I am having problems working up a 147 gr. load for a Ruger 9mm. The
chages I have used vary greatly, but I continue to have problems getting
the slide back far enough to eject the spent case and feed a new one. The
hotter loads I have used almost knock the pistol out of your hands, but
nothing has been able to cycle a new round. I am using a 147 gr. HP/XTP
and have used both Unique and Blue Dot. Any suggestions?
Answer:------------------------------------------------
Ronnie: I do believe Unique is a slow enough powder to get all the
power and velocity out of the 9mm and the problem has got to be a
spring that is too strong, or a mechanism that is binding. Is the
gun really clean and lubricated well? If so, a weaker spring is the
obvious answer.
In your reloading sect., the FAQ about using .357 cases with .38 Spl.
loads- I have been told this is OK but you should stay to the high side
of the reloading tables for .38 SPL. (this from Hornady:
1-800-338-3220). The reason is for case density. This may be of some
intrest To you or your page.
Answer:------------------------------------------------
That's correct on the larger cases of .357 with .38 special loads in them.
The larger case causes lower pressures and velocities. I can clearly see
that, when you look at the .45 caliber 230 grain RN bullet in the .45 ACP
compared to the huge case of the .45 Colt....BIG difference for the same
velocity loads...and I am doing a LOT of experimenting with those
combinations, since one of my new handguns is a 7 1/2" barrel Single Action
with both cylinders for .45 ACP and .45 Colt . . . and I want to compare
the exact same load of Unique and same bullet with different cases.
Should be interesting to compare.
Hi M.D.,
I have had a question sent to my homepage, "HANDLOADING FOR HUNTING"
which I need a bit of info. on myself, so I thought I would see if you have
any knowledge on this one. This fellow wants some info. on loading the .22
cal. sabots made for the .30-06. I knew they were out there, but don't know
where to get them, or where to find loading information on them. I would
love to try these myself.
Please let me know if you can point me to a source of info. and
loading info. on these. BTW, my page is at: http://www.accs.net/users/drquick
Thanks so much, Dave Quick
Answer:------------------------------------------------
Dave: I have seen these and they are growing in popularity. When I made
a tour of ALABAMA AMMO, J.B. Brown, was loading some up and I was impressed
with the idea. J.B. had bought a quantity...and he would be glad to
share any info he has about them, I am sure. He is not on the net, yet,
so here is the contact info.
Alabama Ammo, Inc.
19505 Alabama Highway 24
Moulton, AL 35650-7364
Voice (205) 974-3504, Fax (205) 974-3506
Order-Line 1-888-ALA-AMMO (252-2666)
I may try some soon, too. He said they were surprisingly accurate once
the sabot drops away.
---------------------
Because you got my interest up....I just called J.B. myself and ordered
100 sabots, .22 cal bullets and his load data sheet (sheet costs $1.00
and sabots cost $6.00 for 100). I am going to try them in my 30-06.
He said you use faster burning powders and you want a really clean barrel
since there is no friction from the Teflon sabots. He said to expect
+4,000 fps speeds and devasting effects on targets upon impact.
Wow! This sounds impressive, doesn't it? By the way, I found out the
correct pronounciation is SA-BO with long A and long O sounds, being
French in origin.
Hi,
I have really enjoyed your reloading page. I could really
relate to your story about losing a shot at a nice deer due to
a misfire. I have been muzzleloading for deer for 20 years and
that happened once to me. I started blackpowder deer hunting
with an H&R Huntsman 156, a 58 Caliber muzzleloader that was
based on an H&R single shot shotgun. If indeed you are using
one of these make sure that you have one with a threaded breach
plug. Many of the H&R's had breach plugs that popped in and out
and were held in place by a rubber o-ring. A deer hunter here
in New Hampshire was killed with one of these guns about ten
years ago. He had shot at a deer and the gun misfired or
so he thought, he broke it open and at some point the gun
discharged (a hangfire). The lead bullet was heavier than the
breach plug so the breach plug became the projectile hitting him
squarely between the eyes. I believe that this happened in
other states as well and it led to the demise of H&R which
is now known as New England Arms. I purchased a T/C Renegade
to replace the H&R 19 years ago and I have never regretted the
decision. Good Luck and be careful with that H&R.
Answer:------------------------------------------------
That is a very interesting and good piece of info to have. I
will post it on my web pages in the future under the FAQ section.
I have the Screw-out plug, and recently pulled out the old H&R,
which is over 25 years old, and almost could not get the breech
plug out. After several days with "liquid wrench" poured into
the threads, I was finally able to get it out, and thoroughly
clean the plug, nipple, and bore...and leave it oiled and ready
to shoot. I plan to chrono some of the loads in my pages to
see what they do in the near future. Thanks for your story and
the warning. Glad I have the good kind. It shot very accurately
the last time I used it. Sights were dead-on target at about 75
yards. My youngest kids are interested in black-powder, so I
dusted off my pistols and the rifle to start shooting again.
Plus, I had never chrono'd the loads, and thought it might be
a interesting thing to do. Best regards to you. M.D.
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 96
From:George Croft -- Dallas, Texas
Mr. Smith.
Last night I set up to run 500 rounds of .45 ACP on my Dillon 550B. I choose
a 230gr FMJ (well plated really) and 5.3 gr of
Bullseye in all brand new Starline brass.
I use the Dillon scale and check
the powder measure unit often so I don't think I
ever vary even .1 gr
All was going well until I noticed I had set 5.7gr on the scale... not 5.3gr (I had set the small poise 2 clicks on the wrong side of the .5)! I loaded about 220 cartridges this way with exactly 5.7 gr of Bullseye.
In rechecking all my data, I find 5.4 the highest to appear in any of the charts. My load of 5.7, then, is 5.6% greater than a 5.4 load and 7.5% greater than a 5.3 load which so others recommend.
My guns are all new. A Colt Series 80 Commander (4.25" barrel) and a Series 80 Officer's (3.5" barrel) and a Springfield Trophy Match (5" barrel).
I am trying to decide IF it would be safe to fire these 5.7gr rounds at all... and if so... which barrel would be the safest to use (if that is a factor). I don't fire any of the + ammo on the market although my pistol manuals say it's okay to fire but for the added wear and tear.
What would you do under these conditions. This hasn't happened to me before
and I'd appreciate your thoughts.
===========================FIRST reply=====================
The textbook advice to you is pull all the bullets out and
re-load the ammo. But I, like you, would be reluctant to do that. I might
opt to try it in my strongest gun, check velocity with a Chrono as an indication
of what kind of load I made...and certainly check the case for ANY signs of
excessive pressure, like dished primer where the firing pin struck it, or
cracked/split case, etc. I CAN NOT recommend that you do this for legal
purposes. Hope you can understand my position in putting anything in writing
on the internet that suggest using over maximum loads. But we both know that
shooters around the world do it. The PLUS P loads were designed to be the REAL
absolute MAX loads used only in very strong pistols or rifles. I don't have
any PLUS P loads for the .45 ACP. But I would think it would be about 5.6 grains.
So my advice has to be, do what you think is best. If you do shoot these
loads, I would very much like some feedback from you on what you find and
discover.
(LATER REPLY) You notice that the tables for FMJ show up to 5.4 grains which is
pretty close to the 5.7 that you loaded....so you are not very far
over the max...Still interested in how they perform if you decide
to shoot some of them. Also, Alliant does NOT show Bullseye for
that particular bullet, that's why no FPS on it, but I did show a
safe load if not exceeded. If you can shoot 5.4 with a jacketed
bullet, I doubt you'd get into trouble using that same load with
a lead bullet. Why not CALL Alliant and get their advice.
===========================FEEDBACK reply=====================
(George told me he talked to Mr. Pascoe at Alliant and they were
willing to test fire his rounds for him and check the pressures to
see if they were safe to shoot. Here is that reply:)
Harry Pascoe at Alliant responded today... He fired all five rounds of the 230 gr plated I had mistakenly loaded over 5.7 gr Bullseye. The results were (to me) surprisingly within safe ranges. All five rounds achieved 818 fps and produced 14,977 (lbs?) of pressure. SAFE TO FIRE, he says. He said the Colt .45 ACP is usually safe to 21,000 lbs pressure. Actually, the velocity was going DOWNWARDS with my increase in powder... and the pressure was on the way up. This is what happens, he says, with a lead bullet under increased loads.
He personally uses 4.5gr Bullseye over 230gr "gilded" bullets for 905 fps in 5" barrel.
Pascoe believes that plated bullets should be treated as if they were lead. Phil Hodgdon, at Hodgdon Powders, believes plated bullets should fall under the regular FMJ category. I tend to agree with Pascoe who says that plating is too difficult to quantify... some plating is only a few molecules thick... gilding as he calls it. Other plating may be much thicker. No matter... most plating still allows whatever bullet to behave according the hardness/softness of it's alloy.
Anyway, I'm glad this batch turned out so far to be on the safe side. Didn't want to pull them all apart... but I would have.
Thanks for your help and input. I recommend your site to many.
Excellent site MDS. As some additional information for your readers, I
recently documented the problem of powder location vs. speed. I have
been developing loads for a T/C Contender in 7mm T.C.U. For your readers
not familiar with this cartidge, it is a .223 Remington case expanded to
hold a 7mm bullet. This has been a very popular cartridge with long
range silhouette shooters. Back to the subject. I was using a load from
the Lyman manual which was IMR4227. Even at the maximum recommended load
of 20Grs. for a 130Gr. bullet,there is still some room left in the case.
I chronographed 20 cartridges alternating between lowering the barrel and
raising the barrel to relocate the powder. The difference in velocities
were as much as 230fps.
With respect to bottleneck cases it is always best to use a powder that
nearly fills the case to eliminate this problem.
Keep up the good work!
Paul Fields
========================reply================================
Thanks for your input and experience in "case position sensitive powder",
as it was called by Accurate. They have one brand they call
a "case position insensitive" powder. AA5744 17.8 gr. 860 fps,
nicely-in .45 Colt) It's a NitroGlycerin powder that their tech man
said was extremely consistent, regardless of position. I certainly
plan to try it. Since I usually use between 8.5 and 9.5 grains of
Unique, I suspect the 17.8 grains will also nearly fill the .45 Colt case
and that would have helped under any circumstances. You might call
Accurate and see if that powder is suitable for the 7mm TCU or
if they have a similar powder that would work for you. It's an
interesting thing to learn in actual tests. I am looking for
powders that will nearly fill the cases in the future, or finding something
like AA5744 for my pistol loads. Thanks again. Regards, MDS
If you find a brand of case that works better and more consistently for
you, stick with it. I have not found that all .45's are that critical
and most seem to function, even with a slight variation in length or dia.
Seems that many .45 barrels have a lot of slop in them.
Thanks for sharing your load with me, I may add it to the .45 page in
the near future. Any idea on the fps of that load?
========================reply 2 ================================
Thanks for responding so quickly. I got that particular load from the
Lyman Pistol & Revolver Handbook: 890 fps according to the book, I will
chronograph them when I get the time.
Another question, how much crimp should a 10mm cast bullet receive? Also
what should the overall length be set at for a 170 grn lswc with a single
gas check?
========================reply 3 ================================
Regarding crimp: Since almost all autos, headspace on the case itself,
you can't put much crimp on the case or it will go into the chamber too
far, and may even malfunction. You should just "taper crimp" (NOT roll
crimp) enough to take out the belling of the mouth that the previous die
did to make inserting the bullet easier.
I don't have books available to tell you about OAL, but the Gas Check should not matter. Since SWC bullets are narrow, if they go in the magazine OK and feed OK, they will probably work just fine in the autos. OAL really matters if you are putting a bullet in a revolver chamber and it sticks out the front, or if a RN bullet is getting pressed hard into the rifling of the barrel of a pistol or rifle (but I have heard some say they get more consistent FPS by NOT seating bullets all the way in and allowing them to touch the rifling (even take them out to make sure they can see the touch marks on the bullet of the unfired round after it is chambered, but I would not do that). So, you can see there are as many opinions on OAL as there are spots on a Dalmation dog.
Now, finally, bullet seating DOES affect pressures, with a deeper seating
generally creating greater pressures (and FPS), but could exceed specs if
near maximum loads. Since fewer and fewer bullets have a crimp ring on
them, you should pay attention to OAL (thus seating depth) as you load
your ammo. there are several books and even some free pamphlets that give
this data. If you use the Lyman books, I thought that info was available
in it, but maybe not. Thanks for the reply info. Good loading and
shooting to you. MDS
I've got some problem with my rifle
His caliber is 6.5*57, with K98 Mauser mecanisme.
I reloading ammos in my rock chuker with RCBS 6.5*57 dies set.
The thirst die is on contact with the shell-holder (in fact I've got a
little space, near 1/10 mm) when the press is in his end course.
When I chamber a carbriges the end mouvement to close the chamber is
hard.
I measure my onloaded carbrige and I see on the Palmer less than 56.7 mm
(the maxi lenth)
To do a experience I realise with a case treamer 5 carbriges in 56.5 I
realoading theses carbriges, and I've got the same reasult.
I do the same thing with 56.3 lenth for the same reasult.
I'm affraid to shoot this cartbrige because I don't whant visit mooon...
In a second reflexion I think thats the bullet his in contact with
twist...
I measue a manufactured carbrige, it's more important extra lenth than
DELORME carbriges 's.
Where is the problem ?
Bravo for your fantastic web site...
========================reply================================
Bonjour and Tres Bien, mon ami! Je parle en peu Francais.
Your english is probably about the same as my French. So I am not really clear on your problem, except that the cartridge will not fit in the chamber of the rifle easily. Are you lubricating the cases first? Re-Size the case as far down as the die will go, just barely touching the shell head. Then, seat the bullet as deep as practical, or use a smaller bullet to make sure it is not hitting the chamber in the rifle. If you clean the loaded cartridge and then insert into the rifle and then take it out, you should see some scratches on the case or bullet where it is rubbing on the chamber of the rifle. That should tell you where the problem is located.
If you have trimmed the case to the proper length and resized it in the die, there is nothing more you can do that I know of. Make sure the BULLETS are not too big, and making the case too large when you seat them into the case. Check the dimensions of the case outside after it is fully loaded to see if it meets specifications.
Thanks for the comments on my pages from France. Regards, M.D.
Was very interested in your .45 Colt loads. I own a Ruger
Blackhawk, with a 4 5/8" barrell, and i am always interested in
different loads for this gun, I don't own a chrono, so I was very
curious about the velocity loss because of the shorter barrell. I
live in Bear and Mountain Lion country so I tend to load heavy.
The smallest bullet weight I use is the 250 JHP, either Nosler or
Hornady, both are excellent when pushed past what I think is
1000fps. I also like Hard cast 300 and 315 for when I think I might
cross paths with a bear, these have a gas check of course. Thanks
again for the info.
========================reply================================
Yes, I would load them heavy, too. You can get away with yet
more than I list in my loads, but I don't want anyone getting
into trouble. The case of the .45 colt is not nearly as
strong at the .44 magnum, but some people use those loads
in the .45.... Worse thing seems to be cases bulge and/or split
and some powder comes out the back, but the Rugers seem to hold
up. This is what I have been told. Barnes makes some SOLID
bullets for game like bear that I would want if you need
protection. In fact, a .44 magnum is a light gun for bear in
my opinion, but any gun is better than none at all. I am doing
some cowboy shooting now, and we use very light loads. The
fast burning powders vary the most in velocities. I suggest you
use the slow burning powders that come closer to filling up
the case for those big bullets. I would be interested in the
exact loads you use for the various bullets. Regards & good luck.
========================reply 2=============================
Thank you for replying to my message. I pretty much use the Hodgdon
edition 26 data manual for my loads, I like it because it has the
silhouette load data, and the regular data. I don't shoot
everything heavy, but when I do I have found the .45 cases to last
every bit as long as the .44 mag. cases. Since I discovered the
round. Some of my favorites are as follows:255swc(hard cast) over
8.5 gr of Hodgdon universal clays, this is slow enough that it
doesn't lead hardly at all, Nosler 250jhp over 10.5 gr
Universal(very accurate for me),Hornady 250 XTP over 9.5 gr
Universal, and last but not least is the Nosler 250 sitting on top
of 12.7 gr of IMR 800X, the last one is my favorite all around
carry load.I don't get into the Cowboy Action Shooting, but my
Grandad does, of course he has a Vaquero chambered for .45 Colt. I
spend all of my available time in the high country, not much time
with three kids. Take it easy, hope to hear from you soon. Adios
It looks as though you are as afflicted with the reloading bug as I am. I
have been reloading since I was 20. I am now 60. Reloading has become
something of a therapy for me and when I am nervous, I go cook up a 100
rounds or cast some bullets or anything else that relates. My latest
testing has to do with heavy weight bullets for the 41 and 44 magnums. I
am using Lead Bullet Technology moulds. For the 44 magnum the weights and
types are, 265 grain wide flat nose, 310 grain long flat nose and a 350
grain long wide nose. All are gas checked. These bullets need about 1200
FPS to stabilize properly. Out of my 44 Redhawk, they are some of the
most accurate loads I have ever shot. They will group with the best
jacketed bullet loads and out group most of them. It has been a number of
years since I have been this excited over a product new to me. I cast and
quench at the same time and my formula sets up at about brinell 20 after
24 hours. I size to .411 and .430 respectively. Most lubes seem to work
well and I have not experienced any leading. My powder has been almost
exclusively H110. If you have any experience with heavy bullets and
powders for them, I would be very interested in hearing about it.
Particularly any experience you may have with N110 from Vit.
Thanks - - - Paul Lang AKA PJ
========================reply================================
Paul: Good to hear from you. I have not done near the casting of my
own bullets as you have. I think in this area, you are far ahead of me
in experience of what works best and what does not. I found it more
time consuming that I wanted to do, since I was more interested in
different powder, speeds and stuff like that. I DO know that GOOD cast
bullets can perform exactly as you have mentioned. I have used jacketed
bullets in my .44 mag, but use lead when backing off close to .44 special
loads. I like Hodgdon powders and have used them. Never used VV, but
I hear it burns extremely clean and leaves very little residue. I am sure
I will try it some day...probably VV N350 in my new .357Sig that I will begin
reloading soon. I bought some ammo from Alabama Ammo using it, and it was
the most consistent speeds of any ammo I have ever shot, and that's what
he uses with a 124 grain JHP bullet. Nice to hear from you, and keep
in touch. Hey, if you'd like to send me 10-20 bullets you have cast
in .44, I would love to load them, chrono them and put them on the web....
and I'd give you credit for supplying them. Best regards, MDS
Congratulations on a very informative page(s)! I didn't see anything regarding case life in your FAQ, so here it goes...
How many times can brass (or nickle) cases be reloaded? What indications are there on a used case that it should be discarded?
More specific to my situation, I reload LOTS of .45 ACP using 200gr. SWC, behind 5.0 gr. of Bullseye, OAL 1.24 -1.25, WLP primers. According to Hercules testing, this load produces 849 FPS and 12,587 PSI. I have probably reloaded some brass and nickle cases 10 times. The head stamps are getting faint, and sometimes I split a case when resizing.
Am I crazy?
I sure you get alot of email, but any comments or a reference would be
very much appreciated!
========================reply================================
I have read quite a bit and no one ventures to put a given "life"
on any kind of case that I can see. Cases shot at lower pressures
and powder loads generally last longer than the opposite. How long?
No answer. Cases that are roll crimped heavily don't last nearly as
long as those that are not crimped at all, or just slightly taper
crimped (as in the .45 ACP). Straight cases usually last longer than
taper cases like the 30-06. Any case showing a crack of any kind
should be discarded. Showing a heavy wear line near the base is a
cause for concern too, even if not cracked. BUT...as long as the
case is carefully inspected...checked for OAL (overall length and trimmed
back if out of specs), you can re-load them an unspecificied number
of times. It might be interesting to see who holds the record for the
greatest number of re-loads from cases. I would suspect, if you were
reloading exactly the same 50 case box, time after time...once you
started seeing more than a 10%-20% case split or other poblems,
it would be time to toss the entire group. However, if it is not damaged
there is no reason NOT to reload a case. I have never reloaded my cases
more than 10 times, which I think would be a reasonable limit.
Thanks for the comments.
What is your source of the 4.8 grains of Universal Clay for 230 grain 45 ACP lead bullet load?
Below is an email I received from Hodgon.
------------------------------------------------------------
The maximum load of Universal Clays with a 230gr. lead bullet in the 45ACP
is 6.0gr. Velocity from a 5" barrel is expected to be approx. 880 fps. I
hope that this information helps. Mike Daly
========================reply================================
The source is the 1996 Hodgdon free handloading booklet I got from
a local gunshop. I have called them about some other descreps...and
they simply said: "Some of those loads are very old and conservative.
Any NEW data (like some in the new Cowboy Action Data pamphlet which
shows a lower load and higher speeds for the .45 long colt) is some
that we have recently checked (IN a TEST barrel) and have published."
I found that answer not very satisfactory, but that's what I got from one of their tech reps. However, the 4.8 grains at 782 may still be comparable to the 6.0 grains at 880 fps. I would be interested to see what Hodgdon says about that. You should also notice that they DO show 6.0 grains for the 230 grain JACKETED bullet and 853 fps in the table just below the one you mentioned.
I have usually used UNIQUE which is similar in performance to Universal,
and I started with 5.5 grains and worked up to 6.1 which I found best
in my autos. I would certainly think 6.0 of Uinversal would work, but
I don't want to publish something beyond what is in the manuals for
these powder companies, unless it is carefully highlighted as MY OWN
personal load and specific cautions are mentioned.
Greetings,
I stumbled upon your web site, and I must say it's got alot of
interesting data in it. I have a question for you:
I have 2000 125gr. LRN .356 bullets at my bench that were purchased
for my 9mm. I've decided that I do not wish to load the lead bullets
for the 9mm. I'd like to use them in my .38spl if I can. Since the
.38 bullets that I've been using are .357 and the 9mm bullets are
.356, I figured I might be able to get away with this. Is there any
reason why I should not do this? I've loaded an empty .38 case with
one of the .356/125gr. bullets, and it seemed to fit into the case
mouth quite well, just like a normal .357 SWC. My normal load for
158gr.SWC in .38spl is 4.1gr. of Unique. I'm thinking that this will
also work with the lighter bullet.
I've been reloading for about 5 years now with hand-loaders and
single-stage presses, as well as the last year with a Lee Loadmaster
full progressive machine. (I've probably turned out about 5,000 rounds
with the Loadmaster so far). I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Thanks,
Kevin K. Borgerding
========================reply================================
Kevin: Direct answer to your question of 9mm in .38 cases...It's not
a good idea. BUT...it will work. The bullet will not seat as tight
and velocities will be more erratic (and therefore accuracy) and you
would not want to use either a maximum or a minimum load. Crimp the
bullet firmly to help the powder burn completely. I don't believe
you will have any serious problems, but again, I have never done it
myself. I have only read on the subject and my comments are a result
of that reading. For just plinking and fun shooting, I think I would
be inclined to use up the bullets...better yet, find a supplier of
cast lead bullets you can swap with for .358 lead bullets.
Hope this helps. I was on-line when your message came. That is why
the quick response from me. Regards and thanks for nice comments. M.D.
======================== reply from Kevin later =====================
M.D.,
Thanks for your reply. I did try the load of 4.1gr. Unique with the
125gr. bullet. I found that the inconsistency from shot to shot was
nothing short of horrible. The recoil and report changes with every
round fired. I believe I can attribute that to the fact that my
bullets are not being crimped as tightly as they should be, and are
therefore moving in the case as they wait in the cylinder of the
revolver, while preceding shots are being fired. I just don't have a
"good" feeling about continuing with this load, therefore I won't.
Thanks again for your time, and keep shootin' straight!
Sincerely,
Kev
My name is MIchael and enjoy your informative reloading page but was
wondering where you got your load data for the 9mm. I have yet to see any
data for 147 grain bullets using bullseye powder, not that I don't belive
it I just wanted to know what the starting load charge was and velocity.
========================reply================================
All data about Bullseye for 9mm came either from Alliant or the
Bullet Manufacturers. they are near Maximum loads and you
should start at least 10% lower in charge. You can use Bullseye in
anything you want to use it in, but it is well suited for small cases
and spaces. It is most universally found in the .38 special loads
but even the larger .45 ACP. It certainly is suitable for the small
case of the 9mm, short barrel and burning time. Accurate's No. 2 is
very similar to Bullseye, and you see they recommend 4.0 grains
in the 147 jacketed bullet. So the 4.2 of Bullseye is very
similar.
(This is my response to Steve about cases he has found that are too
short for the .357 Sig.)
That info on the .357 Sig is quite interesting. The facts you discovered
on the necked down .40 case is what I had heard from other sources...
That is was too short to hold bullet properly. I am surprised about
factory brass being that short...but you were talking about MAX case
length, and what shows for an average length may be in that range.
I know that seems like a LOT (8.0 gr. of bullseye, but two factors, it's a light bullet 115 gr. JHP) and I found from talking to the manufacturers, that the loads and pressures don't track in a linear way. There are cases with some loads where the amount of Unique ( a much slower powder) equals the amount of bullseye for nearly identical velocities. I had the people at Alliant explain that to me, but didn't make much sense, so they just said trust them. They say every case has different properties, and to assume a given amount of Bullseye in a standard .357 mag case would act anywhere close to the same in a .357 Sig case is wrong.
Seems that we have to take less and less for granted and rely more on the test loads and pressures that the manufacturers brew and tell us about.
I know I would not start at 8.0 grains of Bullseye, but might work up
to it carefully. However, I never have liked maximum loads for any
reason. I think some shooters just want to brag that their .357 sig
matches a .357 mag load is the issue. I never even load my Ruger .44 magnum
near the factory magnum loads. I keep a few JHP factory loads for hunting
and that's the only time I want to shoot them, except when getting ready
to hunt and want to put a few max. loads thru the gun. Else, I just want a
nice mild recoil target load that I can group close together.... or hit a
can every time I shoot at it.
I saw your posting of your favorite loads for various hand guns. I was particularly interested in the .38 Special, .45 ACP, .357 Mag. and the .44 Mag.
I have been shooting light target loads in my .38, .357, and .45.
The loads I most commonly use are:
.357 152 grain Lead SWC (RCBS Mold) with 4.3 grains of Bullseye
.38 148 grain Lead HBWC (SPEER) with 3.0 grains of bullseye
.45 200 grain Lead SWC (AMERICAN) with 4.3 grains of Bullseye
I have a Smith & Wesson .44 Mag. Model 626 with an 8 3/8" barrel that I have never reloaded for. I would like a light target load with Bullseye powder, if possible. I also would like to use a lead SWC (without having to use a Gas Check). I have seen 190, 215 and 240 Grain SWC's advertised from "BULL-X" Inc. and would like to try one of those.
The only info I have seen in the SPEER manual was for a Lead 240 Gr. SWC
and 5.5 Gr. of Bullseye.
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Below are the loads for .44 SPECIAL. Use something between
the .44 Mag and THESE for the 240 grain lead bullet.
240-250 grain Lead SWC or RN + Gas Check (GC)
Bullseye 4.5 gr. 765 FPS
Unique 6.0 gr. 800
2400 11.3 gr. 805
HP38 4.9 gr. 775
No. 2 4.7 gr. 819
No. 5 6.8 gr. 860
231 5.4 gr. 795
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240-250 grain JHP
HP38 4.9 gr. 775 FPS
No. 2 4.5 gr. 604
No. 5 6.5 gr. 730
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Great site!! I really will enjoy trying out some of your loads for
the 45acp and 44 mag. Good to see a shooter willing to pass on some
good loads. My favorite load presently in the 44 is 7.1 grains of W231
because it burns so clean and is a very mild load in the magnum. Plus
I have been getting great accuracy in my Anaconda with it. I have shot
with as much as 11.2 grains using 240 grain bullets but these are real
bruising loads and I save them for my macho friends(they always wonder
why I shoot better).
In the 45 I shoot a ton of Bullseye and W231...... both are very
economical in shooting. I use 4.0 - 4.3 grains for the paper punching
I do at the local club here in Poulsbo, Washington.
In passing I recently picked up a Remington 700 VSSF in 22-250 and I
have yet to duplicate the fantastic accuracy of the Federal
Premiums(less than an inch at 200yds). So far the closest I have come
is using H380 at anywhere from 38 to 39.5 grains with Noslers both in
50 and 55 grains. The rifle does not seem to like any other powders
and also seems to shoot better the hotter the load..... any hints on
a super accurate load would be appreciated. I have already done all
the things you would expect to the brass(neck
sizing/weighing/uniforming/deburring, etc.)
Have a great day and thanks for the loads.
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HEY, thanks for the info on the loads. Will file it away for future.
To improve accuracy, you might VERY carefully weigh powder and bullets
and make them as uniform as you can. Also different powders do better
in certain calibers and guns. Just keep experimenting. Slower powders
that fill the cases CAN be more consistent (therefore accurate) too.
Hi MD:
Came across this formula to calculate muzzle energy for any
load. It was in the new VihtaVuori Oy Jan. l996 reloading guide. velocity
(fps) x velocity (fps)
x bullet weight in grains divided by 450436 = Muzzle Energy.
Thought if you
did not already have this, you might want to pass it along to your readers.
Have a good day! Steve Thomason
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Thank you very much for the gem, Steve. I will certainly use
in on the pages in the future. Regards, MDS