First time CZ owner/reloader

[fdmyrick73]

First time CZ owner and I have to say I couldn't be happier.
I do have some questions.
Mainly about reloading.
I'm reloading 115 grain copper plated flat nose bullets with 4.0 grains of TITEGROUP powder with Winchester primers.
Any help on load data is helpful. What I have is from much research.
My main issue if finding a Minimum Overall Length for the rounds I'm loading. Is it true that 1.100 is the M.O.L.? My concern is that even at 1.125, it doesn't seem that much of the bullet is inside the casing at all. Am I over thinking it? My cases are at a good length.
The other question I have is where is the best place to find custom gear to mod my CZ75BD?

[Grendel]

The other question I have is where is the best place to find custom gear to mod my CZ75BD?

Post your question in the fullsize CZ forum

[painter]

Common wisdom, around here anyway, is the 1.000 is the absolute minimum for 9mm.

Speer uses 1.125 as the factory length for the Gold Dot ammo, which is similarly shaped to your flat nose, so I wouldn't sorry about the length you're using. Check the Hodgdon reloading data. They list the 115gr Gold Dot at 1.125 over 4.5-4.8 gr of Titegroup. I think you could up your load.

[fdmyrick73]

Thanks. I'm going to load my first 50 at 4.0 and see how they run. The second 50 will be at 4.2.
Do you have a link to where I can find the data you quoted?

[clw42]

Go here and enter the pertinent information.  At the bottom it will display your options.


http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/

[IDescribe]

YOU need to do a push/plunk&spin test to determine your maximum OAL for that bullet.  Then knock .010 - .015 off that max for your working OAL.  If you don't know how to do that, there's a stickie at the top of this AMMO subforum titled "How to determine MAX OAL for you CZ pistol".  If you load longer than your pistol's max, which will vary from bullet to bullet, you will have failures to go into battery (at best).  We don't want to talk about what happens at worst.

YOU determine your OAL.  Load data is not a recipe.  It's a report.  YOU determine what OAL you will load your ammo at for a particular pistol.

Many here have found, as Painter said, 1.000 to be the minimum before you are guaranteed to find feeding problems.    I don't think I've loaded shorter than 1.06 myself with 9mm, though that's only because I've never had the need to.  I have loaded quite a few different bullets, however, between 1.060 and 1.070, including the only plated flatpoint I've loaded, which was at 1.065.

There are other minimum OALs, however, that you need to consider.  With some longer/heavier bullets, you need to calculate how deeply the bullet is seated into the case, and make an effort not to seat deeper than .300.  This most often comes into play with 147gr bullets.  Another minimum OAL, more common with lighter bullets, is making sure the shoulder (the point where the bullet transitions from the straight barrel/shank/bearing surface part of the bullet to the angled or arching ogive) -- making sure the shoulder isn't seated into/below the case mouth.  You want the bullet striking the ramp/barrel/chamber as the cartridge is driven into battery, not the sharp edge of the case mouth, and to make sure of that, the shoulder has to be at least a hair above the mouth.


What brand of bullet are you using?  You have given us weight, profile, and construction, but not brand.

[Wobbly]

fdmyrick73 -
Welcome aboard !!

These are really fun guns to load for. They really respond well to reloaded ammo. Realize though that not every bullet for sale can be used in a CZ, so ask before ordering something new.

Ask all the questions you want. We're here to help.

 

[fdmyrick73]

I'm using Berry's 115 grain flat nose copper plated.
I finished my first 50 rounds last night.
Kept my OAL at 1.1256
My calculations show this to be ok.
My only real concern is it doesn't seem like much of the bullet is inside the casing but it doesn't come out easily either.
Also, when using the Lee Factory Crimp Die, is it common for some small pieces(very small) of the brass to come off when crimping?

[painter]

Did you actually push test that bullet in your barrel to determine if it will chamber at the length you've chosen?

That's one thing you really can't use a calculation for.

[fdmyrick73]

Yes, it fits just fine. The Winchester 9mm luger rounds I've been firing are 1.265 in length. So I didn't' see an issue. Do you?

[painter]

Yes, it fits just fine. The Winchester 9mm luger rounds I've been firing are 1.265 in length. So I didn't' see an issue. Do you?

1.265? I doubt it. You probably mean 1.1265, although measurements to 4 places is not necessary.

As long as you determined that length by a push test, and a .010-.015" allowance for variance, not in the slightest.

The Berry's FP bullet has been reported to load pretty short in CZ's, at least the 124gr, so I was a bit surprised by your number is all.

[noylj]

Why can't new reloaders START with jacketed bullets--you know, those things that have LOTS of reloading data and are the easiest to load?
As soon as you start to load plated, you have to realize that you are more or less on your own.
You can load them like lead bullets, and should if they aren't heavy plate, or you can load them like jacketed from start to mid-range.
Next, you report a load you have and then you ask for load data. Did you work up from some start load?
I show 115gn lead/plated bullets and TiteGroup having start loads of 2.6-3.9gn and MAX loads of 4.0-4.3gn, so, for lead bullet data, you are at MAX load (so I hope you worked the load up).
For 115gn jacketed bullets and TiteGroup, I show start loads of 4.1-4.5gn and MAX loads of 4.7-4.8gn?showing that the data you use can be important. It is safer to start with lead bullet data and work up.
Next, what do you want with COL? COL is entirely bullet geometry and barrel chamber driven.If you want, SAAMI specifies for the industry (in order to have ammo fit all guns) a COL range of 1.000-1.169".
You, as a reloader, only have to make sure that your ammunition works in your gun(s).
Your COL (OAL) is determined by your barrel (chamber and throat dimensions) and your gun (feed ramp) and your magazine (COL that fits magazine and when the magazine lips release the round for feeding) and the PARTICULAR bullet you are using. What worked in a pressure barrel or the lab's gun or in my gun has very little to do with what will work best in your gun.
Take the barrel out of the gun. Create two inert dummy rounds (no powder or primer) at max COL and remove enough case mouth flare for rounds to chamber (you can achieve this by using a sized case?expand-and-flare it, and remove the flare just until the case "plunks" in the barrel).
Drop the inert rounds in and decrease the COL until they chamber completely. This will be your "max" effective COL for that specific bullet. I prefer to have the case head flush with the barrel hood (or a few mils higher than if I just drop an empty case in the barrel as ALL cases I have measured are too short to begin with. After this, place the inert rounds in the magazine and be sure they fit the magazine and feed and chamber.
You can also do this for any chambering problems you have. Remove the barrel and drop rounds in until you find one that won't chamber. Take that round and "paint" the bullet and case black with Magic Marker or other marker. Drop round in barrel (or gage) and rotate it back-and-forth.
Remove and inspect the round:
1) scratches on bullet--COL is too long
2) scratches on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp
3) scratches just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case
4) scratches on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit
5) scratches on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster.

[IDescribe]

Yes, it fits just fine. The Winchester 9mm luger rounds I've been firing are 1.265 in length. So I didn't' see an issue. Do you?

Yes, you didn't give us your push test results.  What are your push test results?  What is your MAX OAL with THAT bullet?

[IDescribe]

Why can't new reloaders START with jacketed bullets--you know, those things that have LOTS of reloading data and are the easiest to load?

Right?  If it were up to me, everyone would start with 2,000 Precision Delta 124gr RN for $180, shipped to their front door.

[fdmyrick73]

I show 115gn lead/plated bullets and TiteGroup having start loads of 2.6-3.9gn and MAX loads of 4.0-4.3gn, so, for lead bullet data, you are at MAX load (so I hope you worked the load up).

Where are you getting your data? From the link posted in a prior reply the base load is 3.9----