9mm Recipe\Help???

[Thatguy80]

Hello Fellas!!!

I have been loading 9mm and 45 ACP pistol for awhile now on a rcbs single stage.

I am finally going to take the next step and take a big gulp of the Blue Kool-Aid and am buying a Dillon RL 550 B!!!

Here is my question:

I have been making 9mm rounds with the following recipe:

115 RN FMJ
3.2 gr of Hodgdon clays
Coal of 1.100 with no crimp ( I do a slight taper so the rounds feed but only enough to remove the flare from the expansion)

They have worked well on my SA XD9, but I just got my hands on a Beretta M9A1 and have found this recipe either wont cycle the slide enough to chamber the next round or give me a stove pipe.

I bumped the recipe up to 3.4 gr of the Clays, and it shoots ok but I hate to make loads at the MAX charge (According to Hodgdon's data).

SO my questions is, since I would like to make about 500 rounds in the next day or two, does anyone have a good powder to use for 9mm? Preferrable one that would work well on 45 ACP also and meters decently?

It might be a tall order but you guys are awsome and look forward to hearing some responses.

Thanks Fellas!!!

***Update***

Great advise guys thanks a ton.

So I bought some Titegroup and made a few using 4.0 grains and a COL of 1.100. I'll be going to the range tonight to see how they work!!!

[noylj]

AA5 is very good for .45, 9mm, .38 Special, .38 Super, and .40S&W.
N320, 231/HP38, Zip, WSF are also very good. If you want max velocity, look to 3N37, HS6, Power Pistol, and Silhouette.
Look very carefully at the Dillon 650 and the Hornady L-N-L before getting a 550. Both are a lot more flexible in their set-up with 5 stations. I would not buy any progressive press without at least 5 stations. When progressives first started coming out at a reasonable price (thanks Dillon), the Hornady was the first that met my criterion--5 stations.
For your own safety, a progressive should have at least the following stations:
1 Size/deprime
(prime on the down-stroke)
2 Expand and powder charge hornady, Dillon, or Lee powder measure with appropriate powder-through expander plug.
3 RCBS LOCK-OUT die
4 Bullet seating
5 Case crimp
You can separate case expansion and powder charging, but you will need to eliminate the Lock-Out die that protects you from charging errors.
You can combine seating and crimping, but the results (in my experience) are not as good.
On a final note of safety, the Hornady L-N-L is the only progressive I have worked with that puts the seating station under the reloader's nose so it is easy to visually check the powder charge as you are putting a bullet on the case. It is also faster and cheaper to make caliber conversions.
If you can, shoot 200 rounds of factory ammunition through your Beretta to "break it in" before changing your load.
Next, DO NOT APPROACH MAX LOADS WITH CLAYS. Clays has an almost "hockey-stick" pressure curve. It will bite your *** and damage your gun if there is any error in the charge weight or if there is any bullet set-back.
In my personal opinion, the action pistol sports need to clean up their act fo gamesmanship over practicality and safety, especially with using extremely fast powders for cartridges that should be using slower powders and then trying to make major with a round that is NOT designed to make major safely.
You should be loading nothing faster than 231/HP38, unless you are loading light target loads in the 750-900fps region.

[oddjob]

Try VV N320. Its a great powder.

[CALI SHOT DOC]

i like/use titegroup and it measures pretty consistent

[Bill Steele]

It is a little harder to find at local retail stores and a little more expensive to buy, but my all time favorite 9mm 115gr RN FMJ load is 6.2grs of VV-3N37 seated to 1.145".

This will cycle your Beretta without issues (unless you forgot to lube the slide and locking block), meters well, will be clean, consistent and very accurate if you do your part loading and shooting.

A couple of other favorites VV-N340, VV-N320 (I guess I just like expensive powders).

Others that I load occasionally in 115gr RN FMJ, W231 and Bullseye (5grs).

That should just about cover it.

[Peter W Bush]

I have used 231 and Bullseye in my 9mm loads. 231 behind 124 grain lead round nose bullets are tack drivers out of my P225. Get a few different powders, make a few hundred rounds of each and use load development as an excuse to hit the range!

[nimbus]

W231, VVN320, and bullseye all work great for my 9mm loads.

[Cheep]

W231 and Unique for all 9mm loads, very versatile!

[XDRoX]

There is no better powder for 45 than WST. WST is also one of the best powders I've ever used in light to medium loads in 9mm. It burns exceptionally clean, powders like water, accurate, high volume, and low recoil. It is my favorite powder. I use it in 45, 9mm, and 38spl. Great powder, try it, you won't be disappointed.

[mls204]

I have used 231 and Bullseye in my 9mm loads. 231 behind 124 grain lead round nose bullets are tack drivers out of my P225. Get a few different powders, make a few hundred rounds of each and use load development as an excuse to hit the range!

Great advice here. This is exactly my reasoning for shooting so often. 5 calibers, 7 different powders, lots of combinations.

[buffybuster]

W231 works well for both 9x19 and 45ACP. Meters pretty well too.
Unique is a good powder also, but like all flake propellants, does not meter as nicely.

[Milspec714]

I like to use IMR Hi-Skor 700-X with Speer 115 grn GDHP starting load at 3.9 grns according to Hodgons... and man all day long with no problems

also use it to load my 45acp 185 grns with no hiccups at all out of my llama 45

[pisarski]

accurite arms #2 or #5 work in 9mm and 45acp i use #7 in my 9mm but it wont work in 45acp

[Enter_the_Dragon]

I load 9mm 124grn MG CMJ JHP using Hogdon Clays at 3.2 - 3.3 and 45ACP MG CMG RN H-Clays at 3.5 - 3.7 while using a Dillon 550B. Hodgdon Clays does not meter well with Dillon. It'll give you inconsistent throws by .1 -.2 grns at times. I shoot a Glock 34 with an 11 lb spring and haven't had any stove pipes/FTE.

W231/HP38 or Bullseye for your 9mm/40SW/45ACP loads and meters well with Dillon.

FYI - I changed the Dillon resizing and crimp die to a Lee resizing and crimp (FCD), it got rid of the coke bottle shape.