CurryCornDog
Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2023
- Messages
- 33
@CurryCornDog, welcome to THR. Lots of great advice here on the forums!
It can, depending on a number of factors including how much further seating depth, the powder, and the bullet technology. I treat the faster powders as being more sensitive than the slower powders, and jacketed bullets more than lead/coated bullets. If you were saying you’re using Titegroup, then, that’s the powder that I shy away from if forced to load at less than published COLs.
As mentioned before, it’s the seating depth that’s the consideration here. If you could find someone who had 124 XTP JHPs, you could see how that bullet OAL compares to the one you’re loading, and then see if you really are seating them deeper. My 124 XTPs measure .574” +/- .001”.
If I’m forced to load at a COL less than the published data, I’ll subtract a tenth of a grain from the min for every ten thousandths less than the COL. That’s just my rule of thumb for my reloading.
I used to try to use a slower powder for my minor IDPA load, but it was very smoky and very dirty. It happened to be WSF. I switched to Sport Pistol and N320, but something like 231 or 244 works well at minor PF. Hotter loads are safer with a slower powder. I’d recommend you get two different powders. You may also want to investigate chamber reamers, preferably with a gunsmith - it would solve the COL issue.
Thanks for the welcome! Yes, my research on many sources have concluded XTPs to be an overall length of about .574-.579". I know my specific batch of Nukes to be .543-.5455" (sample size of 20/1000 measured over two different packaged bags, and sample size will grow as I spot check all dimensions along the way).
I agree with you on the hotter vs. softer powders which is why I went with AA#5 to begin with. It likes to burn clean when hot of course. Smaller powder chamber* usually = a more excited round, so less could be more in this instance.
I had an inkling, even though I'm a newbie, that judging by the pictures seen of the Nukes, the ogive would be quite weird to work with. Never thought they would be this weird though lol. I figured a more forgiving powder would work well with this, and although the margins are wider than most, shortening the COL will, in theory, still have less sensitivity restrictions than a more excititing compound.
As for the powder amount Vs. COL adjustment, seems as though you have a few in agreement with you in this thread, and you can count me as one of them. It's a fair way to ensure that at least during work-up, I'm going to start off safe with no...unexpected outcomes.
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