Pistol load work up

[Handsome Rob]

Also, as a newb to pistol loading....

How do I go about working up a load?

I'm used to working with loads in the 60+ gn range. 

Working for a pistol (max load 13gn) do I start 1gn under max & work up in 0.1gn increments?

Also, what should Ioad for? Best accuracy or best velocity? Again, I'm used to looking for accuracy at 300+ yds, rather than 10 feet.....

[musicman]

I usually start around 10-15% below max... 1.3 - 2 gr or so in your case.  A lot of that depends on the speed of the powder, imho.  I don't worry so much about speed as I do a consistent load that functions and goes where I want it.  

As I start really getting into loads for 10mm (finally have around 4-500 pieces of brass collected) that may change as I chase velocity in earnest.

[NotYetGecko45]

For pistol I loaded 9mm, 10mm, 45ACP, 357Sig, 38 Special and 50AE and for my load tests it would depend what I wanted to do.

For general plinking I prefer a load that is just enough to effectively cycle the slide, so I start at the min and do a ladder of .2grn increments up to the midway point. 

This incremental approach varies from powder to powder - Titegroup and Bullseye in my experience are a bit boomier where as Unique and Trail Boss you would need a little bit more of.

For target shooting I would reduce to 15% of the max suggested loading and do ladders of .1grn increments in both directions - a chrono and a Ransom rest will really help you dial in your loads.

As you gain more of a 'feel' for pistol loading then you can mess with COAL as Ive done in the past, sometimes a compressed load in one gun works better than an other. Barrel length and bullet profile also play into it as well.

Some loads ive worked up to be a bit over max. I had a Glock 20 that I was loading 155gr TCFP 10mm bullets with about 10.7gr of 800X which was well above what was the max load and that worked fine for me (somehow).

Keep an eye out for pressure signs like you would with rifle and keep dummy cases of your finished product with notecards so you have references so you dont forget sweet load data.

[Handsome Rob]

I'm not really looking for a plinking load, that's what factory acp is for.
I'm looking for 'help, help, there's a grizzly tearing into my chest cavity' loads.

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.

[NotYetGecko45]

If velocity is what your after then Id start 10% under and work up and over max by another 5-10% in increments of .1grn.

I would err on the side of extreme caution not to be a safety nazi but moreso because stupid stuff like a weak piece of brass or a bad batch of powder can/will happen.

However you have said youve loaded a decent amount of rifle so just watch the pressure signs and look for unburnt powder And you should be fine.

I wont get into the subjectivity of "stopping power" we can chalkboard all sorts of cool physics equations and harp about shot placement but if a grizz is about to Revenant me, Im just pulling the trigger until it goes "click" 

Hope that helps

[DWARREN123]

I start around 10% under and work up in .2 gr increments to where I want to be and stay with the one or two loads that work the best in my pistol(s).

I do 10 rounds of each load to test then go for it when I find the one I like.

I never start near max just in case! Unless you are using the exact same components as the reloading data you "always" need to work up a load.

Plus each pistol is a special deal of its own.

Always be careful and stay on the side of safety!

[chances R]

blowing your gun up on the first fired round in any kind of Self-Defense situation is generally not a good idea.  Neither is uncontrollable recoil.  Whatever you load it needs to be reliable.  If you need more power, go bigger gun.  Read recently where a 9mm brought down a griz.  Shot placement as always is king.

[Handsome Rob]

Odd timing.....I just did that very thing! On my way to pick up a glock 29 in an hour.

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.

[MrBrian]

2 hours ago, robtattoo said:

Odd timing.....I just did that very thing! On my way to pick up a glock 29 in an hour.

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.
 

You just killed a bear with a 9mm?  If so, good job

[Handsome Rob]

[emoji6] Lol!

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.

[Dolomite_supafly]

What caliber and what gun?

VihtaVouri has a published load that pushes a 147 grain to over 1,200 fps and is not considered +P either. I have loaded and shot a lot of these out of a Glock and never noticed a smiley so there is definitely room for more velocity, depending on the gun.

I have loaded 300 grain JSP's in my 45 ACP as well.

[Alleycat72]

You just need to get a 458 Socom sbr. A grizzly would take one look at you and run like hell. LOL 

[Handsome Rob]

Lmao!
The pistol reloading issue has resolved itself for now. I picked up a 10mm so I don't have to concern myself with the Super any longer. Thankfully.

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.

[musicman]

Pics or it didn't happen.   Even if it IS just another boring Glock, haha!  :-)

[Handsome Rob]

Skadoosh.....



Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.

[musicman]

Bwahahaha!  "Skadoosh"  lol!  

[ReeferMac]

22 hours ago, chances R said:

 Read recently where a 9mm brought down a griz.  Shot placement as always is king.

The fishing guide that didn't think he needed his .45 b/c he hadn't seen any sows in a while? I'd just read that too!

Must have gotten it from the same referring page, LOL!

Ditto on placement, IIRC it was the last round that dropped him.

 

- K

[Handsome Rob]

12 minutes ago, ReeferMac said:

 

Ditto on placement, IIRC it was the last round that dropped him.

 

- K

Ummm..... Isn't it always? 

[KahrMan]

1 hour ago, ReeferMac said:

Ditto on placement, IIRC it was the last round that dropped him.

- K

 

Isn't that kinda like you always find what you are looking for in the last place you look...