do reloading manuals give you watered down load data?

[45calibre]

i just bought lymans 49th ed. reloading manual an i have been looking at the reloading loads for 40S&W and they seem a bit on the weaker side.

i say this because speers website has their gold 155 grain gold dot at 1200FPS and the ones in lymans manual are around 1050 FPS but they are using 155 grain winchester silver tip.

it also has all loads at pressure C.U.P around 23k, is that the same as saami's 35K psi pressure limit?

 

[U.S. Patriot]

i just bought lymans 49th ed. reloading manual an i have been looking at the reloading loads for 40S&W and they seem a bit on the weaker side.

i say this because speers website has their gold 155 grain gold dot at 1200FPS and the ones in lymans manual are around 1050 FPS but they are using 155 grain winchester silver tip.

it also has all loads at pressure C.U.P around 23k, is that the same as saami's 35K psi pressure limit?

I have a Lyman manual as well but I got all my load data from Hodgdon. Lyman did not list a powder charge for the bullet weight and type I use.

 

[45calibre]

I have a Lyman manual as well but I got all my load data from Hodgdon. Lyman did not list a powder charge for the bullet weight and type I use.

same here i plan on using lead 155 grain bullets. can i just use the same recipe for the 155 grain JHP nosler they use? i looked at some online powder websites and most of them didnt have a load for 155 grain lead or any lead load at all.

 

[mdemetz]

it also has all loads at pressure C.U.P around 23k, is that the same as saami's 35K psi pressure limit?

There is no accurate conversion from one to the other. PSI data would be from a retest of loads.

 

[45calibre]

could i use the same load for a different bullet with the same powder and OAL? i plan on loading lead bullets and i cant find loads on them. i plan on using semi wad cutters. i also checked some powder websites.

 

[youngda9]

I've found that powder manufacturers load data, the max loads, are weaker in some instances then bullet manufacturers load data.

 

[UncleMike]

Somewhere in my firearms library is a copy of Hogdens Loading Manual from the 1950's that I inherited.
As I recall the loads in the older manual were somewhat hotter than the recommended loads today.
Likely due to our litigious society and/or the fact that some reloaders can't resist the urge to see if that "little" 10% increase in the powder charge will really cause flat primers, or some other over pressure indicator.

 

[XtremeVel]

i just bought lymans 49th ed. reloading manual an i have been looking at the reloading loads for 40S&W and they seem a bit on the weaker side.

i say this because speers website has their gold 155 grain gold dot at 1200FPS and the ones in lymans manual are around 1050 FPS but they are using 155 grain winchester silver tip.

it also has all loads at pressure C.U.P around 23k, is that the same as saami's 35K psi pressure limit?

Pay attention when checking out different sources... Some list both a starting load and a max... Some list max only and you will need to drop 10% to start.

I also think either some sources just plain have bigger balls or maybe the other sources just are more worried about liability issues...

could i use the same load for a different bullet with the same powder and OAL? .

Even assuming you also met to say " same weight bullet ", I would have to say there would be some circumstances where that would not be a good idea. The first thing that would come to mind would be the profile of the bullet. The OAL of a round nose will be signifigantly different than a SWC, HP, or FN... Actually, the OAL of a particular FN, HP, or SWC could even be different.

There are times when I flat just can't find data for the exact bullet I have. In those cases, I look for data for the same weight and similiar PROFILE of the bullet. At times like this, I make sure I don't start near max...

 

[45fan]

I work from several different sources for reloading data, and usually will cross reference the same load from those sources. Velocity numbers in the reloading manuals are only accurate for the firearm tested, your mileage may vary.

Reloading data is only one part of a well rounded reloaders references. A chronograph, good working knowledge of pressure and its effects, and a reloading data log are also very important to keeping accurate, safe load data.

As far as watered down loads, I dont worry so much about the power a load is making, as long as it is accurate in the intended firearm. If I doubt the power of a load is sufficient, I look to a bigger/more powerful chambering.

 

[kludge]

Some published velocities are from test barrels (no cylinder gap), some are from longer than normal barrels.

Keep in mind as well that very few powders are the same as they were many years ago... almost all the powders we have now are imported, and though the formulations and burn rates are similar, they are not identical.

Also, pressure testing equipment has come a long way and the piezo pressure sensors are far more accurate than the copper crusher method used in the past. Plus the piezo measurements can be traced in time and can reveal very very short peak pressure spikes that the copper method can't.

 

[boredstupid]

Accurate list some data for 155 SWC

http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/accurate_load_data_3.5.pdf

 

[buford t justice]

I have a 46th edition lyman as well as a 49th edition and yes the load data for my 270 and 338 win mag are both a couple of grains hotter in the older manual.

 

[45calibre]

Pay attention when checking out different sources... Some list both a starting load and a max... Some list max only and you will need to drop 10% to start.

I also think either some sources just plain have bigger balls or maybe the other sources just are more worried about liability issues...




Even assuming you also met to say " same weight bullet ", I would have to say there would be some circumstances where that would not be a good idea. The first thing that would come to mind would be the profile of the bullet. The OAL of a round nose will be signifigantly different than a SWC, HP, or FN... Actually, the OAL of a particular FN, HP, or SWC could even be different.

There are times when I flat just can't find data for the exact bullet I have. In those cases, I look for data for the same weight and similiar PROFILE of the bullet. At times like this, I make sure I don't start near max...

yes i meant to say same weight.

 

[45calibre]

Accurate list some data for 155 SWC

http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/accurate_load_data_3.5.pdf

will that load work for a SWC from another manufactorer? i plan on using dardas. laser cast are more expensive.

 

[XtremeVel]

will that load work for a SWC from another manufactorer? i plan on using dardas. laser cast are more expensive.

In terms of safety, you'd be fine as long as they are the same weight, similiar profile, and you start away from max and watch the OAL...

Now as you work within the listed data, you could see one manufacture start to give you leading when another doesn't...

You should like the Dardas... Anymore, I only use them or Missouri bullets... The Oregon trail you mention were fine, but not worth the price difference...

 

[45calibre]

In terms of safety, you'd be fine as long as they are the same weight, similiar profile, and you start away from max and watch the OAL...

Now as you work within the listed data, you could see one manufacture start to give you leading when another doesn't...

You should like the Dardas... Anymore, I only use them or Missouri bullets... The Oregon trail you mention were fine, but not worth the price difference...

have you ever had problems with autoloaders feeding SWCs?

so i basically cannot use the same load listed for a SWC for a JHP even if they are the same weight? im assuming thats because at the same weigth the bullets themselves are a different length and it would create more pressue?

 

[XtremeVel]

have you ever had problems with autoloaders feeding SWCs?


so i basically cannot use the same load listed for a SWC for a JHP even if they are the same weight? im assuming thats because at the same weigth the bullets themselves are a different length and it would create more pressue?

Yes ! In .45 ACP, I have had some function fine while some will occasionally choke on them. Had (2) XD-45's and one ran them decently and the other hated them. Both my wife and I just recently bought ATI 45's and both love the cast SWC's ! All depends on the gun.

SWC can be extremely accurate and cut such a nice round hole in paper.

If the bullet is the same weight, the load ( powder charge ) will be very similiar... It will be the OAL that could vary greatly... Much more so if you jump from a RN to HP or SWC of same bullet weight... Some manuals even have special notations for some deeper cavity hollow points.... If I remember right, Gold Dots and XTP's might be a couple mentioned. The difference in data isn't huge, but something to keep in mind if you work up...

 

[tnek]

I seem to find the best reloading data from websites dedicated to either the platform or sport. My personal best source for common calibres is the Enos forums. The 1911forums is great for glocks, just kidding. But the 1911forums are about the best for 45. IMO. These places are where I got my starting data, and actually the recepies that I use in perpetuity.

 

[youngda9]

More bearing surface, more pressure. This is part of the the reason that different shaped bullets have different charges for the same weight.

 

[45calibre]

what do you do in the event that you cannot find load data for a bullet you are trying to use? would it be safe to use the load from another bullet of the same grain and dial it down 10-20%?