Tried out some 100gr Xtreme Plated RNFP loads yesterday and thought I'd share my results.
Kahr CW380
CCI small pistol primers
Mixed brass
Oal .950"
Bullseye 3.0-3.3
Power Pistol 3.7-4.0
All the bullseye loads cycled the pistol well but we're very sooty. I was impressed with accuracy and couldn't detect much variation across the loads.
3.7- 3.9 grains of power pistol were slightly under powered- I had at least one stove pipe with each load. Like with the bullseye, pressure was too low. Sooty cases AND unburned powder. I was certain that 4 grains of Power pistol was going to be a good load and I had loaded up 50. Again, sooty cases, unburned powder, and a couple stove pipes. Accuracy was acceptable for my interest, but not as good as the bullseye.
I had tested these before with Berry's bullets and had very different results. The bullseye loads we're not nearly as sooty, and I didn't have the cycling issues as I had with the power pistol. I attribute it to the .001" smaller diameter. I don't think I'm getting as much neck tension as I did with the Berry's (.356"), and probably less resistance as it travels through the barrel, resulting in lower pressure.
I had a hard time deciding on what Oal to use since this is a flat point bullet and most published data is for round nose. The .950" fit in the magazines well and also passed the plunk test with ease. However, I had about 5 rounds where the ojive area of the bullet made contact with the slide stop, thus causing a stoppage. Just something else to consider when choosing an OAL.
Next I'll run both powders up to Max published loads AND drop the OAL to .945". I know standard practice is to start low again when you shorten pistol cartridges, but because pressure is so low I believe I can skip that safely.
Stay tuned!
Kahr CW380
CCI small pistol primers
Mixed brass
Oal .950"
Bullseye 3.0-3.3
Power Pistol 3.7-4.0
All the bullseye loads cycled the pistol well but we're very sooty. I was impressed with accuracy and couldn't detect much variation across the loads.
3.7- 3.9 grains of power pistol were slightly under powered- I had at least one stove pipe with each load. Like with the bullseye, pressure was too low. Sooty cases AND unburned powder. I was certain that 4 grains of Power pistol was going to be a good load and I had loaded up 50. Again, sooty cases, unburned powder, and a couple stove pipes. Accuracy was acceptable for my interest, but not as good as the bullseye.
I had tested these before with Berry's bullets and had very different results. The bullseye loads we're not nearly as sooty, and I didn't have the cycling issues as I had with the power pistol. I attribute it to the .001" smaller diameter. I don't think I'm getting as much neck tension as I did with the Berry's (.356"), and probably less resistance as it travels through the barrel, resulting in lower pressure.
I had a hard time deciding on what Oal to use since this is a flat point bullet and most published data is for round nose. The .950" fit in the magazines well and also passed the plunk test with ease. However, I had about 5 rounds where the ojive area of the bullet made contact with the slide stop, thus causing a stoppage. Just something else to consider when choosing an OAL.
Next I'll run both powders up to Max published loads AND drop the OAL to .945". I know standard practice is to start low again when you shorten pistol cartridges, but because pressure is so low I believe I can skip that safely.
Stay tuned!