[johnnymoff]

All,

I created my first two rounds this morning, ever:

• 4.8 grains of Titegroup
• Berry's 115gr bullet
• CCM 500 Primer
• 1.117 COL

I did not find a recipe to follow that specifically listed the Berry 115 grain bullet. The handbook seems to be so strict as to not give us leeway to substitute with a different brand but same weight and shape bullet, so I thought I'd ask before firing. SHOULD THIS BE OKAY?

Also, noticed the base of the bullet makes a visible imprint in the top of the case which I have not noticed in any factory rounds I have. IS THIS NORMAL?

Here they are:

Thanks,
-John

 

[Wulfmann]

That is max load for Titegroup and 115gr bullet and it is annoying how many no longer bother to show various bullet designs because they can vary for loads

I am assuming you are shooting these in a P226-229 Sig and If so you are GTG

The bulge from seating the bullet is normal. When you sized the case you actually made it slightly smaller than factory and the bullet brings it back out to where it would be on a factory round so beneath that is what is slightly smaller than factory and is typical of all pistol round reloads.

May I suggest you load a few more.
Do 5 at 4.6gr, 5 at 4.7gr and 5 (total) at 4.8gr

See where they print. there is no reason to use more powder than needed for proper function and similar POA as factory. Higher pressure means higher barrel wear. If you were loading SD HP then yes but practice, IMO no

Have fun

 

[Flash LB]

It's hard to be sure with just the one picture and angle you show, but I'm fairly sure you're over crimping the bullets.

Post some more pictures, all where we can see the sides of the case, like the round on the left side of the picture.

 

[johnnymoff]

I am shooting them out of a P938 SIG

I will do as you suggest. I did not know this was the max load - thanks!

-John

 

[Mills]

Congratulations.
Reloading to a shooter is like fly tying to a fisherman.
You can tune it to your needs.

FYI, you might back off a tad on the TG.

 

[Wulfmann]

I would suggest start loads for a P938 not max loads and work up from there. Try 4.5 and 4.6gr

You need a bullet puller. It is always wise when working up a load to make your first round without powder and primer. Then pull the bullet to check the crimp. If the bullet has no crimp mark at all increase the crimp. If it has a deep ring you have (as has been suggested) over crimped.
There should be a slight ring where it has been crimped enough to notice but not enough for an X-wing fighter to drop into for an attack

P938 is a strong smaller gun but you might not like the recoil at 4.8 but one way to find out is pull the trigger.
I don't like the recoil of Titegroup in a P938 at 4.6 but that is just me

Remember, it is not the velocity it is the pressure and 4.8 is max pressure for a 115gr 9MM bullet using Titegroup

 

[Edsel]

...There should be a slight ring where it has been crimped enough to notice but not enough for an X-wing fighter to drop into for an attack

Yeah!

Pesky X - Wing Fighters and Kabooms!... :lol:

 

[Mills]

For paper punching I use 4.1 of TG on a 115. Works like a charm.
When labeling your loads, be sure not to forget the "e" in Titegroup.
I did once, had to laugh at myself.

 

[Czechvar]

You need a bullet puller. It is always wise when working up a load to make your first round without powder and primer. Then pull the bullet to check the crimp. If the bullet has no crimp mark at all increase the crimp. If it has a deep ring you have (as has been suggested) over crimped.

Thank you for this reminder Wulfmann. I'm just now getting to this point...there's like 30 million types and brands of bullet pullers out there, but decided on the one I liked best long ago. Ordered the RCBS 9440 Collet Bullet Puller and 5 Collets from EBay. It will be mounted on the Lee Single Stage.

 

[Flash LB]

Thank you for this reminder Wulfmann. I'm just now getting to this point...there's like 30 million types and brands of bullet pullers out there, but decided on the one I liked best long ago. Ordered the RCBS 9440 Collet Bullet Puller and 5 Collets from EBay. It will be mounted on the Lee Single Stage.

Impact pullers are much cheaper and much more versatile, but you get what you want.

I've been using a Midway impact puller for around 25 years at this point and my backup puller, purchased for when my original breaks, still sits on a nail on the wall.

 

[johnnymoff]

Pics of Crimp Grooves

I picked up a colette-type puller and took more pics.

The crimping grooves are deep enough that you can certainly feel them in with your fingernail. Maybe a little deeper than "slight" as the ideal is described above.

What do you think?

-John

 

[dwg13013]

I would suggest take notes both reloading and shooting the loads.
Good for later reference, and to decide what you like.

I like to start out in the low-mid range of the load spread and work up if needed.
I am in reloading to save money, so I rarely load more than midpoint because more than accurate is just wasting money.

I tried a lot of powders, and settled on TiteGroup because it is clean, and goes further per pound than any other I tried.
It has the smallest spread min-max than any other powder I tried, and takes less grains than them.

 

[Czechvar]

Impact pullers are much cheaper and much more versatile, but you get what you want.

I've been using a Midway impact puller for around 25 years at this point and my backup puller, purchased for when my original breaks, still sits on a nail on the wall.

Yeah, I looked at those for a while. The whole bangin' a bullet with a hammer thing sort of gave me pause.

 

[LockNLoad]

COL & Crimp

At one time Berry's was recommending a COL of 1.130" for the 115 gr RN plated bullet. Now they list the SAAMI max length. ? ?

When using plated bullets in an auto loader I work to use the least amount of crimp possible.
(Requires making some sort of a chart)... Kinda long winded, wouldn't blame ya if you stopped reading right here.

First I decide on an amount of crimp to try and 'single load' (one at a time) as I work out a powder charge amount.
After I settle on a powder amount I load 6~10 cartridges, measure and make note of the exact COL of each round as I load them into the magazine.
Then after chambering and firing the first round I measure the round that went into the chamber and the next round up in the top of the magazine and make note of each in my chart.
Continue this time consuming stop and measure routine until all cartridges have been measured and charted as they work thru the magazine and into the chamber.
Some may have bullet set-back, some may come out longer, some bullets may move both directions, some may not move at all.

Can be tedious by the time you've tried three or four different amounts of crimp (and even no crimp) but you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you've made the other guys at the range nervous about the quality of their reloads.... :huh:


Locke

 

[Flash LB]

After reloading for a lifetime, I'm absolutely not nervous about the quality of my reloads.

Johnnymoff, you are crimping too much, but it's not as bad as it looked in your original pictures. Back off a bit on the crimp die.

 

[Flash LB]

Yeah, I looked at those for a while. The whole bangin' a bullet with a hammer thing sort of gave me pause.

If you examine one closely, you'll see that nothing comes anywhere near the primer, so it's perfectly safe.

Be advised it doesn't work worth a darn when the bullets are around 50~70 grains, like .223s and .220 Swift and so on.

Other than that, they're great.

 

[johnnymoff]

Lighter Crimp

After reloading for a lifetime, I'm absolutely not nervous about the quality of my reloads.

Johnnymoff, you are crimping too much, but it's not as bad as it looked in your original pictures. Back off a bit on the crimp die.

I backed off to a "light" crimp and that seems to be working fine.

Thanks,
-John

 

[Flash LB]

I backed off to a "light" crimp and that seems to be working fine.

Thanks,
-John

Glad to be of service.

 

[Mills]

He's a goner now, no holding him back.

 

[johnnymoff]

So I made 100 rnds and took them to the range. There were 4 failures: 1 misfeed and 3 misfires. The firing pin strikes on the misfires are lighter than on the fired rounds I checked. All failures happened during the last 30 rounds or so.

Does this sound normal or should I look to see what adjustments I can make to up my success rate?

Thanks,
-John