Has anyone tried the Berry's MFG bullets? I'm looking to reload 45 ACP for fun at the range and the prices out there are pretty atrocious whether you are lookng at buying the ammo straight up or reloading. The Berry's bullets seem to be the lowest cost at $56.00 for 1000. Oh yes, I don't want straight lead bullets ... even though it's the least expensive of all. Is this stuff complete crap for bullets? Am I meandering down a bad path?

Thanks,

Ross

Berry's plated bullets are excellent. Have used both their .45 and the 10mm and highly recommend them. For accuracy, reliability, and a nice clean bore afterwards they are every bit as good if not better than standard jacketed bullets.

I agree with Clifton.
I shoot alot of Berry's in .38/.357,.44 and 45ACP.
These bullets have a thin copper shell and don't like Magnum velocities.
They perform great at 45 ACP speeds and like ya said, can't beat em for the price.

Oh good. I was worried that these were your typical "you get what you pay for." Where are they made?

I like Berry's but a good JHP is going to give you better accuracy, at least that is my exp. in several caliber. For blasting bullets though, they are fine.

They are made in St George Utah. I've used them in 40 S&W and they are fine. They are sold at Cabelas in Salt Lake and are cheaper than ordering them.

quote:

Originally posted by R.P.:
... Oh yes, I don't want straight lead bullets ... even though it's the least expensive of all. ...

Hey Ross, Is there a particular reason you do not want to use Lead?

quote:

Originally posted by Clifton Clowers:
Berry's plated bullets are excellent. Have used both their .45 and the 10mm and highly recommend them. For accuracy, reliability, and a nice clean bore afterwards they are every bit as good if not better than standard jacketed bullets.

+1

I've used a ton of the 100 gr in my .380 and they are great. I've driven them WAY over max and they perform fine.

That said, they were out of a Kel Tec, so I wasn't looking for accuracy. Just minute of paper plate at under 10 yards.

I shoot 200 gr. FPs, in my 1911, and have tried
Rainier Ballistics, and Berry's. I find a
bit better accuracy with Rainier, over Berry's,
out of my 1911(Match Pistol). If I had to put
a number to it, average group size with
Rainier bullets is 25% smaller. But with that
said, I get 4" groups, at 25 yards, with the
Berry's, off my bench. When my sons show
up, and say, "Dad, my friends and I want to
shoot pistols", I hand them a box of Berry's
bullet loads. When I want to shoot groups,
or flop metal targets, I shoot Rainier loads.

Squeeze

Regarding the Lead bullets. I have a HK USP and heard that lead does not do so well with the barrel's unconventional rifling. I guess I also have that fear of lead exposure even though I can tell myself that I'll be OK unless I eat it somehow.

RP
You will have more lead exposure from the firing of primers than handling lead bullets.

A local commercial lead caster I know casts 1000's of bullets a year, does not wear a mask, and casts in his closed shop/garage in the winter. While the machine is somewhat vented, there's still an exposure to lead and he's never had a problem.

But yeah, in your HK Berrys are a good choice.

Hey R.P., I don't know much about HK pistols. What is different about the barrel? Does it have the Polygonal Rifling?

The reason I was asking is because a very long long time ago I used to shoot pistols and revolvers a whole lot. And was in a position to be around folks who shot them even more than I did.

It was common knowledge back then that a regular old Colt 45ACP could digest over 100,000 rounds of "Lead" bullets and maintain it's accuracy level. And Jacketed bullets made it about 25,000 before the change was noticable.

And at the speeds generated in a 45ACP, Leading is not much of an issue with a decent barrel.
---

Most of the Indoor Ranges I've shot have exhaust fans pushing the air out the back of the Range or up through the roof. I never thought to ask if it was filtered before it went out. But I would suspect it is.

I've heard that the polygonal barrel doesn't transfer the twist the same from jacketed bullets as compared to lead ones. I guess the lead is too soft to get the whole bullet spinning.

Here is another indorsement of Berry's bullets. I shoot their 210 gr bullets in my 41 Magnum. I use them in loads from 800 fps up to 1400 fps with great success.

The Berrys bullets do not exhibit the level of accuracy I can acheive with the Hornady 210 XTP, but at less than 1/2 the price, they are a great plinking and practice bullet.

quote:

Originally posted by squeeze:
...I find a bit better accuracy with Rainier, over Berry's, out of my 1911(Match Pistol). ...

Hey Squeeze, Thanks for mentioning that. I realize a different pistol might do the same or just the exact opposite, but it is nice to hear how it worked for you.

By the way, When you go to enter a response, you do not need to hit "Enter" at the end of a line unless you want to start a new paragraph. The Software in the AR site has "Word Wrap" which allows you to just keep typing. That is why your posts don't fill the Cell.

Best of luck to you.