180 XTPs, Power Pistol and what's next?

[Casper]

I have a 6" Glock 21 conversion barrel from Storm Lake and I have bought some reloading supplies.

First off Lee Carbide 3 die set, a factory crimp die and a case trimmer.  I'll be using a single stage press with charges thrown by an auto-trickler.

I have 500 180 grain Hornady XTPs.

I have 600 pieces of new Starline brass.

I have a jug of Power Pistol.

My reason for owning a 10mm is to have the most powerful semi-auto handgun within reason.

Said another way, I don't want .40 short and weak loads but I don't want to kill brass before it's been loaded a few times.

The reason why I chose the 180 XTP is because some gelatin tests show good penetration with expansion and weight retention at high velocity.

I would appreciate any starting loads and recipes with velocity.  I haven't bought primers yet so I'm open to suggestions.

Ideally I would have a 180 grain bullet at 1,300 fps with 0.800+ expansion, deep penetration and near 100% weight retention.  If there is a better combo to get there, let me know.

[Casper]

Also, is there any good reference for how much crimp I should use for a warm 10mm that might start 15 deep in the magazine?

Thanks.

[Graybeard]

I posted some results from my Kimber TLE II and 10mm AR here http://10mm-firearms.com/reloading-10mm-ammo/chrony-results-for-10mm-ar-and-kimber-tle-ii/msg75556/#msg75556
I used Zero 180gr hollow points as a surrogate for XTPs, much cheaper. Power Pistol is one the three powders I used.

Case neck tension is as much a factor, or more, of your sizing die as crimp is. I don't use Lee dies, so I can't really help you out there. Once you've loaded a round, give the bullet a good push against something hard if you're worried about setback. Bouncing around in a magazine usually doesn't cause any setback. If it does occur it's usually during chambering.

Congrats on your purchases! Have lots of safe fun

[The_Shadow]

Graybeard's 9.0 gr load is good

Here is what 8.7 grains did from Glock G20 with a Glock Factory 6" 'Hunting Barrel' that was custom ported. (Note 6" BBL)
Bullet - 180g Hornady XTP JHP
Case -  DT (NEW)
Primer - CCI #350 LPM (note Mag primers)
Powder - PP 8.6 g.
# of Rounds Loaded & Fired - 5

VELOCITY:
1) 1359      2) 1359        3) 1357      4) 1335       5) 1330

Average Velocity - 1344 FPS:
Average Muzzle Energy:-

[Casper]

I like the velocity.

What do you suggest for a starting load?  Maybe 7.1 grains?

I'll have more questions after my brass shows up tomorrow.

[slayer61]

Alliant says 9.3 is MAX for a 180 using Power Pistol. Reduce by 10% & you're at ~ 8.4 grains

https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?page=/reloaders/powderlist.aspx&type=1&powderid=8&cartridge=30

[Graybeard]

Power Pistol data has been around for awhile for 10mm. Alliant says 9.3gr is max, other sources say 9.6gr. Shadow's load at 8.6gr is pretty conservative (safe) and obviously effective in his 6" barrel. I really think you would be fine starting there. If you're chasing speed and want to do it safely, switch to LongShot. If you want to do it a little less safely, try 800X. Be very careful with 800X and use newer data. There is old data for 800X that lists 10gr as max. Newer data lists 9.4gr for 180gr bullets.

[Casper]

I've been looking here and there and I thought I saw max loads in the 8.x grain region with a lot of sub 1,300 velocities.

With that in mind, the 8.7 grains sounds high and 8 grains to start sounds high too.

Maybe I was looking at bad or old data.  It will still make me a bit nervous to start at 8 grains.

Is 7.1 too low to start?  I don't want to find out I did something grossly wrong on the first shot.  I haven't reloaded for pistol in about 20 years and not much then.

If I can make myself feel safer for the cost of a few light loads, I would rather do that unless it's getting close to the too little powder point.

By the way, is there anything to worry about with too little powder?  I know in rifle there is but maybe it's because the cases are longer?

[The_Shadow]

When you study the Alliant data you will see that the 9.3 grain load is for the 180 Gr FMJ's which is a shorter bullet than the 180 gr JHP's.
Power Pistol can be a little forgiving but not all bullets are equal...

[Graybeard]

Hornady has listed 9.6gr as max with both 180gr XTPs and 180gr fmj. IIRC, they also list a COAL of 1.260 while most others are 1.250.

I doubt you would end up with a bullet stuck in your barrel if you started with 7.1gr of PP, but  also doubt it would burn fully and perform well. If it doesn't cycle your action, check your barrel.

Too little powder in pistol rounds has been linked to secondary explosion effect, which some argue doesn't exist as it's not repeatable in a testing situation. In the early days of cowboy action shooting (using ultralight charges) many guns were destroyed with SEE as the most probable cause. Most agree that if more than half of the case is filled this doesn't happen.

8gr of PP is not a lot for 180gr bullets. I've gone up to 9.6gr for testing in my 10mm AR and the empties were fine. Slightly flattened primers, but nothing out of the ordinary for hot 10mm and definitely reloadable. This was using new Starline brass. I would not necessarily try that with cheaper brass.

[Casper]

Ok, I think I'll start at 8 grains.

Although I will double check this against book loads.

Thanks.

[Graybeard]

Although I will double check this against book loads.

Thanks.

I would hope so! Who would rely only on some stranger on the internet? 

[Kenk]

Coulombe agree more...considering digits, and or more body parts are on the line : )