I made another lot with the same diameter and powder charge and I will shoot them later this week. Going to try and call X-Treme and double check. I've read that you get better accuracy from using an OAL closer towards the maximum side, so I wouldn't change your OAL. I use 147 gr. 38 Special. FMJs, and the manuals (yes I use three) say the minimum OAL is 1.142" and the maximum OAL is 1.169". Max OAL or COL is a SAAMI spec, it does NOT mean that is the length you load to or the length that works in your pistol. I wondered if I was doing right with my OAL. Thanks for the input so far guys. Will start with a small batch loaded at 5.5 gr. 1.050 makes sense for a 90 - 100 gr bullet. I use 147 gr. Forcing cone fit means that the bullet seats into the forcing cone or leade when chambered. My variations get as low as 1.154 and the minimum length for the powder bullet combo is 1.150. Notes: CAUTION: With NEVER EXCEED LOADS maintain Minimum Over All Length or longer.Small Pistol Primer. The ALLIANT RELOADER'S GUIDE says MIN OAL is 1.140. The larger permanent cavity may lead to faster blood loss. I am using the deluxe press from Lee and the dispenser seems to not be 100% accurate. You're putting the SAME amount of powder into a smaller "space" (decreasing OAL pushes the bottom of the bullet further into the case). They all had slightly different guidance for minimum OAL. Chamber checked and cycled them through the M&P with no issues. Never feed a cat anything that isn't the same color as the carpet. I had been using an OAL of 1.100. “WTF?! For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Unique for 9mm luger. "Given adequate penetration, a larger diameter bullet will have an edge in wounding effectiveness. I load all my 115 RN to 1.140 FWIW and they perform great. 357 Remington Maximum. My loads fall well within the recommended guidelines for max load and OAL, however, I'm wondering why my OAL's are so variant. The starting grains for Unique stated in the Lee manual (p508) is 5.5gr for 115 gr XTP and states the min OAL is 1.125. Written by Steve Tucker, this article appeared in the Nov/Dec 1999 #142, issue of the Fouling Shot. The other rounds worked fine. Depending on the powder, the minimum OAL is somewhere around 1.125" (going off of memory, so I would need someone to verify that). Given I'm getting it free - I toss the out of spec short brass because to me, that's a sign it's been reloaded quite a bit. IIRC, 5.3gr behind either Berrys or Rainer plated 115gr RN bullets. How a cheap can an old, the old fart get?!”. Understanding Minimum OAL specific to my .45 reloads with LEE 230gr TC projectile I recently loaded 300 rounds to the following spec: 5.7gr Unique, 230gr Lee cast TC projectile to an OAL of 1.2000" They shoot great. I'm aiming for an average of 1.125". Using bullets from Jacketed, XTP, Lead, Copper Plated. I’ve only made about 6 bullets to test for OAL so far. I measured WWB 9mm fmj's I am using currently for crimp & OAL. That was taking account all the books and data from the net and they work fine in my 9mm Glocks. This seems extremely short. I’ve only made about 6 bullets to test for OAL so far. 40 S&W. Most round nose (RN) 9mm will run better just shy of that, around 1.135". 9 mm Parabellum OAL For some reason SAAMI and the US manufacturer's decided that Georg Luger's design wasn't good enough and shortened the OAL. 38 Caliber.357” Diameter. This extreme variation means a barrel must be measured. I've loaded a Rainier plated 115 grn RN bullet at 1.10 COL. My powder was 4.2 grns of Titegroup. it appears i have a tendancy to forget some people BUY cartridges in a store. Thanks. That is bullet + case. For example, my reference books for 9mm Luger show max OAL of 1.169 inch and min OAL of 1.090 inch (for the powder and bullet I'm using). I shoot these minor loads with my Shadow 2 and X5. Switching it to 1.130 made a significant difference. The max OAL for 9mm was listed as 1.169" in Lee's Modern Reloading. Keep in mind that case gages do NOT measure OAL as much as headspace & cartridge spec diameter. This is the principal reason the Luger has a poor reputation for reliablity. Shooting these same loads on my MPX yields a power factor of 141 45 Colt in different variations with different powder variants for loading and bullet types. Try seating the bullet to get an OAL of 1.095gr, then work your way up to that load. Also check out p157 on min oal. The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Winchester. Cause if I set it any higher I could be making bullets don’t fit in magazines. 41 Rem Mag. Well the max OAL for 9mm is 1.169. I might be wrong but I try to set my OAL the same with my 9mm round nose with all grains at 1.135. Although such an edge clearly exists, its significance cannot be quantified". Minimum OAL (inches) Bbl Length Primer Powder Charge Weight (grains) Velocity (fps) Notes 9mm Luger 115 gr FMJ Federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 6.1 1,219-9mm Luger 124 gr FMJ federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 5.8 1,167- 1.12 This OAL dimension shows the industry standard (SAAMI spec.) A forum community dedicated to all 1911 firearm owners and enthusiasts. I had e-mailed X-Treme and they recommended an OAL of 1.06. I reloaded my first batch of 9mm, and I want your advice. Will probably try it this weekend. Second Media Corp., 111 Peter Street, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. 1.102-1.104” OAL Power factor is 128-132 to meet minimum I’m requirement for USPSA Competition. The MIN OAL is really a way of stating the minimum case volume for safe pressures in a given load. Was half expecting to see numbers in the 3's, just didn't think the case would hold that much--definately won't be an issue with double charging. the oal in the manuals is a MINIMUM for safe pressures. ; OAL refers to the overall length of the loaded round. I feel that the OAL is set at max on it, since Winchester just doesn't have much data for the powder in 9MM. My bullet seating die is currently set so OAL comes out at 1.12 inch. Just reload 10 rds at 0.1 increments until you find a favorite load. I did make up a few empty rounds at 1.155" - 1.158". I am reloading 9mm on a Lee Single Stage press.I am looking to get the most consistent COAL for my rounds. I personally think they should state max and minimum and used OAL being it can change the load pressure drastically in such a small shell as the 9mm. Ok here goes. Those published loads have been tested to be safe at that specific length, and they will always fit in your magazine. I guess my worry is going below the min OAL. Can some one give me a load for 9mm 125gr lead RN using Unique and the O.A.L they use? You may want to compare that to Lymans 49th edition or some other known good manual as I don't know where you arrived at 5.3gr. With hollow points and flat points I set at 1.120. When I was making my test loads using same powder and bullet, I had an OAL of 1.150" and was starting out at 4.5 grains. Sometime ago I got a batch of Bayou Coated bullets in 9mm 124gr round nose. I wondered if it failed to feed because of the OAL or possibly because the low charge (4.2 gr of Universal) failed to move the slide adequately enough. From what I gather seating the projectile down to an OAL of 1.2000" is about as short as you'd want to go but no shorter. Anyone using these and what OAL … What I do is find an actual bullet that is specified in the load tables for the weight that interests me. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I like to shoot for the center of that range. The 1992 Reloaders Guide published by Hercules ( maker of Bullseye back then) lists this for 9mm Luger. When your reloading manuel notes a minimum OAL for a specific load it is telling you not to load this recipe below the stated minimum overall length. Well the max OAL for 9mm is 1.169. There is no rifling to engage so your bbl has to be used as final gage for proper OAL. I am not sure what OAL to set. Thanks for you help. Im kinda new to reloading also and still unsure about the OAL. What is the likeliest reason for the Failure to Chamber? I am loading with Power Pistol, and feel sure that I will stay with this combination. Any longer than 1.150 and it becomes an adventure in reliability, so I backed it off for a little cushion and called 1.145 good. The Alliant site shows a minimum OAL of 1.125" and a max charge of 4.7g. Max OAL for 9mm is 1.169" and the load data has a minimum OAL of 1.095 (Lee load data) to 1.100 (Winchester load data). Glock 26. Bought some X-Treme 124 gr 9mm HP’s to test. First thing I would do is weigh one or two of the bullets. I came to my COL of 1.10 from listed data, maybe the Hodgdon manual, maybe website too. Sounds like I should be okay at 1.155" as a starting point and make up a few batches at various lengths to find the best level of reliability for me. FYI, I got a 1087 fps average with the 4.2 grns of TG. I have loaded from 1.130 to 1.165 without issues. Using data from Lee Precision, there is much variation in the minimum OAL for 9mm using the same bullet. How much depends on the bullet, powder type and charge weight. .380 Auto / .380 ACP / 9mm Kurtz (Lee Precision Data) Warning! Just with a visual 1.60 looks pretty good but 1.06 looks way too short. What would be the practical limit of a 9mm XTP HP that has a straight side or shoulder before transitioning to the hollowpoint? It seems to be very popular in .40 S&W and … As a general rule, you should avoid bullets that require you to seat their bases deeper than .300, or you run the risk of bowing out the case walls in the middle or even swaging down the bullet base, neither of which is a good thing. I've been searching for a week and have come up with so many different loads and O.A.L's for this combination then I went through all my books and the information … I have had 9mm oal's as short as .95 your talking some pretty low powder amounts at that point. I like to shoot for the center of that range. & OAL length 1.140, which are the NOT TO EXCEED. Max OAL for 9mm is 1.169" and the load data has a minimum OAL of 1.095 (Lee load data) to … 10mm Caliber.400” Diameter. OAL is dead on with my specs.