a pound for pound basis, powder online is always cheaper than B&M.

[MarkGlazer]

Dear sir, I believe you are using a very old version of the Lee's 2nd edition. I purchased a reprint dated 2012/2013, January of last year and as 5wiskey points out, there are 21 different powders listed for a 115 grain cast lead bullet.

As the other members have also stated, each of the powder manufactures post their data to their web sites so you always have a resource to go to. I would also suggest you employ the "search" feature of the Firing Line as there are multitudes of people who develop their own recipes and share. HOWEVER, you must be very cautious in your work and develop incremental loads (starting in the basement and working up).

I'm going to guess that you are new to the hand loading arena (based on your post - no disrespect intended). I suggest that you stick with load data from published manuals and web sites before you begin to experiment on your own. Gain a comfort zone with the loading process, making mistakes and knowing how to fix them before you do experiment with custom loads.

Please be careful.

Good luck.

[tekarra]

My preferred powder is 700X for the 115 grain bullet.

[Gster]

I don't know what 2nd edition you have but here is a pic. from my Lee Modern reloading Second Edition page 507:
[IMG][/IMG]
Hope you can see it.

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Lyman 49th list 3.9 gr Red Dot over 120gr LRN 1045 FPS.
I have been using Red Dot lately.
I am using 3.9 gr Red dot over 125 gr LRN currently (1.15" OAL ). Not leading after 90 rounds tested through S&W 910 . Accuracy good @ 11yds (33') with soft recoil compared to factory and my 115 gr plated FMJ using 4.2 gr Red Dot @ 1.145" OAL.

[Prof Young]

MarkGlazer:
I've been reloading for about five years now. And it is the cautious use of load data only from published official sources that has cause this search. Thanks for you words or caution. All is well in that regard.

Gster:
Attached below is an image of the cover of the book I've been using. It was published in 2004. That Lee has published one more recently with more and better data but still calls it a "second edition" is sloppy publishing if not down right reprehensible.

All:
Thanks so much for all the good info. That's why this forum exists. There is much to learn, much to learn.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young

[Salmoneye]

If you are a member of The High Road, here is a copy of the last paper manuals put out by Alliant:

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachmen...7&d=1364769070

A few of us have eMailed and asked if the data is still 'safe', and have been told that it is with the caveat of Blue Dot in 125gr loads in .357, and Blue Dot in all weights in .41 Mag (see warning below)...

http://www.alliantpowder.com/getting...y_notices.aspx

[WESHOOT2]

5.5g Unique
5.6g WAP / Silhouette / 3N37
4.8g W231
5.4g Universal
others....