Brass launching from my 9 mm?

Xfire68

New member
I know that based on how hot the load is and what gun it's being fired from will change how far the brass will be thrown from the gun but WOW! What a difference there was between my reloads and some Federal Factory ammo I tried out the other day!

A good guess I would say that the Federal ammo launched the brass about 3-5 feet on average but, my reloads were sending the brass to outer space! LOL Ok not really but they did go 15+ feet on average.

These loads are on the higher end of the load data range with 6.3g of Power Pistol pushing out a Montana Gold 115g FMJ but are the Federal factory loads that anemic or does it not take all that much more powder to send the brass flying to the outfield?

I have seen a difference from one load to the next and "normally" I see my reloads eject about 6-9 feet I just have not seen them go this far or this short of a distance before.
 

Mike-Mat

New member
I dont know, but I find this to be an Interesting question. I hope some people respond. I thought about bringing my video camera to the range (outdoor) and setting it up behind me while I shoot. Thought I might learn something about my shooting from it. That would be one more thing to look for in the video.
 

oneounceload

Moderator
Typically, my loads do the opposite, but then I'm loading for accuracy, not just speed. My Glocks especially will drop my 9mm cases almost at my feet
 

Xfire68

New member
I load for accuracy as well and in my Lyman's book the most accurate load for this bullet weight is close the the max end with this powder.

oneounceload, a friend of mine has a Glock 17 that drops the brass on your head 9 times out of 10!

I was just wondering if anyone has ever noticed the difference in distance the brass travels from one load to the next? This is not a really important question but I know some of you look at every aspect of what happens when you fire one of you reloads to determine how a load is performing. I guess I try to as well?:D

It's clear that more powder = longer ejection distance but, I wanted to know if it only takes a little bit more powder to get this result? My Walther PPK/S also launches the brass out pretty far even if the loads are in the middle of the load data? The Walther also beats the crud out of the brass no matter how mild the load might be!
 

Brian Pfleuger

Moderator Emeritus
There are a lot of factors that influence brass distance between guns. The recoil spring makes a huge difference.

Most factory ammo is fairly anemic. They have to make sure that they don't blow up ANY guns and the lawyers make sure that they understand that means ANY gun. You, on the other hand, only have to make sure that you don't blow up YOUR gun, which you (hopefully) maintain and know to be in good shape, so you can create loads that far exceed factory numbers in many cases.

My G33 with the stock recoil springs sends most brass about 5 feet to my right, no matter the power level, but the stronger stuff goes higher in the air.

I recently purchases a 20lb recoil spring and guide rod from Wolff Springs and with that installed the gun throws weak loads almost straight up (some come down literally hitting the gun) and heavier loads go behind me!
 
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Xfire68

New member
peetzakilla, thanks for the input! I did factor in the gun but I did not really think about the recoil spring tension being a big factor but now that you mention it it makes allot of sense!;)
 

oneounceload

Moderator
While my G17 drops those loads nearly at my feet, my P7 throws them off the end of the 10x12 tarp I lay down to capture them - go figure...

Different extractors and the way they're shaped, different springs, etc., all play a role. I used to have a Walther PP in 32 (now try and find THOSE puppies in a brass pile) and they got scattered a minimum of 5' behind and 5' right - but they were all over the place outside of the dimension - loss rate was severe
 
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