Pushing Berry's 44 mag too fast??

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Is it a cannelured bullet? Even so, hard to get enough crimp on a plated bullet for H110/W296, without compromising the plating. Other issue is jacket separation in the barrel by pushing them so hard. Only real reason to push a .44 that hard in a rifle is for hunting and Berry's are not an expanding type bullet.
 
Is it a cannelured bullet? Even so, hard to get enough crimp on a plated bullet for H110/W296, without compromising the plating. Other issue is jacket separation in the barrel by pushing them so hard. Only real reason to push a .44 that hard in a rifle is for hunting and Berry's are not an expanding type bullet.
thank you.......you confirmed my thoughts
 
I've been there and done that with Berrys (In 10mm, 357 and 44)
Expect terrible results w/ plated bullets at "High Velocity" loadings.
Their so called 1,250 and 1,500 fps limits are very optimistic. From my experience, they limit out at more like 900 and 1,050fps.

I've been more impressed with Xtremes offerings of plated bullets, but maybe I've just been lucky with Xtreme and unlucky with Berrys.

Treat them like swaged soft lead....that's what they are, with a shiny coating.
 
18-Brinell - 240gr. Hard-Cast LSWC (and others) from Missouri Bullet Company--- I highly recommend. Less $ than plated, more accurate, and can handle the velocities you speak of....
 
Expect terrible results w/ plated bullets at "High Velocity" loadings.

I agree, I took their plated bullets up to full .357mag loading., around 1250fps, and ended up with little copper balls welded to the inside of my barrel.
They were easy to knock out of there but how did they get there without leading my barrel also. I never saw that before. I never heard of it since.
I quit loading them past upper mid range after that.
The same thing happened in my SR-9 barrel around the same time. I know they were hot loads but I didn't think they were that hot.
It I want maximum loads these days, I use hard cast lead or jacketed.
 
Save the Berry's for pleasant plinking, the 240 FP work super well over 7.3 grains of TiteGroup with a mild crimp, both in revolvers and carbines. Save the H110 for JSP and JHP loads. Especially since you can load a whole lotta of Berry's with a lb of TG, but not so many jacketed bullets with a lb of H110.
 
Three primary concerns:
  • Don't know about leading but would expect multiple holes in a paper target after the bullet comes apart.
  • Assuming no cannelure/crimp groove, you're left with a taper crimp >> only neck tension to hold >> would plan on bullet movement/assoc problems in tube of 20" lever.
  • A firm roll crimp on H110 is necessary for proper ignition.
 
Occasional little hot graunles hitting you in the face is to be expected when shooting revolvers..... but not with every single shot!

I've used book minimum loads with 10mm, and still had the Berrys Hollow points (defensive ones)Key-Hole every 3rd or 5th round.

Welcome to Suck City...Population: Whoever's loading Berry's Bullets past 1,000fps
 
I looked up the published FPS on 240 grain cast data. My Lyman book has both pistol and rifle data. According to the 10 grains of unique. It pushes a 240 grain bullet at 1330 fps under the rifle data.. The copper plated give or take a few FPS. I checked my bore. Squeaky clean other than some powder granules. The box the Berrys came in say max velocity 1250.
 
I don't push my Berry's and also don't use H110. 2400 or Unique are my choices, for powders. The H110 is saved for non plated bullets. Just me, anyhow.
 
Three primary concerns:
  • Don't know about leading but would expect multiple holes in a paper target after the bullet comes apart.
  • Assuming no cannelure/crimp groove, you're left with a taper crimp >> only neck tension to hold >> would plan on bullet movement/assoc problems in tube of 20" lever.
  • A firm roll crimp on H110 is necessary for proper ignition.

With plated bullets you generally just get very bad accuracy at normally measured distances. If you have a target close enough, like 3 ft or less, you can see the pinwheel from the disintegration of the plating and lead.

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“Crimping” plated bullets just swages the lead down, while the case springs back, just making any neck tension you had go away.

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I don’t crimp some of my H110 loads at all, 300 blk and 458 socom being two and two of the most accurate H110 loads I have as well.

That said, neither are tube fed firearms. I too would pick another bullet, especially for hunting game animals. A good JHP will out perform the Berry’s in every way except price. Don’t get me wrong, I have shot hundreds of thousands of Berry’s bullets and won lots of matches with them but I understood their limitations.
 
You've pushed thin plated/damaged-by-crimp bullets to 1800 fps or more and they remain intact? Would be interesting to see vel differences between firm and no crimp.
 
With a top velocity of 1250 for their thin plated and 1500 for their thick plated ... it looks like your proposed load will be hitting 1800 fps ... way to fast for good results .
I would use another bullet or reduce the velocity , with another powder , to get the velocity that berry says to use . H110 powder doesn't like to reduce much below 20 grs. and that will still be around 1600 fps .
Gary
 
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