SportPistol / N320 Plated Bullets Recipes

[alien_pickles]

I typically buy SNS coated bullets and load with either N320 or sport pistol. 40S&W 180gr .401 with 4.7-4.8 gr powder and an OAL of 1.175. I haven't had any problems making major power factor with them out of my 5 inch 1911 and 2011. 

 

However, I recently picked up some plated bullets for a really good price. I have zero experience loading with these, but I was told they need more powder to achieve the same thing. I have a large quantity of Xtreme plated hollow points (180gr .400) and also some Rainer plated RNFP (also 180gr .400). I assume both could use the same load.

 

I need to keep the OAL long for feeding reliability. My 2011 especially is a bit... particular.

 

Anyone running anything similar they've had good luck with?

[Furrly]

Don't shot plated bullets! 

[zzt]

Rubbish.  The plated bullets will shoot just fine.  You'll find the Rainiers a little faster than the X-Treme, and more accurate.  If you were at 170~172PF with your coated bullet, you'll be around the same or slightly lower with the plated.  You'll still be comfortably in major territory.  I used both brands for years.  They don't tumble and they are accurate.  The Rainiers were as accurate as JHPs in my guns.

[perttime]

Apparently, there''s plated bullets out there that don't work well (in some guns???). My experience with plated bullets is very good. They seem to behave more like lead bullets, than jacketed. Chrono some with 4.7gr, and see what happens.

[alien_pickles]

I've given up on buying chronos temporarily after I shot two in a row.  I've been just over that 165 mark at the last two majors that measured (though one was area 3, so I don't think that really counts). 

 

I had heard the plated were supposed to be better than the coated, so I'm kind of surprised more people don't like them. I've had zero issues with my SNS though, so I'm not really looking for something to be better, just the same.

[candiru]

I've given up on buying chronos temporarily after I shot two in a row. [emoji52] I've been just over that 165 mark at the last two majors that measured (though one was area 3, so I don't think that really counts).   

I had heard the plated were supposed to be better than the coated, so I'm kind of surprised more people don't like them. I've had zero issues with my SNS though, so I'm not really looking for something to be better, just the same.

 

For the xtremes 180 HP .400, 5.1gr N320 @1.185.

 

For comparison... coated 180 RNFP .401, 4.7gr N320 @1.20.

 

[HesedTech]

6 hours ago, alien_pickles said:

I've given up on buying chronos temporarily after I shot two in a row. 

Those are more than a ten point penalty. 
 

[GringoBandito]

I recommend starting at 4.6 grains of n320 and working up from there.  A load of 5.1 of n320 would have blown up my gun. 

[candiru]

1 minute ago, GringoBandito said:

I recommend starting at 4.6 grains of n320 and working up from there.  A load of 5.1 of n320 would have blown up my gun. 

Note that the OP is talking about plated, not coated.  The .400 plated are about 0.4gr slower than the coated. So if 4.7-4.8 is getting 169 pf in .401 coated, then 5.1 matches the differential that I have found in testing coated vs. plated with that exact bullet and powders.

[GringoBandito]

1 hour ago, candiru said:

Note that the OP is talking about plated, not coated.  The .400 plated are about 0.4gr slower than the coated. So if 4.7-4.8 is getting 169 pf in .401 coated, then 5.1 matches the differential that I have found in testing coated vs. plated with that exact bullet and powders.

 

That thinking will blow up a gun. Testing 4.6 with plated is a far better start and much safer. I know this from my own testing, .04 is an insane amount of powder to jump into without a very conservative starting point 

[candiru]

23 minutes ago, GringoBandito said:

 

That thinking will blow up a gun. Testing 4.6 with plated is a far better start and much safer. I know this from my own testing, .04 is an insane amount of powder to jump into without a very conservative starting point 

All for working up loads conservatively.  But, he's got solid data for an existing load *using* .401 coated bullets -- which are much tighter than the plated that he's moving to (since they are .400" & plated vs. .401 & coated).  His existing load for the coated .401's is *already* at 4.7+gr of N320 so staying the same, let alone going down is patently silly.  Especially, when the 5.1grs of N320 for that exact bullet (the Xtreme 180 HP) has a good number of folks using or who have used exactly that load -- including myself.  Obviously, if he had a tight barrel and his existing loads were lower (e.g., 4.3grs) then that would be a very different story but that's clearly not the case here.

[Sandbagger123]

On 10/27/2019 at 1:34 PM, alien_pickles said:

I've given up on buying chronos temporarily after I shot two in a row.  I've been just over that 165 mark at the last two majors that measured (though one was area 3, so I don't think that really counts). 

 

I had heard the plated were supposed to be better than the coated, so I'm kind of surprised more people don't like them. I've had zero issues with my SNS though, so I'm not really looking for something to be better, just the same.

at the 4.7 load and length you list 165 is about where i would expect it to fall in PF with a coated bullet with n320 or SP.  my experience with plated .40 bullets is they are close to coated in loads but not exact.  maybe .1 or .2 to get the same velocity. where a fmj would need about half a grain more to acheive the same. 5.1 of sport pistol @ 1.185 with a gallant 180  chronoed 174 pf at Nats in Sep out of my 5" 2011

 

i have not found plated to be more or less accurate than coated . the biggest difference was the weight. Coated can vary a lot even in the same batch but plated varied in weight very little .

[GringoBandito]

19 hours ago, candiru said:

All for working up loads conservatively.  But, he's got solid data for an existing load *using* .401 coated bullets -- which are much tighter than the plated that he's moving to (since they are .400" & plated vs. .401 & coated).  His existing load for the coated .401's is *already* at 4.7+gr of N320 so staying the same, let alone going down is patently silly.  Especially, when the 5.1grs of N320 for that exact bullet (the Xtreme 180 HP) has a good number of folks using or who have used exactly that load -- including myself.  Obviously, if he had a tight barrel and his existing loads were lower (e.g., 4.3grs) then that would be a very different story but that's clearly not the case here.

I may be one of those exceptions then. When I tested a Bailey barrel with the same load that I used in an STI barrel, it would not make power factor with xtremes. I tried bumping the load up to 4.7, then 4.8 and still could not make PF. Along the way, I saw massive pressure spikes (really flat primers) and decided to stop for safety reasons. On a whim, I decided to try a bullet in .401 diameter loaded at 4.6 and 4.7 and have been using that since. 

[candiru]

1 hour ago, GringoBandito said:

I may be one of those exceptions then. When I tested a Bailey barrel with the same load that I used in an STI barrel, it would not make power factor with xtremes. I tried bumping the load up to 4.7, then 4.8 and still could not make PF. Along the way, I saw massive pressure spikes (really flat primers) and decided to stop for safety reasons. On a whim, I decided to try a bullet in .401 diameter loaded at 4.6 and 4.7 and have been using that since. 

Indeed, changing barrels, especially manufacturers, invalidates existing loads and warrants a careful check/workup.

[alien_pickles]

On 10/27/2019 at 6:37 PM, candiru said:

For the xtremes 180 HP .400, 5.1gr N320 @1.185.

 

For comparison... coated 180 RNFP .401, 4.7gr N320 @1.20.

 

 

I'm surprised you can make major pf with 4.7gr at 1.20. What kind/length of barrel are you shooting? 5.1 was about what I was thinking though, so I think it's probably the best option.

 

 

17 hours ago, Sandbagger123 said:

at the 4.7 load and length you list 165 is about where i would expect it to fall in PF with a coated bullet with n320 or SP.  my experience with plated .40 bullets is they are close to coated in loads but not exact.  maybe .1 or .2 to get the same velocity. where a fmj would need about half a grain more to acheive the same. 5.1 of sport pistol @ 1.185 with a gallant 180  chronoed 174 pf at Nats in Sep out of my 5" 2011

 

i have not found plated to be more or less accurate than coated . the biggest difference was the weight. Coated can vary a lot even in the same batch but plated varied in weight very little .

 

Interesting. The only thing that has saved me the last two times I chronoed was my bullet weight. Both of the ones they pulled were over 181.

 

On 10/27/2019 at 9:42 PM, HesedTech said:

Those are more than a ten point penalty. 
 

 

Opf, right? Now, for some unknown reason, none of my friends want to loan me theirs either!

[candiru]

55 minutes ago, alien_pickles said:

I'm surprised you can make major pf with 4.7gr at 1.20. What kind/length of barrel are you shooting? 5.1 was about what I was thinking though, so I think it's probably the best option.

 

I found very little difference in velocity due to OAL with N320 between 1.18 & 1.20. Frankly, I expected more but that seems to be a node. The longer OAL did slightly reduce ES & SD but that's right at the noise level with mixed brass, variation in bullet weight & diameter, etc. (for N320 -- for N310 it's small but statistically significant).

 

The barrels I tested with were 5.0" and 5.4" in length.

 

Finally, note also that I got basically the same velocity with .400 & the .401 coated bullets in those barrels. The .401's in both barrels were ~30% tighter in terms of ES & SD than the .400's.

 

[Sandbagger123]

10 hours ago, alien_pickles said:

 

I'm surprised you can make major pf with 4.7gr at 1.20. What kind/length of barrel are you shooting? 5.1 was about what I was thinking though, so I think it's probably the best option.

 

 

 

Interesting. The only thing that has saved me the last two times I chronoed was my bullet weight. Both of the ones they pulled were over 181.

 

 

Opf, right? Now, for some unknown reason, none of my friends want to loan me theirs either!

 

yeah i have been chronoing 40 with different powders for a long time  .4.7 asp with a 180 gallant @ 181.5 was about 900fps or 164 pf or so.  now shrink that to 1.13 and i got 60 fps more with the same load and bullet just shorter . i always try new powder when they out. ASP is a ok powder , but i think its overhyped after testing it for a while. i am gonna go back to WST once my 8# is done.

[JayDee]

My recipe:

180 RNFP Rainier plated

4.9 N320

1.15”

 

168pf from CZ TS

171pf from 1911

 

FWIW I get similar velocities from 4.5 grains under a coated Blue 180.