9mm handload questions.

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xMINORxTHREATx

New member
Hey ya'll. Been a little bit since my last post but here I go again.

I just plunged into reloading with a buddy, and we have *almost* everything we need for serious reloading. I'm using virtually all Hornady equipment, Lock N Load AP Progressive, Cam-Lock Trimmer, Tumbler, Sonic Cleaner, blah blah blah.

We decided to start with 9mm, which is (from what I have seen) one of the least commonly reloaded rounds. Finding the shell plates and die sets within driving distance was a chore.

After working up a few loads, for target shooting, we know what our pistols like now. But for defensive rounds, I'm not sure what to make. Here is what I whipped up first.

147 grain boat-tail hollow point Hornady XTP
4.2 grains of Alliant Power Pistol
roughly 850-875 fps


This is just off the top of my head, and here is my reasoning.
It might be fairly slow for a 9mm, and I COULD make it slower but I fear that it wouldn't have power enough to properly cycle, but it is a 147 grain bullet. That is a big bullet for 9mm, and it has a decent sized opening, and from what I've seen, great expansion properties.
BUT, could I go slower? I haven't seen what my gun will take yet, but I was wondering if you guys had any opinions. (S&W M&P Pro, by the way.) I'm looking to make a round that will expand well enough, but not be blindingly bright at night, deafeningly loud in a hallway, or over penetrate through the building, etc. I know Hornady's manual list the lowest powder charge for that round at 3.5 grains, but again, I'm worried about cycling issue. I guess the only way is to try, but if you have some info that will save me a headache or three, it would be uh-per-she-ate-id. :D
 
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OEF-Vet

New member
For legal reasons you should always use factory loads for self defense. It has nothing to do with reliability as some would assert as I have never had a hand load fail in my FNP9 or my Hi Point 995 in the 5,000 or so rounds I have loaded, but for the liability reasons that some lefty lawyers have conjured up.
 
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hornady

New member
In that there are two schools of thought on hand loads for self defense loads, I would not download them. If you ever did need to use them a ballistics investigation would ensue and downloaded ammo could cloud the events, as to just how far from the bad guy you actually were at the moment the shot was taken.
 
M

Mobuck

Moderator
Personally, I don't use 147 for SD in 9mm pistols. My tests indicate the 147 has more penetration and less expansion than I desire. My fulltime carry is 124 grain GoldDot standard pressure ammo which has given me adequate performance from a 4" barrel.
Going slower is likely to produce even less expansion and end up with a fmj like performance. If that is the end result, why not use fmj from the beginning?
 
J

Jim243

New member
I'm looking to make a round that will expand well enough, but not be blindingly bright at night, deafeningly loud in a hallway, or over penetrate through the building, etc.
Click to expand...

Only way to do that is with a sound suppressor on the barrel. Can you down load, yes. Will it function in your pistol, maybe.

Depending on how new or used your pistol is and how often the recoil spring has been worked, will depend on how much you can down load that round.

You have two things working against you in doing this. All pistols are tuned at the factory for commercial ammo, so that they function reliable (no FTF, FTE) and that accuracy is acceptable.

Since each pistol is different, the only way to find out is to try it in YOUR pistol. But a reduction in powder will reduce effectiveness of that round and decrease it's penitration and accuracy.

Good luck
Jim
 
X

xMINORxTHREATx

New member
Boat tail was NOT a typo. lol
http://www.hornady.com/store/9mm-.355-147-gr-HP-XTP/

I know that to really get a quiet round I need a can, but I've noticed that the WWB ammo had a noticeable amount more kick, flash, and bang compared to my Hornady Critical Defense rounds, and I assumed its because they are lower powered. I could be wrong, and maybe it's just that they use a more efficient powder or I'm just crazy. lol

So you guys don't think the 147 grain HP will expand enough at speeds less than 1000fps? Should I drop down to the 124, 115, or even 90 grain XTPs, and bump up the speed? I want to avoid over penetration as much as possible.

Legal issues aside, I might just keep using Critical Defense or TAP, but it would still be nice to know.
 
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hornady

New member
Not a boat tail, big difference between Bevel base and boat tail. A large hollow point would defeat the boat tail concept.
 
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xMINORxTHREATx

New member
What's the difference then? Because when I order the bullets, the code says XTP BTHP, and BTHP to me has always been boat tail hollow point.
 
1

1SOW

New member
I'm looking to make a round that will expand well enough, but not be blindingly bright at night, deafeningly loud in a hallway, or over penetrate through the building, etc
Click to expand...

9mm penetrates sheetrock, 2x4's and wood/vinyl/aluminum siding. Brick/rock will stop it, usually.
Hollowpoints need speed to open up.
Supersonic rounds are especially loud/ear damaging. Unless you're going to practice or fire frequently indoors without hearing protection, you won't care about the noise when the time comes to use it. We're talking life or death here.
Muzzle flash does vary from powder to powder.

I'd say this a "Catch-22" load search, but you CAN try to minimize the bad, but can't sacrifice needed performance to do it. A "well-placed" 147gr HP that doesn't open all the way, WILL do the job.
Load your rounds in three or four increasing loads and test them as best you can at the range. Your confidence is at least as important as the load itself.

A tried and true commercial cartridge will eliminate the guesswork for SD purposes.

PLAN AHEAD. Carefully examine your residence. Where will you 'probably' be if a bad incident happens? Where will your family members be? Which directions are safest to shoot, and where should YOU be to do it?

When all this goes out the window, fall back on "lot's of practice". Dry fire at home, and use live fire at the range.

I use standard velocity 124gr HP and/or 125gr "target" HPs and hope I'll never need them in a bad situation. ALL you can do, is give it your best 'shot'.
 
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xMINORxTHREATx

New member
I agree 100%, I hope I never have to use them.

I'm not worried about my hearing but the tiny little ears of my 1 and 3 year olds, and unfortunately due to the layout of the house, will always be less than 40 feet from where I would be firing in a home invasion scenario. I've looked at all the possibilities and the over penetration concern is for the bullet leaving the body and MAYBE having a 1/1000 chance of hitting the wall perfectly and exiting the house to injure someone else or damage property. The house next-door is extremely close.


So the link doesn't say boat tail, but still. Whats the difference between bevel base and boat tail?
And the boat tail is negligible anyways, its just that its the only 147 grain XTP. I know that they are for long range, and the boat tail is pointless for what I'm shooting, but its what they make.
 
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oneounceload

Moderator
MY 9mm guns prefer 124 grain bullets for accuracy, not 147s - you might try some

9mm is a high-pressure round - if you want to lower some of those aspects, try the 45ACP, or a low-velocity 38
 
H

hornady

New member
Just my opinion but I believe Hornady Developed this particular bullet with a bevel base to improve expansion at lower FPS, reducing barrel drag with a heavier bullet, less bullet surface making contact as it goes down the barrel.
The whole concept of Boat tail Bullets is to improve BC, in the limited reading I have done on boat tail bullets. The best design would be a bullet pointed on both ends but this is not possible.
Boat tails stabilize bullets by cutting down on drag. But when you put a large hollow point on the nose, the small amount of bevel on the base would mean nothing to BC.
Boat tail bullets are excellent for long range rifle, 300 plus yards. My entire rifle shooting is limited to 200 yards and flat base bullets work just fine at these ranges.
But then again this is my opinion, others may have a better reason why Hornady decided to Bevel the base of this bullet.
 
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xMINORxTHREATx

New member
I'm not opposed to using different calibers, but my wallet is. haha
That does bring me to another question. I always hear that .45 ACP is slower and won't over penetrate, but if you look at the FPS they list for some of the rounds, the difference is only 200 fps. Which if they were the same weight bullet, it would make a difference, but if a 124 gr round cooks at 1100 fps, and a 200 gr round goes 900 fps, in my mind the heavier round will still penetrate more because it's so much heavier. Say a Cadillac and a F350 are going at 65 and 55 mph respectively, and they both hit the brakes at the same point, wouldn't the truck go farther before stopping? I could be wrong, and I know you can get different velocities, but the lowest I've seen for 9mm was around 975, and for .45ACP was 850. (147 gr and 230gr) so there isn't that much of a difference in speeds.


Not a boat tail, big difference between Bevel base and boat tail.
Click to expand...
You still haven't explained the difference. I know that I don't NEED a boat tail for my purpose, but like I said, they don't make a 147gr XTP with out the boat tail, and I don't think that it's going to hurt as far as I know. Again, I understand the concept of boat tails cutting drag because it creates less drag by affecting the low pressure area behind the bullet. And hollow points, renamed open-tip match bullets, and used more often in high accuracy applications (when a plastic tip isn't used) because the concentricity of the bullet has a far greater effect at the tip than it does in the middle, and it's rather difficult to make a perfect tip, even with plastic. Albeit, that is in rifle rounds, but at the same time, Hornady lists the ballistic coefficient of their HAP (Hornady Action Pistol) rounds which are XTP hollow point without the grooves in the cavity, as being the best they have for 9mm. Even greater than their FMJ round nose rounds. So I will go with the data from the manufacturer, and trust their numbers.


But all of this is besides the point, 147 grains at 875 fps WON'T expand all the way? I know that it will still hurt like hell, but if it won't expand, then I might go with a slightly faster load with the 124gr so that it has less mass that has to be stopped, therefore (on my train of thought) less over penetration.
 
H

hornady

New member
The Speer Gold dot a 9MM plain base 147Gr,HP bullet. Needs speed to get the full effect of their hollow point, as I said the bevel base Hornady, was designed for expansion at lower FPS. Hornady XTP HP claims to do what the Gold dot will but at lower velocities. How this is accomplished would be a question for Hornady development
 
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