finally found a load

[matt85]

just got home from the range and my hands and wrist are tired and a little sore. for the last 3 days ive been going to the range every day burning powder trying to find a suitable practice/fun load for my G20SF. the bullets ive using trying out are ACME coated 180gr and 200gr .401" RNFP/RN and my goal was a full power load that gives decent accuracy on a budget. the final loads I came up with were:

200gr coated RN over 12.2gr of AA#9 for 1159fps average
1- 1173 fps
2- 1153 fps
3- 1161 fps
4- 1155 fps
5- 1151 fps

180gr coated RNFP over 13.8gr of AA#9 for 1268fps average
1- 1265 fps
2- 1256 fps
3- 1275 fps
4- 1266 fps
5- 1277 fps

seems like the AA#9 powder works better with the 180gr bullets as I was able to get both velocity and accuracy much easier. the 200gr bullets lost a great deal of accuracy when the loads exceeded 12.2gr. I worked the math out for these loads and they are roughly the same price with the 180gr load being just slightly less expensive. both loads are $0.30-0.31 per cartridge assuming I use my cases just once.

I still have half a box of them so ill play around with that 180gr load for a bit and if I don't have any trouble then ill order some bulk bullets and crank out a ton of them.

warning: these loads exceed Accurate's data, use at your own risk.

-matt

[CurtisM]

Thanks for the range report. 

Just curious how the cases looked since you mentioned that you would only use them once?  I'm just getting started hand loading for my G20 Gen 4.

[matt85]

sorry for not being clear, I meant that the price was based on the first use of the case. I use my cases until they either look unsafe or they crack at the mouth. every case is carefully inspected before reuse and stored separately based on how many times they've been used.

these loads are pretty hot and the G20SF isn't exactly gentle on brass so cases come out with some bulging and a bit of damage to the rim from the violent extraction. however ive been able to salvage all of these so far.

-matt

[PCFlorida]

sorry for not being clear, I meant that the price was based on the first use of the case. I use my cases until they either look unsafe or they crack at the mouth. every case is carefully inspected before reuse and stored separately based on how many times they've been used.

these loads are pretty hot and the G20SF isn't exactly gentle on brass so cases come out with some bulging and a bit of damage to the rim from the violent extraction. however ive been able to salvage all of these so far.

-matt

What cases are you using or have you used so far? Just curious if you find any to be better than others.

[CurtisM]

Thank you Matt for the clarification.  I have purchased a Redding pass through die to start processing the brass I have and it does work very well.

[Ten Ten]

Great report Matt!

Im liking 180gr sierra HP with 14.2grs of A#9 in my Kimber 5" barrel

Ive tried 14.9 but to much powder to set bullet to 1.250 COL and not accurate in my gun...

[matt85]

bad news... I went to clean my gun and discovered a huge amount of fouling in the barrel . not sure if its because I'm pushing the coated bullets too hard or if my crimp is too much. ACME bullets assured me that I would not be able to push the bullets too fast from a pistol.

if the crimp is a problem then the bullet itself is a problem. the 180gr bullet starts its taper rather early which means when the bullet is seated there is a gap between the case mouth and the bullet. in order to get the mouth to actually contact the bullet a fairly serious crimp needs to be applied. if I reduce the crimp any more then it would be possible for bullets to be pushed back into the cases under recoil.

What cases are you using or have you used so far? Just curious if you find any to be better than others.

haven't been loading the 10mm cartridge long enough to give any real opinion on brass quality. but so far ive used Starline, Sig, and Armscor brass in my reloads. the Armscor brass was found on the ground at my local range and given to me by the range master. none of my cases have failed yet but the Armscor does seem to be softer and warps more then Starline and Sig.

I recently purchased 2200 pieces of mixed head stamp once fired range brass off gunbroker for an outstanding price. at first glance its a jumble of every brand out there so I will get a good chance to see which brand lasts the longest.

-matt

[Geeman]

I recently purchased 2200 pieces of mixed head stamp once fired range brass off gunbroker for an outstanding price. at first glance its a jumble of every brand out there so I will get a good chance to see which brand lasts the longest.

-matt

Or you get to find out which head stamp destroys a pistol.  Not all brass is created equal.  I blew up a Glock with PPU brass because it sprung back after sizing and wouldn't hold the bullet tight.  Warm reloads and one bullet that set back and kaboom.

I now buy new Starline and load them until they are torn up enough to not pass my inspection.

Greg

[matt85]

i will keep your warning in mind.

all of my loads are made on a single stage press which gives me able chance to check each cartridge for issues. these checks can and have included drop tests to insure crimping is sufficient to keep bullets from being driven deeper. there is some PPU brass in my bags and i will make a point of checking them after crimping.

-matt

[Pablo]

Just don't reload the PPU.

Set it aside as I do. Use it alone for really light loads or chuck it. (I chuck it)

[sqlbullet]

Put it in your ruined brass bin and make a trip annually to the local recycle yard.  It'll buy you a nice dinner usually.  I keep spent primers in there as well as they are brass as well.

[PCFlorida]

I recently purchased 2200 pieces of mixed head stamp once fired range brass off gunbroker for an outstanding price. at first glance its a jumble of every brand out there so I will get a good chance to see which brand lasts the longest.

-matt

Or you get to find out which head stamp destroys a pistol.  Not all brass is created equal.  I blew up a Glock with PPU brass because it sprung back after sizing and wouldn't hold the bullet tight.  Warm reloads and one bullet that set back and kaboom.

I now buy new Starline and load them until they are torn up enough to not pass my inspection.

Greg

I'm surprised you can find them to reload them. My G20 really slings them

[matt85]

I checked some of the PPU brass and cant find anything wrong with it. the case walls are the same thickness as Starline and when I run it threw the sizer it measures the same as Starline.

I did a search on this forum for issues with PPU brass and it seems all the posts are 2-3 years old. perhaps PPU has improved? I sent PPU a message asking them about these issues and if any thing was done to solve them.

either way, I don't have a ton of it. ill separate the PPU brass from the rest until I decide what to do with it.

-matt

[Duck of Death]

What do you suppose the velocities are??  Haven't had a chance to chrono them yet:

Glock 29 w/Storm Lake barrel:

14.5 #9/WLP/180 Zero/OAL 1.250 (limited to 14.5 gr--all I can get in the case and seat the bullet)

13.0 #9/WLP/180 cast/OAL 1.250

Added: w/the SL barrel--fired Starline case base measures 4.280, case life is excellent.

[matt85]

What do you suppose the velocities are??  Haven't had a chance to chrono them yet:

Glock 29 w/Storm Lake barrel:

14.5 #9/WLP/180 Zero/OAL 1.250 (limited to 14.5 gr--all I can get in the case and seat the bullet)

13.0 #9/WLP/180 cast/OAL 1.250

Added: w/the SL barrel--fired Starline case base measures 4.280, case life is excellent.

couldnt tell you, your gun and bullet aren't anything like mine. 14.5gr of AA#9 is a pretty dang hot load compared to Accurate's data though.

-matt