My go to load is Acme 115g bullets with 4.9 CFE powder

 

What was your C.O.L with CFE pistol powder?

 

Does it have to be hardcast? If a standard [coated] lead load is ok, I'd submit that Blue Bullets 125gr over Silhouette is worth a try.

 

My present load is a Bayou or Brazos coated lead 124 (same mold number) and Hodgdon's starting load of HP38.

If the range employee does not count a coated cast bullet as "hardcast", and you had to use conventional wax lubed cast bullets, I would recommend a 145 gr LRN and suitable powder charge.

 

Tightgroup is another super popular 9mm powder. Me, I’m a Clays fan. I use it for 9mm, .40 and .45.

If you haven’t tried coated lead yet, I’d recommend it. Less smoky than standard lead rounds. Acme has sample packs you can purchase to help you decide on what weight or profile you’d like to try.

 

Autocomp, 231/HP-38 and I know someone using Bullseye. I've used the first two.

 

124 grain round nose over a light load of Clays

 

I'd be curious to hear more about this. I just developed a light load for .45 with Clays and 185gr bullets that I really like. It's definitely an interesting powder.

 

Hi,
I use 231, with my MP-135Gr. Mold!

 

All my pistols love Missouri coated 124s over 3.9 N320 @ 1.110.

Since you're local FYI CAC carries both at rock bottom prices.

 

I load them light for competition. Bunny fart loads.

3.0gr of Clays under a 147gr Bayou bullets.

3.2gr for the 124gr.

But beware: Clays is a very fast burning powder that will spike quickly. So be mindful of your charges.

The positive is that they burn much cleaner than many other powers and you can load it in numerous calibers.

 

I used Clays as well, but a year ago I found 5k of 9 mm that I loaded loaded with Red Dot in 1990. Those are about gone, then I’ll go back to loading with clays again. I don’t remember my load off hand.

 

I really like the coated bullets, which I usually get from Missouri Bullet Co. 115gr round nose, I load them over 4.4 gr of WW231. Moderate in every sense of the word, they feed and function in every 9mm I've tried the in and they are fairly accurate.
Cheers,
crkckr

 

I used to cast them by the thousands when I carried an issued 9mm at work. I powder coat mine, and I have no idea if they get the moniker of "hard cast."

I had really good results with 4.1 gr. of WSF and 4.7 gr. of Unique.

 

Home cast bullet seldom meet the definition of "hard cast" unless they are intentionally cast that way by adding in tin or similar metal. And using a hardness tester! I don't recall the exact figures off hand for hard vs soft but using wheel weights usually results in fairly hard bullets. Immediate quenching of cast bulets can also add to hardness. Without a tester it's nearly impossible to tell the exact hardness. These days, with the poly coated (Missouri, Acme and others) bullets it makes little difference! You can coat them yourself or order them coated (in colors even!). For practice ammo that's about all I use anymore! Plated bullets I load a bit hotter and use for practice as well. Didn't have none of this fancy stuff when I was a kid, by cracky!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

Home cast bullet seldom meet the definition of "hard cast" unless they are intentionally cast that way by adding in tin or similar metal. And using a hardness tester! I don't recall the exact figures off hand for hard vs soft but using wheel weights usually results in fairly hard bullets. Immediate quenching of cast bulets can also add to hardness. Without a tester it's nearly impossible to tell the exact hardness. These days, with the poly coated (Missouri, Acme and others) bullets it makes little difference! You can coat them yourself or order them coated (in colors even!). For practice ammo that's about all I use anymore! Plated bullets I load a bit hotter and use for practice as well. Didn't have none of this fancy stuff when I was a kid, by cracky!
Cheers,
crkckr

This depends on the individual caster. Most casters are using scrap lead-based alloys, or are buying ready alloyed bullet casting metals from companies like Rotometals, or Buffalo Arms. Lead wheelweights are pretty much a thing of the past now, almost everything now in use is either steel or zinc. "Hard Cast" simply means that the alloy the bullets are cast from is not simply pure lead. Pure lead has its place, but due to its low brinnell hardness, about 5 bhn, pure lead works best in bullets by alloying in tin and antimony in varying amounts (percentages really) to strengthen the alloy for the desired performance. There are formulas for doing this. Bullets that are too hard are as bad as bullets that are too soft. The alloy must be matched to the desired performance level. Bullet fit to the gun is far more critical for accuracy than bullet hardness.

I'm concerned by your use of the word "seldom", most of the casters I correspond with do have some way of determining hardness, most of the longer term casters do have proper hardness testers, they're not expensive, or difficult to buy. Plated bullets need to be loaded to the same levels as cast bullets, the copper coating provides lubrication, but not additional hardness. Plated bullet cores are almost always swaged soft lead with just enough antimony to make the soft lead easier to be swaged efficiently. Powdercoating cast bullets at home is a"thing" now, and a large number of casters are doing it. I buy polyester based powders, so technically the bullets I cast are "poly coated" as well.

 

I have some 9mm 122gr cast TCFP bullets made by a local bullet caster that shoot very well over 4.9 grs of VV n320.

I’ve shot that load in several different 9mm pistols (Kahr CM9, Shield9, M&P9, M&P9c, Wilson Professional, and a SA R.O.) without any issues, and it’s an accurate load.

 

When I was casting my own bullets, I used the Lee 356-125-2R bullet, cast out of straight wheelweights and lubed with Alox, usually using 5.0 Unique or 4.7gr. AA#2. Those are pretty stout loads in some pistols, but I never had any issues with them in several different 9mm pistols, from a Glock 19 and several BHPs, a Tanfoglio Witness, and an ancient Polish VIS Radom. All without a problem. The bullets weighed 126.5gr. with straight wheelweights. They shot well, and the bullet nose profile is identical to ball ammo, so they fed like ball. I used any old brass and WSP primers. Nothing fancy at all.
I could take that old Radom and give fist-sized groups at 100 yards on demand. It was an excellent load.

 

I like Titegroup standard primers, and a 124 grain flat metaplate bullet by any maker. I run them about 1,000 fps with good success in all my 9s. I look for bullets with foregiveness in overall length - one of my Browning Hi-Powers is short throated - it sets the OAL max for all my 9mm loads as I don't vary per gun.

 

When I was casting my own bullets, I used a Lee 356-125-2R mould, as it closely duplicates a typical 9mm ball bullet. I used it in both the 9mm and .38 Super, and it shot extremely well. I had a source for free wheelweights, and I cast them with that. Sometimes, I'd quench them in a bucket of water, but it didn't matter much, leading was easy to clean out. I sized them to .356". Good bullets, great shape for feeding (they feed like ball), and I ran them mostly with Unique. I lubed them with Alox, of course. I shoot outside, so the smoke and mess didn't bother me much.
I shot them in Brownings, CZs and clones, Colt Supers, a Radom, a Glock, you name it, I used them in it. No issues.

 

I have used AutoComp with success, but I use Accurate #2 for most all of my fast powder needs these days and 3.5gr. with a 124gr. RN from Rim Rock does 950-1,000fps from my 5" guns. 4.0gr. pushes the same bullet about 100fps faster.

 

 

Sport Pistol worst in accuracy for me.

 

interesting.

Which bullet ? What charge weight ?

 

I do have a hardness tester but have seldom used it. Casting bullets around here sucks as it's either too hot or too cold (all my casting stuff is in the barn)! When the weather is nice I'd rather be shooting! I haven't cast a single bullet since I discovered the coated bullets. I should probably put it all up for sale.

My favorite powder is WW231, mainly because I have a bunch of it. I've used Unique, Bullseye and Red Dot for practice loads but I find them much dirtier than the 231, which I've been using for 30+ years. AA#2 and others work quite well and I've heard very good things regarding Titegroup and several other of the faster powders.

I load everything from .380 to .44 Mag with 231 and can usually find an accurate load with it. I use nothing but .44 mag cases and have loaded them with the minimum 44 Special data for nearly as long as I've been using it. It works especially well with the 190 gr. full wadcutters and is very accurate out of my RedHawk and Vaquero.

There are so many good powders and bullets out there these days, not like the bad food days when everyone used Unique or Red Dot. Things are much better with lots of choices, although much more expensive, these days!
Cheers,
crkckr