Ivan the Troll has published an instruction set on making 9x19mm ammunition. The ammunition is designed for the FGC-9 hybrid 3D-printed semi-automatic pistol/carbine in Europe. The ammunition is shown in video as functioning in an FGC-9, Browning-style tilt-barrel locking pistols and a straight blowback pistol.
The instructions were published in 2020 before Stark1809’s untimely death. They are titled But-What-About-Ammo Version 1.0.
The instructions are detailed and fairly easy to follow. They use 3D printing and several well-understood improvised loading techniques to load fired 9mm cases and primers to produce usable ammunition. 9mm ammunition is difficult to purchase in most of Europe unless the purchaser has a firearms license. Even then, a firearms license often only applies to purchasing certain kinds of ammunition. Deactivated (fired) 9mm cases and projectiles appear to be fairly easy to obtain.
The downloaded guide contains detailed specifications, a video of testing, velocities obtained, and a shopping list of what materials to purchase.
The most interesting part of the video is how Hilti nail driver ammunition is used as a source for priming compound and gunpowder. Much of the value of the directions consists of Ivan the Troll’s experimental work to determine the proper amount of powder to use from the Hilti power drivers to obtain usable velocity out of the reloaded 9mm cartridges.
For those interested in such techniques, one of the most dangerous and resource-eating tasks is calibrating the amount of scavenged gunpowder needed for a functioning reload. Ivan the Troll has done this time and resource-consuming work. He makes the results available to the world. 3.5 grains of red Hilti gunpowder produces about 750 feet per second loads with 124-grain jacketed bullets. 4.1 grains of Hilti gunpowder produces about 1000 feet per second.
If it is difficult to legally obtain 9mm ammunition, it is almost as difficult to test improvised ammunition.
Ivan the Troll does a good job of showing how to make ammunition with his methods.
For those who desire the next level of reloading ammunition in restricted circumstances, this correspondent recommends Modern Handloading by Maj. George C. Nonte, Jr. Nonte’s book was published in 1972. It has an entire chapter on making your own tools. Many of the tools can easily be made by hand. A case resizer made of steel or even of low melting alloys would be much easier and more durable than the method used in ButWhatAboutAmmo. The 3D-printed plastic resizer only works well for about 20 rounds. If a person has access to a small lathe, the work becomes almost trivial.
Of particular interest in Ivan the Troll’s work was his description of how well the ammunition functioned in the FGC-9. The FGC-9 is a direct blowback design. The somewhat weaker versions of the reloaded 9mm ammunition are said to have performed well:
The FGC-9 will run even the underpowered loads (because it is simple blowback), the handguns all need the ‘recommended’ loads in order to cycle – they still fire with the underpowered loads, but won’t cycle the slide fully.
Note: I did experience some failures to extract on the FGC-9 tests when using the recommended loads as they are higher pressure, which makes blowback extraction more haphazard. The barrel I had in my FGC-9 for these tests isn’t perfectly formed, which is probably the reason for the failures – but it’s worth noting that if you have issues with extraction of this ammo when other ammo works fine, you might want to load a little less powder.
This correspondent has reloaded ammunition for about six decades, using everything from simple handmade tools to sophisticated progressive machines. The hardest part of reloading, if the authorities do not want you to do it, is the information and knowledge of how to do so. Mass-manufactured tools are very nice and make the job much, much easier. If you desperately need a few rounds of ammunition, and have some time, you can usually figure out how to get or make a few rounds. It is the knowledge that is key.
Defense Distributed and Ivan the Troll are making the knowledge available to the world.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
