Winchester 231 in a Luger

[Sieger]

Originally Posted by Ice

Speer Reloading Manual # 12 recommends 3.8 to 4.1 grains of 231. I use 3.9 grains with my hard cast RNL bullets. Its extremely accurate and clean in all my 9mm Lugers and functions perfectly.

Charlie

Hi:

Sound like good advice to me!!

I'd start off at about 3.6 and go up to about 4.0 looking for perfect function and highest accuracy.

Start low and load up until your action just operates reliably (with 8 rounds in the magazine). With this powder, this will not be a very hot load.

RNL should be loaded to an O.A.L. of approximately 1.169 to 1.173 inches. O.A.L. is a very important factor in getting a Luger to function consistantly (with 8 rounds loaded in the magazine), so pay some additional attention here, once you are comfortable that your powder charge is adequate. Forget about the lengths quoted in the Reloading Manuals, as they do not apply to Lugers.

If you want your RNL to print tight groups, they should be sized to nothing smaller than 3.56 (preferably 3.565), as the Luger's grooves are right at .357!!

Yes, that last .001 of an inch can make a difference regarding both functional reliability and accuracy.

Sieger