CZ 75 9mm shooters, what are your favorite loads?

I have loaded Berry and Bdx 124's over 4.5 gr of WIN 231. I have also tried a few of the other loads in this
post except VV 320 (not enough availability). Thousands of rounds from that good old Rockchucker. No failures.
O and the Shadow goes to my grave. Love that gun. Good for competition (IPSC ) and beginners.
 
I have both the CZ 85 Combat and CZ 75 Sp-01 Shadow. Both shoot very well with either jacketed or cast loads. I shoot 95% cast with no or limited leading. I use mainly range recycled lead that I water drop when they come out of the mold. I size to .3575. My experience with sizing is the biggest diameter that will still chamber is best. I have had no luck with commercial cast .356. My 2 loads with an Ideal bullet #356402 120 gr cast (cast weight with my blend is 123 to 124 gr's) is either 4.1 gr 231 or 4.5 gr of Unique. The Unique load is probably a little more accurate of the two.

I am just a plinker, have no concern over power factors, so no idea if my loads would meet this requirement, probably not.

The Ideal bullet is a very old design that has been around 60 or more years. They are shaped much like a 'Crayola crayon'. Because they are so tapered, they work well with the shorter chambers found in most CZ -9's. I seat at 1.111 with no issues due to the taper of the bullet.

My challenge now is to get more 231 or Unique. I do have some Bullseye, Titegroup and in a pinch Green Dot, but looking forward to the availability of my primary powders again.

20 Yard slow fire 2 hand hold (Ideal Cast Bullets) - left target 10 shot group, right target 20 shot group

 
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I did find that with 115's that the Shadow tends to shoot a hair lower than the POA. The 124's shoot dead on. And 147's tend to shoot a touch higher than POA if reduced charges to just barely make the power factor for IPSC are used.

Some of the other replies are mentioning Over All Length. And that is something to watch. The CZ guns tend to have short leade distances so they are sensitive to the bullet ogive shape and OAL. The Berry bullets I've used were all loaded to 1.10 to 1.11. If the were allowed to hit 1.12 or more they start to run the risk of holding the slide slightly out of battery depending on the bullet used.
 
I finally see- DRG is a brand name, and not some variation on DLG, ie, Double Lube Groove. Hell, I kept trying to come up with something that began with R… :redface:
 
Interesting, the comments about better accuracy from larger bullets… I just checked a handful of the Berry's, and every one measured just a hair over .355

I'm now wondering whether I should try something like Bullet Barn's 125gr .357 9mm RN BB.

I haven't seen any 135gr lead 9mm bullets out this way, I'd try those as well.
 
This thread has got me thinking that maybe powder manufactures should just rate powders in energy/mass units!

Would make selecting a powder for the consumer easier.

Thoughts?

M
 
3.3 with a 135gr bullet sounds dangerously low to me.
I run 3.6 of Tightgroup with Campro 147gr and an OAL of 1.1, 1.08inch at 25yds, 10 shot group.
 
Loading a fast/hotter powder against lead cast might lead to fouling. Titegroup and Bullseye are almost rated on same level. W231/HP38 seems to be a milder option.

http://www.wwpowder.com/burn-rate.html (reference only, follow manufacturers minimum and maximum recommended load, use cautiously and at your own risk)

Although I have success in using Titegroup over Bare Lead Cast and Epoxy Coated Lead Cast, the powder burn rate is a good reference in checking the usability as you see it available through our local retailers.
 
stevebc said:
Interesting, the comments about better accuracy from larger bullets… I just checked a handful of the Berry's, and every one measured just a hair over .355

I'm now wondering whether I should try something like Bullet Barn's 125gr .357 9mm RN BB.

I haven't seen any 135gr lead 9mm bullets out this way, I'd try those as well.
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The S&W Model 52 .38 Special used a .355 bore at least the one I owned in the 80's and I used Hornady .358 HBWC's in it. Shot very accurate into 1" groups via Ransom rest @ 25yds.
I'm tempted to try these same HBWC's in my S&W 929 revolver and see what groups I get.
 
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Just got my Shadow yesterday. I measured the OAL of my Hornady 147's and they are for the most part 1.17". Measurement was to the bullet tip and not the ogive. They drop in my barrel just fine. I'll try them out at the range tomorrow and see how they work.

I love how the Shadow fits my hands but I do find the grip a little wide. The single action pull of the trigger is great but the initial take up seems a bit long. It'll likely just be something I'll have to get use to. Think I'm going to enjoy this pistol. The low bore axis makes the Shadow point so naturally.
 
That's what I like about the Shadow. It's a natural pointer. Shoots very accurately.
I find the stock grips perfect for my hands. For a factory gun it's hard to fault out of the box.

2bad4u2, trigger jobs can eliminate the take up, but to be honest it breaks @ 3.5lbs S/A so it's easy to get used to that bit of take up.
I'm having no problem keeping most my shots inside of 6" @ 25 meters rapid fire.
 
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