9mm Berry 115gr Heavy Plate Hollow Base Round Nose

[doctorjohn]

I'm planning to load some practice ammunition for a close relative. Their qualification ammo is commercially re-manufactured "115gr FMJ".

Most 115gr FMJ I've seen runs 1,050 to 1,150 feet/sec., give or take a little.

I'm planning to use PowerPistol. I've loaded the "regular" Berry 115gr RN with this powder in the past with no issues.

Since the muzzle velocity will be not too far from 1,200 fps, I thought that the heavy plate bullet might be appropriate.

Are there any peculiarities with the heavy plate, hollow base bullet relative to the "regular" round nose that I might encounter in hand loading them? Do they shoot better than the "regular" ones?

Thanks for any insights/experiences.

 

[Walkalong]

Are there any peculiarities with the heavy plate, hollow base bullet relative to the "regular" round nose that I might encounter in hand loading them?

No, load them as usual. I have no clue about the 115 Gr HBRN-TP, but the 124 Gr HBRN-TP shoots great. I imagine the 115 shoots well also.

 

[LiveLife]

9mm Berry 115 gr Hollow Base Heavy Plate ... Are there any peculiarities with the heavy plate, hollow base bullet relative to the "regular" round nose that I might encounter in hand loading them? Do they shoot better than the "regular" ones?

Yes, Berry's HBRN-TP bullets have shot better than Berry's "regular" plated solid base bullets for me. Although they are thick plated, I still use minimal taper crimp of .022" added to the bullet diameter to prevent cutting through the plating and reduce bullet diameter.

The 124 gr HBRN-TP shot more accurate than my reference 115 gr Winchester FMJ but to my surprise, 115 gr HBRN-TP shot more accurate than 124 gr HBRN-TP in my comparison test with Herco. Just goes to show holes on target speaks volumes - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/9mm-and-herco-for-jacketed-lead-plated-bullets.745656/

115 gr Winchester FMJ:
5.8 gr Herco @ 1.150" - 1.30" with light recoil
6.1 gr Herco @ 1.160" - 1.30" with mild recoil

115 gr Berry's HBRN-TP:
5.2 gr Herco @ 1.155" - 1.40" with very light recoil (failed to cycle the slide)
5.8 gr Herco @ 1.155" - 1.50" with light recoil
6.1 gr Herco @ 1.155" - 1.04" KKM with mild recoil
6.1 gr Herco @ 1.155" - 1.20" Lone Wolf with mild recoil

124 gr Berry's HBRN-TP:
5.2 gr Herco @ 1.155" - 1.75" very light recoil (barely cycled the slide)
5.8 gr Herco @ 1.155" - 1.43" light recoil
6.1 gr Herco @ 1.155" - 1.75" mild recoil

Best 10 yard shot groups with Glock 22 and KKM/Lone Wolf conversion barrels

 

[rfwobbly]

I'm planning to use PowerPistol. I've loaded the "regular" Berry 115gr RN with this powder in the past with no issues.

I have not shot the 115gr HBRN, but have extensive experience with the Berry 124gr HBRN. Here's what I learned...

• Load the HBRN at the same OAL and powder load as the "regular" RN and you will get equivalent results. Even though the bullet seats deeper, the void in the bullet's base is equal to material added to the length, thus chamber pressures will be equivalent. Any minor difference in chrono results will be due to the longer bearing surface of the HBRN vs. the standard RN.

• Your group sizes will shrink when comparing 115gr HBRN to the same 115gr RN. Hence, this is a very good choice in bullets.

• The Berry Mfg FAQ page says you can load the TP (thick plate) bullets at speeds up to 1500fps. That should cover you !

All the best.
.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

If you haven't already, take a look at rmrbullets.com. Their plated bullets are good to 1400 fps and are very accurate.

 

[LiveLife]

If you haven't already, take a look at rmrbullets.com. Their plated bullets are good to 1400 fps and are very accurate.

RMR's regular plated bullet with .008"-.010" plating is rated to 1400 fps. RMR's Hardcore Match thick plated bullet with .012"-.014" is rated to 1500 fps - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ng-at-25-50-yards.808446/page-3#post-10470195

Berry's sizes their 9mm bullets around .3555" and advertises as .356". If your barrel is over sized at .356"+, you will benefit from RMR 115 gr Hardcore Match bullets as they are sized larger at .356" and tighter seal with the barrel should produce greater accuracy.