180gr Blue Bullets - Titegroup and Unique Load Suggestions

[JohnnyD]

I just ordered a sample bag of 180gr Blue Bullets to try out in my Glock 35 I'm picking up.  I have Titegroup and Unique on hand.  Will most likely be running Federal primers as I'm going to be running a light striker spring (but will try out Winchesters as I have a bunch of those as well).

 

Anyone have any load suggestions to get me started?  I only have the Lee Manual and the power manufacturers sites which don't list anything for cast and these powders.  Titegroup has load data for plated which I'm sure is close.

 

Edit - I do have a chrono and will test in the super coldness and once it warms up retest before I crank out a bunch of rounds.  I have a few indoor matches coming up soon.

 

Thanks

Edited January 24, 2019 by JohnnyD

[Mcfoto]

I shoot 180 gr blues out of an XDm Competition .40 (the Springfield version of the 35). I haven't used your powders but have used HP-38 and recently worked up Sport Pistol. Btw, if you head over to Eggleston, they have load data for their coated bullets with Hodgden powers which should translate to Blues. Otherwise, look at any lead bullet data for starting points.

[mach1soldier]

Start at 4.1 at magazine length. 4.2 to 4.3 should make major with titegroup. 

[DesertTortoise]

I use ~4.35 Tite group with the blue bullet 180s for 170 PF

[Joe4d]

most popular bullet weight and powder,, try a search,,, gazillion threads

[PharmDShooter]

I used 4.2 Titegroup and 180gr blue bullet and made 169PF out of a STI Edge.  I wasnt' a huge fan of Titegroup and have since changed

[T-Free]

Winchester primers will work with a 4.5lb striker spring 100% in my G35, 4lb would cause light strikes every 4-5 rounds. Not much to comment on the 180G recipe as i quickly fell in love with 200G Blues and gave up on my 180G quest.

[regor]

I did some testing for Unique in my CZ TSO last weekend. 180 gr Missouri Bullet Company IDP#5 Grooveless projectiles over 4.8 gr Unique loaded at 1.165" was 945 fps (170 PF). The profile on the BB 180 gr looks nearly identical to the MBC so I think those results should be reasonably comparable, especially since the G35 barrel is only .1" longer than the TSO. I'm not sure how the polygonal rifling in Glocks effects velocities so you could be higher or lower with the same load. 

 

The Lyman cast bullet handbook has a range of 4.6-5.2gr for Unique for 180 gr projectiles (I don't have it in front of me but it definitely suggested a shorter OAL). 4.7 still made major for me but not by enough to feel like I had a comfortable margin (167). If I were you I would load a ladder from 4.6 to 5.0; something in that range is bound to give you a proper power factor. 

 

 

[Jfitz427]

My current favorite is 4.5g titegroup with 180g blue bullet loaded at 1.180. Fed or win SPP. It’s around 950fps. Pretty soft shooting for a 40. I did a latter test a month or so ago, it was around 50 degrees out. All done with 180g blue bullet at 1.180. 

3.8 grains 853fps

4 grains- 879fps

4.2 grains 902fps

4.4g 937fps

4.6g 997fps. 

 

So after these results, I wanted a little more velocity then the 4.4, but less then 4.6. So I settled on 4.5.  

On 1/25/2019 at 12:38 PM, T-Free said:

Winchester primers will work with a 4.5lb striker spring 100% in my G35, 4lb would cause light strikes every 4-5 rounds. Not much to comment on the 180G recipe as i quickly fell in love with 200G Blues and gave up on my 180G quest.

 

I want to try the 200s. I actually ordered a case of 2300 back during the Black Friday sale, but then I had second thoughts about buying that kind of quantity with no idea I’d my gun would like them or not, so I switched my order to the 180s I usually shoot. Definitely gonna pick up either a sample pack or 1 box of the 200s In the near future. I always liked how the heavy for caliber bullets shot in 9mm. 

[T-Free]

Try the 200G with 4.2g of HP-38, puts you right around 170-171PF. clean, soft shooting, and good cosistant velocities. I bumped up to 4.3 for a major, temp was around 70-75 degrees at the match and they chronoed 174 and some change.

[Jfitz427]

10 hours ago, T-Free said:

Try the 200G with 4.2g of HP-38, puts you right around 170-171PF. clean, soft shooting, and good cosistant velocities. I bumped up to 4.3 for a major, temp was around 70-75 degrees at the match and they chronoed 174 and some change.

How does hp38 feel recoil wise? I use mostly titegroup and I think it’s pretty soft for 40 major, and it tracks really well. I just finished up a pound of regular clays, and that was reallt soft. But I don’t think I noticed quite enough difference between it and TG to justify how I don’t want to say dangerous, it can be. Don’t hear a lot about hp-38. Next I wanted to try n320. 

[T-Free]

Agreed, there is not much talk about it but the people who do talk really like it, some say it's the best kept secret lol. It is a soft shooting load. I love tight group in 9 but hate how dirty it burns with heavy for caliber boolits. In .40 hp-38 takes a few more grains than tight group for the same velocity but has lower pressure at the lower ends of the data, wich is were you will hit major PF. I know you won't be disappointed with it but not sure if you will notice much difference from tight group other than a 3 times cleaner gun 

[T-Free]

Forgot to also mention that hp-38 will keep your barrel temp much much cooler than TG 

[JJB05]

Had a buddy chrono yesterday and he loaded 4.2 Titegroup 1.180 out of his Atlas Titan and it was failing to make power factor. He had some loaded to 4.4 and it easily made power factor...right around 170.

[pete627]

With 180 blue bullets (set at 1.15oal out of my Para 5 inch barrel) and 4.4gr Unique ... I avg 954fps (171pf)  (13.24 sd).     
 

[JohnnyD]

Thanks everyone data on TG seems pretty close but the Unique data is all over the map 4.4~5ish grains.

 

I loaded up 10 rounds batches of the following earlier to try out hopefully Saturday.  Hopefully weather is decent enough I can chrono them.

 

180gr Blue Bullet - 1.140 OAL

 

TG

3.9gr (I know this is going to be sub major)

4.1gr

4.5gr

 

Unique

4.6gr

4.9gr

 

Reason for the unusual numbers for powder charges is that I was using a Lee Auto Disk to measure.  I figure I will fine tune after the initial batch aka bust out a file and modify the cavities for different charge weigts.

 

I just initially want to get something that works because I have an indoor matches in slightly less than 2 weeks I hope to be able to shoot my new gun. Once weather is slightly better I can spend some time outside doing thorough testing.

[pete627]

FWIW ... On mine I was able to get away with 4.4gr (Unique) with the (coated) Blue Bullet ... but ... Extreme plated bullets took another .5gr (4.9) (same gun same oal). 

[Eman]

JohnnyD,

I too shoot a Glock 35. My preferred load with titegroup is 4.3gr with a 1.130 OAL. That is with the factory barrel. It makes a 171PF for me. That was tested at 45-50 degree temp with Eggleston 180gr. flat point bullets. You may be able to stretch your OAL out a tad to 1.135-1.140 with the blue bullets because of the shape. Glocks load shorter oal’s than everyone else’s 2011 style pistols (unless you have the barrel reamed), so make sure you are taking OAL into consideration when getting load data. Anything past 1.150oal will need .2-.5gr more powder to make power factor, which could be really really hot for a Glock at a short OAL. 

 

Good luck, and if you get a chance, check out Alliant Sport Pistol. It is a good powder that doesn’t gum up my Glock as fast as titegroup, and is still pretty cheap. 

[JohnnyD]

Thanks Eman,

 

I actually got out to the range this morning.  I had to go to a DNR Fudd range as my private club is a sheet of ice so I wasn't able to chrono.

 

4.9gr of Unique and 4.5gr of Titegroup shot the best.

 

Once the weather cleans up a bit I will chrono the two and tweak them.  Going to load up 200 for next weekends indoor match.  Undecided on which powder yet going to sit down and study the targets a little more but leaning towards TG.  Thinking I can drop the TG a bit, just will need to do some Auto Disk hole modifications.

 

Once I finish up all the 9mm I need to get loaded I will pick up a caliber change for the 650.

Edited February 2, 2019 by JohnnyD

[JohnnyD]

Got 200 loaded up last night with what we'll call 4.35gr of TG.  It was throwing between 4.3 and 4.4.

 

We'll see how they do on Sunday during a match.  Interested in seeing what kind of fouling I get.

 

I've only used coated in 9mm before and gave up on them as the fouling was pretty bad, though I think it was a combination of the barrel (it was tumbling just about everything I shot through it including factory) and having a hard time keeping them at .356 or larger without the brass swaging them down.