[kswiss]

hey guys, and gals,


im not new to reloading but not at all "seasoned" either.

i was wondering what some of you guys do for the low power plinking loads or "bunny fart" loads


i have bullseye powder and berrys plated 124 grain bullets.


i was just wondering what would be the least amount of powder i could use to just barley make the slide cycle and still be accurate,


any insight is welcome

[dsa1115]

3.5 grains

[kswiss]

Originally Posted by dsa1115

3.5 grains

thats the lowest i could go? 3 wouldnt cycle the G34?

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by kswiss

thats the lowest i could go? 3 wouldnt cycle the G34?

Try 3.0 and report back.

[kswiss]

Originally Posted by WiskyT

Try 3.0 and report back.

i will try it out. but in your opinion do you think it will work?

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by kswiss

i will try it out. but in your opinion do you think it will work?

I think you'll get some failures to cycle with a load that low. I load 3.5 BE with a 125 cast and it runs my G17 and LC9 fine. My buddy's SIG 226 choked on them until I oiled his slide rails, then it ran. So, 3.5 is about as low as you can go and get reliable functioning.

[kswiss]

Originally Posted by WiskyT

I think you'll get some failures to cycle with a load that low. I load 3.5 BE with a 125 cast and it runs my G17 and LC9 fine. My buddy's SIG 226 choked on them until I oiled his slide rails, then it ran. So, 3.5 is about as low as you can go and get reliable functioning.

thanks for sharing your experience, the reason im asking is because im working the load down to get less felt recoil for more accurate shooting

[PCJim]

Originally Posted by WiskyT

I think you'll get some failures to cycle with a load that low. I load 3.5 BE with a 125 cast and it runs my G17 and LC9 fine. My buddy's SIG 226 choked on them until I oiled his slide rails, then it ran. So, 3.5 is about as low as you can go and get reliable functioning.

Those rails should be well greased when he is shooting the Sig at the range, as well as a smidge on top of the locking block. He can wipe it clean after the trip if he uses that Sig for carry.

Sigs need lubrication, otherwise you rapidly wear the anodization off the frame rails, leading to excessive wear of the base metal....

[dougader]

I ran a Lee tumble lube (TL) swc with 3.1 grains 231, but I had a lighter recoil spring to do it.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/366...truncated-cone

[Colorado4Wheel]

I know a super easy way to find out the answer to this question.

[Ross_Henderson]

I load Bullseye at 4.0 under 124gr plated and it's a beautiful load. Super accurate and light recoil.

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by PCJim

Those rails should be well greased when he is shooting the Sig at the range, as well as a smidge on top of the locking block. He can wipe it clean after the trip if he uses that Sig for carry.

Sigs need lubrication, otherwise you rapidly wear the anodization off the frame rails, leading to excessive wear of the base metal....

Absolutely. I jumped all over him for it. It ran okay the way he had it with factory ammo, but who knows how close it was to choking? He neglected to lube it and it is his carry gun.

My old department just switched from Beretta Vertec 40SW's, having had 96's before that, to SIG 220's. Being a PD, they have their share of slugs that don't lube their guns. The department issues CLP, which is fine as long as you put a drop or two in the right places every week or so. With the Beretta's they would get one or two guys whose guns would choke from being dry at the semi-annual qualifications. With the 220's, the rate of failure is higher. The instructors take the slugs guns and fire them in the still dry condition and they jam. Then they dump some CLP in them as a field expedient and the guns run fine. They do this in front of the squad to show how important maintenance is. I figure 50% of the message gets through.

[PCJim]

I'm a Sig fan, more than any other pistol. I don't clean them as often as I used to as there isn't much need. I have used several different lubes in the past, but have settled on Lubriplate 105 after a friend suggested I try it. Its available at NAPA auto parts stores and is inexpensive given the quantity. I keep it loaded up an old Shooter's Choice syringe for ease of application.

My carry pistols have only a very light smear, and action is checked regularly.

[shotgunred]

Originally Posted by WiskyT

Absolutely. I jumped all over him for it. It ran okay the way he had it with factory ammo, but who knows how close it was to choking? He neglected to lube it and it is his carry gun.

Use a glock they don't need lube.

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by shotgunred

Use a glock they don't need lube.

If I was the chief, that's what they would be using. They have 7 rounders for patrol, and 6 rounders for everyone else and they still complain the guns are too big. I'd issue G23's for everybody. They'd have more rounds, smaller guns, less issues with dry guns, and they'd be more likely to carry them off duty.

But, the slug that runs the firearms program likes SIGs because he likes SIGs. He likes 45's because he likes 45's. In the end, that's what it comes down to, a bureaucrat who has been demanding SIGs for the last 20 years finally getting his chance to throw his weight around.

So, in an age where criminals and terrorists are trained in combat tactics like flanking and high volumes of fire, the guys have 22 rounds or less instead of 40. No long arms at their disposal either. That's what you get when your "leadership" never worked the road and spends all of their time bragging about how they went to the FBI Academy and the West Point leadership school.

[F106 Fan]

I like my P220 a lot. It's a great shooting gun. I added Trijicon night sights and that's it. I run it the way it came.

I am using Brian Enos' Slide Glide on all my semiautos. As he points out, the lube stays where you put it. There is a very slight chance of shooting in freezing weather (ok, maybe only 1 day a year) so I use the thin variant.

And, yes, I use it on my Glocks in lieu of oil. I don't have huge quantities of ammo through my Glocks so I don't really know how effective it is. I'll just chance it...

The thing is, I clean and lube my guns after every outing. I'm not about to find out how long I can go between lube jobs.

Richard

[ron59]

I shoot predominantly 9mm, all in 147gr, and when I started in 2009, I was looking for the softest load possible. My load cycled the slide, but when I started testing for accuracy.... atrocious. They were running maybe 850fps.

When I boosted them up to 900fps, accuracy greatly improved. I now actually target 915fps or so for my competition loads. Accurate, and I don't want to not make PF at a match.

[shotgunred]

Originally Posted by F106 Fan

And, yes, I use it on my Glocks in lieu of oil. I don't have huge quantities of ammo through my Glocks so I don't really not how effective it is. I'll just chance it...

Richard

Seriously Richard Glocks like to run dry. you do not need oil or lube. I clean my Glocks every 5K or so with dry paper towels. Yep paper towels and they are good to go for another 5 K rounds.

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by shotgunred

Seriously Richard Glocks like to run dry. you do not need oil or lube. I clean my Glocks every 5K or so with dry paper towels. Yep paper towels and they are good to go for another 5 K rounds.

According to Glock, there are a few spots that are supposed to have a DROP of oil placed on them occasionally.

[F106 Fan]

I know there are folks who don't believe in cleaning Glocks and, apparently, they continue to function just fine.

I know that Glock recommends oil and I certainly have a lot of it laying around.

However, my 1911 Gold Cup probably can't run dry, my S&W Model 52 needs all the lube it can get since there is so little recoil, my Sig P220 is supposed to be kept lubed so, I just do them all the same.

I have yet to see a problem with using grease instead of oil (and this would apply only to the Glocks) and overcleaning is never a factor. As to grease slowing down the slide - I seriously doubt it. In any event, I'm not shooting marginal ammo.

I have always thought of it as a Ford vs Chevy kind of thing.

Richard

[WiskyT]

I lightly oil my Glocks as per the manual when I blow the dust bunnies out of them or shoot them. I also clean out the firing pin channel area once or twice a year with a Q-tip and some break cleaner to get all the brass dust out of there from the primers.

[Ross_Henderson]

This is what I do also - a super light lube with gun oil on the rails and trigger mech. every now and again, and a detailed strip of the slide once per year using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to clean the striker channel. My G17 purchased in 1991 runs like the finely tuned machine that it is...

[Boxerglocker]

Originally Posted by shotgunred

Seriously Richard Glocks like to run dry. you do not need oil or lube. I clean my Glocks every 5K or so with dry paper towels. Yep paper towels and they are good to go for another 5 K rounds.

Mike Glocks don't like to run dry, they are capable of running dry. The penalty for doing so is excessive wear on your rails locking block and deteriorating accuracy. I never run my Glocks without lube, don't need much, but never dry, especially the trigger bar and the rails. I used to be a all CLP guy, but now opt for "Gun Butter" or "Slide Glide" on the rails. You can definitely tell the difference especially if you run lighter loads with lightened recoil springs as I do in my G17 and G34

[SARDG]

Glock implies (somewhere... maybe it was the Armorer's Class) that if you lube only one point and can't get 'a round tuit' for proper cleaning... put a drop on the connector.

I've read something similar for ARs - if you can't clean it in the field right away, put a drop or two in the hole on the BCG, at least.

[shotgunred]

I have given up on bunny fart loads. I have found that most powders will shoot a lot more accurately in mid to upper range loads.