.40 S&W: Which plated bullet?

[pert near]

I am the proud owner of a new H&K P30 .40 cal pistol I bought on a black-Friday deal! I'm gearing up to reload for this & I hope to use plated bullets for plinking & practice. H&K claim the barrel features "polygonal bore profile" whatever that means. I'm assuming plated bullets should be fine, but this being my first .40 cal gun, Berry offers bullets in .401 dia while most others (Rainer,Xtreme,etc) offer .400 dia. Is there an advantage to one over the other? Also I noticed that there has been some discussions on plating thickness. I'm a big fan of Xtreme bullets but a minimum order is 500, as are most other plated bullet makers. At least I can get just a 100 from Berry to try. Also, for low recoil target & practice, how light should I go on bullet weight? Perhaps just stick to 180's & reduce to fit my needs?

Any ideas, thoughts, experiences & advice would be most appreciated!

TIA

 

[1KPerDay]

I like 165 RNFP from Xtreme. Shot about 8K so far. Polygonal barrels mostly.

 

[jwalts27]

I like RockyMountainReloading 180 plated or Thebulletworks 180 plated bullets. TBW has free shipping and is usually one of the cheapest around. TJ Conevera also has good deals from time to time. I never cared for Berrys bullets much. Powerbond is another but a little pricier.

 

[bbqreloader]

I second 1kPerDay! Just switched over to RMR 40's. They work great!. The nice thing about RMR is they offer a 100 or 250, so get one and try it out. Plus RMR's owner "LongDayJake" is on this forum and offers free shipping. About a buck difference when you use the THR code for RMR. I have never had a problem with RMR's shipping and if there is a problem Jake is quick to get something on his site or send an email out vs the other X company mentioned.
I always buy their in house 9mm FMJ's, hoping they can expand production to an in house 40 (165 FMJ) at some point.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I shot a lot of Rainier 165 FP's in my HK USP 40 and Glock .40/10mms with good results, Berry's were OK, didn't try any others.
Some plinking at 25 yards with Rainier 165's in a Glock 29 with a KKM .40 conversion barrel.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Coated bullets from SNS, MBC, Bayou and others are cheaper and perform better than plated.

 

[stompah]

I like 165 RNFP from Xtreme. Shot about 8K so far. Polygonal barrels mostly.

I use the same bullet. So far so good.

Overall I've had very good luck with xtreme bullets

 

[mcappys]

I second 1kPerDay! Just switched over to RMR 40's. They work great!. The nice thing about RMR is they offer a 100 or 250, so get one and try it out. Plus RMR's owner "LongDayJake" is on this forum and offers free shipping. About a buck difference when you use the THR code for RMR. I have never had a problem with RMR's shipping and if there is a problem Jake is quick to get something on his site or send an email out vs the other X company mentioned.
I always buy their in house 9mm FMJ's, hoping they can expand production to an in house 40 (165 FMJ) at some point.

I buy from RMR but don't know of code. can you tell me it
thanks

 

[LiveLife]

RMR 5% THR discount code is thehighroad5 and you must enter THR ID in the order comment box

40S&W ... for low recoil target & practice, how light should I go on bullet weight? Perhaps just stick to 180's & reduce to fit my needs?

After switching USPSA match caliber from 45ACP/9mm to 40S&W, I initially shot 155 gr Montana Gold FMJ but later switched to 165 gr JHP for shift of center of mass towards the bullet base for better rotational stability in flight and longer bullet base for greater neck tension/more consistent chamber pressures. I used Berry's and Rainier 165/180 gr plated bullets for practice and since have shot several hundred thousand rounds of various brand plated bullet reloads.

As to lighter recoiling target and practice loads, softer recoil loads I use are with 180 gr bullets loaded with lower/start charges of W231/HP-38 to produce 9mm like recoil.

As to developing accurate 40S&W load, you may need to load longer than SAAMI max of 1.135" depending on the bullet used. With most 165/180 gr TCFP bullets, longer 1.142"-1.143" will work in my Glock/M&P/Lone Wolf barrels. With RMR Hardcore Match 180 gr RNFP bullet, even longer 1.155" will work to reduce gas leakage and produce accuracy. So use your barrel to determine the max OAL and function test by feeding/chambering dummy rounds from magazine to determine the working OAL that will work with your pistol before conducting powder work up.

RMR 180 gr RNFP loaded to 1.135" vs 1.155"

Herco work up with TCFP bullet to 1.142"-1.143" - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-for-lead-plated-bullets.743416/#post-9363753

BE-86 work up with RNFP bullet to 1.150"-1.155" - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ick-plated-bullets.761471/page-4#post-9645513

Smallest 5 shot group witnessed by THR member - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ick-plated-bullets.761471/page-4#post-9646476

I noticed that there has been some discussions on plating thickness

Gilding metal thickness for jacketed bullets range .015"-.030". For me, plated bullets come in two thickness of copper plating, regular plated with around .004" thickness and thick plated with .010"+ thickness. While regular plated bullets are rated to around 1200 fps, I find that using higher than mid range jacketed load data often decreased accuracy while thick plated bullets with 1500 fps rating maintained accuracy to max jacketed load data.

On this thread, I list the plating thickness and velocity rating of plated bullets as best as I could find (BTW, RMR lists velocity rating of their regular plated bullets .008"-.010" at 1400 fps) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ng-at-25-50-yards.808446/page-2#post-10334678

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

I would go with RMR bullets, 165 grain plated is probably the best balance of speed, recoil, and power.

 

[Hondo 60]

I like RockyMountainReloading 180 plated

Yup, +1 Infact I just rec'd a shipment from RMR 2 days ago - 180gr FP

http://rmrbullets.com/shop/bullets-...mr-hardcore-match-rnfp-plated/?v=d21544892884

 

[pert near]

WOW! Great information here & thanks for all the good responses!

I bought the RCBS carbide 3 die set & shell holder. I know this cartridge headspaces on the case mouth & a taper crimp is in order. Are there any special suggestions on crimping, especially in regards to plated bullets? Should I add a Lee factory crimp die to my die set?

Again, TIA...

 

[vaalpens]

For me, plated bullets come in two thickness of copper plating, regular plated with around .004" thickness and thick plated with .010"+ thickness. While regular plated bullets are rated to around 1200 fps, I find that using higher than mid range jacketed load data often decreased accuracy while thick plated bullets with 1500 fps rating maintained accuracy to max jacketed load data.

I mostly use the Xtreme 165gr concave base bullets with the thicker plating. This works well for me, but I have tested the 180gr RMR bullet, which is also a thicker plating, and it also worked well. The thicker plated bullets have always worked better for me, and since they are higher rated, it gives you a wider window in which to operate.

Should I add a Lee factory crimp die to my die set?

You probably shouldn't have started another heated discussion about using a Lee FCD, but since you asked, I use it and it has been great for me. Follow the directions and you should be fine with plated bullets.

 

[LiveLife]

I use RCBS and Lee dies for 40S&W. Since case wall thickness averages .011", I usually add .022" to the diameter of the bullet for taper crimp. So for .400" sized plated bullets, I use .422" taper crimp. For .401" sized bullets, .423" taper crimp.

I do not use Lee FCD for normal reloading of my rounds and they readily fully chamber in even tighter Lone Wolf aftermarket chambers. If your bullets are sized .400" (which the FCD was made for), then you shouldn't have any issues with posting sizing of the bullet. FCD is good for fixing out of round/spec rounds or push through resizing of overly expanded brass that won't fully resize from the resizing die to chamber in your barrel.

I find that Lee carbide sizer ring with smaller radius will size brass further down on the case base and do not need to "bulge bust" overly expanded brass by push through resizing with FCD.

 

[PO2Hammer]

WOW! Great information here & thanks for all the good responses!

I bought the RCBS carbide 3 die set & shell holder. I know this cartridge headspaces on the case mouth & a taper crimp is in order. Are there any special suggestions on crimping, especially in regards to plated bullets? Should I add a Lee factory crimp die to my die set?

Again, TIA...

Your RCBS dies should be fie. No need for the Lee FCD. No need for much if any crimp. On all my 40/10mm I set the crimp to just return the case mouth to straight. I used a separate seat die and Redding taper crimp, but it can be done with 1 die since you're not crimping hard. With revolver ammo, a separate seat and crimp die is a must with plated.

 

[PO2Hammer]

The only die upgrade I would suggest would be the Lyman 'M' style expand/flare die. The 2 step expander allows you to start a bullet securely in the case without loosing the case neck tension.

 

[rfwobbly]

I bought the RCBS carbide 3 die set & shell holder. I know this cartridge headspaces on the case mouth & a taper crimp is in order. Are there any special suggestions on crimping, especially in regards to plated bullets? Should I add a Lee factory crimp die to my die set?

I also use the RMR 165gr @ 1.130" over a minimal load of fast powder, like N320 or Clays.

If you have a 3-position press, then the dies you have are fine. If you have a 4-position press then doing the TC in the 4th position is a distinct advantage. I'm not a fan of the FCD. May I instead suggest the less expensive Lee Taper Crimp Die, Lee part number 90782.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/673624/lee-taper-crimp-die-40-s-and-w-10mm-auto

I use one of these type dies with every auto pistol caliber die set.
.