Looking for the 9mm sweet spot . . .

Prof Young · January 19, 2017, 01:15 AM

So my 9mm is a Beretta 92fs. Great gun and I am getting better at "hitting where I am aiming" with it. My approach to reloading for it has been unstructured and haphazard. Bought whatever 9mm bullets I could find and used whatever compatible powder I could find a safe formula for.

I finally started keeping records of how different loads shoot. Have underpowered a number of loads that shoot but are not strong enough to work the action resulting in many FTE. And have some loads that seem a bit hot (should sparks fly when the action works as the gun is fired?) Anyway I am looking for the sweet spot. Accurate loads that run "well" in the gun. So my query . . .

Those of you loading for and shooting a 9mm Beretta 92fs . . . what are your favorite loads? (And yes I'll check with published load data charts to make sure I stay safe.) Thanks.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young

Metal god · January 19, 2017, 01:52 AM

How are you doing your load development ?

I started reloading rifle first and later handgun ( going on two years now ) . Because I started with rifle . I pretty much do my handgun load development the same way . I start at the minimum published load and work up in varied increments depending on the bullet , powder combo or how much room I have to work with from min to max charge .

If there's only .6gr to work with I'll load ten rounds each from min to max in .1gr increments . How ever if there's a 1gr or more difference . I'll start at minimum charge but at first work in increments of .2gr and when I hit the mid way point or a tad after I drop down to .1gr increments until I hit max charge .

I then shoot 7rounds at the target for group size and the last three over the chrono to get a velocity reading . Depending on what the purpose of the load is ( plinking or full power HP's ) I'll either stop shooting if I find a charge that groups well even though I may have a few charges remaining . This happens when I'm just looking to find a good plinking load .

On the other hand , when I'm trying to get max velocity I'll often go past that one charge that grouped better in order to get more velocity .

So the other question would be what do you mean sweet spot ? Low recoil and very accurate or full power loads that are pretty accurate ?

IMtheNRA · January 19, 2017, 03:00 AM

Sparks are not a sign of a "hot" load. That's normal for some powders.

Only your Beretta will tell you what the sweet spot is. Sounds like you have a variety of bullets with which to experiment, so have fun and stay within the published specs. You'll eventually zero in on a "standard" load that your gun likes.

I found that my 92s like a surprisingly wide variety of loads, and I developed accurate loads with all three powders that I tried in the 92: Vihtavouri 340, Winchester 231, and even the now-obscure discontinued Winchester 571 that I picked up at an estate sale.

Have fun and stay safe!

Don P · January 19, 2017, 08:59 AM

I'm using 135 gr. coated lead bullets, 3.7 gr. Titegroup and federal primers.
Loads chrono at an average of 1045 fps and nothing exceeding 1100 fps

droptrd · January 19, 2017, 10:09 AM

I load 9 a little on the hot side because my little short barreled 9s were shooting low and having feed issues. Titegroup is my go to. 4.1 for 124 fmj and 3.9 for coated lrn. Seated to 1.148". All of my 9s do well with this. My 92 likes it, but it's not too picky.

Prof Young · January 19, 2017, 02:35 PM

Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas.

Metal God hit it with the process of load development. Up to date I don't have a process. As noted in OP it has been a bit haphazard. But I'm keeping records now and will find the formulas and combination that work well.

Good to know about the "sparks" being normal. That had me worried.

I don't ever push beyond the published formulas for max load. It is, however, interesting to note the variations in load formulas.

By "sweet spot" I mean a load that is accurate, works the action so there are no FTE, and has lowest possible recoil.

Life is good.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young

RC20 · January 19, 2017, 08:11 PM

Well the first part had me about ready to un for the hills.

As for the second, what I found was my 9mm loads are fine practice, if I ant tack driver, the Remington Golden Sabre is it.

It also cost far too much.

And I can't reload the GS anything to the likes of the factory GS accuracy! (and they are hard to find)

My conclusions:

Don't buy a 9mm for anything other than SD, shoot a GS at the end to be sure your still spot on for your setup and then go buy a nice easy to load handgun caliber like 357 or 41/44 magnum!

Tsquared · January 19, 2017, 09:18 PM

I have an older Taurus 92AF with about 40k rounds through it. My favorite load has changed a few times over the years but the Hornaday HAP 125 with 3.9gr of Bullseye, 7.7gr of Blue Dot pushing 124gr Montana Gold FMJ RN, to a RMR plated 124gr RN with 4.7gr of CFE-pistol.

Surprisingly they are also within .1 grains +/- to what my Colt 1911 Govt shoots well with on those powders/bullet combinations.

iraiam · January 19, 2017, 10:14 PM

My favorite loads for 9mm have changed many times, I have a whole fleet of Beretta 92/M9 pistols. I often load at max or +P levels so I won't put those recipes up.

I have been using Alliant Power Pistol for a while, I use Vihtavouri 3N37, 3N38. Blue dot is also a long time favorite for 9mm. For some pretty descent recipes, I'll recommend the Lyman #48 and #49 reloading manuals, the Lyman manuals generally have a selection of cast bullet recipes for many cartridges.

As far as a sweet spot for your pistol, the 92fs will generally have good accuracy with a wide range of ammunition, but it can be dialed in, I find a powder burn speed in the "middle of the road" works well for accuracy. Most loading recipes list the powders based on the burn speed.

ShootistPRS · January 19, 2017, 11:21 PM

What bullet are you wanting to use? Do you have a preferred powder?
My 9mm CZ 75B shoots just about everything I feed it but it has very good accuracy with 115 and 124 grain Hornady XTP and 4.2 grains of TiteGroup. The bullets are seated to fit the chamber without crowding the rifling. They both shoot to just over an inch at 25 yards in my gun.

I have heard that others have had trouble with TiteGroup in the 9mm but that is not my experience. There are a lot of powders that are good in the 9mm such as HS6, HS7, Unique, Bluedot, AA9 and power pistol. It all depends on bullet weight and what your gun likes.

ss30378 · January 20, 2017, 12:10 PM

I've tested so many load combos that i've lost count but have always had better groups with heavy bullets (147gr +).

Most of my 9mm loads are shot from 6" barrels and loaded from warm to hot so I tend to use slower powders. I've tested power pistol, hs6, auto comp, blue dot, longshot, 800x and even 2400. I've tested bullets from 115-180gr and had a mix of cast, jacketed, plated, and powder coated.

My most accurate loads have come from auto comp and 800x and 800x wins the overall. Which sucks since 800x meters like corn flakes but i can deny that it gives great accuracy in testing. My guns shoot heavy bullets better as well 147-180 grain bullets.

For those who may ask, my barrel throats in my test guns have been opened up to accept 357mag wfn bullets (up to .359 diameter) loaded to the max allowed by the mag so that's how I run the 180gr pills.

A general load that has worked well in every gun i've tried has been a 147gr cast bullet over a 4.5g charge of 800x. Hodgdon shows a max of 4.0g with a 147xtp but that load is only listed at 29k psi. I've run that load and it barely cycles the slide. 4.5g seemed to be the sweet spot. I've ran this load in an italian made beretta 92 and a cz 75 along with my test guns it has been a lights out accurate load in all of them.

kmw1954 · January 21, 2017, 01:49 AM

I've just started loading for a Taurus PT92 which is a Beretta 92 design.

You are right in starting a notebook for load development, it helps in keeping track in what you've done and what works.

Have you plunk tested the barrel with any of your loads? Make a test dummy?

I have found that my barrel will chamber anything out to 1.175" OAL but that length will not fit into the magazine. 1.160" is the longest I can go and still fit the mag.

Pick one bullet and one powder and start from the beginning with the starting load. In my case it was a Berry's plated 124gr Round Nose as it is the easiest to start with and get right. The powder I chose was Hodgdon HP-38 because it was readily available locally and had the greatest number of recommendations.

I started at the OAL listed length on Berry's site which was 1.160" and a charge of 3.9gr of powder found on Hodgdon's site

From there I loaded 10ea. going up by .1gr to 4.3gr. The purpose was to first to check function, would they feed and cycle fully and then for accuracy.

Shot these in 3 round groups to test function and found the starting load of 3.9gr would cycle just fine but would not lock the slide back on the last round. 4.0gr load would fully function.

Now on Hodgdon site they listed an OAL of 1.150 and when loaded to this length the 3.9gr would also function. The max load listed is 4.4gr for this combination.

I settled for a load of 4.1gr to 4.2gr at an OAL of 1.155"

In this gun the load is more accurate than I am and is very comfortable to shoot.

This load also functions very well in our XD Mod2.

Hope this helps and good luck. Work up slowly and keep good notes.

January 19, 2017, 01:15 AM	#1
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,514	Looking for the 9mm sweet spot . . . So my 9mm is a Beretta 92fs. Great gun and I am getting better at "hitting where I am aiming" with it. My approach to reloading for it has been unstructured and haphazard. Bought whatever 9mm bullets I could find and used whatever compatible powder I could find a safe formula for. I finally started keeping records of how different loads shoot. Have underpowered a number of loads that shoot but are not strong enough to work the action resulting in many FTE. And have some loads that seem a bit hot (should sparks fly when the action works as the gun is fired?) Anyway I am looking for the sweet spot. Accurate loads that run "well" in the gun. So my query . . . Those of you loading for and shooting a 9mm Beretta 92fs . . . what are your favorite loads? (And yes I'll check with published load data charts to make sure I stay safe.) Thanks. Live well, be safe Prof Young

January 19, 2017, 01:52 AM	#2
Metal god Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2012 Location: San Diego CA Posts: 7,135	How are you doing your load development ? I started reloading rifle first and later handgun ( going on two years now ) . Because I started with rifle . I pretty much do my handgun load development the same way . I start at the minimum published load and work up in varied increments depending on the bullet , powder combo or how much room I have to work with from min to max charge . If there's only .6gr to work with I'll load ten rounds each from min to max in .1gr increments . How ever if there's a 1gr or more difference . I'll start at minimum charge but at first work in increments of .2gr and when I hit the mid way point or a tad after I drop down to .1gr increments until I hit max charge . I then shoot 7rounds at the target for group size and the last three over the chrono to get a velocity reading . Depending on what the purpose of the load is ( plinking or full power HP's ) I'll either stop shooting if I find a charge that groups well even though I may have a few charges remaining . This happens when I'm just looking to find a good plinking load . On the other hand , when I'm trying to get max velocity I'll often go past that one charge that grouped better in order to get more velocity . So the other question would be what do you mean sweet spot ? Low recoil and very accurate or full power loads that are pretty accurate ? __________________ If Jesus had a gun , he'd probably still be alive ! I almost always write my posts regardless of content in a jovial manor and intent . If that's not how you took it , please try again .

January 19, 2017, 02:35 PM	#6
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,514	thanks for the help . . . Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas. Metal God hit it with the process of load development. Up to date I don't have a process. As noted in OP it has been a bit haphazard. But I'm keeping records now and will find the formulas and combination that work well. Good to know about the "sparks" being normal. That had me worried. I don't ever push beyond the published formulas for max load. It is, however, interesting to note the variations in load formulas. By "sweet spot" I mean a load that is accurate, works the action so there are no FTE, and has lowest possible recoil. Life is good. Live well, be safe Prof Young

January 19, 2017, 10:14 PM	#9
iraiam Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2012 Location: Lakewood, CO Posts: 1,058	My favorite loads for 9mm have changed many times, I have a whole fleet of Beretta 92/M9 pistols. I often load at max or +P levels so I won't put those recipes up. I have been using Alliant Power Pistol for a while, I use Vihtavouri 3N37, 3N38. Blue dot is also a long time favorite for 9mm. For some pretty descent recipes, I'll recommend the Lyman #48 and #49 reloading manuals, the Lyman manuals generally have a selection of cast bullet recipes for many cartridges. As far as a sweet spot for your pistol, the 92fs will generally have good accuracy with a wide range of ammunition, but it can be dialed in, I find a powder burn speed in the "middle of the road" works well for accuracy. Most loading recipes list the powders based on the burn speed. __________________ NRA Lifetime Member Since 1999 "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people except for a few public officials." George Mason Last edited by iraiam; January 19, 2017 at 10:22 PM.

January 20, 2017, 12:10 PM	#11
ss30378 Member Join Date: October 31, 2012 Location: Alabama Posts: 21	9mm accuracy I've tested so many load combos that i've lost count but have always had better groups with heavy bullets (147gr +). Most of my 9mm loads are shot from 6" barrels and loaded from warm to hot so I tend to use slower powders. I've tested power pistol, hs6, auto comp, blue dot, longshot, 800x and even 2400. I've tested bullets from 115-180gr and had a mix of cast, jacketed, plated, and powder coated. My most accurate loads have come from auto comp and 800x and 800x wins the overall. Which sucks since 800x meters like corn flakes but i can deny that it gives great accuracy in testing. My guns shoot heavy bullets better as well 147-180 grain bullets. For those who may ask, my barrel throats in my test guns have been opened up to accept 357mag wfn bullets (up to .359 diameter) loaded to the max allowed by the mag so that's how I run the 180gr pills. A general load that has worked well in every gun i've tried has been a 147gr cast bullet over a 4.5g charge of 800x. Hodgdon shows a max of 4.0g with a 147xtp but that load is only listed at 29k psi. I've run that load and it barely cycles the slide. 4.5g seemed to be the sweet spot. I've ran this load in an italian made beretta 92 and a cz 75 along with my test guns it has been a lights out accurate load in all of them.

January 19, 2017, 03:00 AM	#3
IMtheNRA Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2001 Posts: 298	Sparks are not a sign of a "hot" load. That's normal for some powders. Only your Beretta will tell you what the sweet spot is. Sounds like you have a variety of bullets with which to experiment, so have fun and stay within the published specs. You'll eventually zero in on a "standard" load that your gun likes. I found that my 92s like a surprisingly wide variety of loads, and I developed accurate loads with all three powders that I tried in the 92: Vihtavouri 340, Winchester 231, and even the now-obscure discontinued Winchester 571 that I picked up at an estate sale. Have fun and stay safe!

January 19, 2017, 08:59 AM	#4
Don P Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2005 Location: Swamp dweller Posts: 6,213	I'm using 135 gr. coated lead bullets, 3.7 gr. Titegroup and federal primers. Loads chrono at an average of 1045 fps and nothing exceeding 1100 fps __________________ *NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer, ICORE Range Officer, ,MAG 40 Graduate* *As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.*

January 19, 2017, 10:09 AM	#5
droptrd Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 342	I load 9 a little on the hot side because my little short barreled 9s were shooting low and having feed issues. Titegroup is my go to. 4.1 for 124 fmj and 3.9 for coated lrn. Seated to 1.148". All of my 9s do well with this. My 92 likes it, but it's not too picky.

January 19, 2017, 08:11 PM	#7
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,334	Well the first part had me about ready to un for the hills. As for the second, what I found was my 9mm loads are fine practice, if I ant tack driver, the Remington Golden Sabre is it. It also cost far too much. And I can't reload the GS anything to the likes of the factory GS accuracy! (and they are hard to find) My conclusions: Don't buy a 9mm for anything other than SD, shoot a GS at the end to be sure your still spot on for your setup and then go buy a nice easy to load handgun caliber like 357 or 41/44 magnum!

January 19, 2017, 09:18 PM	#8
Tsquared Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2016 Location: NE Atlanta Posts: 337	I have an older Taurus 92AF with about 40k rounds through it. My favorite load has changed a few times over the years but the Hornaday HAP 125 with 3.9gr of Bullseye, 7.7gr of Blue Dot pushing 124gr Montana Gold FMJ RN, to a RMR plated 124gr RN with 4.7gr of CFE-pistol. Surprisingly they are also within .1 grains +/- to what my Colt 1911 Govt shoots well with on those powders/bullet combinations.

January 19, 2017, 11:21 PM	#10
ShootistPRS Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2017 Posts: 1,583	What bullet are you wanting to use? Do you have a preferred powder? My 9mm CZ 75B shoots just about everything I feed it but it has very good accuracy with 115 and 124 grain Hornady XTP and 4.2 grains of TiteGroup. The bullets are seated to fit the chamber without crowding the rifling. They both shoot to just over an inch at 25 yards in my gun. I have heard that others have had trouble with TiteGroup in the 9mm but that is not my experience. There are a lot of powders that are good in the 9mm such as HS6, HS7, Unique, Bluedot, AA9 and power pistol. It all depends on bullet weight and what your gun likes.

January 21, 2017, 01:49 AM	#12
kmw1954 Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2016 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 1,527	I've just started loading for a Taurus PT92 which is a Beretta 92 design. You are right in starting a notebook for load development, it helps in keeping track in what you've done and what works. Have you plunk tested the barrel with any of your loads? Make a test dummy? I have found that my barrel will chamber anything out to 1.175" OAL but that length will not fit into the magazine. 1.160" is the longest I can go and still fit the mag. Pick one bullet and one powder and start from the beginning with the starting load. In my case it was a Berry's plated 124gr Round Nose as it is the easiest to start with and get right. The powder I chose was Hodgdon HP-38 because it was readily available locally and had the greatest number of recommendations. I started at the OAL listed length on Berry's site which was 1.160" and a charge of 3.9gr of powder found on Hodgdon's site From there I loaded 10ea. going up by .1gr to 4.3gr. The purpose was to first to check function, would they feed and cycle fully and then for accuracy. Shot these in 3 round groups to test function and found the starting load of 3.9gr would cycle just fine but would not lock the slide back on the last round. 4.0gr load would fully function. Now on Hodgdon site they listed an OAL of 1.150 and when loaded to this length the 3.9gr would also function. The max load listed is 4.4gr for this combination. I settled for a load of 4.1gr to 4.2gr at an OAL of 1.155" In this gun the load is more accurate than I am and is very comfortable to shoot. This load also functions very well in our XD Mod2. Hope this helps and good luck. Work up slowly and keep good notes.