First time with Underwood Ammo

[Jason B.]

Hello everyone! First post and new 10mm addict.

I recently purchased a Gen4 Glock 29 as my EDC carry gun, I normally carry a Gen4 19 but wanted something with more power. After my purchase I wanted to put a few rounds down range so I purchased some overpriced Federal AE ammo and was very happy with the accuracy and the very manageable recoil of the weapon. I started looking into the various 10mm loads only to find out the Federal AE was a rather weak load so naturally I wanted to shoot some "full power" loads.

I purchased some Hornady 180gr XTP ammo with the gun but knowing that a shorter barrel will reduce velocities I started to research an ideal carry load for SD. The 10mm has opened my eyes to the excellent performance of the XTP bullet so I picked up some Underwood Ammo in,

155gr XTP
180gr XTP
200gr XTP
And for fun, 135gr Nosler

I started out with the Hornady Custom 180gr XTP rounds, they had a stout recoil and it might have been my excitement but I was all over the target with these rounds. Although, this lack of accuracy with the 180gr rounds continued with the Underwood ammo too. The fun really came when I loaded up some 135gr Nosler's, first round out gave a huge white flash and thunderous crack and while completely shocked at the power of this round I couldn't help but to giggle like a little girl. I simply couldn't believe the muzzle blast and cannon like sound coming from this little (ish) gun.

Curious of the other rounds I decided to move up in weight to the 155gr XTP loads and again I get a similar result as the Nosler rounds but a little more felt recoil and was the first round to strike exactly where my sights were pointed. The 180gr Underwood XTP's were noticeably hotter than the Factory Hornady loadings but for some reason I was having a hard time making accurate shots with that bullet weight. The 180gr Underwood rounds had about half the muzzle flash as the first two lighter and faster rounds but still had to be moving along as it gave a loud crack that I felt in my chest and ground. Lastly, was the 200gr XTP, these were much more tame and had almost no muzzle flash but still a stout felt recoil thanks to that big chunk of lead going down the tube. The 200gr XTP's shot very well holding a very tight group that was only matched by the 155 XTP's and the 135gr Nosler's.

In conclusion I have decided on the Underwood 155gr XTP as my main carry load. My accuracy shooting this loading was only matched by the 200gr XTP rounds but with my concern of over penetration on two legged aggressors the 155gr rounds take the win. The 200gr rounds are going in the spare mag and will probably be my carry loads for the woods. Overall, I am very impressed by underwood ammo and the Glock 29, makes me want more 10mm guns and gives me a good reason to start hand loading again 


P.S. Big thanks to everyone here and all the helpful information that aided in the above test. Looking forward to more learning and sharing.

Thanks,
Jason

[The_Shadow]

Jason, Welcome to the forum and the world of 10mm and all it has going for it!

[Jason B.]

Thanks,

One thing that I was a bit concerned about was the case bulge I was seeing with all the loadings. Is it normal to have a little case bulge running the looser chamber of the Glock?

[The_Shadow]

Yes the case will swell out to 0.4340" anything larger may show a distinct line which would be called a SMILE.

Normal sized casing are 0.4215" to about 0.4230" so yes those Glock barrels are loose...

[Blades]

Welcome and a great choice for a carry gun. I'm wearing my G29sf as I sit here typing. We need more "Jason's" around here.

[Jason B.]

Back at the range yesterday with some Sellior & Bellot 180gr ammo and my new Truglo Tritium Pro sights. After the last range report I put Snake Eye's sights on my G29 and liked them at first but after an outdoor shoot I found them to block the sight picture more than they defined it. So, thinking back on my days of competition shooting I wanted a serrated rear and a large bright front sight, I found the Truglo Tritium Pro sights and I decided to give them a try. Very nice and priced right but I needed to see if they were in the proper position and accurate.

I was expecting the S&B loads to be a little lighter after watching some velocity test putting them at just a touch over 1000fps but was kinda surprised these thumped pretty hard out of my G29, some even giving a little muzzle flash. I'm still not the most accurate with the 180gr load but dialed it in after a few mags enough to make sure my sights were true.

Overall, it was good target ammo at a good price and the sights were easy to shoot and fast on target with good sight picture. I would recommend both to anyone.

[ShooterScott]

Welcome to the board Jason, glad to have ya.

[Bat Rastard]

Yes the case will swell out to 0.4340" anything larger may show a distinct line which would be called a SMILE.

Normal sized casing are 0.4215" to about 0.4230" so yes those Glock barrels are loose...

If you are a reloader, These will make the swelling go away.   https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012420742/redding-g-rx-carbide-base-sizing-die-kit-40-s-and-w-357-sig-10mm-auto

[The_Shadow]

Yes, I am well aware of the Redding product and I use the LEE 10mm/40S&W FCD die with its guts removed for that process personally on 10mm, 40S&W, 357Sig and 9x25Dillon.  I even run the 380ACPand the 45ACP  through it appropriate FCD for the purpose of reaching the areas not reached by convention sizing dies.  9mm parabellum is a bit more of a challenge as I use the Lee 9MM MAKAROV Carbide Factory Crimp Die.

The brass that has the smile line need to be discarded because that brass started to shear and can not be fixed!

More can be learned in this thread! http://10mm-firearms.com/reloading-10mm-ammo/pass-thru-sizing-using-lee-fcd/

[REDLINE]

Thanks,

One thing that I was a bit concerned about was the case bulge I was seeing with all the loadings. Is it normal to have a little case bulge running the looser chamber of the Glock?

If you still have any of the spent brass, any chance you could post a picture of the worst case bulges you discovered?  I've experienced plenty of them and a few case blowouts in my own 10mm Glocks but would like to see the bulge level yours were at if possible.

[Kenk]

Welcome Jason, the UW 135gr makes me grin huge every time I shoot them, hence the reason I ordered more today. This is a fun rd to pull out for folks that have never shot a 10 before. Another UW product you may want to test for carry is their bonded 165gr Gold Dot. These are moving at aprx 1400 fps / 718 ft lbs, and have proven themselves to be very accurate from my RIA Ultra FS HC. I can't  imagine that the 165's wouldn't provide stellar results for two legged threats
Thanks

Ken

[Captain O]

Welcome Jason, the UW 135gr makes me grin huge every time I shoot them, hence the reason I ordered more today. This is a fun rd to pull out for folks that have never shot a 10 before. Another UW product you may want to test for carry is their bonded 165gr Gold Dot. These are moving at aprx 1400 fps / 718 ft lbs, and have proven themselves to be very accurate from my RIA Ultra FS HC
Thanks

Ken

Ken, That 165-grain Gold Dot from Underwood sounds as if someone opened an "economy-sized" can of "whip-@$$".

I like it.

[Kenk]

Absolutely : )

[REDLINE]

Another UW product you may want to test for carry is their bonded 165gr Gold Dot. These are moving at aprx 1400 fps / 718 ft lbs, and have proven themselves to be very accurate from my RIA Ultra FS HC.

Ken

I've recently chronographed the UW 165 Gold Dot load.
Glock 20 (4.6" barrel) = 1320 fps
Springfield XDm (5.25" barrel) = 1370 fps
Based on 10 shot averages.

UW does claim them to be at 1400 fps but doesn't specify from what barrel length. Seems about 6" of barrel should do it easily.