180gr Berry Plated TC at the range

[RDub01]

I tried some of the Berry bullets in the KKM 4.6" barrel, since the Glock barrel wants no part of them.



A weird occurrence happened here.. When shooting the group on target #6, one bullet went clear over to #7 ??
The group above that round was shot with Alcan #7.  Those of you that have been around for a while remember Alcan 5,7 and 8.  Still have a few lbs of #7.  Still find it quite useful in a number of cartridges.

With the exception of AA#5, everything performed from Ok to pretty good.  This was the last series I shot that day so I was getting tired..  Looks like a few got away.

[Benchrst]

Thanks for the report Rdub 

[The_Shadow]

Thanks for the report RDub01, I had always thought of Alcan #7 to be very close to Blue Dot in burn rate and amount by charge weights.

[RDub01]

Yes, they are very similar..  I've always thought Blue Dot to be just a tad slower.

[will965]

I've read that the berrys bullet starts to break apart or deform at higher velocities. Not sure if that's true because I don't use them but could  that be a possibility?

[tommac919]

Most plated are recommended to stay at/ below about 1200+/- , except with heavy plated which are rated higher

Berrys site ;

Question: How fast can I shoot these bullets?

We guarantee our Standard Bullets to handle velocities up to 1,250 fps, and up to 1,500 fps for the bullets designated as TP (thick plated).
Our 30-30 and 45-70 bullets can handle velocities up to 1,700 fps.
Our 7.62x39 bullets can handle velocities up to 1,900 fps
Our 30 Carbine bullets can handle velocities up to 1,950 fps.
Our 500 S&W bullets can handle velocities up to 2,000 fps.

Question: Is separation a problem with Plated Bullets?

Separation is very rare. Two things can cause a jacket to separate from the lead core: excessive speeds (magnum velocities) and a real tight roll crimp (cuts through the plating). If you'll keep these two items in check you shouldn't have a problem with bullet separation.

[Pablo]

I cooked some Berry's pretty hot in the carbine. They seemed to survive. Full scale separation on a plated bullet seems weird, but yes if the plating is not malleable, the crimp chews into it. I do wish the copper plating was a bit harder, yet malleable.

[RDub01]

At 1050 - 1150fps they do just fine in a barrel with rifling.  Higher, groups start deteriorating. They don't like the Glock barrel unless velocities are down around 900fps.  The True Blue load was experimental, never used TB with these bullets before. Velocity was higher than what I was going for.  I will re-shoot at 8.0grs and see if the group tightens up.

[Greg_Peeples]

How would you load these with power pistol.

[The_Shadow]

Greg_Peeples, Welcome to the forum!

Power Pistol can work over a wide range of performance levels.  The Berry's 180 I have shot were loaded with 8.7 grains of Power Pistol 1240 fps @ 34,900 PSI from the S&W1006

Just be careful with the loading with plated bullets as the case mouth can snag the plating.  Best way to avoid this raising the seating up so the crimp section doesn't contact the casing while the bullet is being seated.  I use a 1/8" spacer to raise my die while seating, after they are all seated I remove the spacer, back off the seater stem and crimp separately being careful not to over crimp as that can cut the plating.

[Greg_Peeples]

Thanks for the info. And the welcome. I've got 165gr Rainer. What would the load for these be? Love the Glock 20. Need data for the 165 gr that I have.

[Benchrst]

Thanks for the info. And the welcome. I've got 165gr Rainer. What would the load for these be? Love the Glock 20. Need data for the 165 gr that I have.

Stock G20 barrel? Ranier RNFP or HP?

Without more specifics I would probably start around 8.8 - 9.0gr.

[Greg_Peeples]

Stock g20 barrel. Rnfp

[Greg_Peeples]

And do you have been a guess on what the fps would be?

[Benchrst]

9.0gr should get you around 1,160