RBCD Ammo in Beretta Tomcat 32ACP

6062 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by whatsit, May 23, 2013

Oldfella

Discussion Starter · Oct 4, 2003

My old Tomcat 32 ACP jammed on me using silver tips, so I got rid of it and bought a new one. Now, will I get in trouble using RBCD high performance ammo; will that thing blow-up on me. I did ask the RBCD people and they said it would be OK - What say you all? Thanks, The Oldfella

http://www.rbcd.net/

Save

1 - 12 of 12 Posts

Fernando Coelho

· #2 · Oct 4, 2003

Before going with exotic fragmentary ammo, I would give the Silvertips another try in the newer Tomcat. If they are still a problem and you want to go exotic, I would give MagSafe a try.

I have tested RBCD in the past in various calibers and was not very impressed with it. For pre-fragmented type ammunition, the MagSafe is the best choice.

I'm not saying this because AmBack carries MagSafe, I have shot hundreds of rounds of the stuff over the years, shot quite a bit into ordnance gelatin, and knew the founder of the company (Joe Zambone). It is good stuff.

Fernando

Save

Oldfella

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 4, 2003

Thanks for the heads-up on MagSafe ammo, Fernando. I went to their website - I'm impressed, too bad they do not mention or make reference on comparison with RBCD. I might give it try... runs about the same price. The Oldfella

Save

Charlie Petty

· #4 · Oct 4, 2003

Fernando... I'm curious if your testing in the .32 revealed any advantage for the exotic ammo over ball? IMX expansion is iffy.

Save

Fernando Coelho

· #5 · Oct 4, 2003

The day the RBCD was tested it was fired into ordnance gelatin with four layers of denim as the clothing. They failed to open, turned over and came to a rest reversed. This happened four out of four times. The wound profile was no better than ball. At that point I didn’t bother wasting any more gel to see if no barrier would make a difference.

Silvertips also failed through the same four layers of denim, clogging up with fibers.

With the MagSafe, I tested it on a separate occasion using the INS heavy clothing protocol. Out of eight rounds tested, all came apart and expelled their “payload” in a cone shaped path. While nowhere near as impressive as the larger caliber counterparts, the majority of the shot penetrated between 6-7.5 inches. The path averaged a two-inch circle of dispersion at its greatest point.

Is the MagSafe an advantage over ball? That is really in the eyes of the beholder. The penetration fell short of ball. As far as trauma to the gelatin, the MagSafe caused more. While I’ll admit that penetration was quite shallow, this to me is a round best suited for up close and personal use anyway (i.e. a round in the eye). Worst case scenario with the MagSafe is it fails to dump it’s payload and instead acts like ball. Best case scenario with ball is it acts like ball

See less See more

Save

Oldfella

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 5, 2003

What I'm reading, between-the-lines, is that no round is "superior" in the Winter months with all the layers of clothing most people wear... and you have better be an excellent double-shot shooter.

Save

cma g21

· #7 · Oct 5, 2003

While I like the terminal performance of Magsafe, I prefer the profile and OAL of the Glazer, especially in .32 acp where rimlock is always a possibility.

Cor-Bon is supposed to come out with the Pow-R-Ball in .32, and this is probably be what I'll end up using (mainly for reasons of reliability - assuming it works well). YMMV.

Save

LIProgun

· #8 · Oct 5, 2003

FWIW, I think with .32 ACP it may be wisest to use the hottest FMJ ammo you can find in order to try to insure penetration to the vitals. I think something European, like Fiocchi or RWS, or maybe even S&B, would be likely candidates.

Save

Charlie Petty

· #9 · Oct 5, 2003

I think you're right Rob although I'd probably stick to US made. Some of the European stuff really is hot and might be hard on lightweight guns. Besides, I'm not sure that an extra 50 fps. would matter.

I tested all of the new .32 hollowpoints after they got the OAL right to work in a Seecamp and the only thing that showed any expansion- and not much- was the Silvertip.

Save

Oldfella

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 5, 2003

I did buy a box (20) of the RBCD ammo, I'm going to try it, along with the silver tip; I'll do an unscientific test using a 3/4" board of soft western cedar behind my target board and see what happens.... I'll post the results soon.

Save

garyp53161

· #11 · Apr 23, 2012

I got caught in all the hype with the RBCD ammo

just bought .32 rbcd for my Keltec P32 and shot some at the range $45 box 20 qty

I was a little disappointed because the ammo was VERY Inaccurate, every shot veered off to the right side..???

In turn I also bought some Grizzly Extreme ammo too and that was accurate and powerful but jams real easy in the Kel-tec P32 due to the cuts in the bullet and the bullet itself is a little too long for the gun it seems, and is $50 a box of 20 qty.

Save

whatsit

· #12 · May 23, 2013

Does anyone know if the .32's chamber specs will let a rd head space on the case mouth? If so, then you could use a lathe to remove the semi rims of the cases, and thus, eliminate the rimlock risk.

Save

1 - 12 of 12 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month