Moly bullets tumbling

[v1911]

Sometime the combination of bullet, powder and gun aren't the right one. That's not to say that with a different powder or another gun, this combination wouldn't work.

Have you tried these loads in another 9mm? Even a friends?

[facelessman]

I guess I could try some in my G17.

Shooting a match this weekend and will try a friends gun as well.

Thanks for the responses!

[Laughingdog]

FWIW.... my jacketed loads have always been super accurate and reliable through the same guns. Same press and dies. *shrug*

That's not surprising. If your crimp die is set too aggressively, jacketed bullets aren't going to be as easy to deform so much that the diameter is too small to engage the rifling anymore. I ran into the same issue myself. I'd been running JHP and FMJ bullets for a long time, and was dumbfounded when I couldn't get plated bullets to run right after switching.

[myproverb]

I used to have the same issue with my shadow; and i resolved it by adjusting the crimp on my reload--it was initially too tight. Good luck!

[IDescribe]

Another possibility --

How deep are you seating the bullets? With CZ's notoriously short stretch of free-bore -- with my CZ, for example -- the longest OAL I can seat my 135 grain and 147 grain BBI's to and still have them chamber results in a seating depth right at the .300 limit of Starline 9mm brass, the point at which the case walls start to thicken. Any deeper than that and the bases of the bullets will be swaged, which I would fully expect to screw up the performance of the bullets. Is it possible this problem is the result of the OP seating these bullets deeper than the mechanical limit set by thickening case walls?

[texasref]

As stated before, check the crimp to make sure your not too tight. A lead bullet needs to be a oversized in order to fill the barrel, especially at the back end. Also take a look at the loading data. If your too light there won't be enough pressure/velocity to spin it and stay on target.

[facelessman]

Someone messaged me about this thread. So here's a little update.

The Bear Creeks I just couldn't get to work at all. Not with N320 or the Clays I had. 147s, 135s, 125s, Round nose, cone, .356 or .357. .378 - .382 crimp. Not through either of the two SP01 Shadows I had or my G17.

I got a sample of BBI 125gr and tried those. They worked great. Back to back, same gun, same mag, 5 BCs, 5 BBIs, world of difference.

It's now a year or so later, 5,000rnds of BBI 125s, through all 3 of my SP01 Shadows, they run and shoot awesome. No fouling of the barrels, not sensitive to crimp (.378), powder or charge weight (Clays, WST, N320), or OAL (1.08 - 1.11).

Very pleased with the BBIs through my guns and my loads.

[facelessman]

Thanks for everyone who replied. Huge help.

[TDA]

I had a similar experience with Moly coated .40 cal. Tried three pistols with Clays, N320, WSF, HP-38, and Universal. Nothing but world record barrel fouling after only ten or twenty rounds at various loads.

Switched to Acme's and can use any pistol with any powder at any load and get a clean shiny barrel.

[bowenbuilt]

I love me some ACME bullets!