One cartridge for all

peacefrog

peacefrog

Regular
Rating - 100%
50   0   0
A question for all the PistolNutz out there. Has anyone found one factory loaded cartridge in 9mm, that gives acceptable accuracy from several different handguns? I'm looking to pick up a case or two of ammo to squirrel away for the winter. Of course I will try on my own with a couple of brands that I can find, I'm just curious if anyone has done this before and can help narrow the field of options? Most of what I find is the standard 124gr round nose American Eagle etc.

I'm not looking for Bullseye shooting accuracy, more like IPSC shooting accuracy.

I do reload, so if anyone has a couple of recipes to share I would maybe try those in addition to the factory stuff. My current load is a 147gr HP (Zero Bullets), over 3.2gr of Titegroup.

Thanks.
 
I used to shoot a fair amount and reloaded 9mm (different bullet and powder) quite a bit. But to answer your question directly, I never found one cartridge that worked the same in different handguns all the time.
 
And I doubt that you'll find one which works for a variety now either.

I never found much difference for jacketed bullets from brand to brand. More like type to type. For example properly jacketed bullets with a stamped jacket compared to Berry bullets which are plated. It's a THICK plating but it's still a thin shell compared to a stamped out jacket. I can't say I've really tried to see a difference but there may be one. You'll only get to try that with reloading though. I don't know of any ammo that comes stock with Berry bullets.

Other than this possible avenue to check out the only time I found a marked difference was when I loaded up 500 cast lead bullets for my CZ Shadow. The gun grouped noticeably tighter and did so consistently for that batch of ammo compared to jacketed. But I'm talking a reduction from 2 inch groups at 15 yards to 1.5 inches. Not enough to justify the added cost and messiness of using cast lead bullets for my money.

Other than this jacketed to cast lead comparison I can't say that I've ever noticed any noticeable difference between various makers even between different guns. But then I've got "old guy eyes" and "old guy shakey hands" so any difference is likely lost in my groups. Typically if shooting for accuracy I manage 1.5 to 2 inch groups at around 12 yards. If you're shooting tighter than that then you might see some difference that might be due to the ammo.
 
I too have found that cast lead groups tighter than FMJ and this is after trying several recipes for both projectiles. I haven't found the lead to be that dirty, the lube does create more smoke but my barrel didn't show any more filth than if I had fired the same number of FMJ rounds. Half price projectiles is attractive
 
It's not an unreasonable thing to assume that what shoots well in one gun will do so in another, however ......
it doesn't usually work out that way. Now don't get flustered because it may just mean that an adjustment is
the remedy. It may just be that the way you position your glock may differ from your cz or a 9mm 1911.
 
I call BS on factory loaded ammo. I have yet to meet anyone who can shoot consistently enough to see a difference from brand to brand, or weight to weight. Short of bullseye shooters, no one needs ultra accurate ammo. The "A" zone on an IPSC target is what, 9"x5". Quality ammo is consistent enough for the duty guns running duty ammo with service sights that the majority of us own and use.

TDC
 
I appreciate the replies, and it confirms my thoughts. I'm going to try a couple of brands and some Hornady TAP. I will play around with that load I have, it's pretty consistent across two of the three handguns, and like TDC says, it's certainly good enough for IPSC which is generally what I will be shooting.

Thanks,
Peacefrog
 
You asked for loads. I cast the 356402 Lyman boolit. with 4.1 gr of 231/HP38 under it the boolit wothan OAL of 1.1" is very accurate in all my 9MM guns and feeds like butter. I size the, .357 and go no leading. The load makes about 130PF for playing the games.

One of our shooters uses the same boolit in his Rugers for Cowboy Action. I size his .358 and he seems pleased with them both in his revolvers and his 1873 rifle. I think he uses light Clays loads for his shooting. For revolvers, I use Clays in my 38spl loads because it seems to be much cleaner burning at factory loading levels. I think John also uses the boolit in IPSC revolver division shooting minor. Works for him as he is now at the Master level.

Take Care

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom