plated oal for 9mm and .40

[rangerich]

I am having a hard time finding good load data for plated bullets.
Half the advise is treat them as lead.
The other half is treat them as start or mild jacketed bullets.

The hard part is getting a good OAL number for Hollow Point Plated, either Rainier or Berrrys.
I use Titegroup as my standard, but also have AA #5 and Bullseye.

Looking for an OAL for 124gr Plated HP Berrys 9mm.
Titegroup 4.1gr is what I figure.
( I get suggestions for everyting from 1.000 to 1.55, but seating is a real pressure issue ).

Same question for 165gr Rainier HP in .40 S&W and Titegroup.

thanks
rich

 

[Scalce]

OAL for a plated vs jacketed HP should not be different.

Only the powder charges should differ.

I think the standard for 124 JHP is 1.12 which is what I would load any FP or HP to.

I load RN to 1.13

Start with a low powder charge and work your way up looking for signs of over pressure.

I like 4-4.1 grains of TG for a 124 PRN but I am going for 40-50 fps over pf and not for a HP expansion.

 

[Jake in TX]

I load 124 grain plated round nose Rainier, and seat them at 1.100" the same as jacketed bullets. No pressure problems noted in over 5 years.

Jake in TX

 

[Luggernut]

One point to note: I've seen differences in the length of plated vs FMJ bullets of the the same weight. Example: Berrys 9mm 124gr bullets are ~.020" shorter than Winchester 9mm 124gr FMJ... at least the ones I used were different.

I used a shorter COL for Berrys (1.130") vs Winchester (1.150") with no issues. I use Power Pistol.

 

[DragonFire]

am having a hard time finding good load data for plated bullets.
Half the advise is treat them as lead.
The other half is treat them as start or mild jacketed bullets.

Thinly plated or "copper washed" bullets should be treated as lead. The heavier plated ones like Berry's or X-treme bullets can be treated like true jacketed bullets.

I doubt that any two bullets I've loaded have had the exact same OAL. The case lengths as well as bullet lengths vary too much for that. I mostly try for the longest average length that will still chamber in my pistols. (BTW: 1.55 seems way too long for a 9mm, how about 1.155?)

I would suggest that you first try a OAL suggested by your reloading manual, and then adjust (if needed) based on how the rounds chamber, what kind of pressure signs (if any) you get, what kind of velocity you get etc.

Expecting someone to give you an exact OAL (and not a range), and think you're get all or most to measure to that exact figure is unrealistic.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

In .38 spl and .357 magnum I use X-treme plated bullets as they have a cannelure and I don't even have to think about OAL. Revolver, of course, though.

For the load, just grab a very safe one and begin increasing until you reach the speed you want. The more steps, the more range time for chrono. What could be better?

 

[RustyFN]

I shoot a lot of Berry's bullets. I seat them to the same specs as jacketed. I load 124's with 4 grains of Titegroup and they shoot great.
Rusty