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Posted: 5/2/2017 8:57:07 AM EDT
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From time to time we get questions about loading plated bullets and/or accuracy of the same.
Conversations typically quickly goes to case flare and crimp. Well, I opened this months (June 2017) Dillon magazine and there is an article written by Duane Thomas - " Loading Plated Bullets " .... that seems to make the points as well. Here is the link (PAGE 48) .... maybe it will help us efficiently answer the next one...if I can remember it when it comes up again lol. Loading Plated Bullets by Duane Thomas (in June 2017 Dillon Blue Press) |
| I have gotten a few friends into reloading the last couple of years. I've stressed to all of them how to properly set up the seating die for plated bullets. I learned by trial and error and dont want to see someone new to reloading go through the same frustration. |
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Quoted:
From time to time we get questions about loading plated bullets and/or accuracy of the same. Conversations typically quickly goes to case flare and crimp. Well, I opened this months (June 2017) Dillon magazine and there is an article written by Duane Thomas - " Loading Plated Bullets " .... that seems to make the points as well. Here is the link (PAGE 48) .... maybe it will help us efficiently answer the next one...if I can remember it when it comes up again lol. Loading Plated Bullets by Duane Thomas (in June 2017 Dillon Blue Press) |
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Quoted:
I pretty much load the same as cast bullet's but not as messy Berry's bullets say you may load up to fmj loads. I did that long before they said it was OK, or before I read it on their site. I loved shooting lead until I saw what it was doing to my 9mm flash hider. Now that I have a can, I have no choice. |
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Quoted:
Berry's bullets say you may load up to fmj loads. I did that long before they said it was OK, or before I read it on their site. I loved shooting lead until I saw what it was doing to my 9mm flash hider. Now that I have a can, I have no choice. 
Motor |
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That article is awesome. It's a well written description of excellent loading practices, focused on using plated bullets.
As the writer notes, you can goober up any bullet by over crimping. But most autoloader rounds work just fine with ONLY enough "taper crimp" to remove the flare you applied to facilitate seating the bullet. Interestingly, the example 9mm round is nowhere near a "straight wall" case. It has a substantial taper, which makes the flare you apply for seating a bullet both more visibly noticeable and more critical. A .45 ACP case, on the other hand, (or .40 S&W, .38 Super, .380 Auto, etc.) is dead-straight; you still need to use the right amount of flare, but it may not look as extreme on a .45 case as it does on a 9mm case. And I ALWAYS make sure my case rims fit in my case gauges before I "plunk" test the rounds in the gauge. This applies to rifle cases as well as pistol cases. Range brass can have all sorts of dings and gouges in the rims, which may not show up until you are at the last steps in loading it. Keep your eyes peeled for theses issues and you can wind up recovering completed rounds that don't drop all the way into the gauge because of a bur on the rim. |
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One thing the author didn't mention about crimping is also important, over crimping actually loosens the bullet in the case. Why? Because the brass properties allow it to 'spring back' a bit when crimped; expanding a bit. The issue is that the soft lead in the bullet core doesn't spring back so you actually create a slight gap between the case and the deformed bullet. If you want to waste a bullet and try this, start cranking down your crimp die and you'll notice that you can actually spin the bullet in the case after a few thousandths too much crimp.
Those of us who have been loading plated bullets learned those lessons soon after we started. Once learned, it's very easy to load plated without damage and with decent accuracy. I've run through 10s of thousands of plated bullets including 30 Carbine, 38 spl, 357 mag, 40s&w, 45acp, 10mm, 45 Super, 45 Colt, and even .308 for my 30-30 plinking rds. I've had good luck with loads at higher velocities; 30 Carbine at 2,000fps, 357 mag at 1,900fps, and 10mm at 1,500fps, and 30-30 at 2,100fps. As long as one is careful to load them correctly they work just fine. |
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