9mm reloads

RockingReloading · April 7, 2013, 09:34 PM

I bought some 124gr. bullets and i started to reload them and i got through with the first ten and I tried them in my gun and the slide will not shut completelly. this is my reloading information. Can anyone help me with the overall lenght and the amount of powder in grains.

124gr. Bullets
Alliant Bullseye powder .38 grains
.355 cases
CCI primers Aol:1.120

Misssissippi Dave · April 7, 2013, 10:15 PM

My first question is what 124 grain bullet are you using? The load data varies depending on if it is lead, plated or jacketed. It also varies by the profile of the bullet used. Are you open to using a different powder or bullet?

david_r · April 7, 2013, 11:27 PM

Can you clarify how many grains you are putting into the round?

Have you measured the case neck to insure you have taken all the flare out? Take the barrel out of your gun and drop one of your reloads in it. It should spin and "plunk" in the chamber and should be near flush or below flush to the breech end of the barrel. If you push on the round and then turn the barrel over, the round should fall out.

I would suggest you seat a bullet in an unprimed case to 1.115 and see if it sits lower in the barrel than the one you just tried at 1.120. Keep seating the bullet a little lower until you get to where the round isn't getting lower. Somewhere around there is your maximum COL for that bullet.

If you seat a bullet at 1.115" and the round doesn't get closer to flush, it isn't the bullet profile but the diameter somewhere near the neck. Check your crimp and insure you are removing all flare.

RockingReloading · April 8, 2013, 05:27 PM

Iam using a Alchemy Projectiles 124grain bullet and in the case i am putting 3.8 grains of powder.

Misssissippi Dave · April 8, 2013, 06:14 PM

Those bullets are hard cast plated. The load data needed is generally some place between lead and jacketed. Most of the time you can get by starting in the middle of the lead data and work your way up to not more than mid-range of the jacketed data.

If your slide is not going back far enough to pick up and load the next round when firing, you probably are using too light a load. When this is the problem you are having it is time to load some more test loads. Increase in 0.1 grain increments. I would tend to want to stay at or below 4.2 grains. This is only a guess on my part. Load 5 and no more that 10 rounds for each step you are going to try.

If you are having a problem with the round chambering that is something else. What is the Over All Length (OAL) of the rounds you have already loaded that didn't work?

NoSecondBest · April 8, 2013, 06:32 PM

If you mean that your slide won't close when you attempt to chamber a round, your crimp is not right. If this is the case, are you using a taper crimp die or a roll crimp die. Using a roll crimp will often cause problems and for any round going into an auto, a taper crimp will always be the way to go. Especially on the 9mm and 38Super type shells.

wpsdlrg · April 8, 2013, 06:47 PM

Semi auto pistol chambers vary in length and throat diameter, depending on manufacturer. It is very possible that the COL you quoted is simply too long for your particular pistol. Assuming that the bullets you are using have a reasonable ogive for the 9mm (that is, the bullet has a suitable nose shape).... then the only logical conclusion is that the COL is too long.

You need to load a dummy round, with an empty case and the bullet you plan to use, then check chambering in your pistol with it. Keep adjusting the COL bit by bit (by seating the bullet deeper), until the round will reliably chamber. Take a measurement of the overall length (COL), once you find the right length - and that will be your maximum COL...with THAT bullet.

Now, the other consideration is the level of your load - that is, how hot it is. The COL you quoted is probably shown with the load data you consulted as the "minimum COL" (or "OAL" - same thing). That number is a GUIDELINE, not an absolute. But, IF you were loading to the maximum end of the scale, the the suggested "minimum" length becomes a safety issue. This is because seating a bullet more deeply into the case increases the maximum pressure produced by the cartridge. So, COL (or OAL) IS important to consider...under those circumstances.

The good news is that, 3.8 grains of Bullseye, under a 124 grain bullet, is NOT a maximum load - and should certainly be safe with a COL that will fit your chamber. So, as long as you don't load more than roughly 4.5 grains (of Bullseye) or so, with these bullets, then you will not run into pressure problems.

As it happens, 3.7 or 3.8 grains of Bullseye, under a 124 grain cast bullet, is an excellent and very accurate load in all of my 9mm pistols. I use a COL of 1.09", as that is the maximum that one of my pistols will accept (so I load to that length to produce ammo that will chamber in both of them).

57K · April 8, 2013, 07:32 PM

Could be any of the above and why the "plunk" test should be used. The OP also needs to know about how to establish the correct OACL for the bullet he's using in HIS pistol so that he can check for proper OACL with any bullet he may use in the future as well. OP, have you tried the "plunk" test to see if your rounds are dropping into the chamber as they should, making an audible "plunk"?

jcwit · April 8, 2013, 08:43 PM

I think you need to get a reloading manual or 2 and read/study them.

April 7, 2013, 09:34 PM	#1
RockingReloading Junior Member Join Date: March 14, 2013 Posts: 4	9mm reloads I bought some 124gr. bullets and i started to reload them and i got through with the first ten and I tried them in my gun and the slide will not shut completelly. this is my reloading information. Can anyone help me with the overall lenght and the amount of powder in grains. 124gr. Bullets Alliant Bullseye powder .38 grains .355 cases CCI primers Aol:1.120

April 8, 2013, 05:27 PM	#4
RockingReloading Junior Member Join Date: March 14, 2013 Posts: 4	9mm reloads Iam using a Alchemy Projectiles 124grain bullet and in the case i am putting 3.8 grains of powder.

April 8, 2013, 06:47 PM	#7
wpsdlrg Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 2009 Posts: 826	Semi auto pistol chambers vary in length and throat diameter, depending on manufacturer. It is very possible that the COL you quoted is simply too long for your particular pistol. Assuming that the bullets you are using have a reasonable ogive for the 9mm (that is, the bullet has a suitable nose shape).... then the only logical conclusion is that the COL is too long. You need to load a dummy round, with an empty case and the bullet you plan to use, then check chambering in your pistol with it. Keep adjusting the COL bit by bit (by seating the bullet deeper), until the round will reliably chamber. Take a measurement of the overall length (COL), once you find the right length - and that will be your maximum COL...with THAT bullet. Now, the other consideration is the level of your load - that is, how hot it is. The COL you quoted is probably shown with the load data you consulted as the "minimum COL" (or "OAL" - same thing). That number is a GUIDELINE, not an absolute. But, IF you were loading to the maximum end of the scale, the the suggested "minimum" length becomes a safety issue. This is because seating a bullet more deeply into the case increases the maximum pressure produced by the cartridge. So, COL (or OAL) IS important to consider...under those circumstances. The good news is that, 3.8 grains of Bullseye, under a 124 grain bullet, is NOT a maximum load - and should certainly be safe with a COL that will fit your chamber. So, as long as you don't load more than roughly 4.5 grains (of Bullseye) or so, with these bullets, then you will not run into pressure problems. As it happens, 3.7 or 3.8 grains of Bullseye, under a 124 grain cast bullet, is an excellent and very accurate load in all of my 9mm pistols. I use a COL of 1.09", as that is the maximum that one of my pistols will accept (so I load to that length to produce ammo that will chamber in both of them). Last edited by wpsdlrg; April 8, 2013 at 06:55 PM.

April 8, 2013, 08:43 PM	#9
jcwit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2007 Location: Upper Indiana Posts: 609	I think you need to get a reloading manual or 2 and read/study them. __________________ U.S. Army Veteran NRA Certified Range Officer

April 7, 2013, 10:15 PM	#2
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,411	My first question is what 124 grain bullet are you using? The load data varies depending on if it is lead, plated or jacketed. It also varies by the profile of the bullet used. Are you open to using a different powder or bullet?

April 7, 2013, 11:27 PM	#3
david_r Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2013 Posts: 131	Can you clarify how many grains you are putting into the round? Have you measured the case neck to insure you have taken all the flare out? Take the barrel out of your gun and drop one of your reloads in it. It should spin and "plunk" in the chamber and should be near flush or below flush to the breech end of the barrel. If you push on the round and then turn the barrel over, the round should fall out. I would suggest you seat a bullet in an unprimed case to 1.115 and see if it sits lower in the barrel than the one you just tried at 1.120. Keep seating the bullet a little lower until you get to where the round isn't getting lower. Somewhere around there is your maximum COL for that bullet. If you seat a bullet at 1.115" and the round doesn't get closer to flush, it isn't the bullet profile but the diameter somewhere near the neck. Check your crimp and insure you are removing all flare.

April 8, 2013, 06:14 PM	#5
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,411	Those bullets are hard cast plated. The load data needed is generally some place between lead and jacketed. Most of the time you can get by starting in the middle of the lead data and work your way up to not more than mid-range of the jacketed data. If your slide is not going back far enough to pick up and load the next round when firing, you probably are using too light a load. When this is the problem you are having it is time to load some more test loads. Increase in 0.1 grain increments. I would tend to want to stay at or below 4.2 grains. This is only a guess on my part. Load 5 and no more that 10 rounds for each step you are going to try. If you are having a problem with the round chambering that is something else. What is the Over All Length (OAL) of the rounds you have already loaded that didn't work?

April 8, 2013, 06:32 PM	#6
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	If you mean that your slide won't close when you attempt to chamber a round, your crimp is not right. If this is the case, are you using a taper crimp die or a roll crimp die. Using a roll crimp will often cause problems and for any round going into an auto, a taper crimp will always be the way to go. Especially on the 9mm and 38Super type shells.

April 8, 2013, 07:32 PM	#8
57K Junior member Join Date: March 2, 2013 Location: Heart of Texas Posts: 788	Could be any of the above and why the "plunk" test should be used. The OP also needs to know about how to establish the correct OACL for the bullet he's using in HIS pistol so that he can check for proper OACL with any bullet he may use in the future as well. OP, have you tried the "plunk" test to see if your rounds are dropping into the chamber as they should, making an audible "plunk"?