9mm reload help please.

GMJim

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Hello all, been a while since my last post. I've been way too busy to go to the range until recently and have been testing out my 9mm loads target shooting. I'm using a CZ SP-01 shadowmate and 124 grain plated round nose projectiles with 3.5 grains of Titegroup powder. I have a RCBS mechanical scale and believe it's accurate but my loads feel heavy, a little too heavy. The Nosler manual says Max. 4.3, most accurate 3.8 and 3.3 grains for a starter load using 124 grain JHP. I get good grouping so happy with that but the recoil seems too hot?? I will occasionally shoot .357 magnum and .44 magnum factory loads so not unacustom to recoil. Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks
 
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What is the OAL? Seat bullet as long as they function reliability. This will lower pressure somewhat but not much.
3.5 grains of Titegroup is already a tame load.

You can also check crimp - I guess you use a taper crimp - just make sure you don’t over do it.
This might help, but what recoil reduction it will do if any, is far from certain.
 
Did you change your recoil and hammer spring to much lighter one? That will give you the impression of it being more recoil.

But did you calibrate the scale? Got a check weight?
 
get a good digital scale. If you don't have a good scale that you trust (not necessarily digital), you are flying blind. A reliable and accurate scale is a must for any reloader.
 
If you don't have a check weight for your scale use a bullet as one. But not one of the plated ones, use a jacketed bullet from Hornady/Nosler etc. Pistol or rifle bullet doesn't matter.

I find jacketed bullets to have less variance in weight than cast or plated.

If the scale checks out ok I have the same question as OKShooter.
 
What is the OAL? Seat bullet as long as they function reliability. This will lower pressure somewhat but not much.
3.5 grains of Titegroup is already a tame load.

You can also check crimp - I guess you use a taper crimp - just make sure you don’t over do it.
This might help, but what recoil reduction it will do if any, is far from certain.

Thanks for the reply. Recommended OAL from the projectile manufacturer is 1.120 and a light crimp
 
If you don't have a check weight for your scale use a bullet as one. But not one of the plated ones, use a jacketed bullet from Hornady/Nosler etc. Pistol or rifle bullet doesn't matter.

I find jacketed bullets to have less variance in weight than cast or plated.

If the scale checks out ok I have the same question as OKShooter.

Thanks. Scale accuracy is what I was thinking but I also load 148 Grain Berry's double ended wad cutters in .357 magnum cases for my revolver with 3 grains of bullseye and all is good so I don't think scale accuracy is an issue. Could be just me? I'll have to make sure the scale is accurate.
Thanks for the replies.
 
Do factory loads of 9mm recoil less? That's one way to judge the difference- if any. The 9mm is such an old cartridge most factory ammo is pretty tame. If you get significantly more recoil with your handloads then something might be amiss.
 
Do factory loads of 9mm recoil less? That's one way to judge the difference- if any. The 9mm is such an old cartridge most factory ammo is pretty tame. If you get significantly more recoil with your handloads then something might be amiss.

Thanks, I have a box of factory loads that I'll take with me next time out to the range.
 
get a good digital scale. If you don't have a good scale that you trust (not necessarily digital), you are flying blind. A reliable and accurate scale is a must for any reloader.

Thanks, I'll check my scale as soon as I can get some check weights.
 
An accurate digital scale is $20 or less. That will check your RCBS scale as well.

Thanks, I'll check out digital scales and reviews. Can you recommend one and where to buy? The powder scales at Cabelas range from $40 (bad reviews) to $249. Most of these are probably made in China.
 
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Frankford Arsenal pocket scale is good enough. You don’t need Sartorius or Mettler Toledo for this.

Another thing to play with is powder. Titegroup is dense, I don’t like it in volumetric dispensers (e.g. Dillon), because any variation in volume translates into bigger difference in weight compared to a less dense powder. If you weighing each one individually on a scale it should not matter as much. Try to find some Vihtavuori N320 - it works very well in 9mm.
 
I'm thinking if you got 3.5grn of TG, you got reduced springs in your gun. As TG and W231 load data were only off a few tenths. I doubt my gun would cycle with that low of a charge. I got a Shadow with the factory springs.

Amazon my weight or smart weight scale is accurate enough.
 
Here is my Frankford next to a 20$ Amazon smartphone weight scale. Both with 20g check weight. 50G check weights were a bit more in difference.

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3.5gr of Titegroup under a 124gr plated bullet is almost as light as it gets. Titegroup's a great powder. It's versatile, it meters very well (even volumetrically), and relatively cheap. Some people think it's too "snappy", and maybe that's what you're feeling, but I've never noticed/cared. You can try a different powder (HP-38/Win 231, Accurate #2, Unique etc.) but I'm not sure if that's going to solve any of your problems. Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from Vihtavuori, it's just overpriced internet hyped powder. To each their own, I guess.

P.S. I too own the FA digital scale (with a traditional balance type as a backup) and find that it's sufficient for loading pistol rounds. As OkayShooter stated above, many cheap(er) scales are accurate enough.

P.S.S. I'm going to sound like a broken record but...you should always determine your own max OAL. OAL's listed in manuals/data are useless. Make a long inert dummy round and continually shorten it until in plunks and spins in the barrel(s) you intend to use with that load. Every bullet/barrel combo is different and when you load a new bullet you should once again determine the max OAL.

 
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Here is my Frankford next to a 20$ Amazon smartphone weight scale. Both with 20g check weight. 50G check weights were a bit more in difference.

{Pictures removed for thread cleanliness}

I have one of those cheap Amazon scales. I wouldn't trust it for straight reloading, but everytime I reload I check the first, then every 20 or so on it versus what I'm reading on my beam scale. It tends to read within 0.1grain, which I assume there's no way that BOTH the beam scale and electronic scale would be calibrated wrong but the same
 
3.5gr of Titegroup under a 124gr plated bullet is almost as light as it gets. Titegroup's a great powder. It's versatile, it meters very well (even volumetrically), and relatively cheap. Some people think it's too "snappy", and maybe that's what you're feeling, but I've never noticed/cared. You can try a different powder (HP-38/Win 231, Accurate #2, Unique etc.) but I'm not sure if that's going to solve any of your problems. Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from Vihtavuori, it's just overpriced internet hyped powder. To each their own, I guess.

P.S. I too own the FA digital scale (with a traditional balance type as a backup) and find that it's sufficient for loading pistol rounds. As OkayShooter stated above, many cheap(er) scales are accurate enough.

P.S.S. I'm going to sound like a broken record but...you should always determine your own max OAL. OAL's listed in manuals/data are useless. Make a long inert dummy round and continually shorten it until in plunks and spins in the barrel(s) you intend to use with that load. Every bullet/barrel combo is different and when you load a new bullet you should once again determine the max OAL.


Yeah I load like 1.090 for my CZ But bumped it up to 1.10. Never had feeding issues with any of my 9mm with that.

I have one of those cheap Amazon scales. I wouldn't trust it for straight reloading, but everytime I reload I check the first, then every 20 or so on it versus what I'm reading on my beam scale. It tends to read within 0.1grain, which I assume there's no way that BOTH the beam scale and electronic scale would be calibrated wrong but the same

Dad gave me the FA as he accidently ordered 2. So I gave the cheap one to my wife, to measure fragrance oil. But its good enough for pistol. But then again I mainly use a powder dispenser as I'm not loading for precision. My 9mm is on an auto disk, then I got a Lyman 55 I use for 38/357 - 45 ACP.
 
I use 4.0gr of Titegroup with 124gr Campro RN bullets in ALL my pistols and PCCs with 0 issues. I've run it through the chrono and the velocity is right within the specs. That's the best way to verify loads.

Titegroup has a very little play room due to small volumes, so 0.2gr error might be critical. For that matter, I have a secondary electronics scale to cross check once in a while as well as use check weights.

3.5gr will not cycle some of my guns, though.
 
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