A thread about my reloading of frangible bullets was requested. Currently I'm reloading 108gr .308" M160 frangibles, 50gr .224" MK311 Mod 0 frangibles and 75gr .355" frangibles.
The 75gr .355" bullets are being loaded for my S&W .380 EZ. CCI #500 primers, RP brass 3.2gr Bullseye, .975" oal, 939fps, only enough crimp to remove the case neck bell, otherwise a heavier crimp breaks the bullet. Fine accuracy for a .380, about 2" at 12yd. I buy them when on sale for in the 5 cents each range. Made of compressed copper dust.
The 50gr .224" bullets are used in 5.56 rifles. CCI #41 primers, mixed brass, 23.5gr IMR4895 (23.5gr W748 shot just as well), 2.25" oal, no crimp. Gives in the 2700fps range in a 16" bbl and 2400-2500fps in a 10.5" bbl. Velocity differs among bbls of the same length. These bullets, not having any lead in them, are long for their weight. They need a 1 in 7 twist. If the AR rifle likes them, they shoot 1 1/2" at 100yd (my Ruger Precision will do 1 1/8" 5 shots with them at 100yd). A 1 in 9 twist bbl that "likes" them will give around 2" at 34yd; a 1 in 9 that doesn't like them will give around 6" at 34yd. I could shoot them faster, but even though they are frangible, speed kills steel, so I worked up a mild, but accurate load. Not all 1 in 7 twist bbls like them. They have some type of dark brown coating on the tip, I suspect to ID them or help protect the compressed copper when being fed from the mag into the chamber. I buy them when on sale for in the 5-6 cent range. Made of compressed copper dust with a gliding metal jacket.
The 108gr .308" M160 bullets are from WWII. Used in training for firing at aluminum armored Bell P-63 Kingcobra planes and in sub caliber devices for shooting at tanks with cannons. Later they were loaded in 7.62x51 ammo for use in sub caliber devices. Made of compressed lead dust and bakelite plastic. Don't crimp or they will break.
We (my shooting friends and I) use them in 300 Blackout in subsonic (with light loads of Bullseye, AA#2, or Unique) suppressed shooting (I also use them for night hunting armadillos) and in supersonic (~1700fps) Blackout with H110 and WC820. The subsonic load I use is 3.3gr Bullseye, 2.2" oal, CCI #400 primers, giving 1034fps in my 16" Handi Rifle. My supersonic load is 13.8gr H110, 2.2" oal, Wolf KVB223M primers (no longer imported), giving 1711fps out of a 10.3" Delta Co arms bbl (I have an adjustable gas block and open it wider to allow that load to function the short bbl AR). Note the 2.2" oal...if seated out longer, they can break upon hitting the feed ramp about 5% of the time. Even if the tip is broken off, they still shoot good enough for our plinking.
In 30/40 Krag, I use CCI LR primers, 15.7gr 2400, 3.25" oal, 1917fps out of my 28" Hi Wall bbl.
In 30/06, I use CCI LR primers, 14.4gr 2400, 3.34" oal, 1646fps out of my 24" M1903NM bbl.
In .308, I use CCI LR primers, 33.5gr IMR4895, 2.8" oal, velocity not measured, but with the gas valve closed (no gas exiting the rifle) it functions my FAL 100%.
Basically, bbls either like or hate the M160 frangibles. All the bbls listed above love those M160 bullets. Being made of compressed bakelite and lead, they are easy on the bores, giving about 1/3rd the bore wear that jacketed bullets give. I've tried them in my LRB M14, but it didn't like them. My FAL has an Austrian surplus bbl and it loves them; a friend's FAL with its Austrian surplus bbl hates them.
A sample of M160 bullets were bought more or less as a joke by a friend who handed them out to try. They worked so well in guns that liked them, that we got together on a group buy of around 50,000 of them at 4 cents each delivered with extra bullets thrown in to make up for any broken bullets in the bunch. The Milton post office called and said the mailman didn't have enough room in his vehicle for all the ammo cans, could I come to the loading dock and they'd load them in my vehicle. We later found another source and bought about another 10,000 of them.
We have done some silly experiments with the M160's. Although they break apart on steel, they penetrate will into pine boards. In a test to see what velocity they could stand, out of a 30/06 when the velocity exceeded 3000fps they would disintegrate in flight, never making it to the target.
The 75gr .355" bullets are being loaded for my S&W .380 EZ. CCI #500 primers, RP brass 3.2gr Bullseye, .975" oal, 939fps, only enough crimp to remove the case neck bell, otherwise a heavier crimp breaks the bullet. Fine accuracy for a .380, about 2" at 12yd. I buy them when on sale for in the 5 cents each range. Made of compressed copper dust.
The 50gr .224" bullets are used in 5.56 rifles. CCI #41 primers, mixed brass, 23.5gr IMR4895 (23.5gr W748 shot just as well), 2.25" oal, no crimp. Gives in the 2700fps range in a 16" bbl and 2400-2500fps in a 10.5" bbl. Velocity differs among bbls of the same length. These bullets, not having any lead in them, are long for their weight. They need a 1 in 7 twist. If the AR rifle likes them, they shoot 1 1/2" at 100yd (my Ruger Precision will do 1 1/8" 5 shots with them at 100yd). A 1 in 9 twist bbl that "likes" them will give around 2" at 34yd; a 1 in 9 that doesn't like them will give around 6" at 34yd. I could shoot them faster, but even though they are frangible, speed kills steel, so I worked up a mild, but accurate load. Not all 1 in 7 twist bbls like them. They have some type of dark brown coating on the tip, I suspect to ID them or help protect the compressed copper when being fed from the mag into the chamber. I buy them when on sale for in the 5-6 cent range. Made of compressed copper dust with a gliding metal jacket.
The 108gr .308" M160 bullets are from WWII. Used in training for firing at aluminum armored Bell P-63 Kingcobra planes and in sub caliber devices for shooting at tanks with cannons. Later they were loaded in 7.62x51 ammo for use in sub caliber devices. Made of compressed lead dust and bakelite plastic. Don't crimp or they will break.
We (my shooting friends and I) use them in 300 Blackout in subsonic (with light loads of Bullseye, AA#2, or Unique) suppressed shooting (I also use them for night hunting armadillos) and in supersonic (~1700fps) Blackout with H110 and WC820. The subsonic load I use is 3.3gr Bullseye, 2.2" oal, CCI #400 primers, giving 1034fps in my 16" Handi Rifle. My supersonic load is 13.8gr H110, 2.2" oal, Wolf KVB223M primers (no longer imported), giving 1711fps out of a 10.3" Delta Co arms bbl (I have an adjustable gas block and open it wider to allow that load to function the short bbl AR). Note the 2.2" oal...if seated out longer, they can break upon hitting the feed ramp about 5% of the time. Even if the tip is broken off, they still shoot good enough for our plinking.
In 30/40 Krag, I use CCI LR primers, 15.7gr 2400, 3.25" oal, 1917fps out of my 28" Hi Wall bbl.
In 30/06, I use CCI LR primers, 14.4gr 2400, 3.34" oal, 1646fps out of my 24" M1903NM bbl.
In .308, I use CCI LR primers, 33.5gr IMR4895, 2.8" oal, velocity not measured, but with the gas valve closed (no gas exiting the rifle) it functions my FAL 100%.
Basically, bbls either like or hate the M160 frangibles. All the bbls listed above love those M160 bullets. Being made of compressed bakelite and lead, they are easy on the bores, giving about 1/3rd the bore wear that jacketed bullets give. I've tried them in my LRB M14, but it didn't like them. My FAL has an Austrian surplus bbl and it loves them; a friend's FAL with its Austrian surplus bbl hates them.
A sample of M160 bullets were bought more or less as a joke by a friend who handed them out to try. They worked so well in guns that liked them, that we got together on a group buy of around 50,000 of them at 4 cents each delivered with extra bullets thrown in to make up for any broken bullets in the bunch. The Milton post office called and said the mailman didn't have enough room in his vehicle for all the ammo cans, could I come to the loading dock and they'd load them in my vehicle. We later found another source and bought about another 10,000 of them.
We have done some silly experiments with the M160's. Although they break apart on steel, they penetrate will into pine boards. In a test to see what velocity they could stand, out of a 30/06 when the velocity exceeded 3000fps they would disintegrate in flight, never making it to the target.