Hot loads

buck460XVR · May 7, 2017

icanthitabarn said:
I list a lot of loads in a notebook and skip writing a tag to ID. Yesterday I am sighting a red dot on my 9mm and think 'this stuff is warm'. I just looked it up thinking it was a heavy PP load that I like, but nooo it was a start load of Unique, at normal seating depth . I checked a round and everything was good, It looked like Unique and weighed 5.6 gr, just as marked. I then noticed the load was with a mag primer. Wow, no problem and the cases were ok, yesterday but it sure seemed hot even with a starting load. Anyone do this? The load got squirreled away a few yrs back.

icanthitabarn said:
It is on a online site that seems pretty good. I just rechecked and got a screen shot and its there and listed as an Alliant load. They also list loads from anyone but this says Alliant. View attachment 234377

One thing stands out very clearly to me, and that is you take reloading very casually and are kinda lax when it comes to details. You develop a load from a single source of reference without confirming it with a published source, you then take that questionable recipe and modify it in a caliber with little wiggle room with magnum primers. You don't take the time to tag ammo so that you know exactly what you are shooting every time. Even the idea of taking a firearm out to sight in optics, using ammo with unknown at the time ballistics and performance, makes me shake my head. I see a lot of shortcuts being taken that add up to exactly what you experienced. Some folks might call me anal about reloading, but I'd much rather be that than lax when it comes to reloading safely. Over the years I too have had experiences that made me question my reloading techniques and modify the way I do things when I handload. I see a familiar scenario here.

Jack B. · May 7, 2017

Walkalong said:
I use Avery 6460 removable labels for the outside. (You can see the sticky note on the inside of the lid.) I also have a log book in Excel with detailed info. Some loads more detailed than others. Match .308 gets much more documentation than a 9MM load.

Looks like you don't load a lot more than you can shoot. I don't get having thousands of rounds more than you can shoot.

Catpop · May 7, 2017

I got a buddy who will never live long enough to shoot all his reloads.
I'm just the opposite, I always run out at the range. I've got this compulsive quest to keep trying different loads in the futile hunt for the 1 hole 5 shot group! Problem is I can't shoot that good!!!!

LiveLife · May 7, 2017

Catpop said:
I've got this compulsive quest to keep trying different loads in the futile hunt for the 1 hole 5 shot group!

How about 1 hole 10 shot group at 25 yards?

RMR 115 gr FMJ with IMR Target 4.2-4.3 gr at 1.130" - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-and-vectan-ba-9-5-ba-9.817796/#post-10508215

Catpop said:
Problem is I can't shoot that good!!!!

Have you considered using optics?

icanthitabarn · May 7, 2017

buck460XVR said:
One thing stands out very clearly to me, and that is you take reloading very casually and are kinda lax when it comes to details. You develop a load from a single source of reference without confirming it with a published source, you then take that questionable recipe and modify it in a caliber with little wiggle room with magnum primers. You don't take the time to tag ammo so that you know exactly what you are shooting every time. Even the idea of taking a firearm out to sight in optics, using ammo with unknown at the time ballistics and performance, makes me shake my head. I see a lot of shortcuts being taken that add up to exactly what you experienced. Some folks might call me anal about reloading, but I'd much rather be that than lax when it comes to reloading safely. Over the years I too have had experiences that made me question my reloading techniques and modify the way I do things when I handload. I see a familiar scenario here.

I will try to work harder to live up to your imaginings

IWAC · May 7, 2017

Record keeping is highly important as you age! According to my records, 5.5 gr. Unique is about a .38 Spl. +P load in a 357 Magnum case,standard primer@ 860 fps/150 gr cast SWC. The 9mm case being smaller, I suspect that Unique load may be quite a handful!

icanthitabarn · May 7, 2017

It is hot, but I just switched to a light Bullseye load and like that better. I was thinking because many often settle on Power Pistol, I would do the same, and I did, and how. They will stay in storage. The Unique load was only a couple boxes. I gave up on messing around with ten or fifteen test rounds and test by the box full. Then I get a better idea and test different guns and different days.

Walkalong · May 7, 2017

Jack B. said:
Looks like you don't load a lot more than you can shoot.

I load 9MM and .45 in more quantity than most things, because I will shoot more of it. I recently loaded 9MM because I was out. I loaded 1K of my plated 124 Gr plinker load, 500 90 Gr JHP "Little Lasers", and 300 full power 124 Gr JHPs. That will hold me a few months. For some people it wouldn't last 2 months.

I load .44 Mag 100 at a time, .45 Colt 250 or 300 at a time. .38 Spl and .357 plinkers 300 to 400 at a time. Full power .357 100 at a time. Others are 200 to 500 at a time. That's the beauty of a progressive, a nice leisurely evenings loading, or two, occasionally three, and I can sit back and shoot that caliber for a few months.

Zendude · May 8, 2017

Sometimes published load data will get revised in a more conservative direction. I find it plausible that older data from Alliant could have been 6.2 gr max compared to their current listing of 5.8 gr max.

Hot loads

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