Xtreme a' tumbling

[TANFARM]

I'm using Xtreme 147 HP, my cleaned brass, CCI primers and Vih N320 powder. I've loaded literally thousands of these 147's and my last run I'm seeng an abnormal amount of " tumbling " bullets on paper.

Nothing , except a small deviation on powder charge...has changed . Crimp at .378 and all other specs the same .

Anyone experience this.....I know the discussion about plated bullets....but I've probably shot 7-8k of these Xtremes and maybe never noticed this before ....but it's really obvious .

Thanks for any thoughts...............Happy New Year to all !!!!!!!!!

[Sarge]

Which gun? Change back to the charge that was good for those 8000 rounds?

[TANFARM]

STI Edge.......there is no deviation in this run of loads....

[hotrodder]

I had the same problem. I discovered there was quite a difference in case wall thickness on the mixed brass I was using. I sorted by head stamp and verified I was not over crimping what ever brand I was using at the time and the problem went away.

[TANFARM]

I sort all my 9 mm by headstamp prior to cleaning . I really have no way to check what brass might be causing the problem. My crimp of .378 has not deviated .....

Curious.....what brands of pistol brass are you satisfied with......and what will you NOT load.......thanks in advance.

[MarkS_A18138]

Had the same problem with the 147gr...Something changed with the lead density or platting...I changed nothing, just a new batch of bullets and had 1 out 10 tumble, my fix was to loosen the crimp a bit more and I am back to normal..I had loaded 3k with zero problem using mixed brass.

[noylj]

What is bullet diameter before and after seating? Are there any marks on the pulled bullets?

What was the actual bullet diameter from prior lots/purchases or is this all from the same lot?

If one tumbled bullet is abnormal. What number of tumbled bullets do you consider normal?

Do have some of the old batch? If so, see if they tumble the same. Inspect the muzzle crown for any damage.

Solve the problem with Zero or Precision Delta jacketed bullets.

[IDescribe]

Solve the problem with Zero or Precision Delta jacketed bullets.

Yes. +1 Or with a better but cheaper Hi-tek coated bullet -- Acme, BBI, SNS, Bayou, etc..

[mont1120]

Had a very similar issue with 147's. Had to do with the crimp. All I can figure is the thickness of the plating varied from one batch to another. I doubt it takes much change in the contact surface area and level of crimp to alter the characteristics of the round.

I have since moved away from plated, this was one factor. Since going to Blues and other coated rounds, I have not had the issue. I use whatever brass I have, except for the Amerc and some East European stuff which is considerably thicker. You also get higher velocity with the coated or Hi-Tek, and very little fouling, nothing like what bare lead does.

[TANFARM]

Thanks for the input.....I still have 6000+- 147 to,use......I am going to make an effort to,try some Montana Gold 147 cjm a,friend gave me with same charge and dimensional specs and see what develops!!

Thanks again!!

[NateTSU]

I saw this same issue at a local USPSA match last weekend, pistol was a Glock 17. The shooter also said it was a new batch of bullets from extreme. I ordered 3k of the 124's a few days before the match, I am a bit leery of them now going to load up a few test batches before I dive in and load all 3k. Hopefully I. Can report back with positive results.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I use Montana Golds and have no tumbling problems ever. I also use Precision Moly bullets from David Long in Texas with no problems either. Thanks, Eric

[ghost21]

I've used xtreme s 147gr RN HPCB over a charge of 3,9grs N340 with very good results, Maybe it is the fact that its a HP bullet and plating thickness deviated.

just my 2 cents

[bowenbuilt]

First thing to look at is the diameter of the bullets, the plating adds nothing to the strength of the bullet, it only keeps bare lead from touching the rifling. Larger than what you had could cause over crimping, smaller than what you were using tumbles on their own. Plated needs to be at least .356 to keep tumbling to a minimum and sometimes .357 is required. Tumbling is caused by bullet instability by not filling the bore or being driven too slow, if your gun was shooting them well before you can bet the diameter or velocity or both has changed.

Edited January 10, 2016 by bowenbuilt

[rowdyb]

i've seen enough variation in xtremes that what is good enough crimp from one load isn't to the next. every problem i've had with them i was able to fix by adjusting my dies. but it sucked that i had to.