10mm Speer Gold Dot 180 grain bullet velocities

M

mnoirot64

New member
Good afternoon. I am hand handloading 10mm Speer Gold Dot bullets. I plan to use this pistol for hog hunting and personal protection around the house. That said, I believe hot 10mm loads can surpass the velocity a bonded bullet, such as the Gold Dots, can properly handle. I've checked Speer's website and did not see any ratings in reference to maximum velocity. I've read that if you push the Gold Dots too fast, they can physically come apart. Does anyone have any suggestions on a maximum velocity for these bullets? Thanks,
 
10mm Speer Gold Dot 180 grain bullet velocities
Good afternoon. I am hand handloading 10mm Speer Gold Dot bullets. I plan to use this pistol for hog hunting and personal protection around the house. That said, I believe hot 10mm loads can surpass the velocity a bonded bullet, such as the Gold Dots, can properly handle. I've checked Speer's website and did not see any ratings in reference to maximum velocity. I've read that if you push the Gold Dots too fast, they can physically come apart. Does anyone have any suggestions on a maximum velocity for these bullets? Thanks,
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I will answer your question with a question. How much hand loading experience do you have? If the answer is not many years and tens of thousands of rounds I wouldn't load your protection ammo. One small mistake can caust a misfire and risk your life.
 
Gold Dots can come apart and deeper the hollow cavity the less velocity it can handle. From what I've tested, 180gr Gold Dot begins the coming apart process not long after 1200 fps (XTP too). The 155gr/165gr versions are good for around 1400 fps.

I don't load for 10mm anymore but I was perfectly satisfied with 180's running around 1200 fps and in that range the Gold Dot is great. That's just my .02, but think about it, what will a 180gr at 1300 kill that one at 1200 won't? Nothing.
 
I don't load for 10mm anymore but I was perfectly satisfied with 180's running around 1200 fps and in that range the Gold Dot is great.
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I do load for 10mm. And I too am perfectly satisfied with pushing 180 GDHP's to 1200 f/s. That's plenty of punch.
 
I reload 10mm. I have not loaded gold dot but my current load runs the 180 XTP at about 1285. I'm doing that in a Kimber Target II, and I see no need battering the gun the pieces to go any higher. 1200 would be a good number to start thinking about calling home...............
 
I, too, load for the 10 mm. What are you trying to accomplish? If 1200 fps with a 180 gr won't stop it get another gun.
:D Maybe a Desert Eagle in something with a number that starts with 5?

Methinks you are looking for a problem when none exists.

Gary
 
Those are some very impressive tests of 10mm hollow point ammunition. I'm certain my 10mm loads, with 180 gr Gold Dots, will work well on hogs - or two legged predators.
 
The harder you push the Gold Dots and other conventional SD bullets the more expansion you will get.... which can lead to less penetration
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This is an oft misunderstood point of terminal ballistics. There is a LOT of science put into bullet design today. GoldDots (as an example) are designed to perform within a specified velocity range.

Too slow and it wont expand, too fast and it over expands and may come apart. The "bonded" bullets are better at holding together but can still lose petals from too violent an impact.

Best performance will always be obtained when impact velocity is inside the range the bullet is designed for
 
Load Data

I plan to work up loads for velocities between 1200-1250 fps.
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Good plan.

The following load data is in compliance with Speer #14; as always, every handloader must do their own load work-ups and evaluations.

My high performance 10mm load with the Speer 180g GDHP is 11.7 grains AA#7. It chronographs at 1193 f/s through the 3.7" bbl Glock 29sf; and 1226 f/s through the 4.6" bbl Glock 20sf.

I did the work-up incrementally to the Speer max of 12.0 grains. It chronographs at 1222 f/s through the 29; and 1268 through the 20. I backed down to 11.7 grains as my set loading simply to have some safety "headroom," if you will. No other reason.

I freely admit that I tend to lean toward faster powders than most. Many would recommend AA#9 (or similar) for their 10mm 180gn high performance round. I don't. Yes, you'll squeeze more velocity; but it'll come at the expense of more flash and recoil. I think AA#7 is perfect for my application. If I were using a 200gn bullet and/or had a longer barreled gun, then I might consider moving to something slower than AA#7; but as it is, no.

P.S. I don't believe you told us what 10mm gun(s) you have.
 
Nick - I just purchased a SIG Sauer P220 10mm with the Kryptek camo pattern. It is a sweet shooting pistol, and it appears to eat anything I feed it. I fired about 200 rounds through it yesterday, on it's maiden voyage and no FTF of FTE. I rapid fired 50 hollow points, a mixture of 180 grain Gold Dots and 155 grain Barnes TAC-XPs. The only issue I had was that the adjustable rear sight came loose. I took it apart and put some locktite blue on the baby T6 jam screw which holds the sight firm in the dovetail. Personally, I cannot believe SIG put such a small set screw in that sight.

I think I'm going to pick up some AA #7. I have AA #9, Power Pistol, Longshot, 800-X and Blue Dot, which are all listed in Hornady and Lyman manuals. The recommended powder for the Barnes TAC-XPs, on the Barnes' website, is with Longshot. While I like Longshot in my hot 45 ACP loads, tipped with 185 grain TAC-XPs, I do not care for it in the 10mm.
 
Got some 210 grain .410" HP's from a guy up here, long ago, who was heading to PA for a handgun hog hunt with his .41 Mag. He was told no HP's for Porky. His armoured head and shoulders stops 'em penetrating.
So you may want to re-think the GD's for hunting Porky. Regardless of the velocity. You should rethink velocity as your major interest for SD loads(that aren't the same nor are required to be the same as hunting loads) too. Accuracy is far more important.
 
Perhaps instead of Gold Dots, the OP might consider a 180 gr. + gas-checked SWC or LRNFP? He might get the desired velocities at slightly lower pressures. Such a cast projectile wouldn't expand much, then again it wouldn't OVER expand, either.
 
I load Sierra 190gr. Tournaments for my pig load. Carry 180gr. Hydra shocks the rest of the time; your 180 GDs would match or better them.
 
The newest hornady load manual lists some heavy charges for the 180gr Xtp, and severely understates the velocity. The listed max charges of 14.9gr of AA#9 and 10.1gr 800x. Each of which achieve 1300fps+ out of my factory 4.49" Glock 20 barrel!

If you shoot Underwood, their load was 9.4gr 800-x which achieved 1300fps with a 180gr gold dot.

But the 165's do hold up much better to velocity compared to the 180's.

In my personal testing, the 180gr gold dots start to come apart at 1175fps, and can be done in 40s&w with longshot and my glock 22.
 
Due to a message I received, I am posting this to show a 180gr Speer Gold Dot that was fired from my Glock 22 40 S&W. Load was 8.2gr hodgdon longshot. Chronograph velocity was 1208 fps.

Vyse 10% ballistics gelatin
Shot from 10 feet
August 8, 2015
Central Ohio
Temperature 82℉
Wind 5mph
Humidity 68%
Penetration 11.25 inches

41fa7fc2b1c0511533fc13ae3d61c587.jpg


1c1d4e313fa5fd80c973d677c9e7f467.jpg
 
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