Good bullets for loading 9mm

I've shot several thousand campro 124s with great results for accuracy in a Beretta 92 and a Girsan, recently picked up some 115s to try in my daughters Girsan as she has a reddot incase the poi changes.
 
First time I've ever heard someone say they found 115 gr rounds to have less recoil than 124 or 147 gr loads. I find 115 to be very snappy indeed ...especially with factory ammo...with significantly more recoil compared to heavier grain loads. With 147 being the softest least felt recoil. However found both my Shadow and S2 seemed to group slightly better with the 124's...and since 124s are cheaper ...that's what I'm reloading with. Campro 124 RN.
 
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I prefer the zero 125 competition bullet. They cost a bit more, but are a true jacketed bullet, and I can pick them up, so no shipping
 
Campro 115 in my Girsan, SP-01 and wheel gun. Seem to work very well and the price is fantastic. Not to mention they are made in Canada and the availability is great. I have also had great results with the 55g .223 fmj-bt's in my semi auto and bolt gun. I get about 1 MOA on my bench setup with the Campro's and about .4 to .5 MOA with match projectiles (at 2.5 times the cost).
 
Berry's Bullets are a bit more money but I have found that they are always a better quality product. I will use CamPro when I can't get Berry's but the quality (especially their quality control) is lacking (a nice way of saying pathetic).
I once asked Andrew Higginson if he would sell CamPro. "I won't sell those" was the immediate response - no other explanation was forthcoming...

Berry's ALWAYS packs more than the advertised quantity. No other issues and I've probably loaded 20k +

CamPro, on the other hand, is always going to give me a few surprises and aggravations when I break the seal on a new box and take a peek inside!
Issues that I've repeatedly found in freshly purchased boxes of CamPro:
Entire batches are tarnished brownish-purple on 3 occasions from 3 different suppliers. Yes, they still shoot fine but they make the end product look like junk.
Numerous 9mm HP bullets have White (ceramic?) crystals or a White Ceramic Ball jammed into the hollow point. Also, additional balls floating around in the bag. At a guess, these crystals and balls must be a polishing media.
Incorrect bullets in every batch, especially .38 wad cutters mixed into the 9mm bullet batches. Also bullets of incorrect weight - several 147g mixed in with 115g. This could lead to a fatality if not noticed - a mild load for 115g using a 147g bullet seated to 1.100" would become a 100,000 PSI hand grenade!
I have never had a box of CamPro bullets that weren't received "light in numbers" - 974 bullets in the last SEALED box in 9mm 115g RN. And YES, I did I hand-count them before loading because I have very little faith in CamPro.
But they are cheap and now you know why...

There - I got it off my chest, rant over (sorry folks, my bad!)
 
I never bothered to weight bullets to see if there were 147s in. Maybe I should?
I reload moderate loads if 124s, probably not the end of the world if I shoot a 147 in there. around 45k psi, glock barrel probably will take it.

Not really feeling like weighting 2000 rounds, but I guess that I'll weight bullets before I leave the house with them to the range.
 
I load DRG 135 cast lead RN bullets. Accurate in all my 9mms, although different loads are required. Cost about $65/1000

I have one pistol that shoots better with plated bullets (FNS). All the rest (about 50 of them) shoot better with the lead bullets. Cheaper, too.
 
My practice ammo is all cast lead 125 gr TC Lyman 356402 bullets. For matches if I go plated CanPro and Berrys. I do prefer FMJ 125 BDX bullets. They are more consistent than plated on average.

Take Care

Bob
 
when was the last time you had issues?
and lastly, Mr Higginson is not known for his oratory skills. lol Nice guy, but certainly not great with people skills. His service is great though, nothing wrong there.

K-C said:
Berry's Bullets are a bit more money but I have found that they are always a better quality product. I will use CamPro when I can't get Berry's but the quality (especially their quality control) is lacking (a nice way of saying pathetic).
I once asked Andrew Higginson if he would sell CamPro. "I won't sell those" was the immediate response - no other explanation was forthcoming...

Berry's ALWAYS packs more than the advertised quantity. No other issues and I've probably loaded 20k +

CamPro, on the other hand, is always going to give me a few surprises and aggravations when I break the seal on a new box and take a peek inside!
Issues that I've repeatedly found in freshly purchased boxes of CamPro:
Entire batches are tarnished brownish-purple on 3 occasions from 3 different suppliers. Yes, they still shoot fine but they make the end product look like junk.
Numerous 9mm HP bullets have White (ceramic?) crystals or a White Ceramic Ball jammed into the hollow point. Also, additional balls floating around in the bag. At a guess, these crystals and balls must be a polishing media.
Incorrect bullets in every batch, especially .38 wad cutters mixed into the 9mm bullet batches. Also bullets of incorrect weight - several 147g mixed in with 115g. This could lead to a fatality if not noticed - a mild load for 115g using a 147g bullet seated to 1.100" would become a 100,000 PSI hand grenade!
I have never had a box of CamPro bullets that weren't received "light in numbers" - 974 bullets in the last SEALED box in 9mm 115g RN. And YES, I did I hand-count them before loading because I have very little faith in CamPro.
But they are cheap and now you know why...

There - I got it off my chest, rant over (sorry folks, my bad!)
Click to expand...
 
Just finishing box #8 of Campro 115gr. The next 1000 came in a bag, so it looks like they changed their packaging.
At the distances I shoot at, I can't see any difference between Campro, Winchester, Speer or Hornady bullets. The Hornady 90gr XTP's are fun for making some super speedy noisy rounds though.
But poking holes in paper with a 35 cent GDHP or Silvertip is an expensive waste.

As for some of the issues that others mentioned, I have found the occasional odd bullet but in a totally different caliber. That is, like a 147gr 9mm mixed in with some 240gr .44mag. And a couple of the ceramic balls but never a shortage,
So far out of 40 plus boxes of various calibre Campro bullets, they've either been exact (.223 mostly) or a couple over. Your mileage may vary.
 
Most companies load their factory bullets to the same setup as competition shooters, so they can sell to the competition crowd too.

If you light load your bullets, than so be it. You can pee sitting down if you want to, I won't judge.

Reloading companies load their bullets for IPSC 125 power factor. A 115 grain bullet needs to go 1100 fps to be "safe" (with respect to meeting minimum power standards) and a 147 need to go 860 fps to be "safe". So yeah, that means the 147 grain bullet needs less powder which equals less felt recoil. It's not 'gaming', it's just how cartridges are manufactured.

If you want to make weak plinking rounds that drop and tumble, by all means go right ahead. The rest of us want to shoot accurately and be able to knock down steel targets.
 
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