Guy Neill

You may not need to deprime any - at least initially in the investigation. It was mentioned that some fired on a second or third firing pin strike. This virtually always comes from the primer not being completely seated. Completely seated is defined as the primer anvil legs are against the bottom of the primer pocket. Normally this has the primer 0.003" - 0.005" below flush with the case. That is before being struck by the firing pin. This may indicate the newer primers are on the larger side of the diameter tolerance and that more force is needed to completely seat them You didn't say (that I saw) what reloading press you are using. Most depend on the operator pushed the handle back to seat the primer. Changes in the diameter interference can change the amount of force needed. If you pull any of the bullets, inspect the powder. There was powder, right? If the powder is discolored or partially melted it can indicate contamination of the priming mix or insufficient priming mix. This would best be investigated by the primer manufacturer. If the powder looks normal, place some of it in a folded paper towel and apply pressure to it, maybe put a book or something on it. After some amount of time, check to see if the paper towel has absorbed anything. This could be water or oil. This should cover most of what to look for without removing the primer from the case. Note though, that primers are all or nothing. If they fail to fire when struck, that does not mean they are then likely to fire at some unknown later time. Hangfires are different beasts, but no one I know of has documented a hangfire that was able to be removed from the gun and then fired. Let us know what you find if you go looking.

I finally remembered - it was Charlie Funke and a shooting buddy that did the pewter bullets.

Never - ever - spray them with One Shot or similar chemicals. It will destroy the plastic. It didn't happen to me, but I was shown one that they claimed they had intended to clean using the One Shot, and the watched the plastic spiderweb with cracks. Not certain if it was the One Shot or the propellent used to expel it from the can.

One other factor is the bullet hardness. Before chronographs were used, Cooper (then president of IPSC) had "Peter the Power Meter" to determine the ammunition power. It was a ballistic pendulum with a steel bob. It was calibrated by shooting it with 230gr Ball from a Commander. A couple of shooters (Finke? for one. cast bullets from pewter that is much harder than lead or lead core (most everyone shot cast bullets back then)). The hard pewter bullets flipped Peter the Power Meter, so it was retired, and we went with the power factor method to determine ammunition power.

I took a little different comparison. What if the power factor was the same? I came up with; BW BV PF F 115 1151 132.4 901 124 1065 132.3 833 147 900 132.1 705

And if you divide by 1,000 you get power factor.

Hitting the steel higher (with whatever) will also increase the chance of knocking it down. Years ago, when Tommy Campbell was using the Wonder-nine against all the Major caliber stuff, he would shoot the upper tab of a popper to better put it down.

Snip - those look to be momentums (m x v) than force (m x a)

Generally, the inertial puller will do the job. As mentioned earlier, there are some rounds, such as a firmly crimped lightweight bullet. Several light raps are more recommended than trying to power through with a single blow.

While I'm not familiar with that specific mold/bullet, it seems likely it will work in a 9mm Luger. Being intended for the 357 SIG means it is shorter than the typical long nose 9mm Luger bullets. That should present no problems unless your gun is particularly picky about the OAL or nose configuration. The OAL should not be as long as when using a more common 9mm Luger bullet. I would try it (and, as said, would expect it to work)

For ranges to 150 yards, I doubt you will see enough difference between a flat base and boat tail to make any realistic difference. Since your goal is a more accuracy, you will need to explore what works better in your gun. Use your normal assortment of cases and shoot some groups from the bench at 100 yards (150 yards if possible) with both bullets and see what the rifle tells you.

There are many variables in shooting. This is a principal reason for starting low and working up with your gun and components. The reloading manuals I've worked on used maximum as near SAAMI MAP (Maximum Average Pressure) as possible without going over. I don' t know specifically is Sierra uses a pressure gun, though I expect they do and also expect they would hold to the MAP limit as well. Data is highly dependent on the bullet as a major variable. Not all bullets of the same caliber and weight are created equal. Differences in jacket thickness and hardness will see them develop pressure differently. It's always best to use data developed with the bullet you are using. Thereby, use Hornady data with Hornady bullets, Sierra data with Sierra bullets and so on. But still start low and work up in your gun. Your gun and components are the final determination of what works for you.

The RCBS APS was intended as a safer alternative to tubes. However, it did not catch on and if not dead at this time, close to it. I have not looked at the RCBS website recently, so I cannot say what, if anything APS is still available. The RCBS Automatic Priming Tool, bench mounted, with tubes, I have used for decades. It is fast (other, perhaps, than filling tubes) with great feel when seating the primers. In general, dropping a tube filled with primers is to be avoided. I've never experienced a tube detonation of any sort.

Tommy was a great shooter and person. He will be missed. RIP Tommy.

While we see 0.898" for the 45 Auto case length, 0.890 or such is much more common. It presents no problems. Case length will grow a bit after resizing, but will very likely never get to 0.898".