[Mike Benedict]

Last week we were dooing some low light shooting and we shot some PMC 230 gr JHP ammo I was pretty imprested as it had little on no flash.
Anyone carry the stuff or have shot it for accuracy?

Mike

 

[Matt VDW]

Were you using the PMC Starfire ammo?

 

[Guest]

Mike,
Several years back I was very interested in the Starfire design as I have a great deal of respect for Tom and I like his designs. I was rather disappointed in the Starfire as in simple testing I have been able to cause it to fail to expand conisistently and easily with Denim, Nylon, and Wool jacket and shirt materials in thin layers.

It fails miserably against Glass, sheet metal, rubber, drywall and wood.

It is fairly accurate in most of my 1911s and my Les Baer SRP will shoot three rounds into .70" @ 25 yards with the Starfire loading.

If we are discussing the disconinued PMC 45B, 230gr JHP loading I have found it to be a pretty "good" load with basic performance slightly above FMJ and below the standard pressure non-serrated Golden Saber loading.
It is still widely available outside of the US and it is probably a fairly popular loading due to it's low price.

One point I should note is that performance seems to increase fairly quickly with the Starfire as velocity increases, in testing from a Marlin camp carbine some years back, I saw a slightly better/different result, I believe that the PMC bullet material is too stiff for the lower velocities.

 

[die]

There was a little discussion in The Firing Line Forum, regarding the new federal EFMJ line, in where Tom Budzinsky states that the "flaw" of his starfire design was actually that PMC don't load it to its maximum potential. He said there that the load was one of his best design, but it need more velocity to really work as designed. He said that he can't do nothing about, because he don't have any clue in the PMC factory.

 

[telackey]

I have read Tom B (I am not assaying to spell his last name :smile: ) decry PMC's descision to load the Starfire weak, as it was a design that needed significant velocity to expand reliably; though he insisted it was an excellent bullet if only that were done.

I believe the .44 Magnum Starfire is a particularly well respected hunting load, and one of the few full power Starfires, which backs up his assertions, not that they were in doubt.

Personally, I wish PMC would load a full power 10mm Starfire, we already have enough companies with weak 10 loadings, some of the smaller ones (PMC is small in the premium defence ammo market anyway) should step up. If the Starfire needs driven fast, the 10mm is the one to do it. It should be shameful their 180gr .40 S&W is 35fps faster than the 180gr 10mm....

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: telackey on 2001-06-16 18:25 ]</font>

 

[Mike Benedict]

Yes we were shooting the Starfire ammo.