Xtreme 147gr plated W/unique. Any OAL and load suggestions?

[Ah0386]

Well, I was able to score some plated 147gr Xtreme bullets. Never reloaded these before, and was looking for some starter loads to work up using Unique powder with CCI ssp. I'm using a glock 34/IDPA. Did a search, but kinda fragmented with info regarding this load, the OAL or powder charger.

Anyone with a similar set up? Am I correct to assume a safe load to work with is anywhere between 4.0 to 4.3 gr of unique? Info on the web is showing OAL @ 1.13, but from personal experiences posted here and on the internet, with greater accuracy @ 1.150 to 1.165.

Any input would be appreciated!

[Ah0386]

Anything?

[RePete]

I'm running Frontier 147's.

My load is

3.9gr/Unique

OAL = 1.115"

PF's at 137 in my G17.

[LarryP]

Well, I was able to score some plated 147gr Xtreme bullets. Never reloaded these before, and was looking for some starter loads to work up using Unique powder with CCI ssp. I'm using a glock 34/IDPA. Did a search, but kinda fragmented with info regarding this load, the OAL or powder charger.

Anyone with a similar set up? Am I correct to assume a safe load to work with is anywhere between 4.0 to 4.3 gr of unique? Info on the web is showing OAL @ 1.13, but from personal experiences posted here and on the internet, with greater accuracy @ 1.150 to 1.165.

Any input would be appreciated! I was in a situation like you (Glock 34), because of the increase in demand for ammo and reloading components. I was lucky and got my hands on plated Frontier RN 147gr. I started with minimum amounts of powder and a OAL 1.132. Minimums in powder are always a safe place to start. I thought I had the right recipe and then found I had a feed problem. So I keep bumping up the amount of powder. My groups vary an now I'm fiddling with the OAL.

Hopefully you have plenty of components. I was in a situation like you (Glock 34), because of the increase in demand for ammo and reloading components. I was lucky and got my hands on plated Frontier RN 147gr. I started with minimum amounts of powder (Win 231) and a OAL 1.132 because my old reloading records tell me I had feeding problems with an OAL's around 1.145 to 1.150

Minimums in powder are always a safe place to start. I'm fiddling with the OAL now. I reduced my OAL to 1.125 to 1.130. It varies because of used mixed brass. I can't experiment as much as I want, but my gut feeling is the OAL was more accurate when I had it about 1.132. I like the bullet, and I will try to keep shooting 147 gr from now on.

Good luck!

[BillR1]

I can't help you with Unique, but I load that bullet out to 1.145" w/3.2gr Titegroup or 3.1gr Clays with good success.

[Ah0386]

Excellent! Appreciate the info. Gotta make it to the range test sat morn and experiment.

Keep' em coming.

[AZonePrecision]

I use the Xtreme 147 gr in the .356 diameter bullet through my G34. I have tried it over a variety of powders, from Longshot to Clays. I have not used Unique, but hopefully I still may be able to add something worthwhile here. Just a couple things of note; I found the case resize and crimp to be very important with these bullets (Probably because they are plated, and "softer" than others; I have not tried other plated bullets, I imagine they are the same) If you use a FASTER POWDER and are really "squeezing" that bullet down into the resized case, they have tumbled when I try to push the round into the 920-950 fps territory through a stock Glock 34 barrel. I pulled one of these and found that pushing them down into the FULLY resized case was actually narrowing the diameter of the bullet. What I have been doing is a minimal resize on the case (just enough to deprime the case) and I have a Lee Factory Crimp die (set very light) on the last station of my 650XL. The rounds are turning out beautiful, shiny, and to spec; they all pass the barrel drop test in a variety of models and without that 9mm "waist" look to them. Found they were more accurate this way, (the projectile actually fitting in the barrel rather than skipping over that Glock rifling/ I pulled a couple and found the diameter of .356 staying consistent) and I can then use the faster powders. With slightly to more than slightly slower powders (WSF, Longshot) I did not encounter the tumbling issue at any time, I imagine the slower acceleration gave the round a chance to grab the Glock’s shallow rifling…

That all being said, I have used

-3.7 gr WSF at an COAL of 1.125” to a PF of about 129-130 (70-85 degrees)

-3.6 gr Win 231 at 1.140” to a PF of about the same (that’s what they just chrono’d out to at the Area 1 matches, made and shot in mid 80’s temp)

-3.2 gr Clays at 1.150” to about 126-128 (mid morning temps, that load was unsettling to shoot the first time, I built up to it but have not made more that the test rounds as of yet, will probably use the rest of the powder in my .45),

-and interestingly enough, 4.0-4.1gr Longshot at a COAL of 1.115ish… PF of about 130-132. That one actually shot very accurately, but with a fair amount more recoil to it due to the slow burn rate. Sights tracked great however, and the rounds stacked on each other at good distances…

All with CCI SPP, mostly Winchester brass

It seems that Unique falls somewhere between WSF and 231 on Hodgdon’s Burn Rate Chart, but that is only one piece of the puzzle. Always try to find published load data, which I’m sure you know…

Disclaimer time. All of these loads were careful and controlled experimenting on my part to try and understand the whole process better and find what I liked personally out of my gun. I built up to each and every one of them. The variances in COAL are due to safeguarding against pressure issues as well as discovering what was the most reliable/ accurate through my gun. Always start low and work up.

Hope that at least some aspect of this novel was helpful! J

[Ah0386]

Excellent post. Going to archive all this info and see what I can come up with.