Load Test - 200 grain Nosler GDHP

[sqlbullet]

Some time back I bought about 500 of the 200 grain Speer Gold Dot HP bullets. Many thanks the Wade for hounding Speer until they released this as a component.

Despite having them on my shelf for many years, I had not really worked up a load for them.  This weekend I was able to start that journey.  I had 20 loaded up with Longshot.

Specs:
10mm Auto Starline brass, once fired
Winchester Large Pistol Primers
8.0 grains Longshot
200 Grain Speer GDHP
1.260" COAL
Dillon 550 press with powder drop

Test Conditions:
85° F - Sunny
7,400 feet elevation
25 yards
Witness Match 5" barrel
Sitting, two hands, no mechanical rest
Labradar
10 Shots

Velocity Results:

Average	1117.24 fps
Highest	1140.69 fps
Lowest	1082.95 fps
Ext. Spread	57.75 fps
Std. Dev	17.23 fps

Accuracy was not really in scope for this test.  I didn't have time to set up the bench and I am not the greatest shot without a good rest.  Still all 10 shots would have been "A" zone hits on an IPSC standard silhouette.

Brass looked fine.  Hodgdon lists 7.5 grains max with a RN Lead bullet for 1141 fps and 8.2 grains max for a Hornady FMJ for 1172 fps.

I will test the remaining ten for accuracy next time I have the bench set up.  And I plan to load up another 20 rounds at 8.2 grains I expect another 30-40 fps from that increase.

[The_Shadow]

You listed this post as 200 grain Nosler Gold Dot HP bullets.  Those would be SPEER if they are the Gold Dot.
Yes I did write SPEER about having the 0.400" 200 grain Gold Dots made for handloader components back early in 2019 and they sent me a nice package of those & a thank you note in March of 2019.  Big thanks for Speer that they did make them as components soon after, but the economy & political climate things went south.



As a bit of history to this was the 200 grain Gold Dots as pulled from a 40S&W law enforcement CONTRACT and sold by RMR and another retailer that was selling the pulled bullets...Then after some begging SPEER came out
with their ammo loaded with the NEW 200 Grain Gold Dots #54000 which I did document here. 
Speer's 200 grain GD Ammo


Speer actually used a black sealant on the bullets. Man, that made pulling them apart a little tough.  So much so that the primer pellet actually broke up and the yellow priming mixture was all mixed in the powder making it harder to determine what powder was being used.

Here is the OLD PULLED 200 grain GD from the Contract ammo next to the New SPEER 200 grain GD which has a concaved base.



Hopefully things can get better for us as handloaders because Primer, Powders and even Bullets have become more expensive and, in some instances, Non Existent!

Using Longshot I have loaded 9.2 grains for those older 200 gr GD @ 1240 fps S&W 1006 5"
Using the Newer 200Gr GD I load those with 8.3 grains of BE-86 @ 1225 fps S&W 1006 5"

[John A.]

I love the speer bullets.

I use them in a lot of my loads/calibers.

They have the best expansion of any commercial bullet that I have seen.

I use the 270 gr soft cor bullets in my 9x39 loads almost exclusively.  And they even expand down into the mid 800 fps territory which work amazingly well with subsonic/suppressed loads.  I love them.

[sqlbullet]

You are right.  Old man brain got me.  Speer.  I amended my post.

[10 Round]

You listed this post as 200 grain Nosler Gold Dot HP bullets.  Those would be SPEER if they are the Gold Dot.
Yes I did write SPEER about having the 0.400" 200 grain Gold Dots made for handloader components back early in 2019 and they sent me a nice package of those & a thank you note in March of 2019.  Big thanks for Speer that they did make them as components soon after, but the economy & political climate things went south.



As a bit of history to this was the 200 grain Gold Dots as pulled from a 40S&W law enforcement CONTRACT and sold by RMR and another retailer that was selling the pulled bullets...Then after some begging SPEER came out
with their ammo loaded with the NEW 200 Grain Gold Dots #54000 which I did document here. 
Speer's 200 grain GD Ammo


Speer actually used a black sealant on the bullets. Man, that made pulling them apart a little tough.  So much so that the primer pellet actually broke up and the yellow priming mixture was all mixed in the powder making it harder to determine what powder was being used.

Here is the OLD PULLED 200 grain GD from the Contract ammo next to the New SPEER 200 grain GD which has a concaved base.



Hopefully things can get better for us as handloaders because Primer, Powders and even Bullets have become more expensive and, in some instances, Non Existent!

Using Longshot I have loaded 9.2 grains for those older 200 gr GD @ 1240 fps S&W 1006 5"
Using the Newer 200Gr GD I load those with 8.3 grains of BE-86 @ 1225 fps S&W 1006 5"

I just reread this post, and i'm thinking BE-86 is  able to go a lot further from my testing and what you've posted here. In my using it, I have never seen any pressure signs whatsoever.