I use No. 9 for 2 of my main loads.

My pet load is 14.5gr #9
180 gr armscor bullet
1.260" COL.

I shoot them out of an AR carbine.  She's spicy.  Around 1550 fps'ish

This powder is several years old and I've shot a lot of it.  Probably near a decade if I were guessing.

Have also used in with 155 gr hornady xtp bullets.  14.3-15.9 gr no. 9 powder.  fps averages with them is around 1770 fps (again out of a carbine length barrel). 

I have heard that they've changed the recipe.  And I do know that hornady later changed the load data after their 9th edition book came out.

So far though, I've had no issues shooting that load in my gun.  I know that's a sample of 1, but that has been my experience and the load data that I go to.

Lately, I've been shooting a lot of the 175 gr Lee cast/powder coated bullets.  And hard cast 180's for hunting using the spicy stuff and so far, no issues.

In knowing that they have changed the powder recipe, if I ever run out of the no.9, I'll drop it down to whatever the current data shows. 

I've worked with the public long enough to realize that mistakes happen.  Both from customers and as employees.

It's not so much that the mistakes happen. It's how you own up to it.

If they caused damage to your property, even inadvertently or accidentally as it would seem, they shouldn't have been so smart with you about it.  That's exactly the WRONG way to handle it.  They have insurance for such things.  Though, it would probably be better for them to pay for it out of petty cash than making a claim.

I have had to file a few usps claims for lost stuff.

It's good of you to stand behind your product.  That's where many businesses fail.  They have a good product but poor customer service.

But at this point, you have stood behind your product.

I have had an issue with midway before and the way they tried to handle it pissed me off so bad that I stopped doing business with them altogether.

Over a $10 part. 

For nearly a decade, I had my FFL's and during that time, they even offered trade discounts to FFL's and I had a business account with them.

Needless to say, I spent a lot of money with them. Ordering things that I needed and customers wanted to custom order.   By a lot, I mean likely more than $13,000 in total during just the years I had my FFL's.  So, for me, that isn't an insignificant amount.

One day, I ordered a $10 flash hider.  They gave me a tracking number.  It got lost in transit.

3 weeks later, I contact them and ask them to ship another or refund the amount.

They wouldn't hear of doing neither.

The girl on the phone tried to give me every excuse in the world why it was late.  Even once telling me that it was because of a snowstorm.

In Florida.

Somewhere the package; nor I was not at. 

She asks me to wait a few more days.

OK.

I waited another week.

I called back and was the same story.  No refund despite the tracking still showed that it hadn't moved or been delivered.  I ask for a supervisor.

Naturally, none were available.

At that point, I was done with it.  I had already ordered another flash hider from another company and had it installed 2 weeks before now and I didn't even need it anymore.  I'm just thankful that it wasn't a big order.

So, I tell the girl that if they still refused to give a refund, despite that I never got the item that I would hang up the phone and go straight to my bank and dispute the charges.

To which, she was very quick to tell me if I did that, midway would cancel my account and not accept any orders from me going forward.  To which I told her that was fine because at this point, there will be no future orders anyway.  And I've held true to my word.

They lost a loyal customer that had done business with them for close to 2 decades.  Over something as small and stupid as that. 

That's OK.  There are plenty of other companies who have been glad to have earned my businesses since.  Larry Potterfield, if you ever read this, stick the flash hider up your whazoo.   I did dispute the charge.  And the bank did reverse the charge.  And I haven't bought anything else from you in about 6 years now and you'll go bankrupt and your wife will have to sell all of her shoes before I do either.

In all fairness, I don't think it's going to die out.

I was probably in my 30's before I started reloading on my own.  Truth is, I was never exposed to it, so I was very hesitant to try and didn't really know where to start either.

If it wasn't for a few guys online who really helped me get started, I probably still would be stuck buying everything too.

With that said, I have 3 sons all largely in the age range that you posted that I have offered to show everything I know to.  The 2 younger ones reload much of their own stuff that they shoot.  Granted using my stuff whenever possible     But, still. 

Quote from: sqlbullet on August 07 2025 06:58:02 PM MDTThat is nothin to sneeze at.  Sure it falls a bit shy of "full house" 10mm, it will beat many factory loads.  And you have some room to go up.

All true.

I have given lots of thought as to why ammo companies don't load 40S&W and 10mm anywhere close to what they're capable of.

I understand about not going "max powder charges" on everything to give at least some cushion for safety and liability.  But, c'mon.  They can at least get them better than 380 and 9mm levels without even breaking a sweat.

Then I consider that the majority of people BUYING ammo are just generally ignorant and then finally, my last thought is because the ammo companies are able to get by with loading anemic ammo because a majority of people buying it are ignorant so the ammo companies like that because they don't have to buy as much powder and it's more profit in their pocket.

I would welcome anyone try to convince me otherwise.  But fair warning, anyone will have a difficult time doing so because I think I'm right.

Quote from: The_Shadow on June 04 2023 02:16:34 PM MDTDo what is comfortable for you!   I tend to do things in stages these days...all single stage too!
I may have a pile of brass already pass trough sized and resized and deprimed.
I will take what I need 50 or 100 at a time and prime them all.
Then I only work on exact powder measures and set a bullet to proper depth / COL
The crimp to finish what I'm working with...
I also hand wipe all completed rounds and bag them with load data info in the bags.
This allows me inspections at every step in the process.

^ This is how I always do it these days too.

I have a couple of handheld lee presses that I use to deprime/size brass.  That's always step one.

Then when I'm in the mood, I'll sit and prime a bunch of them with a hand primer while watching tv or sitting on the couch listening to the radio or something. 

Then when I'm in the mood to reload, I charge the powder, seat the bullet then go over and crimp them.

I also write a note to leave in the bag with the general load/ballistic info jotted down on it.

I really need to sit down sometime soon now that the mornings are much cooler and cast a bunch of lead.  Especially shotgun slugs.  I was looking the other day and am almost completely out of them.   

VERY nice reloading setup !!!

I've owned 2 taurus handguns.

Both of those are past tense.

Guess that makes me twice shy.

I don't recall the exact load without looking at my notes, but I'm running BE-86 in my sig p365 with  speer  gold dots for self defense loads.

I shot them over a chrony and they're averaging around 1090 fps out of that gun. 

Considering it's a 3.1" barrel (remember, almost half of that is the chamber itself), that's the best numbers I personally have been able to achieve.

Excited to see how it works out.

I entered the givewaway.  Thanks for the link.  Worst thing that'll happen is I won't win (as usual) :LOL

I'm like charlie brown.  I never win anything.

I actually do like that.

Everything except the price tag at least.

I love the speer bullets.

I use them in a lot of my loads/calibers.

They have the best expansion of any commercial bullet that I have seen.

I use the 270 gr soft cor bullets in my 9x39 loads almost exclusively.  And they even expand down into the mid 800 fps territory which work amazingly well with subsonic/suppressed loads.  I love them.

You sure it wasn't the primers?