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Doubs · 09-10-2002, 05:11 PM

[quote]Originally posted by Hugh:
<strong>Hey Doubs, When you gonna try some of those 60 gr Gold Dot's or XTP's resized to .309? [img]wink.gif[/img] </strong><hr></blockquote>

Hi Hugh! I thought others might like to see how well your replacement barrel shoots. I sure like it! The 60 grain HP's are on my short list of things to do. I have a box of them on the shelf and I'll be loading them before long. Should be interesting.

Rick W., sorry if I wasn't clear about the bullets I used. Both the 85 grain Hornady XTP JHP and the Sierra 90 grain JHC with exposed lead tip are their current offerings. When I swage the Sierra bullet to a smaller diameter, I use a #311 top punch (round nose) which changes the bullet's contour from a well-defined flat nose to a more contoured ogive but still retaining the same - or very close to the same - cavity opening. I'll try to add a small picture this evening that shows a before and after bullet.

The bullet I really liked in the .30 Luger was Hornady's 85 grain XTP HP with the exposed lead tip. It's what my brother shot the groundhog with and it was, IMO, more explosive than the current fully jacketed HP that I shot some of Sunday afternoon.

Newer .30 Luger barrels seem to be made using .308 inch groove diameters and the chambers are tighter than older German-made barrels. Reducing the neck thickness of factory brass to .008" by outside turning allows me to use the .312" bullets right out of the box in the older "commercial" DWM & Erfurt pistols. Newer chambers require swaging of the bullets to properly fit and still have the expansion clearance necessary for the bullet to be released without raising pressures. The only way to know is to check each gun's chamber to see what will work. I hope this information is more clear than what I wrote before.

09-10-2002, 05:11 PM	#5
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,736 Thanks: 819 Thanked 1,769 Times in 586 Posts	[quote]Originally posted by Hugh: <strong>Hey Doubs, When you gonna try some of those 60 gr Gold Dot's or XTP's resized to .309? [img]wink.gif[/img] </strong><hr></blockquote> Hi Hugh! I thought others might like to see how well your replacement barrel shoots. I sure like it! The 60 grain HP's are on my short list of things to do. I have a box of them on the shelf and I'll be loading them before long. Should be interesting. Rick W., sorry if I wasn't clear about the bullets I used. Both the 85 grain Hornady XTP JHP and the Sierra 90 grain JHC with exposed lead tip are their current offerings. When I swage the Sierra bullet to a smaller diameter, I use a #311 top punch (round nose) which changes the bullet's contour from a well-defined flat nose to a more contoured ogive but still retaining the same - or very close to the same - cavity opening. I'll try to add a small picture this evening that shows a before and after bullet. The bullet I really liked in the .30 Luger was Hornady's 85 grain XTP HP with the exposed lead tip. It's what my brother shot the groundhog with and it was, IMO, more explosive than the current fully jacketed HP that I shot some of Sunday afternoon. Newer .30 Luger barrels seem to be made using .308 inch groove diameters and the chambers are tighter than older German-made barrels. Reducing the neck thickness of factory brass to .008" by outside turning allows me to use the .312" bullets right out of the box in the older "commercial" DWM & Erfurt pistols. Newer chambers require swaging of the bullets to properly fit and still have the expansion clearance necessary for the bullet to be released without raising pressures. The only way to know is to check each gun's chamber to see what will work. I hope this information is more clear than what I wrote before.