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Gerry · September 15, 2012, 02:48 PM

I now use the Lyman 4-cavity mold #356637 for 9mm, and shoot them as cast without resizing. With my alloy, they drop at about 156 grains and are about .358 in diameter. Clocking around 825fps with a power factor over 128, they are loaded to an OAL of around 1.080 in front of 2.8 to 2.9 grains of Vihtavuori N320. It took me years of experimentation to develop this load, and the objective was for fast recoil recovery and soft shooting for IPSC use, and of course I wanted absolutely ZERO barrel leading. It also fits my barrels, with lots of contact area with the rifling on that size of bullet meaning zero keyholes and decent accuracy. I haven't had much luck with the Lee TL bullets in this regard. I have a few theories...

If I was loading to a higher power factor like major I'd use a much lighter bullet, especially using a ported barrel and needed lots of gas. But I shoot Production Division in CZ Shadows, so that's of no use for me.

It all depends on your use. For range plinking I'd want something easy on me that I could causally shoot all day, and not give problems for kiddies as well.

September 15, 2012, 02:48 PM	#3
Gerry Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 382	I now use the Lyman 4-cavity mold #356637 for 9mm, and shoot them as cast without resizing. With my alloy, they drop at about 156 grains and are about .358 in diameter. Clocking around 825fps with a power factor over 128, they are loaded to an OAL of around 1.080 in front of 2.8 to 2.9 grains of Vihtavuori N320. It took me years of experimentation to develop this load, and the objective was for fast recoil recovery and soft shooting for IPSC use, and of course I wanted absolutely ZERO barrel leading. It also fits my barrels, with lots of contact area with the rifling on that size of bullet meaning zero keyholes and decent accuracy. I haven't had much luck with the Lee TL bullets in this regard. I have a few theories... If I was loading to a higher power factor like major I'd use a much lighter bullet, especially using a ported barrel and needed lots of gas. But I shoot Production Division in CZ Shadows, so that's of no use for me. It all depends on your use. For range plinking I'd want something easy on me that I could causally shoot all day, and not give problems for kiddies as well. Last edited by Gerry; September 15, 2012 at 03:29 PM.