Multiple 9mm Rookie Questions??

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Hey folks....
Maybe I will get a nibble on a couple of quick questions.

1) For plain old range ammo WHY choose either 115, 125, or 147 grain bullets. Are there advantages to using one over the other or are you basing your decisions on the firearm your loading for??

2) I can't make .357 diameter LRN bullets run thru my 92fs and two M&P's and have tried Titegroup, AutoComp, Clays and have some Bullseye and Win 231 on deck. I find data for .357 in a 9mm but they either key hole or just don't print well. OAL has been been between 1.075 to 1.120. I thought I was crimping them to tightly but that doesnt seem to be it. Anyone?? I have 350 left to use of these and it looks like I will be giving them away to a .38 guy.

That's enough for now. I don't want to be greedy with the best source of info I have going. TY
 
1) For plain old range ammo WHY choose either 115, 125, or 147 grain bullets. Are there advantages to using one over the other or are you basing your decisions on the firearm your loading for??
TMK, the primary advantage of 147gr FMJ is for subsonic loads.

The slightly heavier 124/125gr jacketed RN are popular because it's easier to develop a load that will cycle a semiautomatic reliably, and the price isn't much higher than 115.

I've only ever loaded jacketed round nose (for use in a Beretta or Browning), never tried cast lead at all.
 
I use them because they are cheaper. That is stinking genius Ed and a nice straight forward response. May sound foolish but what is the point of producing subsonic rounds Kevin. I use subsonic .22 LR because it still kills the woodchuck trying to steal my garden produce and my neighbors are less apt to hear it, but why reload with that in mind? I have produced what are to me pretty accurate 115 grain loads with FMP-plated and 3.7 grains of Clays but haven't been doing this long enough to see a trend. Even the AutoComp gave me a decently accurate 115 grain load and I didn't find out until after the fact that it's designed for compensated guns and wouldn't work..

What about the trouble I am having with the .357 bullets? Should I be able to make them fly right and what might be a solution? Rock on guys and thanks.
 
I load 124 grain. Why? My gun tends to like the heavier bullets. Learned that from various factory ammo. Buy I tend to get tighter groups with the heavier boolit. Can't comment on keyholing. I'm using .356 diameter boolits.
 
If you are loading practice ammo to simulate your carry ammo choose the same bullet weight as the carry ammo. Otherwise shoot whatever is cheapest or most accurate in your gun.
 
Avoiding the the transsonic transition.

Kevin. I use subsonic .22 LR because it still kills the woodchuck trying to steal my garden produce and my neighbors are less apt to hear it, but why reload with that in mind?
For me, it's the same reason I run Standard Velocity in my 10/22: I shoot suppressed; if my load keeps the bullet subsonic, I can have a day at the range with no/minimal hearing protection.

The other general reason for subsonics is accuracy. For optimal accuracy at longer ranges, you want a load where the bullet does not transition from supersonic to subsonic between leaving the barrel and hitting the target. This is more an issue with rifles, where +100 yard shots are routine.
 
I load 147s because they recoil more softly than lighter bullets for the same USPSA Power Factor (bullet weight in gr * velocity in fps needs to be >125,000 for 'minor').
 
My cast bullets for 9mm are sized to .356, and my preferred weight is 125gr. The mold blocks that cast the best/easiest for me are that weight, so that's what I use.

I have no idea why you're getting keyholing. A poor group I can understand, and that can usually be corrected by experimenting with powders and charge weight. From your post, the problem is occurring in three different guns, so I would have to suspect the ammo.

Granted, sizing to .357 is slightly too large, but years ago I experimented with both .355 and .357 in my 9mm's and never had the problems you're experiencing. I have no idea what is causing your specific problem.
 
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