I've been doing some development lately for a cheap 9mm minor load for my stock barreled Glock 34 for USPSA and IDPA. Today I tested some Eggleston Munitions coated 125gr (0.356"), RMR Thunder cast lead (0.355") and Precision Bullets 147gr coated (0.356"), compared to my current load of 124gr FMJs from RMR
I brought 13, 15, and 17lb recoil springs. A "1" in the failure column indicates I had at least one failure (FTF or FTE) with all three recoil springs, and a "0.5" means I had a failure at 15lb but not at 13lb. I only made 20-30 of each load, so more testing would be required to say it's reliable at 13lb. I didn't change the striker spring.
Some thoughts --
I noticed some leading from the uncoated lead bullets, and I will not be pursuing these projectiles further, because I don't want to buy a traditional rifled barrel. I did not see any sort of buildup from the coated bullets.
The 147's shot smoother than the 125's at similar power factors.
All rounds grouped similarly for me with a similar POI/POA, but I was only shooting standing at 7yd -- no rest or longer distance shooting yet.
The Bullseye loads were noticeably smokier, and the 135PF variant had a weird twisting recoil phenomenon that I have never experienced before in that gun. It seemed to cause the gun to want to rotate CCW in my hand and cause the mag release to dig into my hand. Hard to explain, but it felt different than the others.
I think the next step is to make some more 147gr Unique loads in the 3.3-3.4 range. I may pick up some 125gr Precision Bullets to try too since they're about 0.7 cents cheaper per round than the 147s, but I did like how the 147s felt compared to the 125s, recoil-wise.
I brought 13, 15, and 17lb recoil springs. A "1" in the failure column indicates I had at least one failure (FTF or FTE) with all three recoil springs, and a "0.5" means I had a failure at 15lb but not at 13lb. I only made 20-30 of each load, so more testing would be required to say it's reliable at 13lb. I didn't change the striker spring.
Some thoughts --
I noticed some leading from the uncoated lead bullets, and I will not be pursuing these projectiles further, because I don't want to buy a traditional rifled barrel. I did not see any sort of buildup from the coated bullets.
The 147's shot smoother than the 125's at similar power factors.
All rounds grouped similarly for me with a similar POI/POA, but I was only shooting standing at 7yd -- no rest or longer distance shooting yet.
The Bullseye loads were noticeably smokier, and the 135PF variant had a weird twisting recoil phenomenon that I have never experienced before in that gun. It seemed to cause the gun to want to rotate CCW in my hand and cause the mag release to dig into my hand. Hard to explain, but it felt different than the others.
I think the next step is to make some more 147gr Unique loads in the 3.3-3.4 range. I may pick up some 125gr Precision Bullets to try too since they're about 0.7 cents cheaper per round than the 147s, but I did like how the 147s felt compared to the 125s, recoil-wise.
