Berry plated rifle bullets....

[SSN Vet]

ordered 150 gr. Berry premium plated bullets for my .30-30.

want to work up an accurate 100yd target load using W748.

Berry's says 1,200 fps is the general guide for their plated bullets.

This seems kinda slow (I've seen hard cast load tables going up to 2,200 fps) What's the issue behind the velocity limit for the plated bullets.

thanks in advance.

 

[rbernie]

Above a certain rotational speed, the plating has a tendency to fly off. This disrupts the flight path of the bullet considerably.

 

[JJE]

1,200 fps is very slow for a 150 gr .30-30. The Berry's may be an inexpensive plinking bullet for .30-30, but I'm not sure how much accuracy you'll get. Still, if you're shooting a .30-30, world-beating accuracy probably isn't your goal. I'd like to know what kind of results you get.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The 30-30 bullet from Berry's is rated at 1,700 fps, as is their 7.62x39 and 45-70 bullets. The M1 Carbine bullet is rated at 1,600 fps. Those bullets work fine at those recommended speeds. The information is on Page 6 of their 2007 Dealer Catalog. They should list it on their web page, but I didn't see it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[SSN Vet]

Here's where I'm going.....

Thankyou Fred for the info. from the dealer catalog.

The 2nd ed. of Modern Reloading has a "down load" section for cast rifle bullets (only for .30-30, .308 & .30-06)

Apparently, only Hodges would go "on the record" for the reduced velocity rifle loads...

Here's what I pulled off the .30-30 tables....

for a 150 gr cast bullet, 28 Gr of BL-C(2) gives 1,670 fps
for a 170 gr cast bullet, 24 Gr of BL-C(2) gives 1,670 fps
for a 170 gr cast bullet, 24 Gr of VARGET gives 1,700 fps

IMR has a Relative Burn Rate Chart that puts W748 one step above BL-C(2)(slightly faster) & one step below VARGET (slightly slower).

So for a 170 gr. bullet I'd assume 24 gr. of W748 would do the trick.

The plated Berry bullet is 150 Gr so I'm thinking that I'll start 10% below the BL-C(2) load for 150 gr cast, or 25 g and work up towards a max of 28 gr in 1 gr increments (~3.5% each step).

Does this sound reasonable?

I'll have to check the target for signs of copper fragments after each test.