To cast or not to cast - 10mm in a 1911

[anothernewb]

Picked up one of the new Ruger 10mm 1911 units, and am trying to discern whether or not to go with cast, or some variety of coated or plated projectiles with it.

my searching has turned up only lots of info on glocks - usually with the caveat of not - unless you get a different barrel.

Any other 10mm owners out there - maybe any with 1911 platform that can weigh in? worth it, or stick with something else.

My only experience close to this caliber was with a beretta 96 which shot cast so poorly that you could almost see it spit lead like a badly timed revolver. I still have 500 hard cast 180 grainers from that time.

My primary use will be paper punching and steel targets.

[waco]

Glock factory barrels with lead is bad...........TOTAL MYTH.
10mm in a 1911 with cast will be just fine. Go with a nice TC boolit and fire away!

[runfiverun]

I heard 800-x is a pretty good powder in the 10mm.
which means I'd use something else.

[dragon813gt]

I heard 800-x is a pretty good powder in the 10mm.
which means I'd use something else.

Yeah, if you want top velocity it's the best you can get. Longshot meters a lot better. But that goes w/out saying since 800-X might as well be gravel. I still haven't finished load development. All I know is I was well below max charge and the velocities and recoil were getting up there. That was w/ a 200 grain bullet. Then I bought a 220 grain mold. Then a 180 grain mold. I think I have one even lighter now. To many guns, to many molds and not enough time [emoji24]

[tunnug]

Just got one myself, will be watching this thread.
I also have a G20 and a Tanfoglio Witness, I've never shot lead thru them but not opposed to doing it, never gave it a thought until lately with me getting ready to try some shake and bake coating, will be looking for a mould once I find something that works.

[Lloyd Smale]

my 10mm glocks see LOTS of cast bullets. As a matter of fact I don't recall ever shooting anything but cast out of them.

[jdfoxinc]

Considering getting a 10mm barrel and 22lb recoil spring for my Glock 21 and shooting cast. Do you think I will need PB gas checks for hot loads?

[Lloyd Smale]

Any more in my glocks I use plain based pc coated bullets. Pretty tough to find gas checks or a gas check mold for a 40/10mm. Even conventional lubesized plain base bullets don't lead in my glocks but I do try to use an alloy at least 15bhn for casting.

[lightman]

I would shoot cast in a 10mm or 40 without any 2nd thoughts.

[pjames32]

My 10mm early Delta Elite and my .40's shoot primarily cast TC bullets with good accuracy and no problems.

[dondiego]

Picked up one of the new Ruger 10mm 1911 units, and am trying to discern whether or not to go with cast, or some variety of coated or plated projectiles with it.

my searching has turned up only lots of info on glocks - usually with the caveat of not - unless you get a different barrel.

Any other 10mm owners out there - maybe any with 1911 platform that can weigh in? worth it, or stick with something else.

My only experience close to this caliber was with a beretta 96 which shot cast so poorly that you could almost see it spit lead like a badly timed revolver. I still have 500 hard cast 180 grainers from that time. My primary use will be paper punching and steel targets.

Not the fault of the firearm, most likely the bullet was too small.

[anothernewb]

Not the fault of the firearm, most likely the bullet was too small.

With regards to that. Absolutely. Later as I learned more. I discovered the Beretta was so overbored I could have rammed a 45 through it and probably not swaged it much. But the firearm wasn't mine, so I never had the chance to experiment with anything. After the first couple rounds going so badly and leading the barrel up so much, he gave up the idea of reloading and gave the leftover components to me.

[Kosh75287]

If for no other reason, you could cast projectiles to optimize the hardness to the particular velocity you are seeking. I think a max load for a 180gr. projectile clocks just under 1300 f/s, while 200gr. projectiles tend to run 1100 + 25 f/s. Bullets of the right hardness for one velocity may not be he right ticket for the other.

[Elkins45]

I load a water quenched 200 grain RCBS and drive it as fast as the manuals allow in both a Glock and a S&W 1006. My favorite 10mm powder is AA#9 because it meters so well. I know everybody loves 800-X but I prefer a powder that doesn't meter like corn flakes. Blue Dot is too peaky for me.

[Kosh75287]

Has anyone tried BE-86 or Herco in 10mm, particularly with 180-200gr. projectiles?

[johnnysespresso]

I have an early Colt Delta Elite that I've shot a couple thousand cast boolits through, and the load it likes best is a 200gr. swc or tc with AA#7 for a little over 1000fps. Shoots great with that load. (I'm 2000 miles from my loading notes, but I think it's 9gr of AA#7)

[dsh1106]

I shoot cast in my Colt without any issues. - sized to .401 - IIRC I'm a using HS6 or HS7 load.

[TXCOONDOG]

RIA , HC 6" model 52000:

Lee 401-175TC COWW, 8grs of Longshot for plinking and 200 gr WFN using AA# 9

[sawinredneck]

155grn and 175grn trunecated cone lead bullets shoot great out of my original Delta Elite. AA#7 and #9 as well as Uniuqe work well for me.

[Strtspdlx]

I have a Kimber custom II in 10mm, ive tried the lee 401-175 that I modified for a flat base instead of bevel and that shot well with aa#7, I now have a noe 403-185hp mold that I think shoots night and day better, I'm also not the best shooter so I cant necessarily always blame the load or bullet or gun, or anything but me. I shot 200 rounds of jacketed through the gun then went right to cast and haven't shot a jacketed round since.

[Chris]

Any more in my glocks I use plain based pc coated bullets. Pretty tough to find gas checks or a gas check mold for a 40/10mm. Even conventional lubesized plain base bullets don't lead in my glocks but I do try to use an alloy at least 15bhn for casting.NOE makes a great 200gr GC mold and Sage reloading sells a gas check that is perfect for that bullet. I use #9 exclusively and load them to stupid levels for shooting out of my Buckeye special and to a much lesser degree out of my Glocks with Lone Wolfe barrels.

[Victor N TN]

Having had 5 Glocks in 45 acp, I have to say they ALL have had a healthy dose of H&G 34 in230 gr round nose, like the ball military pattern. I'm pushing them with Vhitovouri (?) N-340. I don't know how they might change in 10mm. But I can't imagine they would change except in diameter or bullet design.

[Taterhead]

Since I started casting last year, I'm shooting cast bullets almost exclusively. Glock 20. Stock barrel. So far I've cast these bullets:

Lee 401-175-TC. Good bullet. Nice big holes on paper, and that is nice when I run my G20 in IDPA matches. The bevel base loads nicely when going quicly on the progressive.However, I hate the mold so I don't care with it any longer.

NOE 403-180-RF. Good bullet. Shoots like the Lee. Better mold, but doesn't release as well as I would like. Since I PC, and that adds diameter, .403" takes more sizing than I prefer.

LBT 402-200-WFN: this mold casts like a dream. I've heat treated these and shot them to 1250 fps with Accurate no 9.

LBT 402-200-WFNGC: I had Veral cut one cavity with a GC. I use the Gator checks from NOE, and they seat fine through an NOE sizer. It weighs 200 gr as cast and 207 with GC. No problem running to 1200 fps with Accurate no 9. I can't get more than 10-11 rounds in a G20 mag though.

All of my 10mm cast bullets have been PC with HF red. Good. Or Smoke's powder. Great.

One thing I did learn is that the standard expander plug is too small. Bullets going into the case get sized down. That was solved by retrofitting my expander die with an RCBS 401 Cowboy expander plug. 401 going in. 401 going out. My G20 really likes diameter, so doing this gives outstanding groups for all of these bullets.

Several thousand rounds later, and zero leading.

Other powders that I've used are 452AA for gamer loads (substitute WST), and Blue Dot for medium-warm loads.

One additional thought. After play in with hot 200 gr loads, I don't think that gas checks are needed. My heat treated pc 200 grain bullets have no issues without a GC. Granted, the GC hurts nothing except adding a bit of cost and hassle.