Loading bar

[tguntrader]

I have a star 9mm. loader. It has a w231 bar that is marked 4.8 Gr. Is that to hot for a browning hi power 9mm.  Is there any new power that would work in this same bar. New member help?

                                             Thanks tguntrader

[CDRT]

The max load of 231 with a 90 grain jacketed bullet is 5.2 grains, the max with a 115 grain bullet would be 4.9, so you're okay with those types of bullets and that load of 4.8 grains of 231.    That powder slide should throw around 4.1 grains of Unique.  You might check your loading manual for loads/bullets that would work in that range.  My Lyman manual shows a Unique load of 3.5 to 4.0 grains with a 130 grain lead bullet.

[NYKenn]

Obviously checking a reloading manual is first and formost.

One alternative you can also do is fill in the hole in the powder bar and then drill and enlarge to get one you need for what you actually want to load. J&B weld comes to mind.

Have you thought about acquiring am adjustable bar? I did for my 9mm to give me a range to design loads in that work best. It took a little more experimentation than using tried and true grain specific powder bars common for .38 & .45, like Star used to ship with.

Good luck!

[tguntrader]

THanks for the help , I think i will be going with adj. bar .Does any one know who sell powder cut offs,?

                                            Tguntrader
.

[CDRT]

Richard Daniels, who is on this forum, makes powder magazine cut-offs and adj powder slides.  You can reach him at rdaniels36 "at" cox.net or you can call him at 860-966-0639.  I have one of his adj powder slides and a replacement powder mag.  He does very nice work.

[NYKenn]

I have one from Rich.

Very nice workmanship. Works well.
Happy with it, and worth the price.

[ARTINCT]

W231 is the exact same powder as Hodgdon HP-38.   I have done extensive load testing with 9mm Luger and HP-38 loads.  My most accurate load is 4.5g of HP-38 with the Laser Cast (Oregon) 124g bullet which is a round nose it also works well with the SAECO #115 122g pointed round nose or the Hensley & Gibbs #7 124g rounded truncated cone flat base.  I use just a slight amount of taper crimp on these cast bullets.  The bullets I cast are somewhat softer 20:1 lead to tin than the Oregon Laser Cast bullets which are in the wheel weight hardness range or even a bit harder.

I was able to achieve .652" group sizes (average of 15+ groups) with 8 rounds in a S&W 952 Long Slide 6" from a Ransom Rest at 25 yards.  On that pistol, the first round is always out somewhere else as it is headspaced differently vs those subsequent rounds which are sent into the chamber with firing pressure and thus I always discounted that first round from my calculations.

So that said, 4.8g is not too hot but may not be as accurate as 4.5 so work you way up.

Folks here have suggested Rich Daniel's adjustable charge bar.  I have one of these installed on my 10mm S&W Star Machine Head.  It is a really great bar and Rich can fit you out with one.  However he makes this bar in a few sizes so you need to let him know the powder and the charge range so he can get you the correct bar that will suit your needs.

You adjust his bar with an allen head set screw that is accessable from the front of the Star, so you kind of screw in for a smaller charge and out for a larger charge.  I think you will like this bar especially for load development.  The setting does not wander at all from what I have experienced.

Also, get back to me with your load testing results in the 9mm or any further questions you may have.

Cheers

Art In CT