60167's Pissin Hot Screamers

[Exiledviking]

Generally speaking, loading for the action pistol games is more about reliability than it is accuracy. Accuracy is wonderful and should be a goal, but first and foremost, get the gun running reliably. Make PF with a little to spare if you’re playing gun games for real and have to contend with match chronos.

Components like powder and primers aren’t so critical as they would be in the precision rifle/benchrest game. These days, it’s just nice to have the components that will work, even if they’re not optimal accuracy wise.

Loading on a progressive press, I look for powders that drop consistent charges, like most any ball powder. Flake shotgun powders can be problem children.

Make sure the bullet seating stem in your seating die closely approximates the bullet profile. Some guys will put some RTV in the stem and press a bullet in it to get a better fit, which should yield more consistent seating depths as long as the bullets themselves are consistent anyway. (Allow the RTV to cure naturally.)

I have an aftermarket powder baffle in my Dillon powder measure on my 650. I think it delivers more consistent powder charges.

Also, consider getting a case gauge of some kind. A Shockbottle/Hundo is worth its’ weight in gold IMHO. A single gauge will get you by but the Hundo greatly speeds up the process. I load range pickup brass and HiTek coated lead bullets. That combo invites trouble. Mixed headstamp brass fired out of all kinds of guns with all kinds of chamber dimensions will give the occasional round that the case gauge will reject. Better to find it at the bench than in the middle of a stage with club bragging rights on the line. Stuff that passes the Hundo test is GTG.

Good to hear that you have mentors. Good luck!

Another like here.

[60167]

Thanks for all the solid advice.

Now that I've shot my second batch through chronograph, I'm seeing an average spread of 60 FPS across the board on all my loads. What's acceptable and how do I mitigate it?

[NETim]

Thanks for all the solid advice.

Now that I've shot my second batch through chronograph, I'm seeing an average spread of 60 FPS across the board on all my loads. What's acceptable and how do I mitigate it?

To preface this long winded essay, I’ll state at the outset that I have never loaded TG in anything. So I have no first hand experience with the stuff. A lot of folks load it, so it must have something going for it. I load W231 in my nines because I have a fair amount of it on hand. It works even though it’s sooty stuff.

So very, very many variables are involved here. Truthfully, I’ve never paid much attention to the SD of any of my loads intended for plinking or even match use. I shoot for a solid average velocity that makes PF and call it good. Usually 25 rounds across the chrono is more than enough.

Maybe shame on me but I get by. The matches I shoot most are at a club with shallow bays, so a 20 yard shot is a long one. Occasionally a demented MD will put 6” plates out there at 15, 18, 20 yards but I still ring ‘em consistently if I do my part anyway.

I am not trying to create bullseye loads. 😎

What is the SD of your reloads?

Titegroup is a fairly dense powder, so it doesn’t fill the case as much for a given charge weight.

If you look over this MEC powder bushing chart, you’ll see that a given powder bushing will drop more TG by weight than some other powders. Therefore a 4 grain charge of TG won’t fill the case as much as a 4 grain charge of say, Hodgdon Int’l Clays. For example, the MEC bushing #16 will drop 15.4 grs of TG as opposed to 10.8 grs of IC. Granted, it’s not going to be a dramatic difference at typical 9mm charge weights, but still there won’t be as much TG in 4 grains (by volume) as there will be compared to other powders.

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-conte...RTNOTES-24.pdf

What I’m getting at in my long winded way is the way the powder charge lies in the case at the time of ignition can affect velocity and can account for velocity swings. It’s obviously more pronounced in larger cases. The more space a powder takes up in a case the more consistent the load will be all things being equal. Generally. Usually.

It’s just one of many factors that can affect velocity. Internal case volume, primer consistency, primer seating depth, bullet seating depth are just a few.

Anyway, what kind of accuracy do your loads deliver as compared to factory loads and/or your friends’ loads? If they’re comparable and they function the way you like then you’re pretty much there. I wouldn’t burn precious, expensive reloading components chasing the nth degree of accuracy unless your loads just plain suck in the accuracy department. Not for action handgun games anyway.

I put my efforts into case prep. I take grungy, crappy range brass, polish it up in a wet tumbler, make it look pretty and then watch it feed slick as snot through the gun. Sometimes I even manage to push the good shooters a little with my efforts. 😄

[Spartan1980]

Thanks for all the solid advice.

Now that I've shot my second batch through chronograph, I'm seeing an average spread of 60 FPS across the board on all my loads. What's acceptable and how do I mitigate it?

Are you running mixed brass like most of us? That's probably the bulk of your variance. I never got great numbers running WST powder even though it metered freaking outstanding through Dillon's measure. I mean, I never had to touch it once set, it was always spot on and I only checked powder weights outta habit, kind of outstanding. Variance was .1gr maybe. Loads shot fine with very unimpressive spreads.

And, since when is 130PF a "pissin hot screamer'? LMAO!

[shane45]

As a new reloader, I appluad your choice in press. I run into a lot of new reloaders wanting to jump straight into say a 750. I think the 550 is a much beter choice because its more forgiving. I find its much easier to back out of a mistake when you need to which happens a lot when starting out. Good luck to you!

[60167]

Truthfully, I’ve never paid much attention to the SD of any of my loads intended for plinking or even match use. I shoot for a solid average velocity that makes PF and call it good. Usually 25 rounds across the chrono is more than enough.

Maybe shame on me but I get by. The matches I shoot most are at a club with shallow bays, so a 20 yard shot is a long one. Occasionally a demented MD will put 6” plates out there at 15, 18, 20 yards but I still ring ‘em consistently if I do my part anyway.

I am not trying to create bullseye loads. 😎

This is helpful. My overall goal is to make them good enough to get by, and not get too wrapped around the axle on minutiae. I agree with your sentiment of reliability trumping all else.

[60167]

And, since when is 130PF a "pissin hot screamer'? LMAO!

Haha, it's mainly what my buddies and I refer to reloads. It's a pretty tongue-in-cheek reference to gun show fudds.

[gtmtnbiker98]

If I can offer one piece of advice. Get a light that illuminates under the dies, so you can see that your cases are charged accordingly and it assists in seating the bullet atop the brass for stage 3. You simply can’t have too much light.

[JCS]

What gun(s) are you loading for?

You need to plunk test them as well to make sure they will work for your gun. Especially if you are shooting a CZ. I have to load very short for my CZ.

[Exiledviking]

What gun(s) are you loading for?

You need to plunk test them as well to make sure they will work for your gun. Especially if you are shooting a CZ. I have to load very short for my CZ.

I found that I had load shorter for my gen 5 Glocks too. Gotta do the plunk test and rotate to be safe.