Just starting to load for 9mm

A

Andrewe

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
12   0   0
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba
I've never loaded pistol rounds before. My wife has just bought herself an H&K P30L in 9mm Luger and I'm looking for some tips.

I bought the Lee carbide dies to use on my turret press. I know I need small pistol primers but would like recommendations for powder and bullets. What is the bullet diameter (IIRC), .355 or .356? She'll be shooting at paper and possibly steel plates. I assume FMJ bullets are not acceptable for the plates. Are cast bullets a good choice? Any downside? Are the cartridges crimped?

What is a good choice for an inexpensive yet reliable powder measure? I was specifically looking at the Lee Auto Disk. I'm a little concerned about consistency due to the extremely small amount of powder used in pistol cartridges. I hope to fully take advantage of the turret press.

Thanks for your help. Any tips, recommendations, or links are appreciated.
 
.355 OR .356 bullets. 124 gr bullets are common and a good choice to start. I prefer jacketed but cast are fine as well. For powder I like 231...it will meter well in the auto disc. There are however plenty of powder choices. Tight Group, Bullseye, WSF, Unique just to mention a few, and they each seem to have their own following.

Enjoy!
 
Polygonarreah!

I believe that your wife's H&K has a polygonal barrel. Firing quantities of lead in a polygonal barrel is NOT recommended.
I think you are pretty much stuck buying those damn expensive jacketed or plated 9mm bullets. Its not like you can change out the barrel like you can do easily with the wonder gun from Austria [now made in USA], the Glock.

I still can't figure out the attraction to H&K stuff. Its wildly overpriced, has a jacketed-friendly barrel only, little or no aftermarket products, and they are no more accurate than a Glock, M&P, Sig, or Beretta's. What gives?
 
hatman1793 said:
I still can't figure out the attraction to H&K stuff. What gives?
Click to expand...

My wife shot a Desert Eagle .44mag that she loved but was way too heavy for her. The price tag was way too heavy for my wallet anyhow. This got us started on the search for a pistol for her. She tried everything we could get our hands on. Most fit poorly or she just didn't like them.

When she picked up the HK her face lit up. Then she aimed it and said "this is the one." I can't argue with that. Besides. The gun gets excellent reviews.

I expected to shoot jacketed bullets anyhow, the cast only being a cheap option.

So, you see, it's win-win for me. My wife has pistol of her own that she loves and I get to watch her shoot without breaking the bank.

BTW. When she picked up the Glock(s) she said they felt "cheap" and "junky." Now I know they are not cheap or junky but don't we all like to own firearms that feel good?

Thanks for the info on the HK barrel. I will investigate this.
 
Hi Andrew,

Jacketed or lead - either are fine for steel plates, just be sure you're shooting from a safe distance (more than 10 meters) and that the range you're on allows for steel targets.

Lead may work ok in your HK. Some polygonal barrels will shoot it some won't. For lead projectiles I'd go for 147 grain bullets in jacketed 124 and up will work great.

If you're using any crimp, a taper crimp or Lee factory crimp will be OK. I just use the regular lee dies.

The Lee measures work OK for me but it will depend a lot on the type of powder you are loading. For example, with titegroup and 147gr lead projectiles I am using the Lee micro disk kit - even the smallest regular disk is too much!!
 
You can also shoot copper plated, they often cost just a little bit more than cast and are much cheaper than jacketed.

For powder, Titegroup is good, if you are using 147gr bullets, you can also try WW 231 as it is a little slower burning. Both of these powders measure very well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom