Reloading 10mm Auto for a Revolver

Elmer

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Hi Guys,
I haven't posted lately because I'm still having some old geezer health issues but I plan to get back to reloading in a couple of days. I have a question. I want to load some 10mm auto for a revolver (GP100) and I am not sure what to do about crimping. I can find no 10mm auto bullets that are cannelured since they are, of course, manufactured for semi-autos. In a revolver, though, I'm concerned about bullet creep . Any tips and / or advice?

Thanks
Elmer
 
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Your 10mm dies will be taper crimp as are most all other dies intended for semi auto pistols. The degree of crimp is adjustable just like always.
Test a few by taking your calipers to the range, load the cylinder, fire a couple, pull the rest and measure. Repeat as necessary...
Just don't load 1000 before doing this....
 
Hornady XTPs have a cannelure. I have a S&W 610.

But you don't want to roll crimp a cartridge intended for a semi auto. The roll crimp will reduce the ability of the cartridge to properly head space on the case mouth and can, and will induce misfires.
Taper crimp is totally controllable from almost none to heavy.
 
Hi Lunkhead,
Thanks for your response.

I'm a bit confused (which is nothing unusual). On the MidwayUSA website (link below) the general information for the 155gr XTP does indicate that it is cannelured. However, under the specifications tab it says that there is no cannelure on this bullet.

General information

Each XTP Bullet has a swaged core and drawn copper jacket to ensure uniform expansion and in-flight stability. Adding a cannelure to this bullet keeps the core and the jacket locked together while also allowing the cartridge case to tightly crimp, adding security at high velocities. This is not loaded ammunition.

Specifications

MidwayUSA Specifications
Diameter 0.4 Inches
Quantity 100 Bullet
Grain Weight 155 Grains
Bullet Style Jacketed Hollow Point Flat Base
Lead Free No
Ballistic Coefficient 0.137
Cannelure No
Bullet Coating Non-Coated
Bullet Caliber 40 Caliber, 10mm
Sectional Density 0.138
Country of Origin United States of America

The Link
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/4...er-155-grain-jacketed-hollow-point-box-of-100

I emailed Hornady about this but have not yet received a reply.

Would you mind sharing where you buy yours? Maybe I can order from them.

Thanks again.

Elmer
 
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Hi Guys
I just got this reply from Hornady

Hornady Support commented at: 08-01-2018 08:23

Our .400/10mm bullets do not have a cannelure, as most semi-auto pistol bullets do not. If your wanting to use them in a 38-40 or similar cartridge-commonly used in a revolver-cartridge you can use a taper crimp die and it will crimp the cartridge where you won't have bullet set back due to recoil.
Thanks,

You were dead on, Bailey Boat (of course I expected no less). Thank you both for your replies.

Elmer
 
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I shoot a 45acp revolver, and I do nothing different as far as crimp goes.

For a revolver round, the crimp is intended to keep the non-firing bullet from pulling out of the case due to recoil. Neck tension may be more than enough to hold the bullet, especially with the GP100, as the weight of the gun should reduce the effects of the recoil.

I would love to have one of those 10mm GP100s.
 
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I forgot to mention that the crimp also promotes better ignition with some of the slower burning powders.

I have loaded a few powders in 10mm for my semi-auto, and one of my favorite powders for 10mm is BE86. I know it is not position sensitive in large volume cases like 357mag or 44mag, and it does not seem to need a heavy crimp, either.
 
@Toprudder
Never used BE86 but I'll look into it. I was thinking of using Power Pistol for JHP and maybe Titegroup and/or Bullseye for lead. What do you think?

Elmer
 
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@Toprudder
Never used BE86 but I'll look into it. I was thinking of using Power Pistol for JHP and maybe Titegroup and/or Bullseye for lead. What do you think?

Elmer
Titegroup and Bullseye are fast burning powders and would be good for lower velocity loads, though Titegroup burns hot and sometimes can cause more leading in some applications with lead bullets. I've never used either of those powders in 10mm, though. Power Pistol is a slower burning powder and should be good for mid to upper range loads.
 
Some revolvers that are chambered for semi-auto calibers will headspace on the case mouth. Then there are those that must use moon-clips (like my S&W 625 45acp) and will basically headspace on the moon-clip.

While it may be possible to roll crimp the rounds for a revolver, it would be dangerous IMHO to do that, since someone could inadvertently try using it in a semi-auto. The danger is that the roll crimp may partially seat into the leade, and if the firing pin can still hit the primer hard enough, the round will go off and the crimp will stay locked onto the bullet causing a pressure spike.

So I don't promote roll crimping a traditional semi-auto round even if it is intended for a revolver. JMHO.
 
I can't see roll crimping ANY cartridge intended for a semi auto weapon.

I CAN see taper crimping for a cartridge intended for a revolver.

When plated bullets first came about everyone was roll crimping (if in a revolver cartridge) because that's what we had been doing since the beginning of time. Dependent on caliber and the recoil we sometimes had to put a STRONG roll crimp to keep the bullets in place while being fired.

I once pulled some 44 caliber plated bullets and found that the strong roll crimp had actually scored and penetrated the plating effectively making the plating below the crimp into a separate piece. This separate piece of plating had the ability to lodge in the barrel and represent a bore obstruction for following rounds.

Enter the RCBS taper crimping die for revolver caliber cartridges!! What I found by using the taper crimp die was no "jacket" separations AND therefore improved accuracy. It's been MY standard ever since this "discovery".......
 
This is great information guys! Thanks!
@Coltdefender1911
There's a ton of load data for 800x in 10mm so thanks for pointing it out. Most agree with you, it meters like crap. I'll give it a shot, though (no pun intended).

@Bailey Boat
BE86 is said to meter well. Is that your experience with this powder?

I'll be postponing reloading for 10mm, then, until I can get back up to Green Top so there's plenty of time to add more tips and advice as you think of it. Much appreciated.

Elmer
 
I use the Lee Auto Drum. It leaks a bit with the really fine powders (AA#7 & such) but does very well with most powders I've tried. It doesn't like Unique but few dispensers do, I understand.
 
Another tidbit... keep yer 10mm brass for semi-autos seperate from yer 10mm brass for revolvers that use full moon clips. The semi-auto extractor can slightly damage the rims.
 
BE86 has always metered great for me. It's a powder that can be used in a lot of different calibers. Including 10mm.

For those atomic loads, 800X is the way to go. But it meters like corn flakes.
 

@indie_rocker
Thanks for the scoop on BE86.
I think I'll try 800x for wilderness loads. It wouldn't be too much of a hassle to weigh out each charge as I wouldn't load too many of those at a time.

@MacEntyre
I will definitely try the 2400 as I keep plenty of that on hand. Thanks.
 
While we are talking about powders, I've tried Power Pistol, AA#9, BE86, and BlueDot in 10mm. I had pretty good results with all of them. I got just over 1200 fps with a 180gn plated bullet, which is what I was expecting from all the load data I had, but BE86 is more economical as it only took 8.3gn to achieve that, where it took 10.2gn of BlueDot, and 13.5gn of AA#9.

I have some 800x left, and I may try some in 10mm, but I eventually plan to use that up and not buy anymore. It meters like crap, and I have yet to find a caliber where I think it performs well enough for me to put up with the way it meters. Maybe 10mm will change my mind.
 
While we are talking about powders, I've tried Power Pistol, AA#9, BE86, and BlueDot in 10mm. I had pretty good results with all of them. I got just over 1200 fps with a 180gn plated bullet, which is what I was expecting from all the load data I had, but BE86 is more economical as it only took 8.3gn to achieve that, where it took 10.2gn of BlueDot, and 13.5gn of AA#9.

I have some 800x left, and I may try some in 10mm, but I eventually plan to use that up and not buy anymore. It meters like crap, and I have yet to find a caliber where I think it performs well enough for me to put up with the way it meters. Maybe 10mm will change my mind.

Did you do the math completely?? As in 7000 grains per pound and a pound of this cost this much per grain, and it took X grains to get this........etc. etc.
 
These are my figures (rounded off a bit). If my math is right, then...
1-lb. BE86 = $21.99 = .00314 cent per grain
1-lb. Power Pistol = $21.49 = .00307 cent per grain
1-lb. AA#9 = $23.49 = .00335 cent per grain
1-lb. Blue Dot = $21.99 = .00314 cent per grain
1-lb. 2400 = $22.99 = .00328 cent per grain
1-lb. 800x = $20.15 = .00287 cent per grain (from Midsouth)

These are MidwayUSA prices (except for 800x which they don't carry) minus shipping & hazmat fees. Local shops will probably charge a bit more but this shows a relative comparison if, that is, my math is correct. Feel free to check up on that.

Elmer
 
Did you do the math completely?? As in 7000 grains per pound and a pound of this cost this much per grain, and it took X grains to get this........etc. etc.

Yes, I could get BE86 at the last couple of gun shows for $18 per pound. It only takes 8.2gn per round, vs over 10.0gn per round for some of the other powders. I was thinking in terms of the number of rounds I could get out of a pound, as well as BE86 being cheaper.

BE86, 8.2gn = 853 rounds per pound. $18 / 853 = 2.1 cents per round
AA#9, 13.5gn = 518 rounds per pound. $23 / 518 = 4.4 cents per round
BlueDot, 10.2gn = 686 rounds per pound. $22 / 686 = 3.2 cents per round

In the end, it is more about which load shoots best (whatever your definition of "best" would be). There was not 20fps difference between those loads, shot from my gun, and they were all as accurate as I can shoot offhand. If I were bench-resting and going for accuracy at 50 yards, it might be different.
 
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You're correct, it shouldn't be about the cheapest round, or the fastest, it's all about accuracy. A bullet that misses at 1400 fps isn't worth a crap, it's the bullet that hits at 1250 that counts.....
 
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