Min Powder start

[Nomes]

Min. Powder charge 4.7 Max is 4.9 Can you go below the Min or over the Max?
I would like to start at 4.4 and work up.
I don't have a bunch of equipment to check speed and all that. So what is a rule of thumb to tell if the charge is rite for a gun?
Loading for target and self defense 9mm luger
Is over the Max considered +P

[rey]

You should never do below the minimum as you could have a bullet lodged in the barrel. You should not go over the maximum. There is a reason they put minimum and maximum in all of the reloading manuals. Please follow the manual if you want to stay safe. The extra 100 or so feet per second is not worth risking your life over.

[dud]

what he said and to add the smaller the case capacity the more it effects it.at 1400 rounds per pound with that charge it aint worth foolin with.

[andrewjs18]

You should never do below the minimum as you could have a bullet lodged in the barrel. You should not go over the maximum. There is a reason they put minimum and maximum in all of the reloading manuals. Please follow the manual if you want to stay safe. The extra 100 or so feet per second is not worth risking your life over.

the problem with minimum/maximum loads is it varies per book. I recently loaded some 9s with 6gr on Unique...MOST books label a max load of like 5.5gr with unique, but the book we were using, an older Hornady book, listed a max of like 7gr for a 115gr tip.

The loads with 6gr of Unique felt like factory rds, to be honest.

I just loaded 50rds of 9s with 5gr of Unique to see if they'll cycle my pistols.

[Iron Sights]

IMO, would prefer commercial ammo to reloads for personal defense. It's not that I don't have confidence in my reloads, its just that the commercial stuff has gone through a lot of QC.

[shooter357]

IMO, would prefer commercial ammo to reloads for personal defense. It's not that I don't have confidence in my reloads, its just that the commercial stuff has gone through a lot of QC.

I would not only bet my life on my reloads, I do use them for PD, I can guarantee the quality control. It's the commercial stuff that I worry about.

[Iron Sights]

Hello Shooter357. As i said, its not that I don't have confidence in reloads. I'm sure that your QC is better than the commercial process. The area that I am from has limited gun supply shops and most times you have to settle for what they have on the shelf. Mail order is just too expensive for me. I didn't intend to offend anyone.

[Nomes]

OK.
What is +P loads?

[hornady]

from your post I can see from your post, you are New to reloading .and it is always good to ask a lot of questions. But I would highly recommend getting either the Lee Modern reloading book or the Lyman 49th Addition reloading book and read them. And stay away from the Hot loads. I must admit when I was younger I did my share of experimenting. But most times all you will do if lucky is just waste powder and split cases

[shooter357]

You can start here.

http://forum.pafoa.org/ammunition-re...ead-first.html

Read as much information as you can. Buy some reloading books and manuals and absorb the information. Manufacturers publish minimum and maximum loads because of pressure and velocities. When the bullet travels too slow it might not make it out of the barrel and if there is too much pressure, your gun might not be able to handle it. Good luck and always think safety.