How are Gold Dots 165 and 180 pushed???

[alpha6164]

I am really thinking about reloading for SD purposes and was trying to decide on a projectile. I am going to list what i have come across and my findings. Please let me know if any of the assumptions are correct.

Hornady XTP= great all around, but to me it seems not enough expansion but great penetration.

Golden Sabers= ok round but hear too many reports of jacket separation when pushed

Gold Dots= Great expansion and penetration. Trying to decide if i should look for 165 or 180s for Glock 20 with extended barrel. I have seen the 165s perform better in a g29 since a little slower the petals dont seem to fold back as much. I am thinking that the 180s pushed to 1250-1300 would do the trick.

Nosler JHP= Seem to get great expansion and reviews over all and price is very reasonable.

Barnes= great except at close to a $1 a bullet it is way too much for my taste



So please share your opinion the above. What are your thoughts between the GD 165 vs 180. And also your opinion on the Nosler JHPs. Would a 155gr XTP pushed 1400ft/sec expand better than 180XTP at 1300ft/sec?

[MSgt Dotson]

Would a 155gr XTP pushed 1400ft/sec expand better than 180XTP at 1300ft/sec?

Each of these loadings is 'overkill' in a SD handload, IMO....; the extra 200-250 fps will give greater 'energy/FT LBS' numbers (which might be great *IF* the 700 ft lb loadings worked any better than 450 ft lb loads!), with 20-30% more muzzle flip (which decreases ability for quick followup shots), perhaps .05" greater expansion, and likely 1" less penetration....

[Kegs]

Would a 155gr XTP pushed 1400ft/sec expand better than 180XTP at 1300ft/sec?

They will have approximately the same amount of expansion. The 180 will have better penetration.

I have done a reasonable amount of testing these on my personal range and my opinion is they are going to be as good as any in the expansion department. In a real scenario, it is difficult to know whether a bullet will hit soft tissue or bone or both - more than likely it's going to hit both, so a mix of penetration and expansion is better than primarily expansion.

The 200gr. XTP is the best of the best on the commercial market for multiple reasons for 10mm. It is also in short supply.

Don't bother with the noslers.

Gold dots are fine. Go with the 180 if you're loading 10mm.

One thing that I have noticed is that while it is pretty fun shooting a blue-dot propelled (hot) 155gr. round through the 10 mil, the recoil is quite a bit more "snappy" compared to the heavyweight bullets, regardless how hot you load each.

10mm = heavier is better.