Introduction from New Member

[Gphillips]

Hey, everyone. My name is Garry. Just wanted to read and see if any owners of R51 are having any issues. I have had mine for about 6 months with no big issues. Anyway, Hello.

[lklawson]

Hey, everyone. My name is Garry. Just wanted to read and see if any owners of R51 are having any issues. I have had mine for about 6 months with no big issues. Anyway, Hello.

Define "issues."

My R51 has a tight chamber.  It likes commercial new ammo but hates my reloads.  Understand that my reloads plunk, chamber, and shoot just fine in my other 9mm guns.  I tried a FCD but that doesn't seem to help.  I'm going to change bullet styles again (4th time) and probably invest in a "undersized" 9mm die.  But, at the end of the day, it likes Factory New stuff.

I admit that I don't really like the Military/Combat Center Hold sight alignment but it does put hits on target at close range very very fast.  But it sucks for bulls-eye style shooting.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[lklawson]

Kirk,
     Did you try one of those barrels from E-bay.   I can't remember if it was you or somebody else that said they would try one.  I know a couple of the
fellas had good luck with them.

No.  I'm too cheap. 

Re: reloads, I have not tried any in my pistol, but I have not found a single factory load that does not work great in
it. 
Blackie

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-REMINGTON-R-51-FACTORY-STEEL-BARREL-9mm-LUGER-P-R51-GENUINE-OEM-/351113481081

Mine likes factory ammo too.  I documented it elsewhere, but most factory ammo I put calipers to tend to be on the minimum side of the max/min spec.

Also, I'm not convinced that reloading does as good a job at putting the taper back into a 9mm Luger case.  I never worried about it much before I started using my reloads in my R51 because, honestly, they work fine in everything else.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[lklawson]

I bit the bullet and ordered one.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[lklawson]

Kirk,
Since I am about to get into the reloading thing,  I have a question for you.  You say your R51 likes factory loads, but not reloads.

Well, not my reloads anyway.

Are you using brass from the range, or new store bought brass?

Already fired brass, mostly once-fired.

I am no expert by a long shot, but it seems that that might make a difference.   

It might or it might not.  It depends on whether or not the crimping die will return the over-all taper to the case.  9mm Luger has a case which is wider at the base than at the mouth, when loaded.  While very slight, it makes the case sort of shaped like a cone.  When reloading pre-fired brass, it must first be resized.  The act of firing balloons out the case a small amount.  To resize, the case is forced, mouth-first, into a steel die which will compress down the outside to SAAMI spec.  Then an "expander ball" is forced down into the mouth from the top.  This expander ball (which looks more like a rod) will force the inside of the case to expand to the constraints of the die.  Because the 9mm case is smallest at the mouth, the expander ball cannot expand the lower part of the case.  It only expands the mouth. 

What I don't currently know, but WILL find out, is how well the resizing die returns the true taper to a 9mm case.

Of course, the rest of the reloading process can affect the end result.  If the case is not properly belled then the bullet won't seat right and that will affect the shape, consistency, and usability of the finished cartridge.  If the bullets are too wide (OD), then that can affect the shape and consistency of the cartridge.  Once the bullet is seated, if the case is not properly crimped (squeezing the bell back in properly in order to make it the right shape and to hold the bullet in place), same thing.

I plan on using new brass to start with till I get up in the reloading pay grade.  I am going to pick pne brass maker, one powder maker,  one powder weight, one bullet type and one primer type.  Do you see anything wrong with that?
Don't be bashful,  I am thick skinned.
Blackie

Nah, that should be fine.

Using new, never fired brass will help ensure quality.  It means that the brass has never been subjected to the stress of being fired.  It's much more likely to be free from defects, work hardening, cracks, etc.  It will never have been over-belled.  The flash hole will be clean and free of debris.  It may even be pre-belled, which means it will be belled exactly the right amount; not too much nor too little.

Using one type of bullets may or may not work out for you.  If you are just making plinking loads and not trying to get the most accurate rounds or trying to replicate the shooting "feel" and point of impact of your favorite commercial carry cartridge, then any bullet which will feed and fire reliably in your gun will work.  However, I have found some bullet shapes which do not feed reliably in every gun.  With 9mm Luger, the standard semi-cone/semi-dome shape of FMJ will almost always work.  But when you want to start tailoring a round for a specific purpose, you may need to experiment more.  Some guns will "like" certain bullet weights and shapes "better" than others.

Using the same powder charge may or may not work for you.  As with bullets as long as it's within the manufacturer's recommended range of powder charge weights for the bullet you are loading, then it should be safe.  But it may be more or less accurate or reliable.  My R51 likes slightly hotter charges and seems to cycle more reliably with them and be a tad more accurate.  What you will probably end up doing is loading in small batches to "work up" a favorite load.  Start with the minimum listed charge weight and load a small batch (10-20 maybe).  Take it to the range and shoot it.  Look for over-pressure signs (bulges, popped or cratered primers, etc.) and catalog if the load meets your accuracy standards, cycles the gun reliably, etc.  If you are happy with that, stop there.  But you should probably then go back to the loading bench and step the charge weight up a tad.  As a generalization, it seems like to me that most pistol powders for 9mm have a minimum/maximum range of less than 1/2 of a grain weight.  So you'll probably up the charge weight by 1/10th of a grain.  I like to use 115 grain Hard Cast coated lead bullets and Hodgdon Titegroup powder.  Hodgdon has a starting load weight of 3.9 grains and a maximum load weight of 4.3 grains.  I started with 3.9 grains.  Then went to 4.0 grains.  I ended up at 4.2 grains.

Now, the R51 is rated to +P but Hodgdon does not have a recipe for +P loads using Titegroup and 115gr. coated HC.  If I wanted that, I'd have to use more than a max load.  I'm not willing to experiment that far, personally.  However, there are some commercial software offerings which would allow me to calculate a load which falls within SAAMI +P spec, but I reload to save money so I'm not laying out the cash for Quickload. 

Handloading is easy, rewarding, and can either let you shoot the same amount as before for less money or shoot more for the same money as before.  My recommendation is get a little OCD.  Set up your loading bench in a place where you won't get distracted or interrupted.  Go slow.  Double and triple check everything.   Visually inspect every stage of the load process, especially the powder level, the primer seat, and the bullet seating depth because bullet setback causes kabooms.  Follow the manufacturers recommendation exactly.  Use your calipers, ...often.

There's more, of course, but that should do it for now.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[Robert]

Gphillips, welcome, thanks for signing up.

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Guys, I humbly request you all refrain from discussion in the new member into section.

This is for new members to introduce themselves, any replies should simply be something like, welcome aboard...

Robert