Hello Everyone,
First post here, but been shooting and reloading for nearly 30 years. Anyway, I recently loaded up a bunch of 165 Xtreme plated bullets with 9.5 gr of Power Pistol and the accuracy was dismal. I was able to keep all the S&B factory loads I shot in the black at 33 feet, but the reloads were all over the place... like even off the paper. Some of the holes looked somewhat oblong as well.
Is 9.5 too much for the plated bullets? I didn't think this would be too much based on load data, but wondering if I was pushing those too hard.
Any thoughts? Thanks.
More than likely you were over driving the plated bullets, while they say keep them below 1200 fps some have had issues at 1100 fps. I would venture to say if you tested real jacked bullets you would see accuracy with that load...
Well, they do have a speed limit, no doubt.
What firearm. Not unlike cast bullets, a poor fitting plated bullet does not group. Also, the expander in your die set might give too narrow of an interior diameter of the neck. Seating soft plated bullets into such a tight neck can swage the bucket diameter down. Again, not unlike cast bullets.
I noticed that some plates bullets would start at .400". After seating, the diameter would squish to .399". Makes a BIG difference -- especially in Glocks where the groove diameter is typically > .400".
My solution was to use an RCBS 401 Cowboy expander plug. A touch more shank diameter, yet still afforded sufficient neck tension. Bullets went in .400" and stayed .400". Better groups, but never at hot velocities.
Also be sure that the seating/crimp operation is not scraping the plating.
Next go 'round, you might try one of the many excellent coated cast bullets. I am almost exclusively using my own cast and coated bullets. Better groups than plated, and I can shoot max effort ammo without leading or fuss.
More than likely you are putting too heavy of a crimp on them. Plated bullets will do exactly what you are describing when crimped too much.
I just went to Alliants web site and max is 7.8 for a 165g gold dot so I would say your pushing it a bit. I do agree with the other posts as well. Craig
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?page=/reloaders/powderlist.aspx&type=1&powderid=8&cartridge=30
I've been loading 10gr. of PP for many years. Very accurate and no signs of excessive pressure.
It's my favorite hand loaded round. I tried to just put up a screenshot of the webpage but the file was to big.
You are right and I am wrong as I must have been looking at 40 cal. Sorry for my blunder. Craig
A few years back I liked Xtreme 165gr with Power Pistol. It produced a nice fireball.
Now Xtreme is to expensive for what you get.
My standard load was Xtreme 165gr with 8.7 PP oal= 1.265 with G29 Barsto barrel. Avg 1160 FPS .
I always thought the accuracy was good but never really sat down and tried to get great groups with it.
Same load with my Lonewolf Glock with 6.5" barrel was giving me Avg 1325.
I loaded all the way up to 9.9 to 9.95gr of PP. I was getting low 1258 and high 1287. This was out of my G29 with a BarSto barrel.
Out of my Lonewolf Glock with a 6.5" barrel I was getting around 1450