5.7 owners : Barnes 40gr TSX bullets

[Brass Fetcher]

Hey guys. I just wanted to pass on the following information I found in my notes today. You can lathe-turn the base off of Barnes 0.224" 53gr TSX bullets and then reload into a 5.7x28mm case using Blue Dot propellant to get an expanding, deep penetrating bullet for the FiveseveN.

Here is the load data I used for a 45gr bullet, which should work well for you: http://www.brassfetcher.com/5.7x28mm/5.7x28mm%2045gr%20bullet%20load%20data.pdf

Impacting at 2033 ft/sec, I got 15.1" penetration in 10% gelatin and 0.077 square inch expansion.

Impacting at 2140 ft/sec, I got 14.4" penetration in 10% gelatin and 0.095 square inch expansion.

Impacting at 2226 ft/sec, I got 13.9" penetration in 10% gelatin and 0.099 square inch expansion.

So, if you don't like the ammo available .. load your own. I made these bullets using both a lathe and a belt sander (with the bullet locked in a collett of course) to remove the extra material from the base of the bullet. The sanded ones were stable though I recommend the lathe approach if you can.

 

[firesky101]

Just out of curiosity, were you getting those velocity numbers from a fiveseven pistol, or some type of rifle.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

FiveseveN pistol

 

[firesky101]

That's some pretty good velocity for the pistol with a 40gr. Certainly out performs the stuff us mere mortals (non-government) can buy factory.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

Haha, well I'm mortal too. Just buy the RCBS reloading dies for 5.7x28mm and get started. The lathe turning is no big deal - but it will get expensive unless you work out some kind of a deal with a machineshop/lathe owner. I could do 6 bullets an hour on a manual lathe with no fixtures, so I would recommend anyone who is interested to develop some kind of 'stop' into the collett so that you can insert the bullet a fixed distance, clamp it, and then cut off a dialed-in amount of material.