Guide to reloading Bullet Corp Bullets.
Warning: The loads discussed in this guide are my own loads and should not be copied. Do your own load development. Use this guide at your own risk.
Bullet Corp bullets are lead cast bullets coated with Hi-Tek Supercoat. The Hi-Tek Supercoat was developed specifically to provide re-loaders with a cast bullet that doesn’t lead your barrel or produce smoke….the coating also does not gum up reloading dies like a traditional wax lubed bullet.
The coating molecularly bonds to the lead, encasing the entire projectile in a protective shell that is self-lubricating. It also does not contain PTFE or Moly.
The Hi Tek Coating is widely used by Sport Shooters in Australia and the States. Just search the net and you will find only praise…
Traditionally we have all loaded CMJ bullets from a local company. These have however become expensive to load. This has opened a spot in our market for a new bullet.
Bullet Corp has stepped up and is now supplying us with a more affordable and dare I say more accurate bullet.
So what is the difference between CMJ bullets and Bullet Corp Bullets?
· The main difference is obviously the coating. CMJ’s have a copper jacket swaged over the lead bullet…copper as you know is expensive. Bullet Corp removes this cost from the equation. Their bullets are coated as described above.
· Traditionally CMJ’s are sized to .355…our local option is sized to .355. But Bullet Corp bullets and other lead cast bullets are sized to .356. This is the accepted standard for lead cast bullets.
· The ogive of the bullet is different. What is the ogive? This is the curve of a bullet's forward section.
· Cost…say what you want but cost will always play a factor. Shooting Bullet Corp these past few months has saved me some money which has allowed me to shoot more.
These differences should be of note to you, especially the first 3. Now these differences mean you have to adjust your reloading procedures.
You cannot just load Bullet Corp bullets as you did CMJ’s.
Follow these steps to successfully load Bullet Corp Bullets. (Do not add powder or primers to your setup yet)
Flare the case more.
To properly seat these bullets you need to flare your cases more. Not too much but just enough for the bullet to stand on the case mouth without falling over. Too much flare will shorten the life of your cases.
I have found that with my Lee dies I need to set the flare at ½ turn in. Lee Powder Through dies should never touch the shell plate/holder.
Seat the bullet and check.
Now seat a bullet and check if any coating or lead has been scraped off. Grab your bullet puller and pull the bullet to make sure that the coating is still intact. If the coating has been removed, add more flare.
Crimping.
You need less crimp on these bullets as they are thicker than a CMJ. Your taper crimp should just remove the flare and stop set back. I prefer to crimp with a separate Lee Factory Crimp Die. Set the die as per the instructions and just turn the crimp knob in to just touch the case mouth. Do not add more crimp yet.
You can also crimp with a Lee Bullet Seating die, start off by setting no crimp and ensure that the case flare is removed and that you have no setback.
If you do find a setback issue, you can add more crimp. Do this in small steps.
Now again grab your bullet puller and pull the bullet. Make sure that the coating is still intact and that your crimp has not left a mark on the bullet.
This will be a process of try and try again until you find the sweet spot.
Setting your COL.
Due to the difference in the ogive of these bullets you will most likely need to shorten your Cartridge Overall Length. I always advise that you start at 29mm and work down from there. Be careful not to load to short, especially with the 147gr bullet. Remember a shorter COL will increase pressure; also be very careful to not compress your powder.
If you had a COL that worked in your gun previously try it first by loading a dummy round – no powder, no primer. Load it in your gun and carefully check if your slide has fully closed. Now rack the dummy out. Did it eject smoothly? Are there any markings on the bullet? If so you need to shorten the COL.
I have found that 28mm works great in my guns. This is with the 147,124 and 115 grain Bullet Corp Bullet.
Here is a story for you about why you need to shorten your COL; late last year I shot a SADPA League match. I was lazy and not in the mood to load ammo. In any case I had a heap of bullets loaded of all the samples I have tested for Bullet Corp. These included 115gr bullets, 124’s, 147’s all different colours and loads. And a few loaded to 29mm…some serious Smartie box stuff. So I decided to shoot these at the League.
On the 4th stage I finished my run and the SO gave me the “unload and show clear” command. As I racked my gun I noticed only the case ejecting and spilling powder all over the show…Now where is that bullet?
Off I went to the safety area and if you guessed that the bullet was stuck in the barrel you win a box of Smarties!
This was one of the 29mm COL loads. Due to the ogive of the bullet, the bullet engaged the rifling and got stuck. So check that COL!
Do you need more or less powder compared to CMJ’s?
Well from what I have found not really. I have compared the velocities achieved with the same load with Bullet Corp bullets and CMJ’s. The velocities are very close.
These are my loads; shot out of my gun over my chrony…do not just copy them. Do your own safe load development.
Somchem S121 Batch 43/18 Deviation -0.8%
Fiocchi Small Pistol Primers
Mixed Brass
Col 28.5mm
Sig Sauer Sp2022 9mmp/ 3.7inch barrel
Bullet Corp 147gr FN Bullets
Charge weight 3.6grain – Average Velocity 886ft/s
On average 6ft/s faster than my CMJ load.
Bullet Corp 124gr RN Bullets
Charge weight 3.9gr – Average Velocity 946ft/s
Charge weight 4.2gr – Average Velocity 1003ft/s
Bullet Corp 115gr RN Bullets
Charge Weight 4.5gr – 1073ft/s
Notes:
The 147gr load makes a factor of 130. This has been my go to load for a few years so I did not need a lot of development, just double checking.
None of the other loads would make factor but all functioned the gun 100%.
My new go to load is the 124gr Bullet Corp bullet loaded to 28mm with a charge of 4.2gr of S121, this load factors out of my CZ Shadow but I doubt it will factor out of the Sig, even with the drop in COL.
So in closing…
You cannot load Bullet Corp Bullets as you do CMJ’s.
You need to adjust your reloading setup.
You need more flare.
You need less crimp.
Do not damage the coating! This will cause leading and can increase pressure!
You need to adjust your COL to compensate for the difference in the ogive.
Be safe and work up a new load development.
After you have done the above you will find that Bullet Corp Bullets will save you money and are a pleasure to load…especially the wide variety of colours available!
