Loading for accuracy - pistol

[Sniffer]

I'm relatively new to reloading and to date have only tweaked loads for rifles to improve accuracy

Are there gains to be had with doing similar with pistol loads? Is is possible to find the "sweet spot" where accuracy improves by playing with powders/bullet weights etc? Or is it simply not worth the effort?

I imagine the hardest part is taking my own shortcomings out when testing - harder to do when aiming with a pistol as opposed to a rifle with bipods, rear support bags etc


Thoughts?

 

[Ganderite]

Yes, I find groups can be cut in half by selecting the right powder charge,

To find the right load, you need a way to shoot accurately. Using a rest helps.

The most time efficient way to do it is to load 20 or 30 rounds in o.3 increments from a step below the Start load up to the Max. I then shoot 2 mags of each load and compare the results when I get home. usually one of the loads is clearly better than the others. Often the best load is around 75% of full power.

Here is a test. I ran a test of 4.0 to 5.0 of a powder. 4.0 looked the best, so I repeated the test, comparing 4.0 to 2 other loads. 4.0 was still the best. So I loaded a couple thousand of this load an marked the cans with that pistol. Each pistol gets its own load.

 

[Sniffer]

Yes, I find groups can be cut in half by selecting the right powder charge,

To find the right load, you need a way to shoot accurately. Using a rest helps.

The most time efficient way to do it is to load 20 or 30 rounds in o.3 increments from a step below the Start load up to the Max. I then shoot 2 mags of each load and compare the results when I get home. usually one of the loads is clearly better than the others. Often the best load is around 75% of full power.

Here is a test. I ran a test of 4.0 to 5.0 of a powder. 4.0 looked the best, so I repeated the test, comparing 4.0 to 2 other loads. 4.0 was still the best. So I loaded a couple thousand of this load an marked the cans with that pistol. Each pistol gets its own load.

View attachment 163437

Thanks Ganderite

I have two 9mms and I will load up some rounds like you describe and go testing

I'm enjoying reloading and find it gives another dimension to my love of the sport

So for a rest what are you using? Is a rear rifle bag enough to support the front of the pistol or do you use something more elaborate?

 

[Ganderite]

I shoot 2 handed, standing at 25 yards. I have not used a rest very often, so can't comment.

 

[Sniffer]

I shoot 2 handed, standing at 25 yards. I have not used a rest very often, so can't comment.

I'm trying to reduce the human element error as much as possible so I will try the bag idea

Thanks again

 

[Seagull]

Is a rear rifle bag enough to support the front of the pistol or do you use something more elaborate?

I have just used a rear bag before. Help take out some of the human factor.

 

[MuthaFunk]

When using a rest I make sure I only use it to brace my forearms so my grip can still play a role in the way the gun will shoot. It's possible to work out a fantastic load for that pistol when braced rock solid or loosely rested but when you go to shoot it freehand with you're real grip you'd find you actually shoot tighter groups with a lighter or heavier load. At least until you max out you're pistols capability with your freehand technique.

 

[Ganderite]

When using a rest I make sure I only use it to brace my forearms so my grip can still play a role in the way the gun will shoot. It's possible to work out a fantastic load for that pistol when braced rock solid or loosely rested but when you go to shoot it freehand with you're real grip you'd find you actually shoot tighter groups with a lighter or heavier load. At least until you max out you're pistols capability with your freehand technique.

This reminds me why I shoot without a rest. I found that the results rested did not equate to the results when I shot unrested. And it is the unrested performance that I was looking for.

The idea of bracing the forarms (not the hands) makes sense.

 

[jimbo14]

I've just sighted in pistols at 10 yds, by kneeling on the floor, resting the grip on the bench and focusing on the fundamentals. With factory ammo, I can usually get 1.5" groups this way. I don't have Ganderite's skills to trust freehand at 25 yds. I'd go into some sort of endless loop redoing loads if I did that. lol!

 

[B]

I recently benched a good batch of my 9mms. The variation of POI was enlightening to say the least. Using a different powder/charge can make a huge difference, as can bullet selection.

 

[VanMan]

What kind of distances are you shooting? For shooting under 20m, I used to test my reloads by bracing my forearms on some sandbags. This gave me good enough results for general plinking rounds and for IPSC competition loads.

I started developing loads for PPC where the distances can be 50m, so I picked up a Ransom Rest to test the accuracy of my loads.

I was testing factory ammo against reloads using Campro vs Berry's bullets here with various loads


Here's my Ransom Rest mounted on a huge concrete block, chrono set up at 5m, and target set up at 50m. Groups that day ranged from 20" (factory ammo was horrible), to 3" group with some loads

I'm relatively new to reloading and to date have only tweaked loads for rifles to improve accuracy

Are there gains to be had with doing similar with pistol loads? Is is possible to find the "sweet spot" where accuracy improves by playing with powders/bullet weights etc? Or is it simply not worth the effort?

I imagine the hardest part is taking my own shortcomings out when testing - harder to do when aiming with a pistol as opposed to a rifle with bipods, rear support bags etc


Thoughts?

 

[Sniffer]

Thanks for the pointers guys

I`m gonna do some prepping today, what I`m thinking is twenty rounds of each load, then I can shoot one magazine freehand and one supported off bags and compare.

I`m gonna use 3 different weights (115, 124 & 147) but I'm not sure what steps I should use for powder variations - for example the range for Titegroup on 147s is 3.2 - 3.6 grains

Would three steps be enough - ie 3.2, 3,4 & 3.6?

 

[stampede]

Generally speaking, of all the different pistol loads I have developed, loads that are near the minimum listed tend to be the most accurate.

These very light loads may not be "legal" in some shooting sports.

 

[VanMan]

I do my workups in .2 grain increments. If you can, try some Campro 124gr hollow points. I haven't Ransom Rest tested those yet, but they seem to produce smaller groups at 15m then the 147gr RNFP I'm using now. I'll be switching over to those after I run out my current batch of 147gr bullets.

Thanks for the pointers guys

I`m gonna do some prepping today, what I`m thinking is twenty rounds of each load, then I can shoot one magazine freehand and one supported off bags and compare.

I`m gonna use 3 different weights (115, 124 & 147) but I'm not sure what steps I should use for powder variations - for example the range for Titegroup on 147s is 3.2 - 3.6 grains

Would three steps be enough - ie 3.2, 3,4 & 3.6?

 

[jimbo14]

VanMan, have you noticed a difference in 124gr Campro RN vs Berry RN in 9mm?

 

[VanMan]

I haven't reloaded with Berry's 124gr RN yet, but I used to buy commercial reloads from Custom Reloading Services for years before I started to reload. John uses Berry's brand bullets, and I've always found his reloads very consistent with an ES that's usually 1/2 that of factory ammo. I just usually end up buying Campro because they are usually ~10% cheaper than Berry's when I do a bulk buy.

I have some other inserts for my Ransom Rest, and will run some tests on my reloads vs CRS and factory ammo later on this spring.

VanMan, have you noticed a difference in 124gr Campro RN vs Berry RN in 9mm?

 

[Ganderite]

I do my workups in .2 grain increments. If you can, try some Campro 124gr hollow points. I haven't Ransom Rest tested those yet, but they seem to produce smaller groups at 15m then the 147gr RNFP I'm using now. I'll be switching over to those after I run out my current batch of 147gr bullets.

I would start 2 steps below the published Start laod, with only 10 of the weakest (in case it won't cycle - less to throw away). I have a pair of 1911s that are deadly at 3.0 of TG and the groups open thereafter.

 

[justmessing]

Another vote for shooting freehanded like you normally would. I went through this recently with 147g Campro/Titegroup as well.
I did 20 of each @ 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5. Didn’t both with max load. They all ran well and I saw better accuracy out of the 3.4/3.5. I ran 100 each of those, and since then about 2000rds @ 3.5g.

My next step is to find someone at my club who wants to help chrono my loads, so I can aim for minimum power factor, and if those suit my accuracy requirements, that’s what I will run.

(FWIW, 7000g in 1 Lb / 3.5g Titegroup = 2000rds per pound, keeps the math simple)

 

[Ganderite]

Another vote for shooting freehanded like you normally would. I went through this recently with 147g Campro/Titegroup as well.
I did 20 of each @ 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5. Didn’t both with max load. They all ran well and I saw better accuracy out of the 3.4/3.5. I ran 100 each of those, and since then about 2000rds @ 3.5g.

My next step is to find someone at my club who wants to help chrono my loads, so I can aim for minimum power factor, and if those suit my accuracy requirements, that’s what I will run.

(FWIW, 7000g in 1 Lb / 3.5g Titegroup = 2000rds per pound, keeps the math simple)

I once ran a test of TiteGroup in my 9mms and found that 3.4g got the best result in many of them.

 

[justmessing]

I once ran a test of TiteGroup in my 9mms and found that 3.4g got the best result in many of them.

I’ve heard similar reports from others as well. It looks like that was 135g cast bullet? The recommended charge weight spread gets fairly narrow with the heavier bullets. 3.4/3.5 is close to max published. I’m curious to chrono and see what kind of velocity/consistency I’m gettting.

Reloading is a super interesting rabbit hole to dive into OP, I’m enjoying the hell out of it