9mm 147gr Target Recipe

bluetopper · August 3, 2008, 05:15 PM

Just bought a very nice Dan Wesson 9mm 1911 and 1k 147gr cast bullets.

I'm looking for a good recipe for a very accurate target load. I don't give a hoot for a self defense load.

The powders I have in stock are Power Pistol, American Select, Bullseye, and Clays.

Flood me with your suggestions, please.

Scott5 · August 3, 2008, 10:46 PM

Hey Parisite,
You might try this site.
:http://stevespages.com/355p_4_147.html
Bullseye From 3.4 grains to 4.2 grains CCI-500 Primer
Power Pistol From 3.5 grains to 5.7 grains CCI-500 Primer
American Select From 3.6 grains to 3.7 grains CCI-500 Primer
The load in color is the accuracy load.

Happy shooting
Scott5

bluetopper · August 7, 2008, 09:23 PM

Anybody else??????

rn22723 · August 8, 2008, 07:31 AM

No free lunches, the most accurate load is one you work up in your gun! Sorry! You wanna dance that is only way to do it! What happens if you copy cat load up a bunch and well the do not shoot well? You are stuck pulling or shooting crappy ammo! What if that load does not reliably cycle the gun? Get my point! Work up the load!

SL1 · August 8, 2008, 12:58 PM

Rn22723,

I think Parisite is asking what loads people have found to be accurate using those powders and 147 grain lead bullets, or if somebody has had good luck with other powders. It is a smart question to ask. True, he will need to work up the load in his gun to see how accurate it is and if a different charge weight will give him better accuracy. But, there are WAY to many powders out there to just start at the As and work all the way to the Zs to see which one is best in his gun. He is smart to ask what others have found success with and at least start there. Some powders have a reputation for doing well in some cartridges in a wide range of different guns. Ken Waters called these "Pet Loads" and wrote a book on them.

Ken is now deceaased, and the latest data I have from him on the 9mm Luger is dated January, 1973. It did not include 147 grain lead bullets. Maybe somebody has one of his more recent works that has a 9mm update.

In the Waters data that I have, his most accurate cast bullet load was 4.0 grains of Red Dot under a 123 grain Ohaus #9124C bullet. His most accurate jacketed bullet load was 5.5 grains of HS-5 under a (old style) Speer 125 grain JHP, and his favorite load was 6.0 grains of HS-5 under an (old style) Hornady 115 grain JHP. But, there are many newer powders and bullets by now.

Anybody have comparable info that is more up to date to help Parisite?

SL1

putteral · August 8, 2008, 03:03 PM

My KP95 loves 147gr Lead Flat points with 4.8grs of Power Pistol. Very accruate. I have tried other powders for that bullet ( Red Dot, Titegroup, Unique, 231, Bullseye) but find Power Pistol the best in most any 9mm bullets in my Ruger.

zxcvbob · August 8, 2008, 03:40 PM

I use 4.5 grains of Bullseye with 135 grain cast bullets. (that would be way too much with 147's, so it's probably not much help.) With lighter bullets, I like Green Dot.

enstorm · August 8, 2008, 11:34 PM

My Lyman manual accuracy load for 147 grain cast bullets is 4.6 grains of power pistol at 1.058 oal using lyman cast bullet

bluetopper · August 9, 2008, 12:20 PM

No free lunches asked for here, just a little bit of info on others past experiences. After all isn't that what this forum is for?

Thanks for the being in my corner SL1.

Appreciate the advice/info from everyone.

PCJim · August 9, 2008, 08:55 PM

Parasite, I think the point others were trying to make was that a given reload based on someone's "pet load" may be accurate beyond belief in one pistol and not worth the paper it was shot at in another pistol.

Start out with whatever powder and loading you want, and make enough rounds that you can shoot a minimum of 5-7 of each incremental loading thru each 9mm you own. You may end up with a hundred test rounds. If you do it this way, you'll find the most accurate load for a specific pistol as well as the load that works best for the average of all the 9's. It may or may not be the same load.

If you're like me, you don't want to have to load specific to every gun you own. In my opinion, that would be a pain....

August 3, 2008, 05:15 PM	#1
bluetopper Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2005 Location: Northeast TX Posts: 1,197	9mm 147gr Target Recipe Just bought a very nice Dan Wesson 9mm 1911 and 1k 147gr cast bullets. I'm looking for a good recipe for a very accurate target load. I don't give a hoot for a self defense load. The powders I have in stock are Power Pistol, American Select, Bullseye, and Clays. Flood me with your suggestions, please.

August 3, 2008, 10:46 PM	#2
Scott5 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2004 Posts: 134	9MM Hey Parisite, You might try this site. :http://stevespages.com/355p_4_147.html Bullseye From 3.4 grains to 4.2 grains CCI-500 Primer Power Pistol From 3.5 grains to 5.7 grains CCI-500 Primer American Select From 3.6 grains to 3.7 grains CCI-500 Primer The load in color is the accuracy load. Happy shooting Scott5

August 8, 2008, 03:40 PM	#7
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	I use 4.5 grains of Bullseye with 135 grain cast bullets. (that would be way too much with 147's, so it's probably not much help.) With lighter bullets, I like Green Dot. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

August 7, 2008, 09:23 PM	#3
bluetopper Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2005 Location: Northeast TX Posts: 1,197	Anybody else??????

August 8, 2008, 07:31 AM	#4
rn22723 Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2001 Location: Burbs of Minneapolis Posts: 676	No free lunches, the most accurate load is one you work up in your gun! Sorry! You wanna dance that is only way to do it! What happens if you copy cat load up a bunch and well the do not shoot well? You are stuck pulling or shooting crappy ammo! What if that load does not reliably cycle the gun? Get my point! Work up the load!

August 8, 2008, 12:58 PM	#5
SL1 Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2007 Posts: 2,001	Rn22723, I think Parisite is asking what loads people have found to be accurate using those powders and 147 grain lead bullets, or if somebody has had good luck with other powders. It is a smart question to ask. True, he will need to work up the load in his gun to see how accurate it is and if a different charge weight will give him better accuracy. But, there are WAY to many powders out there to just start at the As and work all the way to the Zs to see which one is best in his gun. He is smart to ask what others have found success with and at least start there. Some powders have a reputation for doing well in some cartridges in a wide range of different guns. Ken Waters called these "Pet Loads" and wrote a book on them. Ken is now deceaased, and the latest data I have from him on the 9mm Luger is dated January, 1973. It did not include 147 grain lead bullets. Maybe somebody has one of his more recent works that has a 9mm update. In the Waters data that I have, his most accurate cast bullet load was 4.0 grains of Red Dot under a 123 grain Ohaus #9124C bullet. His most accurate jacketed bullet load was 5.5 grains of HS-5 under a (old style) Speer 125 grain JHP, and his favorite load was 6.0 grains of HS-5 under an (old style) Hornady 115 grain JHP. But, there are many newer powders and bullets by now. Anybody have comparable info that is more up to date to help Parisite? SL1

August 8, 2008, 03:03 PM	#6
putteral Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2008 Location: Homosassa,Florida Posts: 206	My KP95 loves 147gr Lead Flat points with 4.8grs of Power Pistol. Very accruate. I have tried other powders for that bullet ( Red Dot, Titegroup, Unique, 231, Bullseye) but find Power Pistol the best in most any 9mm bullets in my Ruger.

August 8, 2008, 11:34 PM	#8
enstorm Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2005 Posts: 217	My Lyman manual accuracy load for 147 grain cast bullets is 4.6 grains of power pistol at 1.058 oal using lyman cast bullet

August 9, 2008, 12:20 PM	#9
bluetopper Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2005 Location: Northeast TX Posts: 1,197	No free lunches asked for here, just a little bit of info on others past experiences. After all isn't that what this forum is for? Thanks for the being in my corner SL1. Appreciate the advice/info from everyone.

August 9, 2008, 08:55 PM	#10
PCJim Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2008 Location: FL Posts: 570	Parasite, I think the point others were trying to make was that a given reload based on someone's "pet load" may be accurate beyond belief in one pistol and not worth the paper it was shot at in another pistol. Start out with whatever powder and loading you want, and make enough rounds that you can shoot a minimum of 5-7 of each incremental loading thru each 9mm you own. You may end up with a hundred test rounds. If you do it this way, you'll find the most accurate load for a specific pistol as well as the load that works best for the average of all the 9's. It may or may not be the same load. If you're like me, you don't want to have to load specific to every gun you own. In my opinion, that would be a pain....