Ranger T tough enough?

soundguy · 02-01-2013, 09:48

I'm thinking about pulling some 165's and/or 180's and loading them to 10mm velocities. I'm not trying to go nuclear with these. Probably around 1250 for the 180's and 1350 for the 165's.

I dont have a huge amount to waste on testing, so I'd like some thoughts on this.

Will these hold up to those velocities, or should these not be pushed past the 40sw velocities?

These would not be my daily carry round. So no lectures on that, thanks.

I'm just wondering if this is even an option.

Thanks.

gofastman · 02-01-2013, 09:52

I dont think this answers your question directly, but I would bet a gold dot is tougher than a ranger T...

Im guessing the ranger T's will be maxed out (from a terminal ballistics standpoint) at least 100 FPS lower than your intended velocities

Quote:

I'm just wondering if this is even an option.

Of course it is! just stick to safe reloading practices and go find out how it works for us!

soundguy · 02-01-2013, 10:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by gofastman

....and go find out how it works for us!

Thats what I was hoping someone else has/will do

I could definitely load it 100fps slower.

Just found this comparison. It seem the T may not have great weight retention compared to say an xtp.

It also doesn't make sense that the 165 retained less in bare gelatin than all other media. Also the 230's had great retention. So that may be the answer. If we can assume the bullet is designed the exact same way in all calibers, the slower the velocity, the better weight retention.
It seems the T may be designed for the velocities of the factory loading and may break apart too much at higher velocities.

I guess I could have done a little more research before I posted.

soundguy · 02-01-2013, 10:57

Here is the expanded comparison

cowboy1964 · 02-01-2013, 15:28

Personally I wouldn't push Ranger T's faster than stock velocity. Or any non-bonded bullet for that matter.

SDGlock23 · 02-02-2013, 09:04

I wouldn't push it much faster. Could it handle another 100 fps? Probably, but I wouldn't go much past that.

MinervaDoe · 02-03-2013, 13:39

I've seen threads that demonstrate the Hornady XTP bullets have great weight retention at hot 10mm velocities. Plus, you wouldn't have to pull them to get a solid performing bullet.

spcwes · 02-03-2013, 15:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowboy1964

Personally I wouldn't push Ranger T's faster than stock velocity. Or any non-bonded bullet for that matter.

This is the same thing I would say. I mean if you just want to play around by all means but I would use Gold Dots. We have ran gold dots WAY faster than they were intended and the semi custom ammo companies used 9mm Gold Dot bullets for the first few years loading them into 357sigs and 40 SW for the hot 10mm loads and they still worked great.

I remember shooting a 124gr gold dot loaded by Double Tap around 1600fps and the bullet still did great even though it was like a fat dime and was expanded as much as it possibly could be.

RYT 2BER · 02-03-2013, 17:58

Based on what you guys are saying I guess 155gr silvertips are out of the question.

gofastman · 02-03-2013, 21:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYT 2BER

Based on what you guys are saying I guess 155gr silvertips are out of the question.

not really, The silvertip is a tough bullet.

Quote:

Personally I wouldn't push Ranger T's faster than stock velocity. Or any non-bonded bullet for that matter.

the XTP isnt bonded and they perform much better at higher velocity

GONIF · 02-04-2013, 13:36

I have been useing 180 grain Remington Golden Sabers at 1350 fps and getting excellant results .

I find that 9.3 to 9.5 grains of Longshot with a 180Remington Golden Saber is perfect for anything I do with a 10mm in the lower 48 . I call it my Goldie locks load ,not too hot not too cold but just right.

dm1906 · 02-04-2013, 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by gofastman

not really, The silvertip is a tough bullet.

the XTP isnt bonded and they perform much better at higher velocity

Ditto, especially the XTP. I've pushed the 180 gr. XTP well past 1700 FPS, and they just work. Of course, not with a 10mm Auto. 124 gr. 9mm bullets considerably faster than that (9x25). I'm considering doing some extensive testing with the HAP bullet (XTP, without the skives) as the velocities go higher, to get away from the "controlled expansion", which is designed to control expansion with a specific range of velocity. I've not done any work with the Silvertip in 10mm, but they were phenomenal with the Magnums (.357, .41, .44, .45LC) and didn't seem to have a speed limit (20 years ago).