Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 9mm+P Loads?

I am looking for some 9mm+P loading data. I have been unable to find much of anything published. Powders I have available are: Universal, Titegroup, CFE Pistol, Unique, and HS-6. Will need to purchase bullets. I am leaning towards something in the 125 grain range - JHP. I will be using these in a Beretta M-92F. Thanks!

HS 6 is what I would use for full power, not sure if plus P data is available with that powder? I just bough True Blue (TB) but havent used it yet. I see that there is plus P loads data available for TB.

You might be barking up the wrong tree.

How so?

I have been loading 147 gr. XTPs or similar JHPs or 150 gr coated lead SWCs to about 920 - 950 FPS. To get any faster velocity, I'm thinking that I will need to go to a lighter bullet as I don't want to get into any pressure problems. I don't know this, but I suspect that these heavy JHPs may not be expanding reliably due to the velocity I am loading them at, which is about book maximum. I might be wrong about that. My thought process is that if I were to drop down to a lighter JHP and increased velocity, I would get much better expansion. Frankly, I have always favored heavy bullets. Your thoughts?

I use to load 115 gr Rem HP’s Over a max load of Blue Dot.
It would blow the schitt out of jackrabbits and armadillos. 🤠

Well all of those powders Make the high end muster. Hodgdon’s data tops at 1160 or so for a 124-125 FMJ. Looking at Accurate data for +P 9mm in the same weights run 1120-1150. Both out of a 4” barrel. Maybe big H just doesn’t want to say +P but velocity and charge wise says they are.
Not really barking up the wrong tree, just not seeing the critter that’s there.

The Wester #1 and Sierra #7 Manuals have 9mm +P data. Maximum loads from Sierra:
115 gn bullets:
Titegroup - 3.6 gn - 1100 fps
Unique - 5.7 gn - 1250 fps

125 gn bullets:
Titegroup - 3.8 gn - 1100 fps
Unique - 4.6 gn - 1100 fps

Don't ask me why the maximum charge for Titegroup is higher with the 125 gn bullets.

Thanks for the info. Guess I need to go shopping for some 125 gr JHPs and give them a try.

You're not looking at a significant difference in velocity from 150 to 125 grain bullets. Bullet construction is a more significant matter.

It's hard to beat 4.5grs bullseye and a 115-125 gr bullet. Probably fired thousands and loaded thousands more.

If you want the most powerful published load for 9mm, that would be Vihtavouri first edition 1994. 124 gr 5.8 gr 3N37.

If you want the most powerful load I ever got a 9mm will shoot, it was 158 gr 11 gr Power Pistol in a Kel-Tec P11.



Beretta 92:
0.163" case support over feed ramp
heavy slide
wide grip


kel-tec P11
0.190" case support over feed ramp
light slide
narrow grip

The Beretta 92 is a better pistol for hot loads than a Kel-tec P11.

HS-6 and Unique are the two powders that I use in 9mm, load both to the top end as it takes that kind of load to reliably cycle my Sig Sauer P226.

Why are 9mm lovers always looking for more?

For my full power loads I use Power Pistol and 124gr Hornady XTP bullets, in my 9mm. But your HS6 is also very good and Unique is ok also.

Because they should have bought a Super .38 in the first place?

😃 true statement

OK, update with test results: I found a good deal on some 124 gr JHP bullets from Rocky Mountain Reloading - $61 total, delivered for 500. However, they claim not to guarantee expansion unless pushed to 1150 FPS. They don't say they won't expand <1150 FPS, just that per their gel tests, they cannot 100% guarantee it. So...I first tried 4.4 gr Titegroup and got an average of 1098 FPS. Next, I tried 5.3 gr of CFE Pistol and got an average of 1087 FPS. Still not good enough. I was tempted to push these a bit higher, but could not find any published load data that would support this. I contacted RMR and they avoided making any particular suggestions other than I try a different powder. Well, duh. I did see in reviews from other customers for these bullets reports of considerable higher charges of CFE Pistol than what Hodgdon lists as being max, and I'm pretty sure some of these were compressed loads. Note that Hodgdon does not list any 9mm+P loads. I don't mind full power loads, but I'm not Elmer Kieth. I did not feel comfortable pushing these powders higher with the data that I had. It was suggested that Vihtavuori 3N37 powder might do it for me. I was fortunate enough to score a couple of pounds from Powder Valley. So....range report from this afternoon: Ten loads of 124 gr JHP with a C.O.L. of 1.12" loaded over 6.5 gr of VV3N37 with a heavy crimp and a WSP primer gave me an average of exactly 1150 FPS from my M-92 Beretta. I suspect that Alliant BE-86 and Power Pistol may also work for this, but I could not find any to try.

7.2 grains of HS-6 got me to Speer Gold Dot 124gr. +P velocity of 1,205 fps. This load is .4 grains over Hodgdon's max load. Work up carefiully. Safe in my gun but maybe not yours.
Brian Enos Forum has a lot of info on 9mm +P Major Power Factor loads.
My favorite powder for +P 9mm is VV 3N37. VV 3N38 would also be a good choice.

With most 9mm bullets and most pistol powders, not enough powder can be made to fit to get enough pressure to hurt the brass.

I worked up 9mm overloads to case destruction [or case too full] with all bullet weights and all pistol powders 22 years ago.

But some powders can; AA#5, HS-6, and 3N37.

Most guys think it would be Bullseye, but no. What caused over pressure in a full case is the SPEED * Density product.

That is Bullseye is fast enough, but too bulking and only a light charge will fit.

What can be done with any old pistol powder is too much recoil. The case should land 5 feet away and the slide should not hammer the frame. But with enough powder the case will fly 20 feet and the shooter's hand will sting. Good luck trying to add enough recoil spring to compensate for that.

What is different about 9mm is the consistent case support with different brands of pistols.
With the stock barrel many 9mms [typically 0.180" of feed ramp intrusion with a 0.160" thick case web] can make more power than stock 40sw or 10mm barrels at the threshold of case destruction.