Berry's Plated bullets

[ralphc21]

Has anyone used Berry's plated bullets and did they load them using lead bullets charts.How did they do. I am thinking about ordering some in 9mm 40mm and 45.

[briandg]

In general you can use data for lead bullets interchangably for plated bullets. They aren't really jacketed, they have just a thin plate. Some, maybe most of them, are also swaged, and not cast, so they will be a hair softer.

Try emailing the maker.

[jbrown13]

The Berry's web site has the following statement under their FAQ section:

"Plated bullets occupy a position between cast bullets and jacketed bullets. They are soft lead, but have a hard outer shell on them. When loading plated bullets we have found best results using low- to mid-range jacketed data in the load manual. You must use data for a bullet that has the same weight and profile as the one you are loading. Do not exceed mid-range loads. Do not use magnum loads."

[arizona98tj]

I've put a few thousand through my XD9. They work great. Once the existing supply of 45ACP is used up, I'll be reloading Berry's for my XD45c.

For the 9mm loads, I'm using 5 gr of Unique....about 1140 FPS out of the 4" XD.

[mbopp]

6.0gr of Unique behind a Berrys 148gr DEWC in 357 cases is a very accurate load in my M-19.

[Dave R]

I use Berrys for both 9mm and .45acp, using mid-range jacketed loads. Fine accuracy and no leading.

[tac_driver]

I got this from Bud Watson:
IMPORTANT: All of our standard caliber copper plated pistol bullets share only two limitations - which are : NO velocities over 1200 FPS and for revolver bullets - NO heavy roll crimps.
I find that Speer data for their copper plated (TMJ & GD-HP) bullets is often close - and a good starting point for our bullets, if you pay attention to the exact nose forms - which affect the OAL - which affects the pressures.

I use them for:
45ACP - 230gr.
.38+P - 158gr.
9MM - 147gr.

[Crankylove]

I have loaded Berry's bullets for my 9mm and .38/.357 using similar weight jacketed data............no problems yet.

[k9cougar]

and Berry's 9MM roundnose bullets do not get along well. My seater die would not seat the bullets straight into the case. I called RCBS. They said it was known issue and suggested that I could try to fix it by drilling a tapered hole into it or sending them a bullet and $20 and they would send me a custom pin for the seater die. I changed bullets and that fixed the problem.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, did you machine it yourself? I've had no problem loading Berry's bullets with my 38sp RCBS dies.

[Xfire68]

I have used the 124g 9mm HP and they worked great with low end jacketed powder charges.

I have also tried the 100g RN and although they did feed well and were accurate at short ranges (7-15 yards) they were all over the paper at 25 yards.

I have had better luck with accuracy at longer distances with jacketed HP's from Hornandy and Remington.

I am still in the try anything once mode and have a long way to go before I will have tried them all!

I just ordered 500 jacketed 115g RN 9mm from Rocky Mountain Reloading and I will be also ordering some for the .40 in 165g HP to try them out.

[Sevens]

I am a big fan of Berry's plated bullets and I'm also a pretty happy customer -- they ship quickly, for free and I also love their flip-top plastic ammo boxes. IMO, their boxes are better than all the others I've owned and used.

I use Berry's plated bullets with great success in .380, 9mm, .38 Special and .45. And most recently, I've had terrific success with their 110-gr .30 Carbine slug when used in my Ruger Blackhawk revolver.

I don't EVER load them light... they won't go slow and easy nearly as well as a lead bullet. But I also stick to exactly those two items mentioned above -- I don't run them at magnum velocities and I don't give them a heavy crimp. You can easily cut through the thin plating if you do.

The one exception I make where velocity is concerned is with the .30 Carbine pills -- these are rated up to 1,600 FPS and I'm running them at a pretty good clip.

A fine alternative to lead when you are shooting somewhere that won't allow cast lead bullets indoors.

My best suggestion is to NOT try to load them to some mousefart powderpuff target velocity. Run them under max jacketed loads, but don't baby them.

[jjohnson]

Yep, I'm with Sevens (previous post). Don't underload them, and don't try to push them to the top end of the max mag loads. They're not quite as tough as "real" jacketed bullets, but within their recommended loading limits, they're very good. I switched to Berry's some years ago when Ranier plated bullets started carrying jacketed bullet prices (what... GOLD plating maybe?) and found them to be a great value.

[Sevens]

Good bump for this thread -- give me a chance to correct that idiot poster (Sevens) who said that the plated .30 Carbine slug was rated to 1,600 FPS.

It is... and beyond, actually, Berry's rates it to 1,950 FPS. Either I was mistaken or they thickened the plating and raised their expectations of it.

Doesn't go that fast outta my B-Hawk, but it's an accurate, durable little pill and the price is right.

REALLY accurate, I should say.

[bkhann]

bump

[bkhann]

I have used them in 38/357. They look good and work well as long as you do not load them hot.

The prices have recently risen to the point of being very close to the cost of Zero FMJ. For the same cost, I would go eith FMJ and avoid the limitations of a plated bullet.

[Sevens]

I agree with that sentiment with regards to the Zero slugs... but I haven't found a 158gr Zero .357 cal bullet from anyone since the Barackolypse.

Others, sure. 158gr? Not available, for a very long time.

[bkhann]

You have to do what you have to do.

I have loaded Berrys 357 125 gr Plated to 1100 fps with good results (Berry's Copper Plated 125 gr, Primer CCI SP Magnum, Powder Power Pistol 9.3 gr, COL 1.590"). In the world of 357, this is considered a light load, but it feels very nice and is accurate in my Ruger SP101 snubbie.

The Berrys plated bullets are very pretty (polished and shiny).

[Loader9]

I've loaded a few these and I'd say they are a step up from a Rainier but their not as good as an Xtreme bullet. The only problem I have with them is the lack of bullet profiles I like such as a HP or TC profile.

[demigod]

I run them with full Jacketed charges. Never a problem. I don't load anything that has magnum velocities for what it's worth.

45, 9, and .38spl.

[zxcvbob]

I like them, mostly. I don't use 'em much anymore because they have gotten expensive. I usually load them at the very top of the cast bullet data.

The .30 Carbine and .30-30 bullets have thicker plating than their pistol bullets; pretty much use them like jacketed bullets, just don't load them up in a .308 or .30-06 unless you greatly reduce the load.

[demigod]

I don't use 'em much anymore because they have gotten expensive.

No doubt! I found an old plastic berrys box that I use to hold loose pistol rounds, and the price tag on the box was HALF of the current price. :barf:

[farmerboy]

I also USE to use them until they went up, loaded them same as jacketed bullets (med. charge) Now I alwAYS buy Hornady XTP's. They are good bullets and about the best priced for that type of bullet. (In my opinion)

[demigod]

Yeah.. the XTPs aren't too much more money. I just feel like I'm wasting hollow points when the ammo is used for shooting steel targets.

[jeffreybehr]

I too use Berry's plated bullets, the 124g. HP in my 357SIG. I load it to c. 1230FPS and it's a good practice load--and it really blows up waterjugs!



The comments on prices are interesting. The above-mentioned Berry's bullet is $83/K delivered. Hornady XTPs, which I love and have bought MANY of in .3555, .40, and ,45...

...are excellent PD bullets and quite reasonably priced, but the lowest regular price I've seen is $15/100, so a K would be $150 plus about $20 or $17/100. That's DOUBLE the price of the Berry's.

I'll continue using the Berry's in my practice loads and the XTPs in my PD reloads.

[Sevens]

It's also worth mentioning that in some of the Berry's bullets, there are no jacketed alternatives in similar prices. One example is the plated 100gr .380 bullet. These run all day long for me in a Bersa Thunder and Walther PK-380 with all the cleanliness of a jacketed bullet and none of the cleaning of cast lead, and no indoor range bans their use. A thousand of them is currently $74.40 -- can you beat that with someone else's jacketed bullet?

Precision Delta doesn't make one. Zero doesn't make one. If you want bulk Winchester or Remington, you'll pay double that price. These bullets simply perform.

And the .30 Carbine bullet, $104.19 for a thousand of them, shipped. Show me some Speer or Sierra or Hornady 110gr Carbine slugs that you can still buy for ten bucks per hundred? I did buy a box of the Speer soft point 110 grain bullets for $9.90 -- I think that was 1989 when I got them.

Comparing plated bullets to cast lead (or casting your own!) isn't even a close race. They are horribly expensive when looked at like that. But for many of them, they are the best way to load for cheap, and still be allowed to shoot on any of the indoor ranges that won't allow the cast lead.