44 mag Copper Plated Bullets---Seeking Load Data

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Picked up some cheap---real cheap, copper clad/plated 240gr flat point bullets. Anyone loading these that might have a recipe to share??? I have lots of Unique, 2400, and Bullseye. Just looking for a mid range steel dinging load.
 

mikld

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Yep, use cast bullet data. I tried about 1,000 plated bullets and mostly used lead data, but also tried "the formula"; "mid level jacketed" data, but soon stopped trying.

FWIW, and a good suggestion; find a load in your reloading manual before you buy any components (powder, primer, bullets). Many fewer headaches that way...
 
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Mostly wanted to confirm to load similar to cast lead bullets. I looked high and low and found conflicting info. Some say to load like cast lead, and others say to load like jacketed. Some say to keep them under 1200fps, while others said to keep them under1800fps.
 

Johnnu2

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I often use Berry's plated bullets and IIRC, their advice is to use loading data for lead bullets.
J
 

woodperson

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The Berry's website lists a suggested maximum velocity for each of their bullets. They do vary. Some of their bullets go as high as 1500 fps. Most seem to be around 1250.
 
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I loaded them into some nickle cases I have with 7gr of unique. Should be perfect for making the steel ring. Since the bullets were old, I paired them up with some similar vintage powder and primers for some really cheap shooting. I don't account for the brass since it has been paid for from many previous loads.





Bullets----$0.07 each
Powder---$0.02 each
Primers---$0.01 each

Total = $0.10 per round or $5.00 per box. :D

While I was all set up I figured I might as well put some other old crusty vintage bullets to good use, so I plugged these in over the top of a book load of H110. Because you just never know when you might want to throw some fire balls. :lol:







Bullets----$0.10
Powder---$0.06
Primer----$0.01

Total = $0.17 per round or $8.50 per box. :D

Nope---reloading will never save you a dime. :wink:
 
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About the only thing I changed was the amount of case mouth flare. Not enough and you snag the copper plating. I used to shoot quite a bit of plated bullet 9mm reloads. It can be tricky getting the proper flare and profile crimp to "unflare".
 
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I worked really, really hard to make some 240 plated bullets work in my 3" S&W 29.

I finally settled on AA5 or CFE with a VERY light roll crimp at ~ 800fps from the 3" barrel.

Once I've exhausted the 1k or so I still have, I'll buy no more plated bullets for revolvers.
Seems Berry or Xtreme 240's will cost me 15 cents apiece now. I can buy bona fide jacketed 240's for 14 cents apiece.

Where does one buy primers for 1 cent apiece?
 

Get Wood

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Single-Sixer, I Can't Believe You Leave Powder In ALL Your Powder Dumps. If That's Left In There Over Time. How Can Any Of Your Loads Be The Same. I Don't Believe The Dumps Are Air Tight And Subject To Light. Just My .02.
 
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mike campbell said:
Where does one buy primers for 1 cent apiece?

Most of my stuff was purchased in the 80's and early 90's. Remember the great primer shortage around the time of the "assault weapon ban", when most places would only sell you 1 or 2 boxes. My wife worked at a place that sold them, so I was buying bricks of them. I have been working my way through the ones marked $.89 and have a bunch more a $.99 and have a few in the $1.19 to $1.29 range. It will still be several years befor I get into the ones that were $1.49. My powders are about the same---still using up some metal cans, using the cardboard cans, and just starting into the plastic bottles.
 

Flyover_Country

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AJGUNNER said:
Picked up some cheap---real cheap, copper clad/plated 240gr flat point bullets. Anyone loading these that might have a recipe to share??? I have lots of Unique, 2400, and Bullseye. Just looking for a mid range steel dinging load.

I've shot some of the Berry's version of these bullets. I haven't gotten as good of results with the plated bullets as I do jacketed or cast lead, probably because the plated bullets are 0.429" and the cast and jacketed bullets are 0.430". The manufacturer says not to exceed 1200 fps, so I loaded them like I would a midrange cast bullet load. With Unique, 7.5 grains is a nice ~1000 fps load which is what I'd use if I were you. If you want something stouter, 10 grains is a little shy of 1200 fps in my 7 1/2" SRH and about as fast as you would want to push that bullet. Bullseye would be appropriate for this usage as well. I've never used Bullseye so I can't list a specific load other than what the books say. Alliant's 2005 manual (one of the last ones before they got rid of a lot of the older load data) states maximum loads for Bullseye with a 240 grain lead bullet in a .44 magnum is 9.8 grains, 1175 fps in a 5.7" barrel.

The only official load data I've seen that references plated bullets is Western Powder's. They give two loads with the Rainier 240 grain plated flat point, one with 14.0-15.6 gr of Accurate #7 (1163-1322 fps in an 8 3/8" bbl) and the other with 16.7-18.6 gr of Accurate #9 (1220-1386 fps in an 8 3/8" bbl.)
 
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Get Wood said:
Single-Sixer, I Can't Believe You Leave Powder In ALL Your Powder Dumps. If That's Left In There Over Time. How Can Any Of Your Loads Be The Same. I Don't Believe The Dumps Are Air Tight And Subject To Light. Just My .02.

Those powder measures/dumps are empty. I don't even leave any powder in them overnight. What you see is a slip of paper showing the caliber (easier to see than reading the dies), the last bullet I used, and the last powder and weight I used. Just makes it a little bit quicker if I am going to make a change from the last set up, to know what that last set up was. Sometime I don't change a thing because I mostly stick to 158gr in 38, and 240gr in 44. The nice part is having both 38 and 357 set up separately so I don't have to mess with changing anything but the powder weight and sometime the bullet seating profile.
 

mikld

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Plating will strip off at higher velocities, very poor accuracy and barrel leading...
 
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