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What is a best all around powder for the 9mm 147 gr cast/plated to be used on Browning Hi-Power? TIA and Be Well, Rustyzipper.

BE 86 works good for me with powder coated bullets

best take a look at the "best 9mm powder" thread in the handguns section. There is no best powder, but there are at least 20 choices that can work really well depending on the load you want to use, mild to wild.

W231, Unique,Universal Clays, HP38 for starters. I prefer Universal Clays,very clean burning

You can chose a lot of different powders. I’ve settled on Power Pistol. Hasbeen

As already mentioned, whatever I am using for jacketed bullets. The only real change I'll make is for lead bullets - I'll start at the bottom charge and work up until I notice leading in the barrel or accuracy becomes unacceptable.

For some plated bullets I typically pick something around 60-75% of my jacketed load and load them up. I might adjust charges up or down a little depending on my results but this tends to work well enough for me.

My go to 9 mm load is 150 gr (148-149 gr actual) coated cast lead SWC from Bayou Bullets over 3.2 gr Titegroup. COAL 1.135". Gives me an average of 943 FPS out of my Beretta M-92F.

My current favorite is Ramshot Silhouette. Fills the case nicely, so it is easy to spot a squib or double (unlike Titegroup). Good load range. Flash suppressed. Meters well. Only negative is that it has a reversed temperature sensitivity.

I've had good results with Accurate#5 under 147 grain cast bullets but there's a lot of choices out there.

Had good loads with Ramshot True Blue, Accurate No. 5, and Power Pistol. Power Pistol had the most flash. True Blue the least. True Blue did very well with cast bullets everywhere I have tried it (9mm, 38/357, 40 S&W, 10mm, 44 Special, 44 Mag, 45 Auto, 45 Colt).

Mark in GA

RedDot and AA5. RedDot performed the better of the two by a smidge.

I'm using power pistol, longshot and have blue dot... but I really like the numbers on 3n38.

Sport pistol deserves a look

Since I'm shooting coated bullets, I'm using Alliant Sport Pistol. It is specifically formulated for coated cast bullets. Works well with good accuracy and no leading. Pretty clean too (IMHO). I routinely go 2k-3k rounds between cleanings on my USPSA Carry Optics gun with no problems. I've loaded about 15k rnds with it so far.

I don't know about Sport Pistol but I like the idea of the bullet. I as only able to find a gang mold in 124 gr. I hope to find one in a 147 gr TC with a good flat point. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Never understood reloading 9mm. 9mm is so cheap, is it not counter productive?

Longshot, BE-86, Power Pistol, in that order.


Because you can do some SCHITT when you handload, i.e., load to a particular performance spec with a specific bullet, or load to a specific recoil impulse for a specific gun/shooter. I don't usually want cheap ammo that I just fling downrange, but I can do that with handloading too. It's not hard nor time-consuming to load up a ton of 9mm with just a single stage press and a powder thrower. I sit on many, many, many thousands of rounds. I could go crank out another 400 before bed if I felt the need.

Go try and purchase any 9mm now and get back to us on how cheap it is.....

Lyman makes one. I have it.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010245557

Count me as +1 on Hodgdon Universal Clays.

ArkyPete: I understand where you are coming from. This is a YMMV kind of thing. Back during the Obama years, I decided to see how much I could get done with cast lead and a limited number of powders in anticipation of the worst. I centered on all my .358 firearms. That meant I could shoot 357 Mag in pistol and carbine and 35 Whelen. After that exercise completed, I realized the same mold for 125 grain lead would also work for my 9mm's. All my practice rounds for my 9's are now cast lead as well as my summer EDC, which is a 357 Mag Ruger LCR.