Precision Delta vs Montana Gold bullets ?

[Hangfire]

From looking around both seem to have their following with PD being a little cheaper.

For casual punching paper / plinking at steel gongs at a max of 25 yds. anybody try PD or MG jacketed (not plated) 45 ACP or 9mm bullets ?.......Opinion ?

 

[Mad Professor]

From looking around both seem to have their following with PD being a little cheaper.

For casual punching paper / plinking at steel gongs at a max of 25 yds. anybody try PD or MG jacketed (not plated) 45 ACP or 9mm bullets ?.......Opinion ?

I’ve used Montana Gold Pistol bullets almost exclusively the last 4-5 years. Mostly in the JHP design. I do use Gold Dots for bowling pin loads in 147g 9mm because MG does not make a hollow point. I also use a Gold Dot or XTP 230g for pins because I like the larger diameter opening for cutting into the pins better.

I have bought and used a few Precision Deltas 2nd hand from people selling out or changing calibers. They have worked great also. I have never bought PD new so I don’t know how customer service and shipping are. MG has been awesome. I ordered 2 cases late Tuesday night, received shipping confirmation and tracking Wednesday morning at 8:22, and they were sitting at my door Friday before noon. Every instance has been identical over the last 24 cases I have bought with one exception. The post office lost one case of three shipped. That case took an extra week before it arrived. That was on the PO, not MG.


Performance/accuracy has been better than the plated bullets I have tried, Xtreme, Berrys, and Rainier. I don’t care for exposed lead at the base but have used a few MG and PD FMJ bullets bought 2nd hand that were so. That is the reason I prefer JHP or CMJ designs. XTP and HAP also perform as well, but at a higher cost. Groups have been about 1/2 the size or less than what I have been able to get out of plated (or coated) bullets. The difference starts showing up at 15-20 yards.

This is 200 yards with a 124g MG bullet. Yes, I missed the first one. And after hitting the second, I didn’t risk pulling the trigger on a third.

 

[Shadowrider]

I have bought and used a few Precision Deltas 2nd hand from people selling out or changing calibers. They have worked great also. I have never bought PD new so I don’t know how customer service and shipping are. MG has been awesome.

Performance/accuracy has been better than the plated bullets I have tried, Xtreme, Berrys, and Rainier. I don’t care for exposed lead at the base but have used a few MG and PD FMJ bullets bought 2nd hand that were so. Groups have been about 1/2 the size or less than what I have been able to get out of plated (or coated) bullets. The difference starts showing up at 15-20 yards.

Were the PDs you had round nose? Because the 124 JHPs I had looked almost like an XTP. They seem to mimic the profile and the base has no exposed lead. I do think the RNs are reverse of that as are most others. Just easier to manufacture that way.

And I've found the same with plated. Extremes especially are horrid in the accuracy dept. I have some 230s that look like a large pattern out of a shotgun at 15 yards and they aren't tumbling, they just won't shoot. 9mm is better in my guns but nothing great. That's why I went back to coated. Much better accuracy with them. My favorite Acme is like a laser out of my .357 Sig. I can positively say that Extremes would never shoot near them in it.

O/P: There was a guy posting on Enos at one time that works for PD. He was saying that their JHP was testing well in their gel tests for a self defense load and he was actually carrying them in his daily carry. And since that time they've introduced factory loaded ammo with them marketed to that end. So in a SHTF scenario it might be a better option if that's a factor to you. I seriously doubt they will ever match a Gold Dot or HST but may give a XTP a run for their money.

 

[Mad Professor]

Were the PDs you had round nose? Because the 124 JHPs I had looked almost like an XTP. .

I’ll have to look. I know there were some FMJ, but I think the others were CMJs.

 

[Mad Professor]

Were the PDs you had round nose? Because the 124 JHPs I had looked almost like an XTP. They seem to mimic the profile and the base has no exposed lead. I do think the RNs are reverse of that as are most others. Just easier to manufacture that way.

They were all 115 FMJ and 124 FMJ (and 180 FMJ .40) in a round nose configuration according to my note. They had an exposed lead base and produced a bit more smoke with TiteGroup. With some other propellants, that might not have been an issue. I remember alternate loading them back to back with a 124 MG JHP and having someone else look at the smoke produced and confirm. It wasn't a lot, and no where near what I have seen out of others shooting cast bullets. But because I shoot a lot at indoor ranges, it made me choose JHP or CMJ over exposed base FMJ. I don't remember personally seeing any Precision Delta JHP, but yes they look very much like a XTP. More so than the MG.

Here is a picture I snagged from PDs page and pictures comparing a XTP (left) and a MG JHP (right).

I think PD JHPs would be great to use and they are now competitive with the MG once you get in the 2000 quantity vs having to buy a case (3750 in 124g) of MG.





XTPs were used in competitions quite a bit at one time. So much so that Hornady released the HAP for competition use. The XTP bullet without the serrations that aid in expansion.

Jacked Hollow points are built backwards from JHP, putting the exposure to the front instead of the rear. It is supposed to make for a more accurate rifle bullet, although these factors might not ever come into play in handgun bullets. With a capped "CMJ" bullet, I have to wonder about the precision being impacted with an additional operation. For this reason, I have preferred JHPs.

Here is a picture showing a 180 PD FMJ, 124 CMJ, and a 115 JHP comparing the bases.

 

[Hangfire]

Thanks for the replies fellas.

I shoot more 45 ACP than anything else I own (hand loaded with jacketed 230 gr. round ball) and I believe that I'm going to order 1000 each of the PD and MG 230 gr. FMJRN (open base) and see how they run in my stainless Remington R-1 M1911 and my Glock 21-4.

 

[Aries]

I got some today from Falcon Bullets I'm going to try out.

 

[Hoov]

I've never used the MG, but have used the PD for several years now with excellent results.

 

[Glocktogo]

I've used mostly MG and Zero bullets, both 9mm & .45. I found the MG's to be the most accurate bullet short of the Hornady XTP. I can't comment on PD's though.

 

[Gunbuffer]

Very few folks will notice a difff between mg or pd but more will notice the price difference.

A couple of those folks that will notice are on this thread