Lee Kiser
====================answer================
I will check Sierra's catalog again....it was just the ones I saw that
all were called that....but I guess I am not surprised that a HPBT
bullet is used for game, especially long range varmint shooting.
Thanks for calling it to my attention. Regards to you and thanks
for visiting my web pages. M.D.
Have you advice on the choice between rollcrimping vs. tapercrimping
reloads for the .38 special?
Answer:------------------------------------------------
I usually put a roll crimp on all my lead bullets and a little bit of roll crimp
on the jacketed ones that have a crimp ring on them. Roll Crimping will
shorten the case life over the taper crimp, but I don't want bullets getting
loose. Since we are not talking about .357 mag, the Special loads are usually
mild and almost any kind of crimp will work if the case was sized properly
and the mouth not belled out very much. Just enough crimp to take out all the belling
will usually work. I just like to put a good crimp to hold by bullets on
pistol loads like the .38 Special. Of course, on cartridges like the .45 ACP which
headspace on the case itself, you must use a proper taper-crimp.
Thanks for the e-mail. Regards, MDS
Sir:
For the last 3 years I've been having a lot of success using Winchester WST powder
for a variety of calibers. For the .40 caliber, my favorite load is 5
grains of WST behind a 175 grain LSWC bullet. Oddly enough, I found that
I can continue to use 5 grains of WST for 200 grain LSWC .45's, and 148
grain LWC .38's.
Using lead bullets, I've found that using the 5 grains of WST does not
lead up my guns, and I can clean my 5" .40 caliber barrel with just a
couple of passes.
VihtaVuori Oy Company, Ammunition Unit
SF-41330 VihtaVuori, Finland
You mention burn rates for ALL powders in your ref to the above
Company; do they compare the typical American powders vs theirs
or only against their own? It would probably be copyright infringement,
but it would be neat to have that page on the net. Any info would be helpful
since I am trying to get rid of some old powder (PB, Herco, RedDot) via .30
carbine loads on a one time basis - mostly because of the cost of 2400 that
I have used for years and I inherited this other stuff with a trade.
Thanks,
L. G. Huittt
Answer:------------------------------------------------
They do have a FREE powder booklet showing loads for all popular
calibers of ammo and it was in the front of the booklet where this
info was listed. You should try a local reloading house for your
free copy or contact the company directly. Any store that sells
their powder should have these free handouts and they are dandy.
I hear good things about this company and that their powder is
especially CLEAN burning....but sometimes on the expensive side.
However. the comparison to other mfgrs like Alliant, Accurate, Hodgdon
and IMR was very interesting. I am afraid I could not duplicate their
entire chart without permission of the company, which I may seek in the
near future. I thank you for the suggestion and idea. Thanks for
reading my pages so carefully. Regards, M.D.
I 've got some good results myself when using following data:
For: 9mm luger
Powder: Vihta Vuori Oy N330 4.3 gr.
bullet: Lead 125 grain Semi Wadcutter
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 96
From: Mark Yecha
Mr. Smith.
I recently toured your reloading page on the net and was pleasently
surprised. Keep up the good work. I was a little miffed however at your commments
on
the .270 Winchester. I was dissappointed to see the old wives tale of round nosed
bullets being less less likely to deflect than spire pointed bullets still being perptuated. The fact that all bullets can deflect regardless of their configution is well documented. Any differences between a round and spire point bullets has proven to be undetectable. Since the .270 Win was introduced and the era of hypervelocity began, this incorrect line of thinking has followed this fine cartridge. I suggest you do further research in this area and consider rewriting your comments on bullet deflection.
Also, why have you not included the 130 grain load that made the .270 famous... 60 grains of H4831. It is the .270 load that seems to shoot well in most rifles. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
===========================reply=========================
Dear Mark: Thank you for your comments. Regarding bullet deflection, I know only what I have been told. If you have source information regarding bullet deflection in heavy bush on RN vs. Spire Point bullets, I would like to have it.
In any event, your comments are valid and I will post them in my next set of FAQ's for my web pages. I will also look at the load you suggested for the .270 and include your info. I used primarily the loads that were listed in my
powder mfgr's listings and that could be why this bullet or powder combination was left out. I will check on it. Thanks and regards, M.D.
I am still looking for any help on loads for the 444 marlin. I use a 250
gr cast bullet. I am going to have to use a new powder because of not
being able to get Hodgons any longer in my area. I am going to use win.
784 I am looking for a good starting for the cast bullet. They
are gas checked. and plenty hard. Any help would be great. I hope to use
the gun this year for our spring bear hunt and would like to have the
load all worked up by then. Please Email any tips you can give me. Or if
you know of any one else who shoots the 444 give them my Email raymond@ViaNet.on.ca address.
THANK YOU
PAT
========================reply================================
Pat, the very best advice I can give you is to call the powder manufacturers
you CAN buy in your area (I have their numbers and addresses on my powder
page) and ask them what is the closest thing THEY have to H784. I am sure
they will have a recommendation for you and give you some loads over the
phone, in addition to sending you their books (but I don't think they
normally list the .444 Marlin). At least with an equivalent powder,
you can work up some lighter loads and add to them till you feel you
are about there for your hunting load. I think you will find Accurate
in Tennessee one of the most cooperative companies around.
They show several loads for the .444 using their new powder, XMP-5744
for cartridges such as this. They don't show a load for the 250 grain
cast in the book I have. They are easy
to talk with and I would ask for their best tech. consultant: Ted Curtis.
He is an ACE in
reloading experiences...and worked up loads for the new copper plated
bullets now on the market. I'm sure you can get what you need. Regards, M.D.
I am an IPSC Shooter and in the last year or so the Para P-16 holding 18 rounds (with base pad extender) has become a popular gun for IPSC shooters. Also, since IPSC shooters are always looking for ways to reduce recoil, they tend to go to heavier bullets (to reduce muzzle energy) while still achieving Major Power Factor (= velocity x bullet wt (grains) = 175000+).
Please be advised that lots of new loads are passed by word of mouth and can lead to trouble. I was "burned" on one of these "word of mouth" transactions. The source was competent and it turns out that the confusion came from the fact that Hodgdon makes two similiar sounding powders: "Clays" and "Universal Clays"
I was told that a loading for the 200 grain bullet (jacket not specified) existed using "Hodgdon Clays" powder to make major power factor. I have blown cases with loads around 3.7 grains of Hodgdon Clays (NOT UNIVERSAL CLAYS). The cases which do not blow out will bulge severely. I mentioned this to a friend who discoverd that Hodgdon UNIVERSAL Clays MAY have a load to make major power factor using a 200 grain bullet. I will be testing to see if "UNIVERSAL Clays" will allow a Major Power Factor load using 200 gr Lead bullets. For sure, (regular) Hodgdon Clays will NOT allow reaching Major Power Factor using the 200 grain (Lead) bullet.
Therefore the WARNING you should post is this:
For 200 grain (.40) bullets DO NOT use "Hodgdon Clays" powder to make Major Power Factor (=velocity >= 875+ ft/sec). However, "Hodgdon UNIVERSAL Clays" powder MAY have a charge that allows making major Power Factor using a 200 grain bullet. (I do not know this for sure at this point)
Again, I will test "Universal Clays" powder to see if Major Power
Factor can be reached with a 200 grain (lead) bullet. By the way lead
bullets are cheaper (and allow more practice).
========================reply================================
Thanks again for that good info. I can certainly see where the confusion
could occur with similar named powders. I used the Hodgdon loads right
out of their manual. They usually just shorten the name of Universal Clays
to "Universal" which is similar in properties to Alliant's Unique.
I will post your comments in my new section Shooting FAQ's in the very near
future and I thank you for your comments and experiences. I know a lot
of shooters are very interested in loads that keep them in the "Majors"
without so much recoil which can reduce accuracy. Regards, M.D.
Nice Page! I would also like to ask you a question. Do you have a source for plans for building a reloading bench? I would like to build such a bench instead of making due with items at hand that were never designed to be used as one. Thanks for your time in advance. Keep up the good work!!
Jesse Atencio
Fairbanks, Alaska
========================reply================================
Jesse: I have seen plans in several books I have browsed in my local
gunshops. I can't remember the titles, but I think one was a Lyman
Reloading Manual. I am sure the best source would be a local shop in the
book section, or perhaps a large book store like Books-a-million or similar.
Then, there are the mail order companies that could sell you one of the books
if you knew which one you wanted. I don't have any specifics. Actually, I
think I would buy one of the Sears pre-fab regular workshop benches that fit
my need and mount my reloading stuff on it with peg board on the wall above
the bench to make shelving and hangers for the various tools and accessories.
It would be sturdy, easy to build and very serviceable, even for other
projects if you unbolted the press from the table (which is what I do
when I won't be shooting for a long time).
Sal: I have added more info to my "bullet" pages with phone numbers and address for a whole lot more that are not on the web. Remington, Hornady, Winchester, etc. They will all send you a free catalog if you want it...so will the powder mfgs. if you want reloading data from them. There is a new bullet company making PLATED bullets that I am really high on...and that is:
Rainier Ballistics Corporation
4500 15th Street East
Tacoma, WA -- 98424
Voice - (800) 638-8722, Fax (206) 922-7854
Also, HardCast bullets (I have a link to them) in California has a great
deal on their plated bullets. I just bought 1,000 from them. I next will
try the Rainier bullets which look like they may be better being swaged
and then plated, rather than cast and then plated. Just keep looking,
there is a ton of sources out there and not all on the web. That's why
I am trying to include so much about them on my web pages. You can see
the bullet pages are not finished yet. Regards, MDS
My name is Ernie Mills, and I am a 24 year-old shooting enthusiast. Needless to say, I don't have much money. The college that I just graduated from has it all.
I am looking for a way to save a little money while having the fun
of loading my own ammo. I don't know much about reloading, but I'd
love to learn. Do you have any suggestions for some one whoo is
just starting out.
Sincerely yours,
Ernie
========================reply================================
Hi Ernie: Yes, there are ways to get into reloading cheaply. First,
you can often go to a indoor shooting range and get used brass very
cheaply, sometimes for free. If you just hang around someone shooting,
ask them if they save their brass, and if not, offer to pick it up for
them and offer to put it to good use. Sometimes, a shooting range
will let you scavenge their lanes when they are empty and pickup
whatever brass you can find.
Gun shows have great deals on powder, bullets and primers for reloading. And I suggest the RCBS single stage press. You may even find one used at a sporting goods store or gun shop. You can also buy re-loaded ammo for only a little more than what the components cost, if you want to shoot it first and then reload it, and this gives you brass cases to work with. My pages show you the steps in reloading and you just shop around for the best deal on conponents. Some of the mail-order companies on the web have good deals on bullets and stuff, too. Check out all the links and compare prices to local stores, shooting ranges, etc. Buy a fast burning powder like Bullseye, #2, or W231. These work for a large number of handgun cartridges AND you generally use about 1/2 as much of this as the slower burning powders. Now, there are advantages to slower burning powders, like lower pressures and faster bullets on some loads, but for STRICT ECONOMY, use the powder that goes a long way. It won't save a whole lot, but every penny counts. One pound could reload 1750 .38 special cartridges at 4 grains each, compared to 875 cartridges using 8 grains of a slower burning powder. You decide if the savings is worth it.
Well, that is just a skim of how to do it cheaper. If you will collect
tire weights and other scrap lead, melt and pour your own lead bullets,
you can REALLY lower the cost of reloading. See my pages on making your
own bullets and what is required for that. So, good luck Ernie!
Best regards, MDS
Dear Mr. Smith,
I read with interest your loading data for my favorite
large/dangerous game cartridge the 378 Weatherby!!
My experience with this round is from loading bench to taking game
in the fields of Alaska where I live.
The 378 is indeed a wonderful cartridge but it does have it's quirks
while the 270gr. bullet indeed can be driven at 3100fps I've had 2 of the
Hornady's blow up after hitting shoulder areas of moose, fortune smiled on
me that I shot a moose instead of one of the resident brown bears. I tried
the Barnes "X" but at the high muzzle velocities jacket fouling was
unacceptable. I have since settled on the 285gr. Speer "Grand Slam" really
a nice bullet, driven at 2900fps w/105gr. of IMR4350 and a Fed 215 this
combo still shoots flat AND holds together.
Sincerely,
Jerry Carrell
========================reply================================
Jerry: I really appreciate your first hand experience and knowledge
about the 378. I will post your e-mail on my next set of FAQ updates
and add your data to my 378 page in the near future. I have never
shot the 378 and the data was strictly from the powder handbooks.
Thanks again for your first-hand experience with this monster cartridge.
Jerry: Another Update. I just got off the phone with Bob Palmer at
Hornady (1-800-338-3220) and he had some interesting observations
to make. First he wondered if you were using the 270 grain Spire Point
or Round Nose. He said either bullet at over 3,000 fps at short range
would over-expand. They were designed for longer range. I told him
what you said about the Speer and he said "perhaps" as it was made
a different way, but he suggested you look at the Hornady 300 grain
Round Nose or better yet, the 300 grain Boat-Tail-Spire Point for
Elk and Moose. They were made directly from input from a lot of
hunters using the .375 caliber bullets for large game. Of course,
if you wanted NO expansion, he suggested the Hornady 300 grain FMJ-RN.
They are nice folks there and Bob is especially nice to talk with.
Hope this further information is useful for you. Regards, MDS
Thanks for all! Really appreciate the seemingly unbiased information
about our sport. Just restarted reloading. Using a LEE PRO 1000
(against many peoples advice) for the 9mm. So far, so good. The
instructions are not the best, and slow and steady are the rules. Keep
the primer ramp full, and watch what you are doing, and it seems to work
pretty well. Using Bullseye powder, and judging from what you say, it
looks like a good choice.
Tom Gardner
========================reply================================
Tom, attaboy! Keep on slowly and carefully and you will become a
good reloader and have a lot of fun learning as you go along.
My MOST careful advice (besides wearing good protective goggles
when you reload) is to double-check the powder stage. Make sure
there is never a case missed or one with a double load of powder, since
either case can be explosive. With a double load, the gun can
blow up...with only a primer and no powder, the bullet will likely
lodge in the barrel, and the next round would be an explosion.
If you get distracted and are not sure about a round, discard it.
It's not worth the risk.
I don't know if the 1000 is a progressive
or single stage press or not. The progressives are easier to get
powder messed up in if you redo another stage and forget about
the powder....with single stage, you usually charge the cases in a
holding block and can visually check all cases before you begin to
seat the bullets in each, so it is much safer from my point of view.
Good reloading to you. Regards, M.D.