Reloading paranoia - this time it's bullets

[RidgwayCO]

In Speer #14, the .44 Magnum loads for their 240 gr jacketed bullets includes the GDHP and GDSP variants, pushed to a top speed of 1451 fps. And for 9mm Luger, the GDHPs are also mixed in with the conventionally jacketed bullets. Why? I have no idea... I always thought the Gold Dots should be loaded "between" lead and jacketed...

 

[ZeSpectre]

See, so you folks can understand why a noob reloader like myself might be a bit confused and concerned

 

[Halo]

I understand your confusion. On the one hand all the manuals and such that you read drive home the point that any deviation from the published data is just asking to lose your hand (or maybe even flatten a few city blocks); on the other hand you find reality dictates a bit of flexibility. That's why a forum like this is such a great resource. No matter how obscure your bullet/powder combo, you can almost always find someone who has done it before.

If you use data developed with the same weight of bullet, and you are diligent about starting at the low end of the powder charge you will be fine. I think the only case where you'd be in really dangerous territory is if you tried using hollow point data with, say, a RN bullet. Setting that round nose bullet to the same OAL would have it seated way too deep. Fortunately it would probably be obvious.

 

[ZeSpectre]

Well I went out and bought a Sierra manual as well.
According to Sierra-I'm pushing the top end of the load
According to Speer-I'm sitting towards the bottom

So off to the range this evening
-I took my reloads
-an additional 20 Winchester White Box rounds
-and 20 Winchester Ranger SXT rounds.

All were fired out of a CZ-75B.

Subjectively it felt like the WWB rounds were the lightest, my reloads noticeably hotter, and the Ranger rounds quite a bit hotter than the reloads. I also did a "mixed magazine" and I could tell the difference between the WWB and the reloads. I could DEFINITELY tell the difference with the Ranger SXT rounds!

Or visually, (W-white box, R-reloads, S-SXT)
low------W-------------R--------------------S--high

So my determination at this point is that for .40 S&W loads
Sierra's loading guide appears to lean strongly to the conservative side.
Speer loads appear to be much closer to factory self-defense ammo.

If I pushed it to the Speer listed maximum I believe I would be pretty close to the SXT ammo but I have no interest in pushing it right to the limit yet.

My load gave very good accuracy at 30ft, I'll try and scan the target in later and post it here.

Also as a side note, people often mention how dirty "Unique" powder is. Well it doesn't hold a candle to the WWB stuff!

Thanks to everyone for the guidance and reassurance.

 

[Walkalong]

That's funny........... in the latest edition of the Speer reloading manual, it list the exact same loads for their 158gr. Gold Dot as for their 158gr jacketed SPs, HPs and FMJs.......

Well, I have not bought the latest one. I am using # 13, along with online data I have collected.

ZeSpectre. It is not as confusing as it seems at first. You are off to a great start. You are approaching it cautiously, buying manuals, reading, and asking questions. You will be just fine.

 

[NotSoFast]

ZeSpectre - What I did when I got conflicting data on a load was to search out every source I could find and write them all down. Then I averaged the minimum and the maximum loads and went from there. And since the min I cam eup with fell within the range of all but one source, I felt confident in starting there and working up to my max.

 

[buck460XVR]

ZeSpectre - What I did when I got conflicting data on a load was to search out every source I could find and write them all down. Then I averaged the minimum and the maximum loads and went from there.

same here.......for example, Hornady list's in their manual a range of charges from 29.3 to 38.4 of Lil' Gun for the 300 gr. XTPmag in the .460. The Hodgdon load recipe range is from 40.0 to 44.0 of Lil' Gun for the same bullet with a SHORTER COAL.......***?

................so far, I'm up to 34grs.

 

[ZeSpectre]

IMPORTANT: I am ONLY discussing a .40 S&W round here (180gr JHP and Unique powder).

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT posting specific loads for others to use, I am trying to illustrate an important point about pressure in the .40 S&W round. Please do NOT use my information for your own loads, use a well known and researched loaders guide like SPEER or SIERRA.

I loaded up a series of rounds (10 pairs) starting at 5.9gr and moving up.
The results were...
5.9 - Powder puff load
6.0 - Powder puff load
6.2 - Getting into "normal" feel
6.4 - Getting into "normal" feel
6.5 - Good feeling load for target shooting - Probably my preferred load for the future.
6.6 - Felt like a strong target load.
6.7 - Spike in how the rounds "felt".
6.8 - Felt about like the Winchester SXT rounds I have.
6.9 - Felt hot but no overpressure signs.
7.0 - Mild overpressure signs on the primer, discontinued testing.

Comments/Thoughts:

The "spike" in how the rounds felt between 6.6gr and 6.8gr was a surprise, as was the "spike" at 7.0gr. The load does NOT seem to follow a linear scale in terms of pressure increases. This seems to allign with what others have said, namely that the .40 S&W round is a bit "touchy" and you should use extreme care with your powder loads as a few tenths of a grain can make a significant difference.

It also appears, as mentioned before, that Sierra's loading guide leans strongly to the conservative side while the Speer loads appear to be much closer to factory self-defense ammo.

Run the top end of the Speer loads at your own risk!

 

[MMCSRET]

AH!!!!! Good experience; just be sure to keep a record of your experimental load developments. Being an Ole Guy, I use 3x5 cards and make notes on them as to what is what. I have 3x5's that are over 30 years old as I don;t want to redo my mistakes. People nowadays use computer programs; point is: keep records!!!!!!!

 

[86thecat]

When in doubt, you can always load a few rounds in steps from the starting load to your load to verify pressure is ok. Use the same run of cases or pull a few of your loaded ones down.

 

[762 shooter]

For pistols:

I look a several reloading manuals and the internet to make sure that I am not too close to minimum or max. This let's me know that alot of other people have used this data and not blown up.

I find that analyzing the fired primer pocket is my first idea of what a load is doing. I like my primers to still have a little rounding on the edges.

I don't try to push a cartridge's limits anymore. Nothing bad happened, I just don't need the recoil.

If you feel the "need for speed" follow the other poster's suggestions and work it up to max by starting in the middle and pay attention to what your gun and cartridge are telling you.

You will become confident in your abilities after awhile, and trust your own informed decisions.