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Posted: 5/16/2011 11:12:52 AM EDT
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I was at Cabelas and impulse bought 500 Rainier bullets 9mm 115 grn HPs. Any thoughts on them would be greatly appreciated? I am also seeing they
recommend using the data as if they are lead bullets. |
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Quoted: I was at Cabelas and impulse bought 500 Rainier bullets 9mm 115 grn HPs. Any thoughts on them would be greatly appreciated? I am also seeing they recommend using the data as if they are lead bullets. I like shooting 165 gr Rainier and Berry's out of my 10mm handguns. Be advised, and I found out the hard way, they are very thinly plated (but do not lead like a non-jacketed bullet), and you will need to stick with data for lead bullets. I tried the lower end of Speer's data for their 165 Gold Dots in 10mm (Gold Dots and Rainier/Berry's/Montana are all plated..same thing, right? Nope), and damn near blew out the cases near the extractor groove before I went home and started pulling bullets. Always use lead bullet data when working with thinly plated handgun bullets such as Berry's and Rainier. Gold Dots are thickly plated, and you do not have the same concerns. I like them, and they are great for bulk plinking without having to worry about lead deposits in the bore. |
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Thanks for the great advice. I will have to check my data. I have made some out of they Lyman manual but did it for FMJ but started low. Now I am wondering where the start is on lead if I will be
pulling bullets. I did start low but now an hour long wait to see if I have made a mistake. |
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Quoted: Thanks for the great advice. I will have to check my data. I have made some out of they Lyman manual but did it for FMJ but started low. Now I am wondering where the start is on lead if I will be pulling bullets. I did start low but now an hour long wait to see if I have made a mistake. You could also call them. I am good friends with Rich at Sierra Bullets due to me wanting to use ingredients that Sierra thinks I should not be using.  |
well its my fault and lesson learned..
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Passing this site along from anothe poster:
http://classic-web.archive.org/web/20050502124831/http://www.rainierballistics.com/loaddataMW.htm Use this info for comparison with your other data. Note also at the top of the page the link for AA and Viht data with Rainier bullets. Start low and work up. |
| You can call Rainier or E-Mail them. I did the same thing when I started loading their 165 grain in .40 S&W and they were more than helpful. You tell them the powder your using and they will tell you the loads they worked up using that powder. Now of course you need to work your own loads up but this will give you a good starting point. |
I just bought 2 boxes at Cabelas also one 115gr HP for 9mm and 200gr HP for .45. I worked up my .45 load and my best groups came actually .2gr less than what I load my Missori 200gr Lead XD bullet. I'm using 4.0 Clays for the Missouri Bullets and 3.8 gr for the Rainers. When I used Titegroup I got better accuracy with the missouri bullets. But I really liked how they shot with Clays. I'm going to start working the 9mm loads up tonight and try them out this weekend.
These will all be fired through my XD45 Service |
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Quoted: Quoted: I was at Cabelas and impulse bought 500 Rainier bullets 9mm 115 grn HPs. Any thoughts on them would be greatly appreciated? I am also seeing they recommend using the data as if they are lead bullets. I like shooting 165 gr Rainier and Berry's out of my 10mm handguns. Be advised, and I found out the hard way, they are very thinly plated (but do not lead like a non-jacketed bullet), and you will need to stick with data for lead bullets. I tried the lower end of Speer's data for their 165 Gold Dots in 10mm (Gold Dots and Rainier/Berry's/Montana are all plated..same thing, right? Nope), and damn near blew out the cases near the extractor groove before I went home and started pulling bullets. Always use lead bullet data when working with thinly plated handgun bullets such as Berry's and Rainier. Gold Dots are thickly plated, and you do not have the same concerns. I like them, and they are great for bulk plinking without having to worry about lead deposits in the bore. Actually ............ no they're not. Skg_Mre_Lgh's experience is simply a case failure issue and has nothing to do with the bullets he was using. He needs to look to his cases as the problem, likely worn out, not the bullet as the culprit for his case failure. Also, his powder choice may not be optimum for hot 10mm loads. Fast powders pushed to high velocities can get spikey. I've used 10s of thousands of 40 cal and 45 cal Rainiers, Berry's, Gold Dots, and a thousand or so X-Treme with no issues at all. I've sectioned them and I can confirm that Rainier, Berry's, X-Treme, and Gold Dots all have plating that is about 0.007" thick. Here's a picture of a Rainier and Berry's 200grn 45 bullet sectioned. I lost the ones I took of the Gold Dots because of a hard drive crash and I've not yet gotten around to sectioning another one to show but their plating is the same thickness as those shown below.  I too have a 10mm that I load really hot using Power Pistol powder and Rainier, Berry's, and Gold Dot bullets and they all work just fine. I chrono'd my hottest loads using 165grn bullets and they clocked at 1,503fps out of my 6" G20L so you see I don't baby them. That's why I like Power Pistol for my 10mm because its a bit slower burning and you can load it hot (within SAAMI spec) without concern. |
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I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with COSteve based on three points. 1. The brass in question was virgin Winchester 10mm Auto out of a Lone Wolf aftermarket barrel that I bought specifically to save my brass from having such a pronounced Glock smile. 2. During a conversation with a Speer Representative (I was seeking load data for the 165 Gold Dot in 10mm, which had not been published yet), he mentioned that the jackets on the Gold Dots are a bit thicker than most plated bullets, and of a different jacket material, which was needed for controlled expansion. Not my words, but word of mouth from a Speer Tech. 3. Accurate #7 and Accurate #9 was used, and had worked flawlessly with the Gold Dots of the same weight as the Rainier in question. Anyway, just passing along my thoughts, observations, and some secondhand information for all to see. How did you manage to measure the thickness of a jacket that is bonded to the lead core? Would there not be lead still present on the piece of jacket that you were measuring, along with the amount of lead remaining on the jacket being an uncontrolled variable? |
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I pulled them to be safe and I am new to it all. If nothing else pulling them will enforce the lesson learned. I pulled them because A being new and wanting to do it right and B the data I had for start
with Power Pisotl was much higher than the start of lead bullets. |
| i got a box of the 115's and had horrable luck with them. I was using unique and could never find a good seating depth/powder combo with them. they were always shooting low (12-14" average). switched to jacketed bullets and bullets hit POA. i was using a g17 and g26 if it matters with factory barrels. never did get any leading in the barrels either. |
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Quoted:
I load these as lower power jacketed bullets. In other words, I get better results with a little hotter loads than what is called for in a lead bullet. Me too. I load these with 4.5 gr of titegroup and they are one of my most accurate rounds for my pistol. |
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