Brazos 9mm

I was thinking about giving Brazos 9mm a try. Anyone have any experiences to share?

I have some, but no results yet.

I have some of the 115 round nose. The only thing I can tell you for sure is don't crimp them tight. The first batch I loaded with a. 374" crimp and they went everywhere. Next batch I went .377" they went into a group.

I will be Ransom testing the 147 gr round and flat nose 9mm in a Sig P210A hopefully early next week. Will also test 147 gr XTP's as a basis for comparison. I plan to test at 25 and 50 yards. I'm not going to delve into the myriad of combinations of brass, powder, primers, seating depth, and crimp, since I have an accurate XTP load (Alliant e^3 powder, Fed. 100 primer, Starline brass). I'm also planning to test 180 and 200 gr SWC's vs. the XTP in my SA 1911.

I've tried the 125 and 135 gr. LRN.  They make a good practice load at 25 yards.  50 yards not so much.  For competition I stick with jacketed bullets.

rreid wrote:I have some of the 115 round nose. The only thing I can tell you for sure is don't crimp them tight. The first batch I loaded with a. 374" crimp and they went everywhere. Next batch I went .377" they went into a group.

I normally crimp my lead 9mm at .374 also. After reading your post I readjusted to .377 with a coal of 1.150. I loaded some Brazos 125gr RN for my son to go plinking at the range. He told me his 1911 & CZ P10 would not chamber the round. It wouldn't quite go into battery and when he tried to eject it the bullet stayed in the barrel and the brass came out. I have been loading him Blue Bullets with the same specs but I guess the ogive on the Brazos is fatter sooner so it's getting caught in the lands. He said his Scorpion shot them great. I looked on other forums and some were loading a 125 LRN as short as 1.055 for the same reason. My Hornady manual calls for 1.150 for 124 JRN. I didn't think there would be a difference for lead. What length are you guys loading yours at?

Bill

messenger wrote:

rreid wrote:I have some of the 115 round nose. The only thing I can tell you for sure is don't crimp them tight. The first batch I loaded with a. 374" crimp and they went everywhere. Next batch I went .377" they went into a group.

I normally crimp my lead 9mm at .374 also. After reading your post I readjusted to .377 with a coal of 1.150. I loaded some Brazos 125gr RN for my son to go plinking at the range. He told me his 1911 & CZ P10 would not chamber the round. It wouldn't quite go into battery and when he tried to eject it the bullet stayed in the barrel and the brass came out. I have been loading him Blue Bullets with the same specs but I guess the ogive on the Brazos is fatter sooner so it's getting caught in the lands. He said his Scorpion shot them great. I looked on other forums and some were loading a 125 LRN as short as 1.055 for the same reason. My Hornady manual calls for 1.150 for 124 JRN. I didn't think there would be a difference for lead. What length are you guys loading yours at?

Bill

I would check all my 9 barrels to determine which one is tightest & shortest cut.
I would then use that barrel as a final check of my setup.

I load the 115 lrn at 1.080. That's what passed the plunk test in my Salyer 92 and my carry gun (m&p shield.)

The plunk test needs to be repeated when ever you change bullet mfgr.
A slight difference in ogive profile can make or break your plan.

I have a P1 that is very short chambered.  Even some commercial ammo won’t close.

I test 50 yard accuracy variations as often as I get a chance.  So far, I have not had any luck with the lighter bullets.  The 147 RN and FP do pretty well as does the 38-150 SWC sized to .356".  They are all soft shooting and hold 3 1/2" with flyers, but hold a nice core group of 1 1/2".  I only have a 1:16 twist 1911 for testing.  And BTW i'm not sure that it is a 2" gun anyway. The flyers could be in the gun not the load.  

Oh yeah,  9mm is a PITA!  There I said it.  I can't come up with any reason that a Bullseye shooter should shoot 9mm.  45 is so much more forgiving and can be loaded to recoil levels equal to 9mm and less than factory 9mm.  Gotta shoot 45 anyway too, so there's that.  So those of us trying to make it work are just gluttons for punishment!  


Steve

I've been playing with some 9mm loads using Brazos Hitek bullets.

My first venture was with .357 125 gr RN w/LG, since that is what I had. I loaded with very little of the driving band showing and crimped to .377. They shot very well at 50 yds from my AXI 9mm. 2.75" or less consistently using 3.7 WST.

I then ordered some of the same bullet, and some of their 150 SWC hitek coated bullets in .356. Using the same data for the 125 and dropping charge down to 2.8gr for the 150s the results were not so good. Quite unacceptable. What the heck?

Next, time out using the .356 bullets, I crimped to .375 and tried all else the same. It was much better, but still not as good as the .357 bullets. I then changed powders from WST to WSF. What a difference! The WSF load with the 125s was 4.1gr. Much better than before using the .356 bullets. However the load which has much promise is the .356  150gr SWC Hitek in front of 3.7gr WSF crimped to .375. This shot consistently in the 2.5" or less range, prone. Another good load was 2.8gr WST with that same combo, although the WSF load was better. No signs of pressure with any of these, but 3.7 WSF does have some steam!

Next time out I will try 2.9 WST, maybe 3.0 and I will also try 3.4 maybe 3.5gr WSF with the 150 SWCs. As many have said when loading the .45, an aggressive crimp seems to tighten the hitek coated bullets groups. It appears to hold true in 9mm too.

Well done Brazos and of course Accuracy X.

Martin

I've been working with the Brazos 147 Flat Nose and Round Nose in standard and plus diameter with 4.5 to 5.0 gr WSF in a 1 in 16 twist SA 1911 9mm. I've not had any outstanding results yet. So if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

CR

4.5-5 gr seems a bit much for 147 bullets. I would personally try a bit less. I have only played with the 125's though.

CR10X wrote:I've been working with the Brazos 147 Flat Nose and Round Nose in standard and plus diameter with 4.5 to 5.0 gr WSF in a 1 in 16 twist SA 1911 9mm.  I've not had any outstanding results yet.  So if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

CR

Using the Brazos .356 150gr SWC crimped to .375 with 3.7gr of WSF was an outstanding load and I thought it was hotter than what I wanted. My AXI 1911 with KKM barrel is a 1:18 twist, I think.

I would bring that load down below 4gr and check your crimp. If .357 or .358 bullets try crimp at .377.  If smaller diameter, try that crimp at .375. If this doesn't work for you, get a sample pack of 150 SWC, and load as stated above.  I was quite reluctant to crimp so much, but others using the hitek bullets insisted that it works to improve accuracy with the .45. I tryed it there and it worked, and it worked in the 9mm.  Of course, define "outstanding" has a bearing on expectations as well. Hope it works for you.

MJ

I have sample packs of the 147 RN and 150 grain SWC coming, and plan to re-size them to .356.

I've just started working with a stainless 9MM Springfield Range Officer with a stock barrel. I tried a few loads in the Ransom Rest at 50 yards the other day. The Brazos 147 Flat Nose was the only one that would stay on an 8.5 X 11 piece of paper.

Only tried Titegroup so far, although I have a few more loaded with Bullseye. I also have Clays and WST to try later.

Is there any hope for a decent 50 yard load with the stock barrel?

Ric

SA RO factory barrel lead angle is a pain in the rear; dimensionally off. I think it ruins accuracy. I rarely find ammunition that shoots well in it. Very hit and miss.
Jon

ric1911a1 wrote:I have sample packs of the 147 RN and 150 grain SWC coming, and plan to re-size them to .356.

I've just started working with a stainless 9MM Springfield Range Officer with a stock barrel. I tried a few loads in the Ransom Rest at 50 yards the other day. The Brazos 147 Flat Nose was the only one that would stay on an 8.5 X 11 piece of paper.

Only tried Titegroup so far, although I have a few more loaded with Bullseye. I also have Clays and WST to try later.

Is there any hope for a decent 50 yard load with the stock barrel?

Ric

WST will work. With the 125s I got good results with 3.7gr.  The 150s 2.7gr. WST I believe a slower burning powder works better in 9mm. Here is a group shot with WSF at 50yds. The black paster is 4" diameter. This was 3.7 WSF with 150 SWC Brazos.

Update on Brazos bullets in 9mm.

It appears that the crimp is critical. You need to find that sweet spot. For mine gun and .356 bullets loaded at the OAL that I need to, about 1.075". in order to get the gun to chamber, it appears .3745 -.375 on average is the ticket.

Using the 150 gr Hitek .356 bullets crimped as above I am getting very good and consistent results with 2.7 - 2.8 gr WST and 3.6 - 3.7 gr WSF. I have not chronoed these loads. I have gone as low as 2.5 gr WST and they are very soft shooting, but accuracy is not as good as with 2.7 - 2.8, yet still good for 25 yds.

I need to do some more JHP loading/testing. WSF may be the best choice there.

Jon Eulette wrote:SA RO factory barrel lead angle is a pain in the rear; dimensionally off. I think it ruins accuracy. I rarely find ammunition that shoots well in it. Very hit and miss.
Jon

Jon, would another reamer correct the SA 9mm chamber lead? Or is there not enough metal in the factory barrel to clean it up?
I have one that is fit well but don't shoot so good with any combo I've tried so far. Mostly jacketed, HAP XTP. 125 and 115.

delete

blindshooter wrote:

Jon Eulette wrote:SA RO factory barrel lead angle is a pain in the rear; dimensionally off. I think it ruins accuracy. I rarely find ammunition that shoots well in it. Very hit and miss.
Jon

Jon, would another reamer correct the SA 9mm chamber lead? Or is there not enough metal in the factory barrel to clean it up?
I have one that is fit well but don't shoot so good with any combo I've tried so far.  Mostly jacketed, HAP XTP. 125 and 115.

Sorry for late response. You would need a throating reamer for the different bullets. Throaters must be used in a lathe.
Jon

Orion wrote:I'm using Brazos 115gr round nose hi-tek bullets as well. Does anyone have any new load info on these?

I tried and tried.  I couldn't get them to group.  The heavier bullets did do better, but in the end, jacketed bullets are the best.  115's barely hold the paper.  147's hold the 7 ring.  Hope you find something that works, but it might be a 45!  lol

Hello folks, hope you all can enjoy another turkey day!

Not to derail the thread but if anyone could help steer me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it.

Is it possible to find a load combo that works well in stock SA 9mm RO barrels that is not so hot/fast?'s 

It seems I can almost load rocks in my .45's with decent results but the 9mm's are head bangers so far.

Or just invest in Kart or KKM tube? I like softer loads, is it even possible to load 9mm soft even with good barrels?

Sorry for the ramble and thanks in advance for any insight.

It seems I can almost load rocks in my .45's with decent results but the 9mm's are head bangers so far.

Or just invest in Kart or KKM tube? I like softer loads, is it even possible to load 9mm soft even with good barrels?

I’m working through this at the moment. I’m new to reloading and have had a ton of questions about the the hi-tek 115gr Brazos bullet. My main dilemma is that I’m crimping too much, but it’s necessary for the round to pass a plunk/spin test with a KKM 1:32. Right now I’m getting ok groups, center right, at 1.115-1.121 OAL with a 0.378 crimp with 4.1gr 231 and Winchester primers. The pistol won’t feed with a crimp that’s 0.3785 or an OAL at 1.128 (I have to put it in a vise to get a stuck round out at 1.13). When looking at the bullet of a 0.378 crimp you can clearly see there’s too much crimp. I’ve spent a month on this; a months worth of training lost. I tried Hornady regular non-xtp 115 and it was incredibly easy to build; built a passing round on the first attempt with a 0.380” crimp. Hope this helps.