ACME 158gn SWC-NLG

[vaalpens]

I have been debating if I should go with the grooveless SWC coated bullet, or just stick with the regular bullets with a groove an coated.

Looking around the ACME grooveless bullet came up at a reasonable price and shipping was only $6 for 500. I wasn't ready to order 1000 at this time, so I decided to try out the ACME bullets.

I have not loaded any of the bullets yet, but I will report my findings as soon as I get time to work up a few loads and test them out.

First impressions so far is that the ACME customer service is excellent and shipping is on par with RMR, it goes out fast. They added something extra, and I received a small Labor Day 2016 wooden box with a few pieces of candy with my order. The quality of the coating looks very good and it seems like the bullets have been coated uniformly with a nice smooth finish. Now I just need to test these bullets and see how good they work for me.

 

[Walkalong]

I bought 100 of four different ACME bullets a few weeks ago. I bought 100 of those to try. They shot well. I did not test them hard enough to prove if they shot better than another brands grooved ones. I like the 180 Gr .40 I tried as well. Wasn't impressed with the grooveless 148 Gr WC. The 175 Gr SWC in .45 shot great for me, and I shot some more test loads with it again last night using Competition, AA #2, and N310. They shot well again.

I agree that they ship quickly and the boxes are cool for sure. Nothing but a positive experience with them so far. They didn't beat RMR's shipping, but it was pretty quick.

 

[vaalpens]

Walkalong, thank for the evaluation information.

ACME also use USPS 2 day priority mail. I ordered on a Thursday, package going out the same day, and I received the package on the Saturday. Good in my books.

I did verify 10 bullets for weight and diameter with the following results:

Weight: 158.2, 157.7, 157.2, 158.3, 157.3, 157.8, 158.7, 158.3, 158, 157.3
Average: 157.88
ES: 1.5

Diameter: 0.3585, 0.3575, 0.3585, 0.359, 0.3585, 0.358, 0.358, 0.3585, 0.3585, 0.3585
Average: 0.35835
ES: 0.0015

 

[Walkalong]

I compared them with SNS grooved 158 Gr SWCs. Neither brand were terribly consistent on length and diameter, but that may be typical of Hi-Tek coated bullets. I have just started playing with them. I used to shoot some "Precision" brand coated bullets, but that was (is?) a whole different type of coating.

 

[vaalpens]

I did load 20 of them for my first load workup and I was able to use the same COL I used with the MBC 158gn SWC's. They loaded very well with no scraping or size issues. The proof is in the pudding, so I will report back as soon as I made some time to test these ACME bullets.

 

[vaalpens]

I was able to test some of ACME bullet loads this weekend, but things did not go very well. Accuracy was good, but I had some issues with my chrono. On top of that I forgot to bring some additional 38/357 ammo, which meant I could not verify if it was a bullet/light or chrono issue.

My chrono reading for most shots were in the 1300 to 1320 range, with 900's and 300's in between. There is no way I was in the 1300 range with the loads I was testing. I had my 357sig with me, which I used to verify the chrono, but the reading were high 1290's and low 1300's, where they should be. This was not conclusive since it is where the 357sig should be, but still around the 1300 range where the 357mag tested at.

After testing about 4 loads and I could see it was impacting my accuracy due to stopping and starting, I decided to abandon the chrono testing for the day.

I only tested my CFE Pistol and Power Pistol loads, and they performed as expected. It seems I was shooting a bit low yesterday, but I think it was me since I caught myself a few times where the sights were not lined up correctly all the time. Having one eye on the chrono and one on the sights obviously did not help.

My evaluation so far is that the ACME bullets loads well, goes in smoothly and I have not had any size issues. Following are some of my groupings, with the best performing loads in line with what I have seen with my MBC loads.

These loads were tested at 10 yards.

 

[Walkalong]

most shots were in the 1300 to 1320 range, with 900's and 300's in between.

Late in the day with the sun at an extreme angle? Cloudy?

 

[vaalpens]

Late in the day with the sun at an extreme angle? Cloudy?

This was in the middle of the day around noon to 2PM, no clouds, bright sun, facing North and about 100 degrees.

This is a first time for me seeing this type of readings and I have used the chrono from early in the morning until later in the day. With my next outing I will probably not plan on any load evaluation, but rather just evaluating the chrono with some known loads.

Hopefully it is not a chrono issue since I have come to rely on the readings to give me a more complete picture of my reloads.

 

[IlikeSA]

I shoot the 158 grain grooved Acme bullet and have been pleased with its performance. I look forward to your range review.

 

[Dudedog]

It's nice when they touch

 

[vaalpens]

It's nice when they touch

It would be even better if I had one cluster of touching holes instead of two.

So far I am happy with these bullets. No I just need to resolve my chrono issue.

 

[vaalpens]

I shoot the 158 grain grooved Acme bullet and have been pleased with its performance. I look forward to your range review.

Thanks. I will definitely report back if I had new information. So far I am impressed with the performance.

Do you have any velocity data for your ACME 158gn loads?

 

[IlikeSA]

I don't have a chrono, but the load data stated as high as 1559 with a high number of grains of Lil Gun. I was not particularly pleased with Lil Gun, and keep a few loaded so that others can feel a max load, should they choose to shoot it. I don't recommend them that fast, as I had accuracy issues, it kicked like a mule, not to mention the load could be unsafe in a standard .357 revolver. The data can be found on handloads.com.

My standard load with them is 14 grains of 2400. It is accurate for me shooting at a 3x5 index card (2.5 inches, give or take a few tenths) and is well within spec for a full magnum load. I see no reason to go any faster, although there is room to go higher. If I want faster I will use 296/H110, or try 300MP.

 

[GarrettJ]

I've loaded and shot a few thousand ACME 9mm, and been happy with them. Enough so that I just bought another case of them.

 

[vaalpens]

Thanks for the replies.

The reason why I asked about the velocity was that with my first outing I had issues with my chrono. Last weekend I went out again, but this time to test the chrono with some known loads. The chrono was consistent a few times, then went on the blink again. At the end of the day I decided that I could not trust the chrono and decided to send it back to Competition Electronics. I called them and they indicated the turnaround time will be 5 days, so hopefully in a week or so I'll be able to do some chrono work again.

When I tested the chrono I also ran my AME loads through again. I did get some better results, but will verify it again once I get the chrono back. Following are the results with one load I only received 2 reading that I could maybe trust:

3" Ruger SP101, 357mag
COL: 1.620"
ACME, 158gn, SWCNLG, PowerPistol, 6.9gn, WSP
Average: 999
ES: 21
SD: 14.8
Force: 350
PF: 157
Velocities: 989, , , , 1010

3" Ruger SP101, 357mag
COL: 1.620"
ACME, 158gn, SWCNLG, CFEpistol, 5.6gn, WSP
Average: 844
ES: 45
SD: 17.1
Force: 250
PF: 133
Velocities: 841, 869, 851, 835, 824