9mm 124gr Berry's plated bullets?

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Xfire68

New member
This is my first time loading these rounds and well I guess to me they just look a bit odd?

I loaded them with 5.4gr of AA#5 and the OAL is set at 1.142. I am attaching a picture so you can compare the 90gr Horandy XTP rounds next to them. I know the the 90's are a different and smaller bullet I just wanted to be sure that my measurements are correct and it's a safe load to fire?
 
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howlnmad

New member
Stop what you're doing. Those Berrys look like they're barely seated. What manual did you get your information from. You can't use the same load data for different weight bullets. Go back and read, read and re-read.
 
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Xfire68

New member
They are seated very well and this is why I had this question. I am not using the same data for both loads. I was just surprised in the way these rounds looked at the seating/OAL data used.

I am using Lymans 49th and Lee's for data. Lee's says for copper plated 124gr bullets the min OAL should be 1.142 which is what these are.

As you can see they don't look right to you either! :eek:

Here is a pic with a loaded round and the bullet side by side.
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100_3543.jpg
 
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Mtn Biker

New member
Those wont chamber seated like that. The shape of the bullet has a lot to do with the seating depth. Those have a long ogive (that is the straight part of the bullet on the sides) and with them that far out the bullet will jam into the rifling before the case can headspace off the rim. Those shaped bullets normally are seated a lot farther into the case so they function correctly. That means you might have to back off the charge amount to keep pressures in spec.

VL
 
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Xfire68

New member
Thanks for the info. I have not tried any of these loads yet and as you can see for good reasons.

The OAL is still under the maximum of 1.169 which is why I "thought" I was still heading down the right track with these loads but after seeing how they looked I was in doubt that these loads were even safe to fire let alone chamber.

Do you think I should just use jacketed bullet load data? The jacketed data for a 124gr bullet is min 5.8gr max 6.4gr of AA#5 (I loaded 5.4gr) and the min OAL is 1.095?
 
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Xfire68

New member
I just checked the powder charge depth and it is about .331 inch from the top. When measuring the bullet that would put the seating at about the shoulder of the bullet.

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Much better!:)
100_3547.jpg
 
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zxcvbob

New member
I never could get those to feed in my BHP -- they would hang at the bottom of the feed ramp. So I use 'em in .38 Specials. I know they are undersized a little, but they still shoot OK, at least from a carbine.
 
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Xfire68

New member
It sure would make things a bit more simple if Berry's would offer some reloading data for there own bullets instead of just letting us guess. I know reloading is a lot of guess work but an educated guess is in my book a better one.
 
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Mtn Biker

New member
Pull the barrel on your gun and drop one of your rounds in the chamber and make sure it "clinks" all the way down to the rim of the case before you load too many. Also load a small test sample and fire them to check for pressure signs. I dont have any experience with AA#5 powder myself.
Good luck!

VL
 
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medalguy

New member
I load Berry's 124 gr round nose on top of AA #5 with 5.7 gr and COAL of 1.080 for my Beretta M9. Again that's a RN so this may not help you very much.

Best suggestion is to load just a few and drop them down your barrel and see if they will go all the way in without hitting the rifling.
 
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Xfire68

New member
Just an update. I was not able to test any loads today due to rain so far but I did get some info from Berry's customer service which is great by the way! They don't have a testing program but they do get feedback from customers and the keep that data to help those in need of a good starting point.

They suggested 1.080 OAL and again I will test to confirm when I can and update yet again.
 
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howlnmad

New member
Xfire
That's good news that Berrys was able to give you some assistamce. I apollogize if I came off the wrong way. The 1st pic looked like they weren't seated deep enough and even in the one with the bullet next to the loaded round shows the same. I've never loaded their FP bullets, just the RN. Let us know, I was thinking of loading some for my Sigma to plink with.
Did they have any powder data to give you? It would be nice if they had a test facility. Again, sorry if I offended you. Not my intention, safety was the issue.

howlnmad
 
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k9cougar

New member
doesn't appy in your case but a warning to others

If you have RCBS dies don't get the RN version. I did and they would not load correctly. I always had a canter. I contacted RCBS and they told me it was known problem and that I could send them a bullet and about 20 bucks and they would send me a custom pin for the die. I took the bullets back to Cabella's and spend the 20 bucks on a similar size competitor from Montana gold. They work great with the RCBS die.
 
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Xfire68

New member
howlnmad, not at all! I understand where you were coming from and I am grateful! :cool: That is way I was asking. To be safe and if they did not look right to any of you guys that's enough for me to question weather they would be safe to fire let alone even work.

I tested about 30 today in a Ruger P95 and they chambered perfect and were very accurate! But, I did notice and bit of a high pressure sign with some cratered primers. I loaded some more with 5.0g .4g less then I started with to see if the signs will go away? I will find out Friday afternoon and let you all know.

On a side note the 90g XTP's all jammed or did not eject properly and were all over the paper! Good thing I only loaded 10. I was not really intending to use those for the 9mm but, I am having issues with my Walther .380 and it's old weak recoil spring. Time for a new one and and new gun! Sig P250 in .40 S&W :D
 
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