147 gr. problems

[bmiller]

I changed my load in my 5" pro from 3.2 to 3.3 grs of titegroup. My accuracy was acceptable but not great. Now with 3.3 grs, the bullets are keyholing and groups turned to patterns. I went from a pf of 130 to 144. Would a kkm, or storm lake give better results? I really like the way 147s shoot, plus I have 1000 on hand. Is the stock rate of twist adequate for 147s? Thanks for the help.

Brian

Edited September 12, 2011 by bmiller

[bradthegunmaniac]

I have shot 4 kinds of 147s out of my Pro with no problem.

[fastarget]

oal? crimp? which bullet and what distance?, I load for my wife's pro 147s and now no issues she got nice groups just yesterday 10-15 yds

[bmiller]

1.150, lee factory crimp die set, bad groups at 10 and 20 yards. Keyholing at 5 yds.

[bigfish]

mine shoots 147gr jacketed bullets with titegroup just fine, sounds like to much crip. You may have the seating die screwed down in the press to far. If you look in richard lees reloading book the directions for reloading handguns are differant for setting the seating die then the ones that come with the dies.

[sdm74]

I must have a slow barrel. I have to load 3.4 TG at 1.11 just to make 130 using mg 147 cmj

[fastarget]

measure the crimp, .378 what you need your oal and 3.2-3.3 should be a good load

[fastarget]

I must have a slow barrel. I have to load 3.4 TG at 1.11 just to make 130 using mg 147 cmj

Barrel probably fine,MGold CMJ and FMJ do need 1 to 2 tenth of a grain to reach PF more than a plated bullet, good stuff however.

[LikesToShoot]

I changed my load in my 5" pro from 3.2 to 3.3 grs of titegroup. My accuracy was acceptable but not great. Now with 3.3 grs, the bullets are keyholing and groups turned to patterns. I went from a pf of 130 to 144. Would a kkm, or storm lake give better results? I really like the way 147s shoot, plus I have 1000 on hand. Is the stock rate of twist adequate for 147s? Thanks for the help.

Brian

Spot on with load specs.

I'd try to back off crimp. Crimp only to remove bell from bullet seating.

Factory barrel is fine for 147 gr. w/ your TG load.

What bullet are you using?

[bmiller]

Extreme plated, they look like nice bullets.

[CocoBolo]

Extreme plated, they look like nice bullets.

Lose the Lee FCD die, it will undersize that plated bullet and cause accuracy issues. Use a regular Taper Crimp die, 9 mm crimp is .376-.377.

While I'll get some argument here, most barrels are capable of similar accuracy, what makes the biggest difference is how well the smith fit the barrel. Take your thumb and press down on the barrel hood if it moves then yep a better fit would help accuracy.

If you want Accuracy you got the wrong bullet anyway get some Zeros or Montanagolds.

[lcs]

Extreme plated, they look like nice bullets.

Lose the Lee FCD die, it will undersize that plated bullet and cause accuracy issues. Use a regular Taper Crimp die, 9 mm crimp is .376-.377.

While I'll get some argument here, most barrels are capable of similar accuracy, what makes the biggest difference is how well the smith fit the barrel. Take your thumb and press down on the barrel hood if it moves then yep a better fit would help accuracy.

If you want Accuracy you got the wrong bullet anyway get some Zeros or Montanagolds.

Before I switched dies, I'd back the crimp way off. To much crimp will definitely cause keyholes on a plated bullet. Measuring the crimp is not an indicator.

[bmiller]

Thanks guys, I will try this tonight.

[bmiller]

I backed off the crimp. Seemed to help. I am still not getting great accuracy. Going to try some bayou bullets.

[CocoBolo]

I backed off the crimp. Seemed to help. I am still not getting great accuracy. Going to try some bayou bullets.

Lose the FCD, and use a taper crimp die. FCD dies undersizes the bullet in Moly (Precision), and the same applies to BayouBullets. By the way I have found BayouBullets to be very accurate, almost as good as Zeros, but nope Zeros are more accurate. Try some N320 with them, works great. I like the 135gr over 4.0gr of WST set 1.145 @130pf.

[TonyT]

bmiller,

Get rid of the Lee factory crimp die and insure that when using the normal crimp die you only remove the bell formed during expansion. Most plated bullets have a very soft lead core and can easilly be damaged by sizing them down or cutting through the plating.

[Jay870]

Are you sure your bullets aren't hitting the rifling when chambered?

It depends a lot on the shape of the ogive, but 1.15 sounds long. With Precision 147's I could only load my 9L out to approx 1.115. With BBI 147's I get out to approx 1.135.