9mm reload advice needed

[NullSyndrome]

I have a 9mm load I like a lot:

124gr Berry's plated RN over 3.8gr AA#2 and an OAL of 1.155"

It is pretty much straight out of AA's load data except I load to 1.155 instead of 1.160.

It's at the minimum end for that bullet and powder per AA, and shoots softly and reliably out of my Glock. What I want to do however is duplicate that same load using a regular 124gr FMJ instead of plated bullets. I know there will be some pressure difference between the two.

Since I am already loading at the bottom end with the plated load, and am not using a short OAL, could I start out with that setup in the FMJ, or should I back off even further?

 

[kludge]

Accurate also lists loads for jacketed bullets.

No 2
124 HDY XTP-HP
3.1
840
3.6
938
34,518
1.060

No 2
124 REM GS
3.8
930
4.7
1,046
34,359
1.145

No 2
124 SPR GD
3.6
874
4.3
989
34,347
1.105

No 2
125 SIE JHP
3.3
845
4.0
961
34,688
1.035

I would lean toward using the data for the 124-125gr jacketed bullets. Looking at the the two set of data and comparing them, they're not too far off. But all of the 124-125gr bullets listed are HP bullets and are going to be a bit longer than a FMJ, and therefore seated deeper in the case and susequently will also have a bit lower powder charge.

But yes, for myself I would back off of the 3.8gr and start at something like 3.3gr-3.5gr. No.2 is a very fast powder and it doesn't take much at the high end of a load to make a big increase in pressure. If you have a chronograph, or a friend with one, this would be a good opportunity to use it - since there isn't any data for your exact bullet, and stop when you get to... oh, ~950fps.

You might also try sending an email, and give them the exact bullet you have and ask for a recommendation. I've had very good luck in the past doing this.

 

[NullSyndrome]

Thanks, Kludge.

I emailed Accurate Arms/Ramshot Powder and got the following reply from Rob Behr:

"In our testing we used Winchester 124 FMJ. Our Accurate #2 loading started at 3.6 grains and went to a maximum of 4.2 grains. The higher load produced 992 fps. The COL was 1.100"

 

[kludge]