Frangible Ammo

[alfsauve]

Never paid much attention to Frangible ammo.  But my Steel Challenge practice group has recently caught on to it.  Much less splatter.  Distinctive sound when it hits.  PLUS we can get it for 6 cents a round!!! 

We're all reloading 9mm Norma 95gr frangible .355" diameter bullets from Raven Rock Precision.

https://ravenrocksprecision.com/featured/9mm/frangible/

My concern was the smaller diameter, .355" as I usually shoot .356" in both my semi-autos, my PCC and my revolver.

Let's get this out there for those who don't know.  9mm, .38spl & and .357Mag all have the exact same SAAMI barrel specifications.   .355" grove, .346" bore.  .357" bullets are left over from the era of black powder and soft lead projectiles. 

Interestingly enough, the rule of thumb (research it yourself don't take my word for it)  is the loads for this round, especially with TiteGroup, are close to the ones for shooting plated 147gr bullets.  And that's what I found.  In Steel Challenge the priorities are reliable functioning and reasonable accuracy.  What my friends and I have found is that 3.0gr of TG function blowback PCCs quite well, however 3.1 or 3.2 is needed for reliable functioning of lock-breech guns.  And of course in my revolver it's a non-issue.

They produce slightly lower recoil, we perceive, and have a distinctive sound when they hit and leave a brown mark on the targets with of course almost no splatter.
I used the same setting on the seating die which means they are seated to the same depth inside the case as my 147gr plated bullets.  But with the flat nose it works out to 1.06" COAL.  Do have to be careful with the crimp as they are brittle and can shatter.  So far no problem.  Haven't done a chrono on them yet.

Did I mention they are only 6 cents each.  And now with CCI primers are under 6 cents means you can reload for close to 14 cents a round.  Slightly more with Federal. 

[Rastus]

Are you reducing the powder load to adjust the velocity of the lighter bullet to match what you were using or...?

[alfsauve]

For Steel Challenge we’re loading for reliability, since Power Factor isn’t an issue.  I haven’t  chronographed these yet and not sure I’d use them in any other competition.

The sirens song is the low cost.  I ONLY shoot about 400 in practice twice a month.  And I’m a piker compared to my Master class friends.

[Big Frank]

I bought some frangible .223 rifle ammo. I want to see what happens when I shoot a steel swinger target made to handle up to .44 Magnum handguns. One of my brothers made a similar target and a .223 PSP(?) blasted a hole the size of a dime right through it. If I was going to practice up close and personal shooting on steel, frangible pistol ammo would be a no-brainer. Finding a cheap way to practice these days is an accomplishment, Alf.

[Rastus]

I think it's time for me to revisit using frangible ammo for self-defense.  A friend of mine has been using frangibles for self-defense in his 5.56 for 20 years now. 

Interesting article from USCCA:  https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/defending-your-castle-home-defense-with-frangible-bullets/

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

I think it's time for me to revisit using frangible ammo for self-defense.  A friend of mine has been using frangibles for self-defense in his 5.56 for 20 years now. 

Interesting article from USCCA:  https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/defending-your-castle-home-defense-with-frangible-bullets/

II copied that page so I can read it later.

[TAB]

how much crimp are you putting on it?  i have heard that any more than a slight roll crimp and it can break.   

[Big Frank]

I was wondering if you were supposed to use a roll crimp or taper crimp. It makes sense you couldn't squeeze them much either way before they fragment.

[alfsauve]

how much crimp are you putting on it?  i have heard that any more than a slight roll crimp and it can break.

The retailer and most web sites dealing with frangibles do warn against too much crimp as the bullets may crack.  That said, I loaded my first couple hundred with the same die settings I use for the 147gr plated bullets.  No problem.  However these little suckers are a little "slippery" and I've had one or two that are seem loose in the case.  SO.  I add a tad, possibly a tad too much, more crimp.  No cracked bullets yet.  But after 100 I back off just a bit on the crimp.  No need to crimp more than really needed. I'm pretty much only going to use them for Revolver in Steel Challenge, though if I decided to shoot some matches with PCC, then I'll have to see if they function okay. 

ASIDE:  saw a post on THR where someone new to 147gr plated was loading his 9mm with 2.7gr of Tite Group and was asking if that was too hot.  The consensus was that was probably too low regardless of what the loading manual said.  Everyone is using closer to 3.1gr.  My semi-autos won't function at 3.0gr reliably.  FN and Sig definitely need more power than 3.0 and Glock tries real hard but is most reliable above 3.1gr.