quote:

Originally posted by billnchristy:
Loaded 10 140gr FTX 357 Magnums in 3 different powder weights to test.

Loaded 5 (one bullet seated way deep and wouldn't come out grumble grumble) 22TCM in 3 weights to test.

Loaded 6 223 Fusion bullet loads in 3 steps to test.

I have at least a full day of shooting and evaluation to do and then I can start loading some of these legit.

So far to test:

380 FMJ and JHP
9mm plated
22 TCM JHP
357 JHP
223 Soft point
308 soft point

Perhaps not *quite* a full day of shooting, but if you include how long it's going to take you to clean that many weapons after your range trip, I suppose the argument becomes much more convincing.

Oh there will be other shooting involved but when we test we make sure distances are proper, each load gets its own target etc. etc.

It's a tedious process but helps me remember which loads were worth a shit and what to further experiment with.

Add in Z shooting her bow and it is easily an all day affair. (Hour each way drive too).

Last night I loaded my first 20 rounds 10 each of two powder weights to test.

9mm 124gr RN plated bullets (.355")

10 with 3.0 gr of 700-X
10 with 3.2 gr of 700-X

Side note I used the IMR load data from their website. (For 125gr Sierra FMJ) 3.0 start 3.6 max. What gives me the most concern is that my Speer manual listed a 3.9 start.

quote:

Originally posted by indy18:
Last night I loaded my first 20 rounds 10 each of two powder weights to test.

9mm 124gr RN plated bullets (.355")

10 with 3.0 gr of 700-X
10 with 3.2 gr of 700-X

Side note I used the IMR load data from their website. (For 125gr Sierra FMJ) 3.0 start 3.6 max. What gives me the most concern is that my Speer manual listed a 3.9 start.

At this website for IMR, the data is quite a bit higher than your two loads: http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

124 Grain Using 700X powder.

124 GR.1.150"
Starting Load: 3.7 894 24,700 PSI
Maximum Load: 4.2 1068 33,400 PSI

You may experience failures to eject, stovepipes or failures to feed.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by indy18:
Last night I loaded my first 20 rounds 10 each of two powder weights to test.

9mm 124gr RN plated bullets (.355")

10 with 3.0 gr of 700-X
10 with 3.2 gr of 700-X

Side note I used the IMR load data from their website. (For 125gr Sierra FMJ) 3.0 start 3.6 max. What gives me the most concern is that my Speer manual listed a 3.9 start.

At this website for IMR, the data is quite a bit higher than your two loads: http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

124 Grain Using 700X powder.

124 GR.1.150"
Starting Load: 3.7 894 24,700 PSI
Maximum Load: 4.2 1068 33,400 PSI

You may experience failures to eject, stovepipes or failures to feed.

That's the exact site I used.

That 124 is for a hollow base bullet. Wouldn't that be a more significant variation than a 1gr weight difference?

quote:

Originally posted by indy18:

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by indy18:
Last night I loaded my first 20 rounds 10 each of two powder weights to test.

9mm 124gr RN plated bullets (.355")

10 with 3.0 gr of 700-X
10 with 3.2 gr of 700-X

Side note I used the IMR load data from their website. (For 125gr Sierra FMJ) 3.0 start 3.6 max. What gives me the most concern is that my Speer manual listed a 3.9 start.

At this website for IMR, the data is quite a bit higher than your two loads: http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

124 Grain Using 700X powder.

124 GR.1.150"
Starting Load: 3.7 894 24,700 PSI
Maximum Load: 4.2 1068 33,400 PSI

You may experience failures to eject, stovepipes or failures to feed.

That's the exact site I used.

That 124 is for a hollow base bullet. Wouldn't that be a more significant variation than a 1gr weight difference?

A hollow base bullet just seats deeper and thus has more pressure (and velocity). A non hollow base would be seated shallower and thus have less pressure (and velocity).

In addition, your 3 grains is over 20% lower than the starting load and that is much more significant than hollow or not hollow base.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

A hollow base bullet just seats deeper and thus has more pressure (and velocity). A non hollow base would be seated shallower and thus have less pressure (and velocity).

In addition, your 3 grains is over 20% lower than the starting load and that is much more significant than hollow or not hollow base.

Sometimes the internet can be frustrating to communicate on. I believe I misrepresented what I was thinking. What I meant was I used the load data for the 125 gr SIE FMJ bullet. Which is given as:

C.O.L. 1.090"
Start 3.0gr 845fps 21,600 PSI
Max 3.6gr 1007fps 31,000 PSI

Wouldn't a 1gr difference in bullet weight be less important than the shape of the bullet? Also, my bullets are 0.355" diameter rather than the 0.356" diameter Berry hollow base.

I want my loads to be safe so I'm just trying to understand which way I should have gone.

Let me just state again what I'm using. 9mm 124gr RN Plated X-Treme bullets over IMR HI-SKOR 700X with CCI small pistol primers.

Okay, I gotcha. You're at the low end for that combo as the start load is 3 grains, but I'll bet that would work okay although you might have problems I mentioned before depending on your individual gun.

I'll bet the 3.2 grainers work like a charm, though.

Ok, cool. I'm guessing this is why you're only supposed to load a few to test a new load. If these give me issues just bump to 3.4 and try again. I mainly wanted to make sure I wasn't completely nuts on my load data.

Now back on topic. I sorted ~1k 9mm cases today, now off to the tumbler I go. Just got another 1k in the mail, I'll sort those tonight.

Feels good to get things done working towards something I love to do. (shoot more!)

I stopped in 3 different places today that "stock" reloading supplies, looking for powder.

Managed to find one of the powders on my list, W296, at one place.

Bought them out. All 1 pound of it. $22.99, so at least I can't bitch about that.

Well I just got finished assorting the five gallon bucket of wheel weights.
It pretty damn bad,I got one gallon of usable w/w and one half gallon of stick on's
The rest was steel,zinc and ceramic.
That will render down to between 40 #
Things have changed in the last few years,my friend that scrounges from shops he tows for used to bring neatly all lead wheel weights and a small amount of stick on pure lead.

Loaded 4 more boxes of 20 Gauge 7/8 oz. loads using reclaimed shot at a cost of $3.76/box.

Saved a fortune.

Bought some 10x and Accurate No 9 today.

Also remounted my gear to my bench so we are back in business!!

Finished filing taxes as well which means that we are one step closer to some more gear.

Loaded 10 1.125 oz 12ga shells too.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: billnchristy,

I resized and primed 100 pieces of 357 brass.

I also spent the day trying to talk myself out of buying any more guns...a LCR 357 is calling my name.

Loaded some old 165 ballistic tips with some even older H4831 for my new Howa 30-06. Scope mount should arrive next week. Hope to give them a try then.

I drove to every powder dealer in the county and was only able to find Alliants RL17 in a 5lb jug. Need something for 308. Maybe tomorrow I can dig up some RL17 recomendations for starting loads with 168 bthps.

Loaded up the last of my Berry's plated 9mm. Cast another 400 bullets with my M-P 359-125 mold, and about 250 bullets with my M-P H&G 68 Copy.

I loaded some Accurate #9 357 magnums to test against the H110.

quote:

Originally posted by exx1976:
I decapped 1k once-fired Lake City 5.56 that just got here and threw a few handfuls in the stainless Tumbler.

Tomorrow 1250 large primer 45 ACP are due to arrive, followed by 2k once fired M200 and 2k SAW brass.

Standard trigger and SRT kit for the 227 showed up today. Tomorrow the Wheeler brass punches arrive, and so do 2# of 1680 and 500 69 gr SMKs.

Also ordered 1k 125 gr SMK seconds from PVI today.

Needed something to keep me busy until this frozen tundra thaws back out.

So what did YOU do today in reloading-land?

Loaded 100 rds. of .223 and set up the Lee bulge buster for my 40 S&W's
Will crank out many of them when I get set up

decapped and sized 100 .223 and 150 5.56 cases.
also cut out primmer pockets.

Now to find a good load using the 2 lbs. of IMR 4198 I found last week.