CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.
I recently ordered several hundred coated bullets from Bayou Bullets (www.bayoubullets.net) for testing. The purpose of this exercise was to determine if these coated bullets would hold up to full-power 10mm loads. The order arrived within 3 days of placing the order. Total cost with shipping was $44 for 300 bullets in 3 calibers (all green). The price for a case of 2,500 .40-caliber bullets WITH shipping is $242, which works out to .0968 cents per bullet. A regular lead bullet works out to about .06 cents, depending on the source.
The first thing I did was mic a handful of the .40 bullets (175gr SWC) at random - all measured at .401.
The next step was to match up suitable powder with the bullets. This was my first attempt to load lead for 10mm, so I had to do a little powder research. I settled on Red Dot and Bullseye, primarily because that's what I have on hand, although Bullseye was also listed favorably in the Lyman manual. Unique was also initially considered but rejected after I remembered that it had performed poorly in 10mm when using plated bullets.
I used 3 test charges of 5 rounds each using both Red Dot and Bullseye, for a total of 30 test rounds. Red Dot loads were 5.4gr, 5.7gr and 6.0gr. Bullseye loads were 5.9gr, 6.2gr and 6.4gr. My current standard 180gr plated bullet with 13.5gr of AA#9 was used as a benchmark. These loads were chosen due to their similar numbers on the charts, i.e., 5.4gr Red Dot aligns closely with 5.9gr Bullseye.
Before I went to the range and wasted my whole day for nothing I made sure to chamber a full magazine. I seated the bullets to the manual-recommended 1.253" and they chambered with no problems. This seating depth is .013" shorter than normal 10mm, but I haven't used SWCs in an auto and was concerned they might hang up.
My S&W 1006 was used for the test as it is the sturdiest auto 10mm I own.
The first load fired was 5.4gr of Red Dot. The report and recoil seemed slightly underpowered, but the rounds shot to point of aim and in fact were some of the most accurate fired during the test. 5.7gr showed a noticeable increase in recoil, but was still manageable. The max load of 6.0gr Red Dot closely replicated the AA#9 control loads and were quite snappy. All Red Dot loads hit point of aim consistently. I did not notice any smoke while firing any of these loads. Additionally, the barrel and action were pristine with no traces of leading or residue.
Next up was the Bullseye, starting with the 5.9gr load. I noticed a slight decrease in accuracy compared to the Red Dot loads. The 6.2gr loads were worse for recoil, but accuracy improved slightly during this string, possibly indicating a sweet spot for this gun/load. The max load of 6.4gr Bullseye had extremely heavy recoil, more so even than the 13.5gr AA#9 control. All Bullseye loads had a mild amount of smoke, but far less than a regular lead bullet from any other caliber I have shot. I don't have any .40-caliber lead bullets on hand to compare this against, but remember the Red Dot loads had none. It should also be noted that the max Bullseye load of 6.4gr generates an additional 45 FPS over the max 6.0 Red Dot load (1197 vs 1152 FPS) while generating 300 PSI lower pressure (paper figures).
CONCLUSION: These coated bullets worked well and in fact exceeded my expectations. Listed velocities for these loads range from 1113 FPS (5.4gr Red Dot) to 1197 FPS (6.4gr Bullseye). I will be ordering more in the future and will likely use Red Dot to propel them as it did very well.
Sorry for the long post but hopefully the information will help someone down the road.
5.4 5.7 6.0 Red Dot
5.9 6.2 6.4 Bullseye
I recently ordered several hundred coated bullets from Bayou Bullets (www.bayoubullets.net) for testing. The purpose of this exercise was to determine if these coated bullets would hold up to full-power 10mm loads. The order arrived within 3 days of placing the order. Total cost with shipping was $44 for 300 bullets in 3 calibers (all green). The price for a case of 2,500 .40-caliber bullets WITH shipping is $242, which works out to .0968 cents per bullet. A regular lead bullet works out to about .06 cents, depending on the source.
The first thing I did was mic a handful of the .40 bullets (175gr SWC) at random - all measured at .401.
The next step was to match up suitable powder with the bullets. This was my first attempt to load lead for 10mm, so I had to do a little powder research. I settled on Red Dot and Bullseye, primarily because that's what I have on hand, although Bullseye was also listed favorably in the Lyman manual. Unique was also initially considered but rejected after I remembered that it had performed poorly in 10mm when using plated bullets.
I used 3 test charges of 5 rounds each using both Red Dot and Bullseye, for a total of 30 test rounds. Red Dot loads were 5.4gr, 5.7gr and 6.0gr. Bullseye loads were 5.9gr, 6.2gr and 6.4gr. My current standard 180gr plated bullet with 13.5gr of AA#9 was used as a benchmark. These loads were chosen due to their similar numbers on the charts, i.e., 5.4gr Red Dot aligns closely with 5.9gr Bullseye.
Before I went to the range and wasted my whole day for nothing I made sure to chamber a full magazine. I seated the bullets to the manual-recommended 1.253" and they chambered with no problems. This seating depth is .013" shorter than normal 10mm, but I haven't used SWCs in an auto and was concerned they might hang up.
My S&W 1006 was used for the test as it is the sturdiest auto 10mm I own.
The first load fired was 5.4gr of Red Dot. The report and recoil seemed slightly underpowered, but the rounds shot to point of aim and in fact were some of the most accurate fired during the test. 5.7gr showed a noticeable increase in recoil, but was still manageable. The max load of 6.0gr Red Dot closely replicated the AA#9 control loads and were quite snappy. All Red Dot loads hit point of aim consistently. I did not notice any smoke while firing any of these loads. Additionally, the barrel and action were pristine with no traces of leading or residue.
Next up was the Bullseye, starting with the 5.9gr load. I noticed a slight decrease in accuracy compared to the Red Dot loads. The 6.2gr loads were worse for recoil, but accuracy improved slightly during this string, possibly indicating a sweet spot for this gun/load. The max load of 6.4gr Bullseye had extremely heavy recoil, more so even than the 13.5gr AA#9 control. All Bullseye loads had a mild amount of smoke, but far less than a regular lead bullet from any other caliber I have shot. I don't have any .40-caliber lead bullets on hand to compare this against, but remember the Red Dot loads had none. It should also be noted that the max Bullseye load of 6.4gr generates an additional 45 FPS over the max 6.0 Red Dot load (1197 vs 1152 FPS) while generating 300 PSI lower pressure (paper figures).
CONCLUSION: These coated bullets worked well and in fact exceeded my expectations. Listed velocities for these loads range from 1113 FPS (5.4gr Red Dot) to 1197 FPS (6.4gr Bullseye). I will be ordering more in the future and will likely use Red Dot to propel them as it did very well.
Sorry for the long post but hopefully the information will help someone down the road.
5.4 5.7 6.0 Red Dot
5.9 6.2 6.4 Bullseye
