9mm 115gr. FMJ with Bullseye Load?

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  • modelflyer2003

    Sharpshooter
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    Dec 8, 2009
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    Eastern Indiana
    I have the latest Lyman book and there is no listing for 9mm 115gr. FMJ. I am going to use Alliant Bullseye powder. I have an Alliant reloading guide (booklet) that someone gave me. It has the charge at 5.0 grains. There is no minimum or maximum listed just 5.0 (FPS: 1,180; PSI: 31,000). I just want another opinion and money is too tight to buy another book. I will be using CCI 500 primers which I used with my Berry plated rounds using a different powder. I still have some Hodgdon Universal powder left for which I was loading the 115gr. RN plated rounds with 4.5. I find that the Bullseye throws a more consistent charge than the Universal. Maybe because the flakes are smaller? Thanks for your help.
     

    swbster

    Plinker
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    Jan 11, 2010
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    I have a One Book/One Caliber 9mm book but I think I need to know a little bit more about the bullet you are using. Here is some data for Sierra Bullets at 115 fmj using Bullseye--ranges from 3.8 at 1000fps to a max of 4.8 for 1150fps. Hornady 115fmj-rn's range from 3.9 for 1000fps up to 4.6 for 1150fps.

    Hope that helps.:):
     

    modelflyer2003

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    I have a One Book/One Caliber 9mm book but I think I need to know a little bit more about the bullet you are using. Here is some data for Sierra Bullets at 115 fmj using Bullseye--ranges from 3.8 at 1000fps to a max of 4.8 for 1150fps. Hornady 115fmj-rn's range from 3.9 for 1000fps up to 4.6 for 1150fps.

    Hope that helps.:):
    I am using Percision Delta RN FMJ
    Here is the Link
    Precision Delta - Competition Ammunition
    Thanks for responding.
     

    swbster

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    I don"t have data on those exact bullets but the specs look an awful lot like the bullets that I listed earlier. Sorry I can't dial it in any closer than that. Maybe ping Precision and see what they say. Good luck.
     

    rockhopper46038

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    Remember that Berry recommends using cast bullet data with their plated rounds, as opposed to FMJ data, and I think they also recommend keeping velocity below 1150 fps or so, maybe as low as 950 fps to prevent plating separation.
     

    Slow Hand

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    I checked out the link. Thanks. I had seen it before but isn't GDHP gold dot hollow points? It wouldn't be the same for FMJ round nose would it?


    Yes, it is a HP. A HP would be a longer bullet than a FMJ of the same weith, normally. Take the weight out of the cavity and it's usually added onto the back end of the bullet, unless it gets a fatter ogive. Your FMJ bullet should have a tiny bit more case capacity than an equal weight HP bullet, so you should be on the safe side by using teh HP data with FMJ's. I say should, becaue 9mm is a small case and it's well known that your pressure can jump very quickly with deeper seated bullets.
     

    XtremeVel

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    I have an Alliant reloading guide (booklet) that someone gave me. It has the charge at 5.0 grains. There is no minimum or maximum listed just 5.0 (FPS: 1,180; PSI: 31,000)..

    You might have the same book that I do. I have used it many times and have found it to be within reason. If you do in fact have the same manual, note the charge they list is maximum ! You are supposed to reduce by 10% as a starting load and work up. Check for a small notation at the bottom of the page or the next page noting to reduce the charge listed.

    I don't know what possessed them to list loading data like that... Them listing a maximum charge with a small notation on the botom of the page to reduce by 10%. :rolleyes:
     

    modelflyer2003

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    You might have the same book that I do. I have used it many times and have found it to be within reason. If you do in fact have the same manual, note the charge they list is maximum ! You are supposed to reduce by 10% as a starting load and work up. Check for a small notation at the bottom of the page or the next page noting to reduce the charge listed.

    I don't know what possessed them to list loading data like that... Them listing a maximum charge with a small notation on the botom of the page to reduce by 10%. :rolleyes:

    Thanks for the tip. I had made 10 rounds of 9mm FMJ RN with 5.0gr of Bullseye which I have now disassembled. I was not aware that the 5.0 was max. Ten percent decrease would be 4.5gr, but the Lee Powder Charger I have uses discs. It doesn’t throw 4.5 but it does throw 4.6, so that is what I am going with. I made 10 rounds with 4.6gr waiting for a good day to go shooting. +1!
     

    Spike_351

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    Jan 19, 2012
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    I know I'm probably resurrecting an old thread, but I have safely loaded 115 montana gold FMJ at 5.0 1.120 oal however my Lee auto disk tends to drop between 4.6 and 4.9, so far 100 rounds with no issues. Data for this powder is difficult to find and for that reason I will be phasing it out, so after its gone I'd like to find a more versatile powder that has a wider range of loads.
     

    OHOIAN

    Marksman
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    Jul 20, 2014
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    There is no more versatile powder than Bullseye, it can be loaded in 25acp up to 44mag. Data for a 115g jacketed bullet can be used for JHP and JSP and FMJ, of any manufacturer. This is why we have and use a starting load, and work our way up from there. If we were to use the exact same bullet, powder lot, case, and primer we could just use the max load to start with.
    The only thing to watch for is the OAL listed in the data may differ with different bullet profiles. In that case we use the longest OAL that will function reliably in our gun.
    Proof of the above can be found in manuals from Speer and Hornady, when they list as many as 6 different bullets with the same data but with different OALs
     

    AmmoManAaron

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    Feb 20, 2015
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    Bullseye in 9mm with 115gr plated did not work for me. I ran into pressure signs before my P.08 Luger would cycle. Different guns will probably react differently, but that experience really soured me on Bullseye. I've still got most of the only pound I ever bought and I'm slowly using it up in full wadcutter 38 Spl loads. I won't buy it again even for that purpose though - Clays is cleaner and shoots to point of aim in my old fixed sight S&W 1905.
     
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