Reloading for my CZ Shadow
- Thread starter alphamike
- Start date
- Shape of the particular bullet/ogive and particular barrel will dictate your OAL.
- keep in mind that shortening OAL compared to load data/manuals will increase pressure!!!!!!!! Back off on powder charge!!!!!!
- you need to chrono your loads (again, particular barrel will play role).
I think many 'volume' shooters use plated bullet as opposed to FMJ due to bullets' cost and powder charges'. I say that particular barrel will affect your velocity/PF as I know that from personal experience with my 2 CZ 9mm guns, one is Shadow and the other is 75SA. I get higher PF on Shadow. It could as well be that 75SA is fairly new and barrel isn't smoothed out or worn as much as on Shadow, thus more friction=less velocity=lesser PF.
Side note on OAL: I personally know a very good shooter who shoots USPSA Limited/L10 and loads his .40S&W out to 1.19", yes, 1.19" using 10mm mags as .40s&w mags are too short for the round lengh. Now, take a guess why he loads that long
- keep in mind that shortening OAL compared to load data/manuals will increase pressure!!!!!!!! Back off on powder charge!!!!!!
- you need to chrono your loads (again, particular barrel will play role).
I think many 'volume' shooters use plated bullet as opposed to FMJ due to bullets' cost and powder charges'. I say that particular barrel will affect your velocity/PF as I know that from personal experience with my 2 CZ 9mm guns, one is Shadow and the other is 75SA. I get higher PF on Shadow. It could as well be that 75SA is fairly new and barrel isn't smoothed out or worn as much as on Shadow, thus more friction=less velocity=lesser PF.
Side note on OAL: I personally know a very good shooter who shoots USPSA Limited/L10 and loads his .40S&W out to 1.19", yes, 1.19" using 10mm mags as .40s&w mags are too short for the round lengh. Now, take a guess why he loads that long
CeeZeer, you know personally that I have had issues with my CZ, and all along I have been loading my ammo short as to what most shooters are telling me. Some load as short as 1.090" and they report reliable feeding etc.... A good friend of mine who shoots remanufactured ammo and has zero feeding issues gave me a couple of rounds to measure and theu come in at 1.130 and 1.128" so I am thinking maybe that could be the sweetspot? I had issues yesterday with my loads with Frontier 124 CMJ's I have to load them to 1.11" at the longest or they will engage the rifling. When the slide was going forward the rounds were flipping up straight and the gun was jamming. These are new CZ mags so I cannot see it being weak springs. Could the gun be short stroking? I have adjusted the feedlips, maybe they need to be squeezed in a little more?
I had to load Frontiers' 124gr bullets at 1.085" to avoid hitting rifling with mine. Pull barrel out, do chamber drop tests. Make sure rounds go all the way in and come out without having to be pushed in or pulled out. Also, check crimp!!! I can prolly send you a few dummies but loaded with different bullets as I ran out of Frontiers in 124gr flavor.
Try to narrow your issues down to: feeding (could be very well mag related); extraction; or ejection. If I'm not mistaken, mags' lips should have gap of 0.358".
Let me know how it goes.
Try to narrow your issues down to: feeding (could be very well mag related); extraction; or ejection. If I'm not mistaken, mags' lips should have gap of 0.358".
Let me know how it goes.
Plated 147 AIM over 3.2 grains of Titegroup (1.100 OAL) made 132pf out of my Shadow at the Ontario Provincials. My practice load is 2.9 grains which factors right at 125 and is very pleasent to shoot. The 147 from Frontier gives very similar results. Looking forward to trying some 147 FMJs from BDX when they're available.
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my shadow work great at 1.100 AOL.
wheter it's 147grs or 124grs, both work good at 1.100 AOL.
for the pet load question, it depend of the powder used.
i use only vihtauori powders, accurate loads can be found with nearly every powder used, but in the PF department it's another story.
A shooting friend quoted me a load of 3.5gr of Titegroup with a 147gr bullet, and my Shadow was short stroking with that load; your practice load must really be soft shooting, but what weight of recoil spring are you using to get it to cycle with that light of a load? I notice the concensous is still the short OAL. BDX 124gr bullets in my barrel will chamber freely at 1.130" Is it worth loading some at that OAL or should I try 1.100" as that seems to be the length used by most. All along I have been loading mostly to 1.110-1.115" Thanks for all of the replies! You guys are very helpful. I am going to try 4.0 of Titegroup with the 124 and see what it reads over the chrony.
I've heard lots of people using the 3.5/147 load, but it's really stiff out of my gun. 3.2 was all I needed to get there, but all guns are different. My barrel could be a little tighter than most. An 11# spring works well with both loads.
