With .22lr being hard to find and my TSG-22 conversion being unreliable anyway, I'm looking to transition my 10 year old into a 9mm.
He can shoot my Glock 17 with standard commercial FMJ (Win white box) but he gets recoil sensitive after 2 magazines or so.
I'm looking to load up some very light 9mm's, basically the lightest load that will cycle a Glock 17 with a Wolff 12# recoil spring.
Still able to knock over a small popper at 10 yards would be a bonus.
Any recommendations?
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
You'll probably want a heavier bullet. My IDPA load is 3.5 of Titegroup with a 147 Montana Gold 147 CMJ. I load it to 1.140" COL. That is about 130 power factor and it runs very well in my Gen 4 G-17 with factory springs. It is a much softer shooting load that factory 115 fmj. Book starting load for that is 3.2 of Titegroup. You could substitute almost any 147 plated or jacketed bullets and adjust COL.
I also sometimes shoot Factory Federal 147 FMJ and it is softer shooting that 115 FMJ.
The 147gr. American Eagle shoots much softer than 115gr. WWB.
Try a fast powder with a heavy bullet.
Winchester WST, Vit N320, and Hodgdon Clays would be my choices for this experiment.
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
I'd agree with going with 147s if you have them available. If you're stuck with lighter bullets all is not lost though. I currently shoot 124 grain plated FPs as a gaming load in a few different platforms with success. My current go-to puff load is the Berry's FP bullet over 4.0 grains of Titegroup. Loaded short (to accommodate one of my BUGs) at 1.064 it JUST makes the minor power floor out of my 226 match gun. It has very mild recoil and is very accurate in my pistols.
I've also had really good luck with the exact same bullet and dimensions over 4.4 grains of Hodgedons Universal. I think it's even a touch softer shooting, as accurate (and noticeably cleaner) than the Titegroup load above. It was my favorite minor load for quite a while until I couldn't find Universal anywhere and switched.
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I loaded up 3.8g of Tight Group for 124 HSM plated bullets. Very, very light...but some cycling issues. I bet 4.0 would have run the gun and been plenty soft.
But, If you have a .45, I'd go with something like 3.5-3.8 Bullseye and a 185 or 180g bullet.
Keep in mind i'll have a 12# recoil spring so he can rack the slide easier. That should give me some latitude with real puff loads.Originally Posted by nwhpfan
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
The fast powder - heavy bullet combination that others have recommended is the light recoil ticket. If you load your own be careful. Fast powder doesn't use up much space in the case. It burns quickly with a quick pressure spike. A little to much and you might need a new gun or worse.
I won't be loading in bulk, and I'm loading for a 10 year old so I'll be taking the time for plenty of QC.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
Sometimes with springs that light you can run into problems where the gun will unlock when you pull the trigger. The striker and/or trigger return springs may need changed to balance everything. I sometimes run a 13# recoil spring with a reduced striker spring and that seems to work OK. I don't like the trigger springs that give a lighter trigger pull because sometimes the trigger safety won't reset.
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