Full Bore Jacketed Bullet in Sidelock Test

[Idaholewis]

I recently picked up a Box of Speer Deep Curl .452 300 Grain Bullets, I wanted to experiment with some Jacketed bullets in my Sidelocks, no reason other than i wanted to I sized these to .450.5 to test in my Green Mountain LRH 45 Cal 1:30 Twist .451 Bore, I used .060 LDPE Wads from my Fred Cornell Wad Punch. Powder Charge was 60 Grains of Swiss 2F, Target was 60 Yards.

300 Grain .452 Speer Deep Curl Bullets sized to .450.5, and .060 LDPE Wads

I fouled the bore with 1 shot off target up on the Bank, Swabbed and Started my Group, my plan was to shoot a 5 Shot Group as I usually do, BUT it was 4 degrees right here! I was in a Hurry to get done I knew after this 3 Shot Group they were gonna work, I am VERY Confident these things will Shoot much better than i did here this morning. 3 shots, and my Fouler shot was PLENTY for this Day! Snow is right around 4ft Deep here

Like i said, I have NO DOUBT these will shoot Much better than this, This was over my Hood (Flex in it) And it was MISERABLY Cold!! When i can sit down at my Bench with my Good Rest Setup and Get Comfortable, Pick The Correct Aperture, these Bullets will shoot TIGHT. For the Conditions i just dealt with, I am Very happy with the Results, This is a 1” inch 3 Shot Group, I’ll take it for the Conditions

 

[Willfish4fud]

Interesting. Tempted to pick up some jacketed .40 cal. I’d get them today but it’s really cold here...like 60

 

[Idaholewis]

I’d get them today but it’s really cold here...like 60

Yea you wouldn’t wanna break a Sweat there Buddy!

 

[GM54-120]

Nosler 250gr Sporting Handgun bullets are super easy to get to shoot too. Really thin jackets and pure lead cores. They resize like butter through the die.

 

[Idaholewis]

Nosler 250gr Sporting Handgun bullets are super easy to get to shoot too. Really thin jackets and pure lead cores. They resize like butter through the die.

I have reloaded and shot those in .44 Magnum, they did REALLY Good! I use to have a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum with a 10-1/2” Barrel (I’ve owned 2 of those over the years) A few of us guy’s would get together and Shoot Revolvers out of the Back of a Friends Shop, Really cool spot with a Mountain side as the Back stop, Steel Plate Swingers, all sorts of cool targets. We would get Competitive from time to time and shoot for Dollars, The guy’s despised my Ole 44 Magnum , The Saying was “He brought that thing again, might as well Pay up” My Friend Nate (70 years old) Had a .30 Carbine Ruger Blackhawk that was WICKED Accurate, Very Little Recoil, But Ear Drum splitting Loud!! Ear protection was Mandatory with that thing

 

[Jackalope]

I love the 300 DC in my Omega.I finally after getting my .45 LRH barrel a couple years ago, found what I felt was a good deal on a Renegade to slip it into. I’ll have to follow how these turn out for you.

 

[Semisane]

Anxiously looking for more on this Lew. How difficult was it to resize the bullets? Do you have any 300 grain .452 XTPs that you could add to the next test?

 

[Idaholewis]

Anxiously looking for more on this Lew. How difficult was it to resize the bullets? Do you have any 300 grain .452 XTPs that you could add to the next test?

It wasn’t difficult at all, I rolled the bullets across a lube pad just to make it easier, no problem! If i were really serious about shooting a lot of Jacketed bullets in my Sidelocks i would invest in a Swinglock adjustable Sizer so i could get a more precise/desired fit. But you can definitely do it with a Lee Push Though The one thing I noticed is they will “Bounce Back” a Little.

The only XTPS i have are .451 230 Grain, i do plan to test these as well, Maybe even some 300 Grain Hornady FTX .452s

 

[Willfish4fud]

I’ve got the 300 gr ftx. Measured one at .450
Remind me n I’ll put some in next pkg

 

[Jackalope]

The one thing I noticed is they will “Bounce Back” a Little.

So do you think if you sized them to .450 they would bounce back to around .450.5

 

[Idaholewis]

So do you think if you sized them to .450 they would bounce back to around .450.5

Yes, this was my experience anyway

 

[Jackalope]

Yes, this was my experience anyway

So you used a .450 sizer and they bounced back to .450.5?

 

[Idaholewis]

So you used a .450 sizer and they bounced back to .450.5?

Here is the exact process i used, These Speer Deep Curls were .452, I lubed and ran them through my .451 First, Then i went to my .450 and pushed them through it 2 times. A tip on Sizing, Lube the Bullets well, But also Take a Qtip or similiar and Roll it in lube, then Lube the inside of the Sizer die good (You only Lube inside the Sizer 1 time, just helps get Started, Makes a BIG difference!) These Jacketed, or Lead Bullets will Slide Through like Butter if you do this, Lube makes a HUGE difference! I have Sized Lead Down as Much as 10 Thou using Lube (Example, a .452 Down to .442) Try this Without plenty of Lube and you will get “Finning”

Again, if i were really Serious about shooting a Lot of Jacketed Bullets i would invest in an Adjustable Sizer such as the Swinglock (i am gonna end up buying one ) With the adjustable sizer you can adjust in tiny increments until you get the PERFECT fit for your Bore, With the Lee Push Through sizers you Simply get what you get. With these Jacketed bullets it’s gonna be MUCH more important to get Proper fit, especially if a person planned to hunt with them. The Speer Deep Curls that i shot above would Not have Worked to Hunt with as “Bore Riders” I would want them just a Hair over .451 So they Held my Bore good n solid, For Targets i prefer my bullets to Just “Kiss” the Rifling on the way Down.

The Lube Pad i use to Roll my Bullets on (Same as used for Centerfire Rifle/Pistol Cases For Reloading)
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012949476/rcbs-case-lube-pad

And the Lube i use on the Pad, and Inside the Sizer Die
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1458143436/rcbs-case-lube-2-liquid

 

[GM54-120]

Word of caution. If you size some bullets and they set for awhile before using them....You better double check them before loading. Ive had bullets that loaded fine after sizing and a month later they were quite a bit tighter. A jacketed bullet just .0005 over lands is probably gunna be a hammer down. You might get away with it with pure/soft copper jackets but not with most of the alloys that are used now.

What works best for me but its a total pain is under size by about .0005 So for .450 lands you want a .4495 bullet.
Knurl up to about .003+
Run them through a .452 sizer

A knurled up bullet wont be a hammer down unless you got a ton of fouling. Even if you get spring back they load fine.

 

[Idaholewis]

Word of caution. If you size some bullets and they set for awhile before using them....You better double check them before loading. Ive had bullets that loaded fine after sizing and a month later they were quite a bit tighter. A jacketed bullet just .0005 over lands is probably gunna be a hammer down. You might get away with it with pure/soft copper jackets but not with most of the alloys that are used now.

What works best for me but its a total pain is under size by about .0005 So for .450 lands you want a .4495 bullet.
Knurl up to about .003+
Run them through a .452 sizer

A knurled up bullet wont be a hammer down unless you got a ton of fouling. Even if you get spring back they load fine.

Good Post GM54! Great info here! This is a Different Game than i am use to playing. What i did worked very well, But i made darn Sure they would load with EASE in my Bore (Virtually no resistance, just Slide down) my fear was getting halfway down with a tighter bullet and getting Stuck, in a Sidelock that would be a Bad Feeling A tight fitting Lead Bullet is Obviously much more forgiving to Get down than a Copper Jacketed bullet would be, even if the Lead was 1-20 Alloy

 

[GM54-120]

There is no way a .4505 Parker bullet will go done either of my 45s. Both are super close to .450 land to land. I can take that same bullet run through a .449 sizer then knurl up to atleast .452 and it loads no problem. Its tighter than a .452 soft lead bullet but loads fine. Havent got one stuck yet even after multiple shots of BH209.

Got to be way more careful though with powders that foul more.