reloading 9mm major

Major? I wouldn't recommend it. With a 124 gr bullet you'd need 1360 fps to make major (170). Fastest load I have data for tops out about 100 fps short of that. Some people do it, but they are really pushing the boundaries and only use new brass.

If you really want to shoot .355 bullets that fast then why not go .38 Super? That's what it was designed for.
 
mechanik said:
Major? I wouldn't recommend it. With a 124 gr bullet you'd need 1360 fps to make major (170). Fastest load I have data for tops out about 100 fps short of that. Some people do it, but they are really pushing the boundaries and only use new brass.

If you really want to shoot .355 bullets that fast then why not go .38 Super? That's what it was designed for.
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What rubbish.

For starters PF for 9mm Major is 160, not 170. Moreover, the only division where 9mm Major is relevant is Open.

Now, as for the load itself. When you load for 160, you are probably loading closer to 170. I load 124gn bullets with 7.6gn of Ramshot Silhouette. I get about a 169pf. My brass is used, mixed and shows no signs of pressure.

It is NOT a common occurrence that 9mm Major rounds catastrophically fail.
 
Saffer,
Not to hijack the thread. I'm going to load 9mm 124gn plated bullets with Ramshot Silhouette for my CZ SP-01. I just need minor power factor (125pf). Any advice would be appreciated? Thank you.
 
Saffer said:
What rubbish.

For starters PF for 9mm Major is 160, not 170. Moreover, the only division where 9mm Major is relevant is Open.
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Yes I forgot that only Open allows 9mm. Yes, Open requires 160 for Major unlike Standard, etc.

That being said, you don't need to be a jerk about it. Sheesh.
 
MasterMC said:
Saffer,
Not to hijack the thread. I'm going to load 9mm 124gn plated bullets with Ramshot Silhouette for my CZ SP-01. I just need minor power factor (125pf). Any advice would be appreciated? Thank you.
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I've used 5.0gn of Silhouette with a 124 gn plated Frontier. It will yield about a 135 pf. This was with a Glock 17.

It is best to start lower, say 4.8gn, and build up. Remember YMMV.
 
mechanik said:
That being said, you don't need to be a jerk about it. Sheesh.
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Don't take it personally, but there is no polite way to reject misleading information. I have shot, and reloaded, many thousands of 9mm Major rounds without any hassles. Sean Hansen, our Canadian STI dealer, will also confirm that he sells more 9mm Majors than 38 Supers; and Brian Enos will confirm that the round is popular (9mm Major guns have better resale), and safe.
 
mechanik said:
Some people do it, but they are really pushing the boundaries and only use new brass.
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Actually I did a test and reloaded some of my brass 3 times (it was once fired to start) with no issues.

It was using 8.5 gr of 3N37 over a 124 gr aim bullet. (PF of 168)

That being said...I usually just leave it laying on the ground...
 
I usually buy once fired brass, now I am on my 4thcycle of the brass and still going strong. load my 9major to 167pf. the choice of powder, its oal,and generally how you reload is a big factor on the brass life.
 
ton45-II said:
Interesting! Now I have to try it. All this time I've been shooting standard, minor, in my 9mm 1911 because I was afraid to load for major on 9mm.

Great Info :)
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Well if you try to do it out of a firearm with an unsupportes barrel (read that as most stock 9mm) your experience might not be pleasant. You can only shot 9 major out of firearms designed to use it!
 
Yes, I should have mentioned that early on. You need a match grade barrel (reinforced and supported). Don't assume your 9mm barrel can handle the extra pressure. You may get a nasty surprise, with potentially fatal consequences.

Also, you can't load for 9mm Major, and shoot Major in Standard division. 9mm, regardless of the power it punches, remains Minor in Standard division.

As I said previously, 9mm Major is ONLY for Open division.
 
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