Load data for 9mm jacketed and plated?

[6bg6ga]

Can you use the same loading data for jacketed and plated bullets or do you have to load down the plated bullets?

[lonewolf5347]

try not to push the plated over 1000 FPS

[reddog81]

I believe most manufacturers recommend using lead data. The copper plating is pretty thin and its soft lead underneath.

[ReloaderFred]

It really depends on the brand of plated bullet. Some plating is thicker than others. I shoot enough Berry's plated bullets to have a wholesale account with them. For the Berry's, I used jacketed data.

As long as you keep the velocity below about 1,250 fps, you won't have a problem with standard plated bullets. You'll also want to use a minimum crimp so you don't cut through the plating. I run the Berry's 10mm bullets right up to about 1,200 fps from a handgun, but that same load strips the rifling and tumbles in my 10mm AR, as it exceeds the design limit of the thin plating.

Some companies also thick plate some of their bullets for higher velocities. The Speer Gold Dot is made this way. Berry's makes some rifle bullets that are rated at 1,950 fps, such as their M1 Carbine and .30-30 bullets, along with their 350 gr. .45-70 bullet.

I've stripped the rifling with plated handgun bullets in the 357 Sig, when I drove them at 1,450 fps, which I knew was way beyond their designed limit, but I wanted to try it just to prove to myself how fast plated bullets had to be driven to actually fail.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[KenH]

As said, depends on the plated bullet. Rocky Mtn bullets say they are plated to .012" to .014" for speeds "up to" 1500 fps. http://rmrbullets.com/?p=2301

Some of the other plated bullets I've read talk about their plating is .004" or .006". Berry's says "up to" 1250 for standard plate and "up to" 1500 fps for their thick plating without ever mentioning thickness of plate.

Ken H.

[str8wal]

Can you use the same loading data for jacketed and plated bullets or do you have to load down the plated bullets?

It might be a good idea to ask the maker of the bullets.

[GONRA]

GONRA's .451 inch diameter Hornady 431592 FMJ plated 230 grain bullets verk Just Fine in
.45 ACP caliber 1928 Thompson SMG blasting and
.45 Winchester Magnum caliber AMT Mark IV and L.A.R. Grizzley pistol shootin'.