9mm reloading
- Thread starter Old enough to know better
- Start date
I use the longest length that will function in the mag, and feed properly. It just takes a little experimenting. Get a length that will work in the mag and try it to see if it will cycle properly in the gun. If not, shorten it a little at a time to see if that helps.
You go look up what the saami OAL is for the cartridge bullet combo, and use that.
You take a piece of brass that will hold the bullet just enough to where you can still get it out.
take barrel out of gun.
place bullet in the brass to where it’s really long but being held by the brass.
push brass down into the chamber all the way.
pull brass out and the bullet will come with it.
measure the OAL.
take .0010 off of that number and load that.
take barrel out of gun.
place bullet in the brass to where it’s really long but being held by the brass.
push brass down into the chamber all the way.
pull brass out and the bullet will come with it.
measure the OAL.
take .0010 off of that number and load that.
Make a cartridge that is SAAMI length or a bit longer. Take barrel out of gun, plunk cartridge in chamber. If it hits rifling you'll have to use a pencil or a cleaning rod to get it out. If it hits rifling, go shorter a half a turn on the die until your bullet doesn't hit rifling. Once it doesn't, load away.
One more thing to add...
If you're using stuff like a coated lead round nose or something like that for USPSA or whatever, not every little company and their bullets are in SAAMI load data for length. For example, I have a G17 gen5 and I'm loading a 124gr Acme coated lead at like 1.06 inches. Which is WAY shorter than I used to load for my old Tanfoglio Stock2 @ 1.12in (after I had the barrel rechambered, originally it wouldn't even handle factory 115s).
Plus volume blaster ammo isn't really about accuracy. If it hits, at 25, it ships. I used to go to 50 yards in PPC matches with my tanfoglio with a 125 the same lead and 5.0 of Vectan BA-9.
If you're using stuff like a coated lead round nose or something like that for USPSA or whatever, not every little company and their bullets are in SAAMI load data for length. For example, I have a G17 gen5 and I'm loading a 124gr Acme coated lead at like 1.06 inches. Which is WAY shorter than I used to load for my old Tanfoglio Stock2 @ 1.12in (after I had the barrel rechambered, originally it wouldn't even handle factory 115s).
Plus volume blaster ammo isn't really about accuracy. If it hits, at 25, it ships. I used to go to 50 yards in PPC matches with my tanfoglio with a 125 the same lead and 5.0 of Vectan BA-9.
Last edited:
This^^^^
Even moreso because you used the generic term "handgun" and not the specific term, "pistol" or "revolver" which could engender different responses.
Mfg. info for the bullet is what I'd use. It can vary widely due to geometry of the bullet.
Glock
glock 19 gen 3 factory barrel copper plated 115 gr round nose lead bullets
In both my G17 (Gen 4) and my wife's G19 (Gen 4), I load X-treme plated 147 HP's at 1.125"-1.3" with 3.5-3.6g N320. It is plenty accurate in both stock barrels (23 rounds into a 3x5 notecard at 25 yards offhand...and I don't think I'm very good either). This isn't a defense load; it's a competition load (USPSA minor; mouse farts). Between this and the annual "lets make sure it shoots the same POI-POA with Federal HST's", I can't tell much of a difference in recoil; the defensive load is just more loud. Same COAL for 115 and 124 plated seemed to work just as well.
If your Glock barrel is anything like mine (bone stock and abused), the leade is way too far out if you are aiming for 0.01" off the rifling (if you're looking for that, a loaded round at that COAL won't fit into the magazine). 1.125"-1.3" for a number of different bullet shapes and sizes seems to work well in both of our Glocks. It fits in the mag with enough room for cycling and no worries about getting hung up inside the mag, more accurate than I am and I've boomed off over 10,000 in USPSA matches/practice/loaning it to students. It easily passes the "plunk test" similar to what Ryridesmotox described.
I've given my ammo to some of my students and it's just as accurate in their Glocks as well.
If your Glock barrel is anything like mine (bone stock and abused), the leade is way too far out if you are aiming for 0.01" off the rifling (if you're looking for that, a loaded round at that COAL won't fit into the magazine). 1.125"-1.3" for a number of different bullet shapes and sizes seems to work well in both of our Glocks. It fits in the mag with enough room for cycling and no worries about getting hung up inside the mag, more accurate than I am and I've boomed off over 10,000 in USPSA matches/practice/loaning it to students. It easily passes the "plunk test" similar to what Ryridesmotox described.
I've given my ammo to some of my students and it's just as accurate in their Glocks as well.
Weird, my glock won't eat my 124 acmes over 1.06 coal. My Tanfoglio would eat 1.12 or a smidge longer
Be careful if you are using different brands of brass. I am doing this and found different thickness in the walls and also differences in how stiff the brass can be. This would be noticeable when seating and crimping and biggest issue was overall length. If I was loading 0.010-0.020” off the lands then some brass would end up seating the bullet much longer and resulted in the bullet jamming into the lands. Most of the time this resulted in light primer strikes and a failure to fire. I ended up seating much deeper, 0.060” off the lands or 1.030” overall for 124gr and 147gr bullets.
Similar threads
