Hello to all and 9mm powders

[dacaur]

I use unique, though honestly I just picked it because it can be used in the 9mm I'm currently loading, plus several calibers I hope to load in the future.... I am thinking of trying power pistol too... but unique is working fine.... some people say its "dirty" but when I clean my guns, i dont notice any real difference compared to what it was like before I started reloading....

[duck911]

Unique for me!

--Duck911

[gigante]

I have found good loads with W231, Titegroup, Universal, and Silhouette, but the one that's most consistent with all of my pistols is Universal under 124gr Berry's. Titegroup a close second. I will admit that I still have some tweaking to do with the W231 and Silhouette to see if they can perform with all of my pistols like the Universal and Titegroup does.

[golfnutrlv]

I use Hodgdon HS6.

Just an FYI regarding bullseye and 9mm. Bullseye has an extremely fast burn rate. A little fast for 9mm IMO. Pressure ina 9mm builds quickly as the round gets shorter in overall length. Bullseye's fast burn rate can make this a concern.

I use Hodgdon HS6 in my 9mm. I don't load for top velocity most of the time. HS6 is clean, economical, and easy to meter. It's medium burn rate is better for 9mm.

Not to step on anyone's toes, and don't get me wrong, I love bullseye for .45 auto. Have loaded thousands of .45 auto with it.

IMO, there are better choices for 9mm.

[compglock17]

I also use HS6 for my 9mm reloading and have had no problems with it. Its accurate, seems to throw consistent charges and I can get it for a great price.

[1SOW]

jeepin, Got a frown yet?

Many powders will run 9mm well for different types of loads.

Your first decision is "what type of load do I want"?
A few options are: "Target/range plinking" soft shooting lower pressure loads.
Mid-range loads to reach out a little farther, like Win White box + a little.?
SD loads for faster speeds and better SD bullet penetration and expansion.?

Many powders work best at higher speeds and pressures. Some work well at lower speeds and pressures. Some shoot "dirty" when loaded light.
Some powders don't work well in some press powder systems. Some work well in any powder system. etc.
Some have a wide load "range". Some have a very narrow load "range". EG> low end 4.1grs, hi end 4.5 grs OR low end 4.1grs, Hi end 5.1grs. This last one is easie/safer to load for someone just starting out.

Ask a more specific question about "what you want to load FOR". You'll still get a range of individual preferences, but it will narrow the choices.

Hope this makes sense.

[igousigloo]

has anyone used 158 gn. lrn 357 bullets in a 9mm?

[dacaur]

.357 bullets should not be used to load 9mm. the diameter is different, 9mm is .355" and .357 is .357". It might not seem like much of a difference but i can tell you from first hand experience that it WILL cause problems in some guns.

Before I started reloading I bought some gun show reloads that, I found later, had been loaded with .357 bullets. They fired fine though my ruger p95, but when I tried to shoot them in my kel-tec pf9, which has a tighter chamber, they would not allow the gun to go fully into battery, and had to be pulled from the chamber with pliers....

[OEF-Vet]

Power Pistol has served me well in my FN P9

115 gr JHP
CCI 500 primer
6.5 gr Power Pistol
1.51" OAL

A little flashy at the muzzle but it burns clean and groups nicely for me at about 1100fps, though every weapon has it's own sweet load.

It's important to mention, this is below max powder charge and in my experience most powders perform at their best in the upper middle charge range. Always start low and work your way up 1 or 2 tenths of a grain at a time and keep good records so you can reproduce what is working well.

Do you plan to load for any rifles as well?

Good luck and welcome to reloading, it adds a whole new realm to shooting sports.

Jim

[jimbob86]

My only 9mm powder is Power Pistol.

[Linear Thinker]

My choice is Accurate #5 for 115-125gr bullets, and Accurate #7 for 147 grainers. I use jacketed or plated bullets only.

I've experimented with Unique, and found it too dirty for my liking in 9mm. That was many years before they reformulated it, so the current version may not have that problem.

[Misssissippi Dave]

I tried AA#5 today and it works very well for mid range to upper range rounds. I do need to try is some more. Who knows it might replace the W231/HP-38 that I have been using at least for 124 grain FMJ rounds.

[rc]

9mm is one of those rounds that works very well with a whole variety of powders. My favorite for 115 grain bullets at full power is universal clays and I've tried a lot of different powders.

W231 is excellent for many different calibers from 32 S&W to 45 ACP. I've had excellent accuracy with 800x but it doesn't meter well. Blue dot is good at 9mm pressures as is unique, AA#5, AA#7 etc, etc, etc. Slower powders are better in longer carbine barrels and faster powders tend to give less standard deviation and better accuracy from handguns.

[jimkim]

AA#7 was actually designed for the 9mm NATO round. I use it with jacketed bullets, and Unique, Red Dot, or Bullseye with cast.

[Mike Irwin]

WW 231 is, always has been, and likely always will be my go-to powder for most handgun cartridges.

I burned a lot of it when I was reloading 9mm.

[peter_s]

W231/HP-38 and HS-6.

I've noticed that HS-6 can be dirty unless it is loaded near max. But at max it burns very clean. Loading manuals seem to show that at maximum levels, HS-6 loads usually don't reach the high pressures that some of the faster powders do.

Also, people with a whole lot more experience than me use mag primers with HS-6 to get all of the powder ignited and keep things clean.

[9miller]

definitely try titegroup out, for plinking i use a 115gr. FMJ, 4.4 grains of titgroup, cci 500 primers and range brass. titegroup is best around max load, low loads don't tend to cycle as well. Hope this helps.

[win308]

Unique................