Hello,

I am not sure whether it is my imagination or not, but I feel like my 9mm reloads are not as accurate as branded target ammo that I buy. I do not own a Ranson Rest, so I am not sure of the best way to test whether I am crazy or not. All things are equal, except the brass. I am using Bullseye powder, CCI primers and X-Treme round nose, plated 124gn bullets. As mentioned, the brass is mixed. I load on a Hornady LNL Progressive Press with Redding Competition Pro Series Dies. What is the best way to test them to see if it is my imagination and if it isn't, what would contribute to them being inaccurate?
BTW, I also reload .308 on a Hornady single stage press with Redding Competition Pro Series dies and they are very accurate.

Thanks,
SB

pick out one brand of brass and try again.
you are not comparing fairly.

It's the bullets; in handguns, it will be the bullets that make the difference. Try some name brand copper jacketed bullets and you will see. Your barrel doesn't like plated bullets.
And shoot them segregated by case brand.

Before you change the brand of your plated bullets, or giving up on plated bullets, try a different weight. What make/model of pistol are you shooting? Some of the older S&W pistols with a 1 in 16" twist would not shoot accurately with any ammo. Do segregate your brass for best results. Do to many bad experiences reloading W-W 9mm Luger brass all of same goes into my recycle bin.

Mixed cases are like shooting mixed ammo. Just because the reloading components are the same each case brand is a different ammo. They may shoot different size groups or different points of impact. If make four loads that shoot a two inch group and each load shoots to a different point of impact my group size is now two inches larger than the four points.of impact. I agree that bullet weight can be a big difference, are your bullets the same weight as the factory round? Are you loaded to the same Velocity as factory? Those are two keeys for hand gun loads. As indicated there are some barrels that do not like plated or lubed lead bullets. Generally, I load the same weight to.the same chronographed velocity,

Try this, shoot one mag, or ten rounds, factory ammo slow and accurate for best group. Then shoot the same amount of one headstamp, preferably the same as the factory ammo you just shot, on a second target. Evaluate both targets for group size and point of aim to point of impact. This is the best way to evaluate reloaded ammo. I prefer to load the same weight bullet and match velocity of the factory round.

Let me know how it turns out.

Plated bullets are soft lead plated with copper; not best for the high pressures of 9mm ammo. I have found that either hard cast, or jacketed, shoot better in 9mm. I reserve the soft lead bullets to lower pressure cartridges. If you are comparing them to "branded target ammo", then the main difference is, the bullets. Don't give up shooting them; they are fine for plinking and blasting; I assume you are not using this pistol at Camp Perry are you?
Mixed brass? there is very little difference in 9mm brass; it takes a very good shooter, and a very accurate pistol to tell the difference.

all it takes is a set of calipers and a scale to tell the difference.
40 S&W brass is just as bad.
if you use the 9 or 40 cases to swage bullets from you quickly learn what internal volume means.

IMHO cast lead bullets of every variety should be avoided like the plague in reloading the 9mm Luger cartridge. Keyholing of lead bullets is common as the shallow rifling does not offer much grip on the bullet as it travels down the barrel. Years ago the American Rifleman magazine had an article regarding reloading the 9mm Luger cartridge. They reported bullet 'telescoping'(setback) whenever W-W brass was used. That experience has mirrored mine hence the tossing of all W-W 9mm Luger brass into my recycle bin.

His plated bullets are not cast; they are swaged from soft lead, which is worse than cast for a 9mm.

Curious, last night I reached into my bin of 9mm brass and weighed everything that came up in my hand. Here are the results. Bottom line; the weight variation WITHIN brands is more than the variation BETWEEN brand's averages. Hard to believe, but it seems that 9mm brass is pretty consistent. And it ain't the brass that is causing your problem; it is your bullets. Here are the results, lightest to heaviest:
S&W 58.8
WIN 58.9
WCC 59.2
WCC 1986 59.2
FC 59.7
R-P 60.1
G.F.L. 60.1
Max weight difference: 1.3 grains
Max weight difference within a brand was FC and that was 1.4 grains.
Draw your own conclusions but these are the facts as I found them.

Plated bullets shoot fine in all of my 9mm handguns; cast lead bullets do not. I keep the velocity of my plated bullet loads under 1200 fps. If you don't want your bullets telescoping back into the case, avoid W-W brass.

Never had a problem with WW brass in any of it's forms, military or commercial. Nor sure what telescoping is either.

'Telescoping' is when the bullet sinks lower in the case when minimal force is applied to the tip of the bullet (such as hitting a feed ramp). The American Rifleman article found W-W 9mm Luger brass did same no matter if the bullet/case mouth friction was tight or a taper crimp was applied. They were forced to apply an exterior cannelure at the base of the reloaded bullets in order to have them stay put. They noticed an adhesive inside the mouth of factory rounds which evidently kept the bullet secure in the case. The late Dean Grennell advised to take an unprimed reloaded case/bullet after seating to the desired length after seating and/or taper crimping and placing same on a bathroom scale. With a piece of wood press down on the bullet until 30 pounds is reached on the scale. Then re-check the bullet length to make sure the bullet did not set back into the case.

Nope, never had a problem with that with any make of brass.

I have had a lot of difficulty with X-Treme bullets in a few different cartridges. I wouldn't worry so much about brass, primer, and powder until you have tried a better bullet.

dpcd: Just because you have not experienced it does not mean it has not happened to others (including the staff of the American Rifleman). You remind me of the Englishman who went to the zoo and saw a giraffe for the first time. He blurted out: 'There is no such animal!'.

And I never heard of it happening to anyone else either. I have used lots of WW brass, both military and civilian, with no problems, so how can you can that all WW brass should be avoided? I list 3 different types of Winchester brass in my list above; all loaded by me and fired; no problems. I didn't say it didn't happen to others; just never to me with several different types of Win 9mm brass; and the container I pulled them out of holds thousands of them. Maybe the AR guys got a bad lot of it but I know it is not all bad. Maybe your expander plug is too big. The problem can't be too widespread. I usually like to deal with facts and experience as I have personally seen and done; I don't usually (but sometimes do) give opinions, based on facts. That is why I weighed all that brass; it shows, to me, that 9mm brass is not so variable in weight as suggested.
Besides, that has nothing to do with the OP's problem.

You might also try a different powder, IMO Bullseye isn't the best powder for 9mm loads, just too fast for those pressure levels. I would try a powder just slightly slower like W231 or Titegroup, it might give you better accuracy.

The shooter?