9 mm rn vs hp

Schultz56 · April 28, 2010, 07:49 AM

I am fairly new to reloading, and have a question hopefully someone can answer for me. I have successfully reloaded 125 gr lrn with an OAL of 1.15" I recently tried loading 115 gr plated hp's but it did not have info on the recommended OAL so i used the 1.15". I found that they would not load into my magazine. I know that the OAL is partially a function of the amount and type of powder, but here is my question. Typically are hp's seated deeper than other types of bullets and why?

dlb435 · April 28, 2010, 05:36 PM

I'm not sure what bullet you have but all my data points to a COL of 1.095 for hp bullets. Check the load data from the bullet maker.
I've had some 9mm guns that just did not like hp round. What gun do you have?

spacecoast · April 28, 2010, 07:35 PM

It would make sense that they are shorter overall due to the truncated point, plus the fact that they are 10 grains lighter and shorter anyway. See how much shorter they are than your LRNs and try the same delta in OAL. Also, compare them to some factory HPs if possible.

Coffeeshop123 · April 28, 2010, 09:56 PM

They're not necessarily seated deeper, but the OAL tends to be less so they'll feed and chamber more smoothly. One thing which can help is using factory rounds of different types as a GUIDE (read below) in how deep to seat your bullets but mainly, pay attention to the OAL listed in your reloading charts. It's usually different with different styles and weights of bullets.

The cartridges headspace off of the case mouth, but OAL is important (besides feeding and chambering) because of the distance the bullet jumps before engaging the rifling and the amount of free space left in the case when the bullet is seated. The "jump" before engaging the rifling affects both accuracy and chamber pressure.

You can safely use a factory round to set your seating die...if you're using the exact same components the factory uses. Case and bullet dimensions are critical, powder and primer type are important too. That's why a lot of loading manuals specify different OAL's for different loadings; the OAL's listed account for space left inside the cartridge but also ensure the cartridge fits inside the magazine, feeds/chambers properly and the bullet isn't too close to or too far from the rifling. If you're not 100 percent sure about your OAL then just work up your loads slowly, looking for signs of high pressure (excessive recoil, flattened/cratered primers, difficulty extracting/ejecting, etc). Be safe and have fun!

HJ857 · April 29, 2010, 09:14 AM

I load 124 grain fmj and 125 jhp bullets to an oal of 1.135 and will accept a maximum oal of 1.140 and have had no issues with that loading. However I do trim all cases using a Lee system with the zip trim.

I would definitely suggest shortening your oal, 1.15 sounds long.

Schultz56 · April 29, 2010, 09:26 AM

Thanks for all the info.
The weapon I have had the loading issues is a Hi Point carbine. The bullets are Rainer plated hp. Rainer recommends using lead bullet loading data. But cannot find data on lead hp's. I think I can seat the bullet a little deeper with out worrying about compressing the powder.

spacecoast · April 29, 2010, 09:43 AM

Schultz -

I'm using Berry's plated RN reloads in my Hi-Point Carbine and didn't have a single problem in 175 rounds last weekend. The HPs are more feed error-prone though. One thing I did to help the rifle feed more smoothly was to remove the paint from the feed ramp with some 400 grit paper (see pics below). That might help them move up into the chamber more easily.

Berry's says to use low-to-mid jacketed load data, and that's what I use.

Before

After

April 28, 2010, 07:49 AM	#1
Schultz56 Member Join Date: September 15, 2009 Location: Lower Burrell, PA Posts: 17	9 mm rn vs hp I am fairly new to reloading, and have a question hopefully someone can answer for me. I have successfully reloaded 125 gr lrn with an OAL of 1.15" I recently tried loading 115 gr plated hp's but it did not have info on the recommended OAL so i used the 1.15". I found that they would not load into my magazine. I know that the OAL is partially a function of the amount and type of powder, but here is my question. Typically are hp's seated deeper than other types of bullets and why? __________________ Schultz56 NRA Life Member If you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns!

April 29, 2010, 09:26 AM	#6
Schultz56 Member Join Date: September 15, 2009 Location: Lower Burrell, PA Posts: 17	Thanks for all the info. The weapon I have had the loading issues is a Hi Point carbine. The bullets are Rainer plated hp. Rainer recommends using lead bullet loading data. But cannot find data on lead hp's. I think I can seat the bullet a little deeper with out worrying about compressing the powder. __________________ Schultz56 NRA Life Member If you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns!

April 28, 2010, 05:36 PM	#2
dlb435 Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2009 Posts: 654	I'm not sure what bullet you have but all my data points to a COL of 1.095 for hp bullets. Check the load data from the bullet maker. I've had some 9mm guns that just did not like hp round. What gun do you have?

April 28, 2010, 07:35 PM	#3
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	It would make sense that they are shorter overall due to the truncated point, plus the fact that they are 10 grains lighter and shorter anyway. See how much shorter they are than your LRNs and try the same delta in OAL. Also, compare them to some factory HPs if possible.

April 28, 2010, 09:56 PM	#4
Coffeeshop123 Member Join Date: April 27, 2010 Posts: 20	They're not necessarily seated deeper, but the OAL tends to be less so they'll feed and chamber more smoothly. One thing which can help is using factory rounds of different types as a GUIDE (read below) in how deep to seat your bullets but mainly, pay attention to the OAL listed in your reloading charts. It's usually different with different styles and weights of bullets. The cartridges headspace off of the case mouth, but OAL is important (besides feeding and chambering) because of the distance the bullet jumps before engaging the rifling and the amount of free space left in the case when the bullet is seated. The "jump" before engaging the rifling affects both accuracy and chamber pressure. You can safely use a factory round to set your seating die...if you're using the exact same components the factory uses. Case and bullet dimensions are critical, powder and primer type are important too. That's why a lot of loading manuals specify different OAL's for different loadings; the OAL's listed account for space left inside the cartridge but also ensure the cartridge fits inside the magazine, feeds/chambers properly and the bullet isn't too close to or too far from the rifling. If you're not 100 percent sure about your OAL then just work up your loads slowly, looking for signs of high pressure (excessive recoil, flattened/cratered primers, difficulty extracting/ejecting, etc). Be safe and have fun!

April 29, 2010, 09:14 AM	#5
HJ857 Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 447	I load 124 grain fmj and 125 jhp bullets to an oal of 1.135 and will accept a maximum oal of 1.140 and have had no issues with that loading. However I do trim all cases using a Lee system with the zip trim. I would definitely suggest shortening your oal, 1.15 sounds long.

April 29, 2010, 09:43 AM	#7
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	Schultz - I'm using Berry's plated RN reloads in my Hi-Point Carbine and didn't have a single problem in 175 rounds last weekend. The HPs are more feed error-prone though. One thing I did to help the rifle feed more smoothly was to remove the paint from the feed ramp with some 400 grit paper (see pics below). That might help them move up into the chamber more easily. Berry's says to use low-to-mid jacketed load data, and that's what I use. Before After