FWIW, I now have four boxes of factory 10mm PD cartridges...

[jeffreybehr]

...to test--PPU (PRVI) JHP180s, SIG-Sauer V-Crown JHP180s, Hornady Critical Duty FlexLock175s, and PMC Bronze JHP170s, with the Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded 180 on the way from Midway.  Was going to include Winchester Silvertips but decided a 20box wasn't worth $30, AND they're hard to find.

Will be chronoing them with my new LabRADAR machine and testing expansion in waterjugs starting tomorrow.  I hope I have enough waterjugs!

Here's the competition, my handloads of the Barnes all-copper TAC-XP155 which is my EDC load in a Witness Polymer Full Size--

[4949shooter]

Interesting.

Looking forward to your results.

[PCFlorida]

I too am looking forward to your results. Especially the Barnes.

[jeffreybehr]

I too am looking forward to your results. Especially the Barnes.

The Barnes TAC-XPs, pictured above, are already tested and discussed here...
http://10mm-firearms.com/reloading-10mm-ammo/10mm-loads-with-barnes-155g-tac-xp/msg59045/#msg59045

[PCFlorida]

Nice! I must have forgotten you posted that already. Thank you.

[jeffreybehr]

As always for me, I shot these into a series of 1-gallon waterjugs, with either two layers of denim taped on the front of the first jug or a pad made of denim front and back with four layers of terrytowel in between, simulating the FBI's thick-clothing test.  I used my Tanfoglio Witness Polymer Full Size...pant, pant...and shot from 10 feet (c. 3 meters).  In the bottom row in both pics are the bullets, or what I could find of them, shot thru two layers of denim, while the top row contains the bullets, or what I could find of them, shot thru six layers of cloth.

The LH pair are the PPU (Przi) 180g. JHPs, the 2nd-left pair are the SIG-Sauer V-Crown 180s, the third column contains the Hornady Critical Duty Flex-Lock 175s, and the RH column contains the PMC Bronze JHP 170s.  I lost the 2nd shot of the V-Crowns, hence its 2nd bullet number is 3.

No lead core is shown for the PMC shot thru two layers because it, apparently unexpanded, exited the last waterjug (#8) and disappeared in the brush.



IN MY OPINION, three of these bullets--the PPUs, the V-Crowns, and the PMCs--failed these tests and I would never use them as my PD cartridge. The Hornady FlexLocks performed approximately perfectly, much better thru 6 layers than other-caliber versions of the FlexLocks that I've tested (where they generally failed to expand), and I would not hesitate to use them in my EDC Witness Polymer if I chose to use factory cartridges.  My first choice in a PD cartridge is still my handload in new StarLine nickled cases of the Barnes 155g. TAC-XP loaded to a subsonic velocity of c. 1100FPS.  FWIW, all the Federal Hydro-Shoks I've tested in other calibers have failed to expand thru six layers, so I'll NOT be wasting my money on them.  'Your mileage may vary'.

I have a box of Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded 180s on the way from Midway...
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/127997/federal-premium-vital-shok-ammunition-10mm-auto-180-grain-trophy-bonded-jacketed-soft-point-box-of-20
...and I'll test them soon.  This testing in the summer heat is really exhausting for this oldfart of 72 years, so it'll be the last 10mm cartridge I plan to expansion test.  As expensive as it is, I hope it performs well.

I've not included actual velocities of these bullets because I didn't get my new LabRADAR chrono running.

[Lt.Smoke]

Seems like I made a good purchase buying the Buffalo Bore TacXp 155's that a good friend of mine highly recommended

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[jeffreybehr]

Seems like I made a good purchase buying the Buffalo Bore TacXp 155's that a good friend of mine highly recommended
...

Indeed.  EVERY TAC-XP I've expansion tested, in four calibers (357SIG, 40S&W, 10mm, and 45GAP) have performed simply perfectly.  EXCELLENT choice, L-T.

And thank you for serving.

[Lt.Smoke]

Seems like I made a good purchase buying the Buffalo Bore TacXp 155's that a good friend of mine highly recommended
...

Indeed.  EVERY TAC-XP I've expansion tested, in four calibers (357SIG, 40S&W, 10mm, and 45GAP) have performed simply perfectly.  EXELLENT choice, L-T.

And thank you for serving.

I'd love to be able to say I served sir but I have not . Lt was my former title at a private security firm I was employed with...I have been in private/federal security for nearly 8 years..Did some Bail enforcement and Corrections work as well

I have been a Corbon Dpx fan for many years .My buddy told me this was the same as Corbon DPX with more power because so many of the 10mm factory loads are watered down

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[jeffreybehr]

...
I have a box of Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded 180s on the way from Midway...
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/127997/federal-premium-vital-shok-ammunition-10mm-auto-180-grain-trophy-bonded-jacketed-soft-point-box-of-20
...and I'll test them soon.  This testing in the summer heat is really exhausting for this oldfart of 72 years, so it'll be the last 10mm cartridge I plan to expansion test.  As expensive as it is, I hope it performs well.
...

I lied.  Well, not lied, but I was wrong.  After commenting elsewhere that I wondered why Federal didn't load their EXCELLENT(1) HST180 in 10mm, I researched here and elsewhere, found at least one fellow reloading pulled HSTs, and got a little brainwhiff(2)--I have many 50boxes of factory 40S&W HST180 ammo, so I pulled about 40 bullets and assembled five 10mm test loads.  First to be tested will be a quad using HS-6 with a goal of c. 1100FPS (for my personal EDC use) and then one using A9 for higher velocity.  First I'll get my new LabRADAR running, test these five, load a few more, and then expansion-test them.  More later in the 10mm Reloading forum...
http://10mm-firearms.com/reloading-10mm-ammo/



Retrieving the Federals reminded me that I also have 18 50boxes(3) of Hornady Critical Duty FlexLock175 ammo in 40S&W and pulled some of them and reloaded some trios of those in 10mm.   


Interesting tids & bits:
1. Some of the 40-cal. FlexLock bullets exited the cases with one whack of my Lyman puller, while others required up to SEVEN whacks.
2. After seating a few reloads of these, I saw that the nose cavity and plug was now smaller in diameter, so I tried the center portion from a 45Auto seating die(4).  Altho only a couple-thousandths of an inch larger, it does not squeeze the nose of these bullets.


(1) The HST is the overall-best-expanding and most-reliable popularly priced bullet loaded by the majors that money can buy.  EVERY one that I've tested has expanded perfectly when shot thru either no (or little) front cloth or thru thick clothing.

(2) Some of us get brainstorms; I get brainwhiffs.   

(3) There's no such thing as having too much money, being too thin (while still healthy, of course), a reloader having too many empty cases, or any of us having too much ammo.   

(4) I use Lee 4-piece-carbide sets with separate seater and factory-crimper for my low-volume, 'precision' reloading wherein I weigh ALL charges.  I use 3-piece carbide die sets and Lee powder measures for higher-volume reloading of practice-and-plinking rounds.

[4949shooter]

I would like to know how those Flexlock bullets hold up at high 10mm velocities.

[jeffreybehr]

...and got some velocities.  Temp was about 105dF, Tanfoglio Witness Polymer Full Size, 4.6" barrel:
.................Load name and Advertised Vel.........................Av. Muzzle Vel......ES.....# of Samples
Hornady Critical Duty 175g. FlexLock JHP, 1150FPS......................1060..............15............3
SIG-Sauer V-Crown 180g. JHP, 1250FPS......................................1234..............24............3
Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded 180g. JSP(1), 1275FPS...........1313..............14............3

Naturally, the Federal VSTB had significantly more recoil than anything else.  The surprises here are the high velocity of the Federal and the low velocity of the Hornady.  In my uneducated opinion, the Federal Vital-Shok will turn into the real-deal factory hunting load with the Big10 IF the bullet proves to be excellent at staying together and penetrating.

My initial reloadings of the 180g. HST and 175g. FlexLock to around 1100FPS, each with 8.6g. of HS-6, turned out a little high at 1132 and 1146FPS (MV), respectively; I'll reduce those 0.2 and 0.3g., respectively, and rechrono and expansion-test them.


(1) Jacketed soft point

[jeffreybehr]

I would like to know how those FlexLock bullets hold up at high 10mm velocities.

Me too!     The perhaps-designed-for-40S&W-velocities HSTs, too.  JUST finished loading the next batch, both of HSTs and FlexLocks with a target of 1100FPS AND both bullets at velocities substantially higher than today's around-1200FPS...all with expansion tests, too...IF I have that much energy tomorrow afternoon.

FWIW, because the FlexLock175 is a little longer than the HST180*, I can't get enough A9 in the case without squeezing the bullet's nose together while compressing the charge, so instead of A9, I used more HS-6** with the FlexLock.

What I really need is a helper; haven't yet found one.   :'(

* Perhaps because it has a higher proportion of copper-than-lead in it?
** but still 0.2 and 0.4g. less than the two manuals' maximums.

[4949shooter]

I would like to know how those FlexLock bullets hold up at high 10mm velocities.

Me too!     The perhaps-designed-for-40S&W-velocities HSTs, too.  JUST finished loading the next batch, both of HSTs and FlexLocks with a target of 1100FPS AND both bullets at velocities substantially higher than today's around-1200FPS...all with expansion tests, too...IF I have that much energy tomorrow afternoon.

FWIW, because the FlexLock175 is a little longer than the HST180*, I can't get enough A9 in the case without squeezing the bullet's nose together while compressing the charge, so instead of A9, I used more HS-6** with the FlexLock.

What I really need is a helper; haven't yet found one.   :'(

* Perhaps because it has a higher proportion of copper-than-lead in it?
** but still 0.2 and 0.4g. less than the two manuals' maximums.

I think you are probably right...the bullet may be longer because of the copper / reduced lead weight ratio.

Interested to see what you get though..

[Blades]

What I really need is a helper; haven't yet found one.   :'(

If you were near Fayetteville, NC I could help.