How slow could I possibly safely load 9mm Luger to be fired from a semi auto handgun?

[7magsavage]

Just curious about this. I got to wondering about how slow a 9mm handgun round could be loaded down to. I assume the limiting factor would be loading it hot enough to get the brass to swell and grip the case wall upon firing. I could care less in this scenario about having enough recoil to cycle the slide and eject and chamber the next round.

 

[427Cobra]

I assume you want a low recoil round? If so the combination of heavy bullets and fast powder is the ticket, a 147 and 3.0 ish of Titegroup will do it, 875fps, I don't recommend Clays in 9mm 147s YMMV, my Glock 35 with 9 conversion barrel cycles perfectly with a 15lb recoil spring, and my brothers Glock 34 needed a 13lb recoil spring to run, stock is 17lbs,

 

[7magsavage]

I'm wanting a round that I could take with me when I walk my dog. We walk around some farm areas where there can be groundhogs that are destructive. There are several times I was close enough to take them out, but I don't want to use a full power round just due to the noise mostly. Not sure if they could be loaded low enough to reduce sound by much though. There are some livestock around the farm that I don't want to spook. I'm probably waaaay out in left field on the on this one but my curiosity got the best of me and I thought I'd ask.

 

[427Cobra]

Sounds like you need a suppressor with sub sonic rounds

 

[7magsavage]

Yeah, that's kinda what I figured. Thanks man.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Are you looking for light recoil or subsonic? A few more details would help.


427Cobra gave a great suggestion to try heavy bullets with fast powder. I have used Hodgdon Clays in 9mm behind lead bullets and it works well. Vit N320, Winchester WST, Bullseye, and Solo 1000 are all fast burning powders that may work well.

The issue with using Clays and other fast burning powders is that you have to be careful of bullet setback. Reducing OAL by as little as .010" will increase pressure. Use a good taper crimp to prevent the bullet from moving during feeding. Again, use caution because you can load so low that the bullet could get stuck in the barrel, also know as a squib. I suggest putting your shots on paper to confirm that the bullets have left the barrel.

 

[7magsavage]

Very good suggestion about making sure the bullets leave the barrel. To answer your question, I'm just looking for lack of report. I don't want to spook the cows and horses, but this is probably unattainable without a suppressor.

 

[former naval person]

A round lead ball with one grain of Bullseye will do what you want. seat it flush and rub some lube around the edges.

 

[lash]

I know that this is not what you asked, but it sounds to me like you need a .22 using shorts. It's been used for generations for just this application, close-range varmint eradication. Low report.

 

[29aholic]

You might think about a Trail Boss load with a heavy bullet.

 

[gunsnjeeps]

The best answer to how slow is work up to the point the action reliably cycles. You can load a round that won't exit the barrel if you start with too low of a charge(not good). You can also load a wide range that won't cycle, still not good if you need it for larger vermin.

 

[TacticalBoltKnob]

Buy a .22LR pistol.

 

[7magsavage]

Yeah, I have some .22 subsonic shorts that are quiet. Just wanted to carry the 9mm for those two legged varmints and have a slow quiet round for a groundhog if the chance came up. Thanks to all of the guys for the replies and the ideas.