BHuij
Active Member
When first got into casting and reloading, I got the Lee 124gr TL RN mold for my 9mm and I'm still using it to this day.
I get reasonably good accuracy with W231, certainly better than anything I ever got with factory loads, but I'm curious what things I could do to increase accuracy at this point. I realize my M&P 9mm is not a target pistol, but I'd like to try and understand what things (other than my own skill) are limiting my accuracy at this stage.
I'm just using powder coated .358" bullets over 4 grains of W231. They're air-cooled COWW (BHN ~13), or sometimes air-cooled COWW mixed with 30% SOWW or so (BHN ~10-11). Seems like experimenting with different powders, changing my bullet design, or tinkering more with alloy composition would be the three things that might help me tighten up groups in addition to just practicing more.
Would a higher or lower BHN be more likely to help? Would adding 2% tin help any? I already get good fillout with no added tin. Is there any mold that has a reputation for good accuracy in 9mm? I've been eyeing the Lee 120-TC (non TL).
I should mention that I have tried Bullseye and Accurate #2, but kept coming back to W231/HP38, as it gives me noticeably better groups. Any other powders worth trying?
I get reasonably good accuracy with W231, certainly better than anything I ever got with factory loads, but I'm curious what things I could do to increase accuracy at this point. I realize my M&P 9mm is not a target pistol, but I'd like to try and understand what things (other than my own skill) are limiting my accuracy at this stage.
I'm just using powder coated .358" bullets over 4 grains of W231. They're air-cooled COWW (BHN ~13), or sometimes air-cooled COWW mixed with 30% SOWW or so (BHN ~10-11). Seems like experimenting with different powders, changing my bullet design, or tinkering more with alloy composition would be the three things that might help me tighten up groups in addition to just practicing more.
Would a higher or lower BHN be more likely to help? Would adding 2% tin help any? I already get good fillout with no added tin. Is there any mold that has a reputation for good accuracy in 9mm? I've been eyeing the Lee 120-TC (non TL).
I should mention that I have tried Bullseye and Accurate #2, but kept coming back to W231/HP38, as it gives me noticeably better groups. Any other powders worth trying?
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