Frontier 147gr Swaged CMJ

[age_ranger]

I'm looking for any published load date for these bullets. There's none listed on their website and most load data listings are for FMJ ot HP's. I've been using Titegroup with an OAL of 1.145" and cr .376" but want to slow things down a bit on powder burn rate and double check my OAL. After a recent incident I'm taking a closer look at OAL and powders. I had a load I used for a few years and had a kaboom lately which was either a double charge or bad case. Either way, I'm pinging now about every little detail. I have some 147gr CMJ loaded up to 3.5gr of titegroup with a OAL of 1.140" and wonder if I should pull them.................

Anyone have load data for plated bullets? I've been using lead bullet data since FMJ is typically the only other I can find. Would a plated bullet simply be faster but use the same load data as a lead bullet?

Precision bullets?

[Houston1944]

I don't think there is a lot of published data for lead bullets in the 9mm. I tried some in the 9mm several years ago but did not spend much time on that project and went back to FMJ for that caliber. Hodgdon shows 3.6 max for the 147 in FMJ so I woud not be concerned about shooting them unless you have a lead problem. I have loaded lead bullets in various calibers using the low side of FMJ data and never had a problem.
Was your Kb in a Glock? I am a member of the Glock Kb club, but mine was in the 40 caliber not 9mm.

[WildBill]

You might want to try "Lyman's 48th Edition Reloading Handbook." They claim to have the widest selection of cast bullet data. Just go to http://www.lymanproducts.com

In the old days when I cast my own bullets I used a Lyman book. Of course, all of my bullet molds were made by Lyman. I never did cast too many 9 mm. Just a few for my .380.

I would think that the plated bullets would be closer to a cast bullet so the reloading data would be close. If the plated bullets are swaged they might be softer than a cast bullet because of the alloy.

[age_ranger]

I've got the Lyman book and here's the specs. Quite a difference but the OAL is much smaller than what I had been using.

147gr lead
2.5gr titegroup
1.058" OAL
807 fps

147gr TMJ
3.2gr titegroup
1.115" OAL
914 fps

I've been loading:

147gr Frontier CMJ
3.4gr
1.145" OAL
chrony data avg 890 fps


Could it be that since I was using a longer OAL, the round was going slower than the advertised specs? The specs quoted in bold were done using a universal receiver with 4" barrel which is close to the pistol I used. (Beretta PX4 kaboom)

[age_ranger]

Ok, I considered that the bullets should be loaded closer to lead bullet specs and looked into my Lyman Reloading book. It lists a 147gr lead bullet at a starting charge of 2.5gr of titegroup at 1.058"!!!!!

I loaded up a few and they're shorter than a 115gr WWB and honestly, I don't know if I feel safe shooting them. That's a awful short bullet with a pretty low charge. I hope someone can shed some light on this. I'm putting my loading on hold until I get it all figured out. Granted, the load I had worked up shot fine in the past but it appears as if that darned plated bullet is throwing a wrench in the works!

[jbirds1210]

Ok, I considered that the bullets should be loaded closer to lead bullet specs and looked into my Lyman Reloading book. It lists a 147gr lead bullet at a starting charge of 2.5gr of titegroup at 1.058"!!!!!

I loaded up a few and they're shorter than a 115gr WWB and honestly, I don't know if I feel safe shooting them. That's a awful short bullet with a pretty low charge. I hope someone can shed some light on this. I'm putting my loading on hold until I get it all figured out. Granted, the load I had worked up shot fine in the past but it appears as if that darned plated bullet is throwing a wrench in the works!

I run my 9mm loads with an OAL of 1.075 and 4.1 of titegroup.....never had any problems at all and I get about 1080-1100FPS out of a 5" bbl.

[age_ranger]

With plated bullets?

[age_ranger]

Ok, I found reloading data from LEE for the plated bullets in multiple bullet weights. I've loaded up a batch and will try them out tomorrow. It's a bit wet for the chrony, but a function check should suffice for now. Definitely need to change powders. I'll be switching to Vihtavouri N340 for the moly coated bullets from precision and the Frontier plated bullets. More to come. I have some 124's I might load up to try as well.

[age_ranger]

Got a chance to shoot about 300 rounds using the N340 powder. I like it much better than the Titegroup and find the powder quicker to weigh and faster to pour. Powder weight in gr. is about the same and it does a better job at filling the case. I found teh Moly bullets from Precision to be a bit snappier on recoil and dirtier on the muzxzle end than the plated bullets. Not sure if that's a common occurance with Moly bullets or not. Still looking for a bit more reading on them. Accuracy seemed to improve as well with my groups shrinking by at least 2" out at 10yds. Looks like a good combo. I'll see if I can post some of the load data if anyone is interested.

[HighVelocity]

I've never tried any of the VV powders. I'd be interested in load data though. So, the 23rd, are you going to be shootin' with us?

[age_ranger]

This is from LEE Precision Inc. I'm going to scan the sheet and post it soon. There's a bunch of info on different powders. This is just the N340 VV data I found.


COPPER PLATED BULLETS - N340 Vihtavouri Powder



115gr Copper Plated Bullet
v-N340
startng grains 5.1
Never Exceed 5.6
velocity 1245fps
OAL 1.142"

124gr Copper Plated Bullet
v-N340
startng grains 5.3
Never Exceed 5.8
velocity fps 1233
OAL 1.142"

147gr Copper Plated Bullet
v-N340
startng grains 3.9
Never Exceed 4.2
velocity fps 977
OAL 1.142"

I found it odd that all the bullet weights used the same OAL. I used this data on the Moly coated bullets with good results. I'd really like to get the chrony out but haven't gotten to do that yet. Maybe around the holidays when I get some free time. For now, my current load is the same specs above on the 147gr with 3.6gr of N340. Shoots nicely and it's very accurate.

I'm going to try out this load in my Kahr or 92 for the next match. Gotta get back in the game SOON.