Beginner loads for 9mm?

[jb_z28]

Long time thread creeper on Calguns, infrequent poster. New to reloading, and have yet to load my first cartridge. I've processed approximately 200 cases (tumbled in walnut media, deprimed, sized and expanded case mouths). However, I have yet to decide on a powder and round - mostly because I haven't made my way down to the LGS for some supply, and partially because I havent found myself a definite recipe to start on.

That being said, my main objective with reloading is to produce nice, light 9mm loads for competitive use in my CZ SP01 and Tactical Sports 9mm, both of which are geared up with plenty of CZC, CGW and Armory Craft parts. Meeting power factor isnt at the top of my to-do list, as most of the competitions in my area hold indoor outlaw matches with no power factor requirement.

Where should I start?

[MongooseV8]

Buy a couple reloading manuals. Dont take load info from strangers on the internet. Use published load data.

[RandyD]

Select a powder. Look up powder on manufacturer's website. It will give you the bullet, primer and amount of powder to use. Here is an example for Unique powder; https://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...3&cartridge=23

For 9 mm, I would start out with a load that shoots 1200 fps, and work up from there.

[kcheung2]

Yeah, get a manual or 2. You say you need recipes, and don't know which powder to use. Well, those load manuals will list a few recipes for a variety of different powders. Then go to your local shop and see which powders they have in stock and buy just 1 lb of a variety of powders. Or don't, and stick with just one.

Fortunately for pistol powders the focus is more on reliability rather than absolute precision, and there's a lot of good powders for 9mm. So it's hard to make the wrong powder choice.

But note that since power factor isn't an issue, light yet reliable charges would be in the 1000 fps range for 115gr and 124gr.

[NoHeavyHitter]

As mentioned, get a manual or three - but I like to peruse various reloading sites to shop for a preferred load and verify that it is safe with the manual. There are lots of powders that work well in a 9mm. I like ww231 as it's a powder that works well in everything from light loads all the way up to heavy loads. It also performs well in a variety of bullet weights.

One thing I like doing is experimenting with lighter bullets usually used for .380 acp, as I get excellent accuracy in a flat-shooting round.

[brix]

I started out reloading over a year ago, luckily I had a friend that reloaded and he helped me out a lot. I know some clubs offer reloading "classes" or reloading education nights. The best advice if your doing matches is to talk to your local shooters, in my experience local shooters during matches will do small talk and like to exchange recipes for what they are using.

I under your wanting a light load but it might not be a bad idea to consider PF in your loads should you want to compete in a match where it does matter. Also recoil once you get a good load even at PF for let's say uspsa should produce manageable recoil which is why most competitive shooters reload.

Also practice, practice, practice at doing the actual reloading. I've seen and heard too many stories of guns blowing up due to bad loads. Pay attention to the details.

Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk

[balmo]

As per others, get a reloading manual or two to get you started in reloading.

I highly suggest getting (or borrow) a chronograph, this will validate your loads and get your actual power factor.

With that being said, my uspsa carry optic load is 147gr Blue Bullets with 3.1gr of CleanShot, Federal primers, 1.110" OAL. It makes 129 pf and is very soft shooting. I used Titegroup before but it is just dirty. CleanShot is so much cleaner and meters excellent. Titegroup and CleanShot are about the same burn rate, maybe add 0.1 - 0.2 of CleanShot to be comparable. I hope that helps.

[racinjason233]

5.2 gr. hs-6 with 124 gr. pill. May not cycle the slide so only load a mag and test going up .1 grains until it does cycle. 5.9 is max if I remember correctly.

[tawadc95]

115gn rn by Blue Bullet.
Remington 1 1/2 primer
4.3 gn WW231 or HP38
1.120 oal
My usual, pretty pleasant load.
As others have stated but a bookend verify, I like the Lyman the best out of the 5 I have.

[Rg422]

Check this board out. A lot of of good info particular to CZ. Stickies up top are great to start.

https://czfirearms.us/index.php?board=33.0

[ar15barrels]

Long time thread creeper on Calguns, infrequent poster. New to reloading, and have yet to load my first cartridge. I've processed approximately 200 cases (tumbled in walnut media, deprimed, sized and expanded case mouths). However, I have yet to decide on a powder and round - mostly because I haven't made my way down to the LGS for some supply, and partially because I havent found myself a definite recipe to start on.

That being said, my main objective with reloading is to produce nice, light 9mm loads for competitive use in my CZ SP01 and Tactical Sports 9mm, both of which are geared up with plenty of CZC, CGW and Armory Craft parts. Meeting power factor isnt at the top of my to-do list, as most of the competitions in my area hold indoor outlaw matches with no power factor requirement.

Where should I start?

3.5gr of 231 or Universal under a 115-125gr plated or cast bullet.

Cartridge          : 9 mm Luger (SAAMI)
Bullet             : .357, 121, LYM LRN 356242
Useable Case Capaci: 6.797 grain H2O = 0.441 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 1.100 inch = 27.94 mm
Barrel Length      : 4.5 inch = 114.3 mm
Powder             : Winchester 231

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 2.855% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step    Fill. Charge   Vel.  Energy   Pmax   Pmuz  Prop.Burnt B_Time
 %       %    Grains   fps   ft.lbs    psi    psi      %        ms

-28.5   53     2.50    735     145   11001   1860     90.4    0.787
-25.7   55     2.60    760     155   11887   1952     91.8    0.760
-22.8   57     2.70    784     165   12823   2043     93.0    0.734
-20.0   59     2.80    808     175   13807   2131     94.2    0.708
-17.1   61     2.90    831     186   14843   2216     95.2    0.684
-14.3   63     3.00    854     196   15931   2300     96.1    0.661
-11.4   66     3.10    877     207   17073   2380     96.9    0.640
-08.6   68     3.20    900     217   18271   2457     97.6    0.620
-05.7   70     3.30    922     228   19527   2532     98.2    0.601
-02.9   72     3.40    944     239   20842   2603     98.8    0.584
+00.0   74     3.50    965     250   22220   2670     99.2    0.567
+02.9   76     3.60    987     261   23661   2734     99.5    0.551
+05.7   78     3.70   1007     273   25168   2794     99.8    0.536
+08.6   80     3.80   1028     284   26745   2851     99.9    0.522
+11.4   82     3.90   1048     295   28393   2903    100.0    0.509
+14.3   85     4.00   1068     307   30115   2952    100.0    0.496  ! Near Maximum !

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba     74     3.50    999     268   25820   2590    100.0    0.534
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba     74     3.50    918     227   18676   2645     95.0    0.611

Cartridge          : 9 mm Luger (SAAMI)
Bullet             : .357, 121, LYM LRN 356242
Useable Case Capaci: 6.797 grain H2O = 0.441 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 1.100 inch = 27.94 mm
Barrel Length      : 4.5 inch = 114.3 mm
Powder             : Hodgdon Universal

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 2.855% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step    Fill. Charge   Vel.  Energy   Pmax   Pmuz  Prop.Burnt B_Time
 %       %    Grains   fps   ft.lbs    psi    psi      %        ms

-28.5   62     2.50    731     144   10001   2000     88.3    0.831
-25.7   65     2.60    757     154   10831   2104     89.8    0.801
-22.8   67     2.70    782     164   11708   2206     91.2    0.774
-20.0   70     2.80    807     175   12633   2306     92.5    0.746
-17.1   72     2.90    832     186   13608   2403     93.7    0.719
-14.3   75     3.00    856     197   14634   2498     94.8    0.694
-11.4   77     3.10    880     208   15714   2590     95.8    0.671
-08.6   80     3.20    904     219   16847   2678     96.6    0.648
-05.7   82     3.30    927     231   18037   2764     97.4    0.628
-02.9   85     3.40    950     243   19285   2846     98.0    0.608
+00.0   87     3.50    973     254   20593   2924     98.6    0.589
+02.9   90     3.60    995     266   21964   2998     99.0    0.572
+05.7   92     3.70   1017     278   23398   3068     99.4    0.556
+08.6   95     3.80   1039     290   24899   3134     99.7    0.540
+11.4   97     3.90   1061     302   26470   3196     99.9    0.525
+14.3  100     4.00   1082     314   28112   3254    100.0    0.511

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba     87     3.50   1014     276   24441   2847    100.0    0.548
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba     87     3.50    917     226   16848   2869     93.4    0.645

[Chop38]

I'm not a pistol expert. I don't do competitions. I don't load for self-defense. Take the following information for what it's worth (not much).

I've only tried three powders in 9mm so far: Winchester 231, American Select, and Shooters World Ultimate Pistol. Of these, I prefer the Winchester 231 because it meters much more consistently than American Select, and gives a perception of less recoil than Ultimate Pistol. All worked though.

I'm presently using the following:
Winchester brass
CCI-500 primer
4.2 grains Winchester 231
Berry's 9mm .356 115 grains hollow base round nose bullets #00231
1.168" cartridge overall length

Don't blindly trust the above recipe! There may be typos. I might be a liar or total idiot. What works well for me may cause you injury or death. Powder composition might have changed. At least visit Hodgdon's site, compare the load data there to what has been posted here.

When initially trolling the internet for powder recommendations for 9mm rounds with 115 grain bullets, the following powders were the most commonly recommended:
Alliant Unique
Winchester 231 / Hodgdon HP-38
Hodgdon Titegroup (Some caveats with this one. Probably best to stay away unless you're an experienced reloader or have one watching you.)
Alliant Power Pistol
Alliant Bullseye

[the86d]

If you are planning to reload for another caliber, cross-reference the other cartridge so you can possibly consolidate a powder that will work in both...

If not, buy what is cheap in bulk first... start in the middle, not the top, or the bottom.

[hambam105]

Nothing light...Nothing heavy....Nothing experimental or irregular.

Try to duplicate a standard 9mm Parabellum cartridge.
Find a used non collectable reloading manual published by a reliable source in the late 1970s or 1980s.

[iareConfusE]

Here's what I use for really light 9mm loads:

4.5gr Alliant Power Pistol
1.135" OAL (Drop a finished round into the barrel's chamber that is slightly long, feel when it bites the grooves, then turn the die in until the bullet no longer bites the grooves to get your "customized" OAL)
Xtreme Bullets 124gr FMJ
CCI small pistol primers
Mixed brass - some fired more than once or twice

Fired out of my M9A1, these rounds feel almost as light as a .22. My normal recipe would call for anywhere between 5.8 and 6.0gr of power pistol.

I've since switched to Bullseye but haven't really cared to do much testing on how it feels. Feels.. Normal I guess?

Good luck.