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Newby bullet selection


larryflew

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Just starting out reloading pistol (reloaded shotgun for many years) and considering bullets. From what I have read I can't go wrong with Montana Gold so that's where I am starting (comments welcome). My question is one of weight. Typically have been shooting 115 WWB. I am shooting steel in summer and thinking I should probably upgrade to 124 right from the beginning. Opinions comments etc??

Larry

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What kind of steel are you shooting? Steel Challenge, or knock down steel? At the same PF a heavier bullet will feel softer, and the heavier bullets seem to take steel down with more authority, but that doesn't matter for SC.

Generally speaking, you can't go wrong with Montana Gold. If you decide you don't like them, you'll have no problem finding someone who would buy them from you. R,

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Larry,

I assume you are shooting an Open gun? If so then the MG 124fmj would be a great

choice. If you are shooting Production 9mm then I would suggest the MG 147cmj.

Either way you cannot go wrong with MG bullets. If you can get a 6 case order

together then order them through Manny Bragg at Mannyusa. His prices are better

than directly from MG. I just placed one yesterday and they are being shipped

today. Good luck.

Ron, aka/Sparky

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+1 to the 147 grain from a production gun. 3.5 grains WSF should get you about 875/880 fps and you only need 851 to make a 125 PF. This load, IMHO, is noticeably softer than 115 and 124 bullets that make 125 PF and knocks down steel better. At 3.5 grains per load, and 7000 grains in a pound of powder, it's also an economical powder. Montana Gold makes excellent bullets.

GOF

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Larry,

I assume you are shooting an Open gun? If so then the MG 124fmj would be a great

choice. If you are shooting Production 9mm then I would suggest the MG 147cmj.

Either way you cannot go wrong with MG bullets. If you can get a 6 case order

together then order them through Manny Bragg at Mannyusa. His prices are better

than directly from MG. I just placed one yesterday and they are being shipped

today. Good luck.

Ron, aka/Sparky

You can actually order less than 6 cases from Manny....just call him and he can do even a single case at better than direct price. :cheers:

For a Production gun, I like the 147CMJ myself...runs great, accurate, and knocks steel down nicely. R,

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Larry,

I assume you are shooting an Open gun? If so then the MG 124fmj would be a great

choice. If you are shooting Production 9mm then I would suggest the MG 147cmj.

Either way you cannot go wrong with MG bullets. If you can get a 6 case order

together then order them through Manny Bragg at Mannyusa. His prices are better

than directly from MG. I just placed one yesterday and they are being shipped

today. Good luck.

Ron, aka/Sparky

You can actually order less than 6 cases from Manny....just call him and he can do even a single case at better than direct price. :cheers:

For a Production gun, I like the 147CMJ myself...runs great, accurate, and knocks steel down nicely. R,

G-Man,

Did not know about the less than 6 cases from Manny; cool! By the way I just finished

my 39th year in Law Enforcement on 10/31 and my youngest son-in-law is an FBI agent.

Ron

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Billy Bullets - moly coated lead bullets. They run really well in my gun and feed like a dream since they're so slippery. Heard nothing bad about Montana Gold, though.

Buy 100 of each if you can and try them all out. Nothing worse than ending up with a few thousand bullets that either you or your gun don't like. You can always sell them on the forums, though.

FWIW

-Erik

P.S. Edited to add that since they're moly coated, you won't get lead fouling in your barrel. The moly seems to clean right out of my barrel without using a brush. I'm not one of the "I never clean my gun" guys, though.

Edited by Erik S.
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Kinda an additional question here. Looking at the lyman reloading manual they tested a speer buller 230 gr tmj. Am I able to swap speer for a different 230 gr fmj bullet? Or do I have to find a recipe that has tested that specific bullet?

Thanks

MIKE

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Kinda an additional question here. Looking at the lyman reloading manual they tested a speer buller 230 gr tmj. Am I able to swap speer for a different 230 gr fmj bullet? Or do I have to find a recipe that has tested that specific bullet?

Thanks

MIKE

Ideally, you would get data for the specific bullet, but it's not realistic at this point with so many different manufacturers. Realistically, if the bullets are the same shape (230fmj tends to be a fairly standard shape) the data from one will be close enough for the other. Some of that is why they tell you to work up towards max loads...just in case there's a subtle difference between bullets. The biggest factor is how much case volume the bullet takes up. If you seat two 230gr bullets so that the base is in the same position in the case, you'll get similar pressure and velocity even if one of them gives a longer or shorter OAL. Yes, there is some difference based on hardness of jacket material, bearing surface and diameter, but those tend to be much smaller factors...probably not enough to cause a safe load to suddenly cause damage, or even come close. R,

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