I Need Handload Data 45acp Berry`s 185gr HBRN

[Cooter Boolit]

Looking for a recipe for 45acp Berry`s Plated 185gr HBRN thats worked for you guys.
The load i`m looking for is ONLY for WW 231 powder with this particular plated bullet.

OAL 1.260 is usually what i`m running with most of my round nose 45`s.

 

[dgod]

Here are several 45ACP Loads for 185gr:

HP-38,5.9gr, 906fps
Bullseye, 6.4gr, 986fps
Unique, 8.2gr, 1015fps
Bluedot, 13.5gr, HOT and Accurate

As always, untried loads should be slowly worked up for your safety

Dan

 

[Cooter Boolit]

Thanks Dan,
HP-38 is the same as WW231, and 5.9 is the load i loaded up, but haven`t tried it yet. I taper crimped to .470 and the OAL is 1.260
All brass was new WW and WLP primers. The rounds all dropped very nicely into my ammo check gauge.
I had 500 of these Berry`s 185gr HBRN given to me, so i just wanted to use them up for plinking rounds.
Have you used this HP-38 w/5.9gr load before...??? If so, how was the recoil (???)

Some other Berry`s i`ve tried:
Hodgdon CFE-Pistol powder with the berry`s plated 230rn, worked very well..!

 

[Walkalong]

HP-38 is the same as WW231, and 5.9 is the load i loaded up, but haven`t tried it yet.

Why start so high?

 

[dgod]

I really like HP-38/W231, I use it in 9mm, 38 Spec, 357mag, and 45ACP, of course several bullet weights.

It is a Good Powder for my use.

Dan

 

[Cooter Boolit]

Why start so high?

I`m familiar with WW231/HP38, used it in all my 45`s for many years. But i never played with 185gr plated bullets in my 45`s before. I had looked at MANY other forums using this load i asked about, just about every one of them were using 5.8 to 6.0grns for this berry`s 185gr HBRN. I guess i was just looking for more opinions and data on it.

 

[Cooter Boolit]

I really like HP-38/W231, I use it in 9mm, 38 Spec, 357mag, and 45ACP, of course several bullet weights.

It is a Good Powder for my use.

Dan

Both HP-38/WW231 have always been my "go to" powder for many many years, i`ve always had very good luck with it.
Wasn`t until recently, when plated bullets became much better, i started using them more, mainly because they`re cheaper to shoot. I casted my own bullets for 40yrs, but lead is getting hard to find, and its not cheap anymore. Not to mention, plated bullet access is way easier, less time consuming, more consistent now.

 

[thomas15]

I`m familiar with WW231/HP38, used it in all my 45`s for many years. But i never played with 185gr plated bullets in my 45`s before. I had looked at MANY other forums using this load i asked about, just about every one of them were using.....

Welcome to THR. Good to have another handloader with MANY years of experience asking the probing questions.

 

[Walkalong]

just about every one of them were using 5.8 to 6.0grns for this berry`s 185gr HBRN

That may be a good load, but I would suggest starting lower and working up to it.

That's a good bullet, you'll like it I think.

 

[Cooter Boolit]

Welcome to THR. Good to have another handloader with MANY years of experience asking the probing questions.

Thanks Tom... i`ll never claim to know it all, we can learn even if we`re old timers...lol

 

[Cooter Boolit]

That may be a good load, but I would suggest starting lower and working up to it.

That's a good bullet, you'll like it I think.

I`ll be testing it this afternoon

 

[LiveLife]

45acp Berry`s Plated 185gr HBRN ... ONLY for WW 231 ... 5.9 is the load i loaded up, but haven`t tried it yet. I taper crimped to .470 and the OAL is 1.260

Why start so high?

Berry's 185 gr HBRN 1.260"-1.265" OAL .472" Taper Crimp on the right compared to factory 230 gr FMJ on the left

When I did load development for Berry's 185 gr HBRN with W231/HP-38, I also used 1.260"-1.265" OAL for M&P45/Sig 1911. What I found at that OAL and large hollow base is that the load acted like 185 gr SWC/RN loaded very long and I needed to use higher powder charges for more efficient powder burn and consistent chamber pressures to reliably cycle the slide - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...g-hbrn-plated-45-bullets.626092/#post-7733949

Hodgdon lists the following - http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

185 gr Hornady JSWC 231/HP-38 COL 1.135" Start 5.0 gr (762 fps) 12,000 CUP - Max 5.9 gr (906 fps) 15,800 CUP

For me 5.0 gr to 5.5 gr produced inefficient powder burn and poor accuracy and higher than 5.6 gr started to produce greater accuracy with reliable slide cycling. I even tried shorter 1.255"-1.260" OAL with .471" taper crimp to see if I could improve the powder burn and chamber pressure consistency (It really did not help much).

My powder work up went to 6.2 gr W231/HP-38 as lower charges did not produce reliable slide cycling and accuracy. Since then, I switched to RMR plated RNFP which seats the bullet base deeper in the case neck for more consistent chamber pressures with less powder charge - https://rmrbullets.com/shop/bullets...-plated-flat-point-plated-new/?v=7516fd43adaa

FWIW, here are some chrono data for Berry's 185 gr HBRN and W231 (Note shorter 1.230" OAL - Springfield XD .45 ACP Tactical 5" Barrel, CCI primer, mixed Winchester and Remington brass) - http://forums.brianenos.com/topic/121552-berrys-185-hbrn/?tab=comments#comment-1479774

- 5.6 gr 1.22 OAL 774.84 fps average, 47.6 standard deviation PF=143.3
- 6.0 gr 1.23 OAL 829.85 avg 22.08 sd PF = 153.5
- 6.2 gr 1.23 OAL 844.50 avg 26.41 sd PF = 156.2
- 6.4 gr 1.23 OAL 888.34 avg 21.68 sd PF = 164.3
- 6.6 gr 1.23 OAL 927.58 avg 23.54 sd PF = 171.6

 

[Walkalong]

I guess I have just never loaded it that hot, but I have been using faster powders as well. Good luck with your work up.

 

[Cooter Boolit]

Well, i wanted to reply back on how it went guys.... (45acp Berry`s Plated 185gr HBRN w/5.9gr WW231. Seated: 1.260 Crimped: .470)

No malfunctions, slide cycled fine, no sign of any high pressure. Accuracy just sucked, barely even hit the 8" paper target @ 10yds. These loads were everywhere but where i wanted them to be. I surely know i`m a decent shot with most any handgun, so i took that right out of the equation after the 5th shot. I use to shoot in bullseye & bowling pin competition for many years, so i know how to shoot very well, and most people that shoot with me today are amazed at how well i shoot, even for an old coot, i can still knock the heck out of the bullseye`s, just not with THIS load...lol.

Anywayyyyyyy......
The recoil... for a moment, i thought i was shootin a .22 pistol, talk about a powder puff load, these were it. I`m finding thru all the information i`ve seen and read so far, now i know why these bullets were given to me, the guy i got them from couldnt make the work either...lol. Hey they were free to me, so i thought i`d try them out. Personally, i think that hollow base is the problem with them. With a hollow base, i would also think you`d have sensitive crimping issues with this type of design.

Thank you for ALL the valuable info you folks presented here, i am VERY greatful. In the meantime, i`ll just stick with my ole` 200gr/230gr boolits, they`ve never failed me. I`m sure there are ways to improve this particular load, but it dosent intrest me at this point. Its not a boolit i would bother buying anyway. I`m sure somebody locally would like to have them, and they`ll pay me what i paid for them....nothing.

Thanks again guys, be safe out there...!

 

[Cooter Boolit]

I guess I have just never loaded it that hot, but I have been using faster powders as well. Good luck with your work up.

Wern`t even close to hot. I`ve had way smaller guns recoil MUCH harder than this load did. I wont be pursuing this load any further. Accuracy was horrible.

 

[Cooter Boolit]

Berry's 185 gr HBRN 1.260"-1.265" OAL .472" Taper Crimp on the right compared to factory 230 gr FMJ on the left

When I did load development for Berry's 185 gr HBRN with W231/HP-38, I also used 1.260"-1.265" OAL for M&P45/Sig 1911. What I found at that OAL and large hollow base is that the load acted like 185 gr SWC/RN loaded very long and I needed to use higher powder charges for more efficient powder burn and consistent chamber pressures to reliably cycle the slide - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...g-hbrn-plated-45-bullets.626092/#post-7733949

Hodgdon lists the following - http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

For me 5.0 gr to 5.5 gr produced inefficient powder burn and poor accuracy and higher than 5.6 gr started to produce greater accuracy with reliable slide cycling. I even tried shorter 1.255"-1.260" OAL with .471" taper crimp to see if I could improve the powder burn and chamber pressure consistency (It really did not help much).

My powder work up went to 6.2 gr W231/HP-38 as lower charges did not produce reliable slide cycling and accuracy. Since then, I switched to RMR plated RNFP which seats the bullet base deeper in the case neck for more consistent chamber pressures with less powder charge - https://rmrbullets.com/shop/bullets...-plated-flat-point-plated-new/?v=7516fd43adaa

FWIW, here are some chrono data for Berry's 185 gr HBRN and W231 (Note shorter 1.230" OAL - Springfield XD .45 ACP Tactical 5" Barrel, CCI primer, mixed Winchester and Remington brass) - http://forums.brianenos.com/topic/121552-berrys-185-hbrn/?tab=comments#comment-1479774

- 5.6 gr 1.22 OAL 774.84 fps average, 47.6 standard deviation PF=143.3
- 6.0 gr 1.23 OAL 829.85 avg 22.08 sd PF = 153.5
- 6.2 gr 1.23 OAL 844.50 avg 26.41 sd PF = 156.2
- 6.4 gr 1.23 OAL 888.34 avg 21.68 sd PF = 164.3
- 6.6 gr 1.23 OAL 927.58 avg 23.54 sd PF = 171.6

Thank you for that information...AWESOME write up...!!!!!!!!

 

[ReloaderFred]

This bullet can be very accurate with the right powder and charge. Over the years, I've probably put about 10,000 of them downrange, but I load them over a stout load of Ramshot True Blue. The load came from one of Western Powder's data sheets and works well in my 1911's, XD and Ruger Blackhawks in.45 acp.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[kcofohio]

That may be a good load, but I would suggest starting lower and working up to it.

That's a good bullet, you'll like it I think.

I agree, one of my favorite bullets. It has been a very easy loading and accurate with WST behind it.

Cooter Boolit, welcome to THR. Hope you find the recipe that gets you on target.

 

[Walkalong]

t has been a very easy loading and accurate with WST behind it.

Ditto. It's what I was using, until I ran out of them. Same thing for their 185 Gr SWC.

I much prefer the 225/230 Gr stuff for full power .45 ACP. (5.0 to 5.5 Grs W231)

 

[Blue68f100]

^^^^
That's what I use too. I shot them exclusively at the indoor range I shot at. Since I have moved I'm now shooting LSWC.

 

[kcofohio]

Wern`t even close to hot. I`ve had way smaller guns recoil MUCH harder than this load did. I wont be pursuing this load any further. Accuracy was horrible.

https://www.berrysmfg.com/item/bp-45-452-185gr-hbrn

In this link there is a link to a .pdf read called "Geezer Load". I found it to be helpful several years ago. It's specific to the bullet on discussion.

 

[kcofohio]

Ditto. It's what I was using, until I ran out of them. Same thing for their 185 Gr SWC.

I much prefer the 225/230 Gr stuff for full power .45 ACP. (5.0 to 5.5 Grs W231)

Oh, the joys of reloading one's own. I'm stuck on MBC and their IPD-#4s for hotter loads.

 

[Cooter Boolit]

Ditto. It's what I was using, until I ran out of them. Same thing for their 185 Gr SWC.

I much prefer the 225/230 Gr stuff for full power .45 ACP. (5.0 to 5.5 Grs W231)

Absolutely... i`m a 230gr guy when it comes to 45`s. And a big YES, on the 5.0/5.5 load, its what i`ve used for many years...it WORKS in all my 45`s..!

 

[Cooter Boolit]

https://www.berrysmfg.com/item/bp-45-452-185gr-hbrn

In this link there is a link to a .pdf read called "Geezer Load". I found it to be helpful several years ago. It's specific to the bullet on discussion.

Geezer load... thanks, i saw that when it first posted on their website. Good information...!

 

[Cooter Boolit]

I agree, one of my favorite bullets. It has been a very easy loading and accurate with WST behind it.

Cooter Boolit, welcome to THR. Hope you find the recipe that gets you on target.

Thank you for the welcome, i`m liking this site alot, theres some really valuable info here as well as some really nice people.
Thats the neat thing about reloading, eventually we find something that works, but i think i`m just gonna stick with the 230gr 45`s. I`m not a fan of buying some of this some of that, then not use it all up. I`ve never bothered with WST because its so hard to find dealers here in my town that are willing to stock it. So i steer clear of powders that aren`t readily available locally. I`d love to try some, but i dont want a powder sitting around that only works for one gun one load so to speak. I do have several other pet loads i`ve worked up over the many years of reloading, i should just stick with those...lol.