pcschwenke Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I'm starting reload for my XDM and so far I've used 122gr RN & 125gr TC bullets over 3.8-4.8gr of WST. The gun doesn't seem to care for the RN bullets. What grain bullet & bullet profile does your gun seem to like for accuracy? I've found a place which makes 115gr RN,125 CN, and 147gr FP with short lead times. Which would you prefer or try? What diameter bullets do you guys use? I've tried 0.356 (125 TC), 0.356" FMJ ball, and 0.357 RN. Has anyone tried the 0.358" diameter bullets in the 9mm? My goal was to find one bullet style to shoot in both my 38 super & 9mm. My 38 super likes the 0.357-0.358" bullets. Just thought I'd ask in the XD section. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanksBullets Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I started out with round nose bullets, but I couldn't hit the side of a barn. I am now shooting 124gr HP and have seen great accuracy, but the bullets I am shooting are very expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
45 Raven Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I have had great results with Montana Gold 124 gr. JHP's and CMJ's over 4.0 - 4.2 of Hodgdon TiteGroup. Currently, however, both the MG bullets and TG powder are virtually impossible to procure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunsen Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 I runthe X-Treme 124 grn RN over 4.2 of Bullseye and have no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg in VA Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 My XDM loves the ZERO 115 JHP-C, it did not care for lead or plated very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwf008 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 I ran 147 bayous through my xdm and was very happy with them. I also recently bought a case of mg 130 gr fmj bullets advertised for 38 super that are very accurate as well. I never had a problem with RN so I've never even had to try HPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcschwenke Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for the replies. I was hoping to get a number of people using a similar weight bullet or profile. Not sure what to do now. I prefer running with hard cast lead if I can since the jacketed bullets are nearly impossible to get. I may get several different ones to try out. The 147gr bullet will be my first try since it seems to be popular on many different web searches. Although I've read if pushed too slow they may tumble in the XDM. Not quite sure about this claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyreb Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 124 gr Berry RN here. Very pleased with the accuracy so far. This gun is on par with any full house custom pistol I own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwf008 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 I ran 3.3 n320 with the 147 bayous and never got tumbling. Super soft and made minor easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDragon64 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Falcon Bullets makes a 147gr Flat Point that works well in mine. They also make a 115RN and a 125 Conical Nose pills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBB Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Regarding bullet diameter you should be able to get a larger bullet (0.356 or 0.357) to run fine. I ran some 124gr lead bullets that were sized to 0.357 and about 2500, 125 gr. 0.357 jacketed bullets through mine without a problem. The jacketed bullets were actually 38/357 revolver bullets. I saw no pressure signs and was able to run very nearly the same powder charge as a 124gr jacketed bullet sized to 0.355 to get 130pf. I seem to recall it taking 0.1 or 0.2 gr. more powder. You will of course want to work up the load carefully and make sure that they chamber freely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpnewby Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 What accuracy are you looking for? A full magazine of 3.7gr Bullseye with 124gr Bayou LRN all fit in a 3" circle at 25 yards. Dirty, but soft and reliable from the XDm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norther Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Another vote for MG 124 JHPs and Titegroup here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcschwenke Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'd like to get 3"-4" groups at 25 yards. All my 1911's will do this with ease. Hopefully I'm not expecting too much from the XDm 5.25. It's bone stock other than I put in a new Wolff recoil spring and heavy guide rod. I machined a high strength bronze guide rod last week for it. I know the guy who owned the gun before me and he couldn't group with the cheap Walmart ammo (he didn't reload and I wasn't impressed with the load either). The gun had roughly 500 rounds through it before I got it. It's in great shape. So far the 122gr TC lead seems to be the best (6" at 25 yard) but, I haven't tried the 147gr yet. Some people load to have something that goes bang, I load for accuracy and consistency. When I find a load, I stick with it for USPSA, IDPA, PPC, etc. The only time I change loads is for hunting or Bowling pin shoots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBB Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 In my 4.5, I found that either the MG 124 CMJ or Bayou 124 with titegroup would produce 10 shot, offhand groups at 25 yards of about 4". Subjectively I find the combination of a 124gr bullet and titegroup a bit snappy though. I also got good results with the Bayou 147 and clays although I did not test it as thoroughly. For the coated bullets, like bayous, you need to set your press up to both seat and crimp without damaging the coating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bike Effects Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Titegroup and N320 behind a 124 Montana Gold JHP works well in my XD(m) 5.25. The edge in accuracy on preliminary testing shows an accuracy edge to Titegroup but N320 shoots noticeably softer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcschwenke Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Well, the gun has finally proven itself. It really likes the Falcon 147gr bullets and kept 10 rounds within 3" at 25 yards! I'm sure my group would have been less with the 147's but, I need a different front sight. The group was 1 1/2" high x 3" width. Just before trying this bullet, I shot 25+ rounds of the 122gr TC and it wasn't pretty. It barely kept the shots on the paper at the same distance. Every guns different and mine definitely prefers the heavier lead bullets. Not sure if it's the weight or the bearing surface that makes it fly better. Prior to this I shot 115gr Winchester factory, 122gr RN, and 125gr TC with various powders & charges without any success. My frustration with the gun is finally over. Thanks for all the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snlit3 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Precision 147, 1.1 oal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfremder Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) I started out with round nose bullets, but I couldn't hit the side of a barn. I am now shooting 124gr HP and have seen great accuracy, but the bullets I am shooting are very expensive 124gr JHP from either Montana Gold or Precision Delta. 6.1gr Accurate #5 Good results with N320 as well Edited May 24, 2013 by jfremder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasM Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I have had great accuracy out of everything between 115 gr standard velocity to 147 gr sub sonic. I ran some 85 gr frangible ammo (I didn't chrono but it advertised 1400 fps) through it and it wasn't awesome or even on par. I ran RN, FP, HP, and all of them shot extremely well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowenbuilt Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) I found my 5.25 to be a bit picky also and I found the problem coming from an abrupt throat ahead of the chamber. I could never achieve the OAL that any of the loading data called for because of this. I sent the barrel out and had it throated and this solved the problem completely. It will shoot most anything now at least 3" at 25. Since having the lead cut deeper my best combo so far has been 4 grains of e3 with a MG 124 HP or CMJ at 1.45 OAL. This load cuts ragged holes at 25 and is soft as butter. As for the front sight my first impressions were too wide and I found the red dot just too much for serious target work. I ordered a .100 wide by .211 high serated post front sight from Dawson Precision and had it installed by James at the XD Man-Hs2000 website. James does an excellent job with a 24 hour turn around. The thinner, plain black post sight is just what I needed and you can order any height any width from Dawson for about $25.00 to fit the XDm or XD. Edited May 24, 2013 by bowenbuilt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevinWDH Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Bear Creak 125 moly works best in my 5.25. Best powders have been Universal Clays and HS6 as I recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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