Any .224 bullet will load in the 5.7. Far better bullets out there for loading than those round nose TCM bullets.

 

Far better bullets out there for loading than those round nose TCM...

In what regard? Have you used the Armscor bullets and had problems?

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

Armscor Bullets 22TCM (.224 Diameter) 40 Gr. JHP- Bag of 100
But before I order a bag I wanted to check here and see if anyone has used it with negative results.

One negative that i see! :th_watching::th_watching: They are out of stock! lol!!! :lol:

 

Other places have them. This was just the 1st link that popped up. Lol.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

I'm curious about the Armscor hollow point as a defensive bullet. Mostly just an experiment to see how a more traditional pistol-type bullet might perform in a 5.7 handgun.

Yes there are risks associated. Will it feed? Will it be accurate? Will it expand in both bare gel and gel covered with heavy clothing? If the bullet fails any of these I'm out about $7.00 so it won't be a big deal.

Plus I haven't messed with making gel in awhile. It will give me an excuse to make a block.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

Let me know what you work up for a load, as I'd be interested in testing it..

 

22TCM (NOT the shorter 9R bullets) - the bullet is 0.470" long, I load with the base of the cannelure at the case rim (1.440" C.O.A.L.) with 6.1g TrueBlue and have good accuracy with both PS90 and pistol. When I load to the upper edge of the cannelure (1.400" C.O.A.L.) I use 6.0g TrueBlue. Flat bases, so remember to flare the necks a bit. I have loaded these to 6.4g TrueBlue and 1.440" but I got an occasional popped primer on the PS90. Pistol seemed okay but that seems to be a max velocity even though these short bullets aren't as deep in the case as the regular Hornady #62634 (red) or #22241 (green) 40g V-MAX bullets. They also do well at 6.0g TrueBlue and 1.585 C.O.A.L. to duplicate the FN SS197SR although a bit faster at 1880 fps pistol and 2336 fps PS90.

 

Armscor bullets

Armscor Bullets 22TCM (.224 Diameter) 40 Gr. JHP- Bag of 100

Good morning.

As some of you may have seen, I have one of the new RUGER-57 pistols. Since I haven't had much luck finding ammo locally I've been loading my own using the standard 40gr Hornady V-Max.

Anyway, I wonder about the bullet linked above. It is meant for the 22 TCM but should work in the 5.7 just fine. That's what I'm assuming. But before I order a bag I wanted to check here and see if anyone has used it with negative results.

TIA!

I loaded using this bullet and had a lot of failure to load jams. I ended up pulling them out and tossing them

 

They are in stock. 204 bags of 100 each are available. $6 per bag (6¢ each - that's a hard price to beat for new plinking/practice bullets - you can get pulled bullets for about the same 6 or 7¢ each but you will likely need to buy 500 or 1000 of them to get that price). And, yeah, they feed just fine and haven't given me any trouble in either the pistol or the PS90. Observe any cannelures but just load to the correct C.O.A.L. and they will feed fine. 6.0g TrueBlue or 5.0g VihtaVouri N340. AutoComp works fine too, 5.6g with C.O.A.L of 1.400" to 1.440" for these very short 22TCM bullets.
Someone else recommended the Speer 33g #1014 bullets. I load them to 1.415 C.O.A.L. and have good velocities and accuracy with 6.3g of TrueBlue. They are about 13¢ each.
Generally keep your C.O.A.L. between 1.537" (for the longer blunt nose stuff) and 1.585" for the plastic tipped & other pointy stuff.
I also shoot 45g Hornady 218 Bee hollow points (17¢ each) (they don't come any more blunt nosed than these bullets) #2229. 5.8g True Blue, C.O.A.L. 1.440", 2150 fps and 463 ft-lbs (1 MOA at 100m) in PS90 and 1680 fps in the pistol. Very good on small game. Don't forget to flare the case necks for any of the flat base bullets.
If you load any 40g CuttingEdge bullets($1.10 each, 6.0g True Blue, 2359 fps and 494 ft-lbs - 1760 fps in the pistol those velocities are essentially the same as SS197 SR, but the bullet is a much harder material than SS197 SR) you will get better C.O.A.L. (1.571") if you leave the plastic tips off. They aren't needed for the distances you will likely shoot (under 200m) and will force you to seat the bullet deeper in the case than desirable. They are pretty long even without the tips and are (said to be) marginally stable in 1:9 twist. Mine seem to be stable though, out to that 200m line. Without the tip they are 0.800" long and are seated with 0.225" (0.345" with the tips installed) of the bullet below the neck rim. By comparison, the SS197 SR 40g is seated with 0.205" of the bullet below the neck. None of the loads above will pop primers, even in cases that have been reloaded 5 times or more and the pockets are beginning to feel not very tight anymore.
Yeah, I usually shoot True Blue (because I bought 8 pounds of the stuff - enough for like 9000 reloads so I still have some left) but I also use the N340 and AutoComp because I happen to have some around and wanted to see how they work. Those three powders work fine for me and my local shop always has them in stock. Other powders work fine too, maybe when I use up this True Blue I will consider trying some. I'm 71 though, so I may not live that long.

 

Which brand of dies did you get for the 5.7? Might procure the pistol if I can reload. Already do the .22 TCM .

 

Ammo Supply Warehouse has plenty of them in stock (https://www.ammosupplywarehouse.com...arehouse.com/west/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_67&products_id=20075) They are intended for 22TCM but they also work very well in 5.7x28 1:9 twist because they are short and the blunt nose lets you load to a C.O.A.L. that uses minimum case space. Smooth feeding and work just fine (Can't beat new 40g bullets at 6¢ each)
MAKE SURE you are ordering the Armscor 22 TCM 40g bullets. NOT the Armscor 22 TCM-9R bullets! The 9R bullets have a much shorter ogive and virtually no exposed lead around the hollow point. The 9R bullets are for handloading 22TCM for use in Glock pistol magazines. They MIGHT be okay in 5.7 handloads but I haven't tried them and the super-short ogive doesn't look like it would function well for 5.7x28mm ammo.

 

Hornady Custom Grade dies are very good. I prefer them at home because I like to use a Hornady MicroJust to seat the various bullets that I use. However, for years I have used a Lee die set with a Lee Breech Lock Hand Press to reload right at the range when working up loads. Both die sets do a very acceptable job and were available from my local dealers (although I got a bit better deal online when I had free shipping from Midway).

 

Armscor Bullets 22TCM (.224 Diameter) 40 Gr. JHP- Bag of 100

Good morning.

As some of you may have seen, I have one of the new RUGER-57 pistols. Since I haven't had much luck finding ammo locally I've been loading my own using the standard 40gr Hornady V-Max.

Anyway, I wonder about the bullet linked above. It is meant for the 22 TCM but should work in the 5.7 just fine. That's what I'm assuming. But before I order a bag I wanted to check here and see if anyone has used it with negative results.

TIA!

As far as how the bullets themselves perform - quite well. This is the bullet Armscor uses in their .22 magnum ammo which is loaded for rifle velocity around 1,875fps which puts it right in there with most 5.7x28 loads from the pistol. This is also the bullet used in factory .22 TCM ammo which clocks around 2,050+fps from a 5" barrel. In gel tests the bullet has performed very well, being a lead-core with copper jacket it delivers penetration in the "FBI zone" with nicely mushroomed shapes that hold together. The Armscor bullet has a fairly thin jacket and generous exposed lead HP nose.
The only downside I see in using in the 5.7x28, specifically the FsN or the Ruger 57 is these pistols don't have feed ramps. They have a beveled barrel with the cartridge noses sitting "right there" and the pointed nose design tends to make the bullet go in without a problem. With the amount of soft lead nose the Armscor bullets have I suspect at the very least you'd be looking at deformed noses which could lead to a feed stoppage but of course the only way to know one way or the other is to load some up and see what happens.
Armscor is also selling their 39gr. "stub nose" bullet for the .22TCM9R and you could use this in 5.7x28 no problem because the rounded nose has jacket all the way to the HP opening. They are not very long so you'll need to seat them out somewhat which isn't a problem.

A better option that only costs a little more than the Armscor bullet is the Speer 40gr. Spire Point. This is a lead core, copper jacket bullet with a steeply tapered tip and a tiny - about 2mm exposed lead tip. Being lead core they will be short compared to the 40gr. Vmax, and the 36gr. Barnes, but they do have completely different terminal characteristics. The Speer bullet has a rather thick jacket since it's built for the .22 Hornet rifle which can reach 3,000fps. This means at typical 5.7x28 handgun velocity of around 1,950-2,050fps it will tend to penetrate deeper with less expansion, but this, combined with the steeply tapered nose means when it hits steel plate, the nose compresses inward and the round punches through - 3/16" steel at the above mentioned velocity. I have never tested it, but I suspect this bullet will also go through a TL3A vest quite consistently.
Another bullet that's not "cheap" but is a sort of "poor mans penetrator" is the Barnes TSX 45gr. This is a solid copper, banded bullet with a tiny HP nose and a long, streamlined profile with a BC around 0.177. This bullet cannot be used in the .22 TCM, and certainly not the TCM9R, though I suspect it would work if loaded in the 5.56x24 case and fired from a .22 TCM size pistol such as the 1911 which has a 1.275" allowable overall length...haven't tried it yet, but eventually I may, though for those with the FsN and the new Ruger 57 it may be one of the better all-around choices. It seats to around 1.580-1.585" and feeds perfectly. A moderate collet-style crimp over the front driving band locks it in the case and enhances velocity, though of course crimping should be used when working the load up, never added to a previously developed load. At a nominal 1,800fps this bullet will penetrate TL3A and being long, make a nice tumble once on the other side in gelatin, which I suspect means it would be quite nasty on the famous "meat target"! Being solid copper, when it hits mild steel plate the nose will tend to "pinch down" rather than expand and help it auger through. It's also one of those I'd like to test on a thick slab of Lexan.
Another inexpensive bullet that I know works in the 5.7x28 is the Speer 33gr. JHP. This bullet can be driven to 2,200 fps and being built for the .22 Hornet, is pretty heavily constructed compared to bullets made for the .22 magnum. Some may prefer this bullet over the 40gr. Vmax which is a lightly built bullet, but then the Vmax is a surprising performer on the "meat target"....not a bullet I'd want to get hit with.

 

Alas, ATF realized that 45g Barnes Banded Solids are a good penetrator and persuaded Barnes to stop selling them. . . . you might find some in some small gun shop supply but I can't find any in central Texas and I have been looking for over 5 years. . . . too bad. You are right about them.