I have looked at this situation fairly seriously and there is no doubt in my mind that ammo companies HAVE reduced the loadings in many calibers. Some folks try to deny this but I believe it true from my testing and observation.
The 158 grain 38 Special was generally claimed to run 870-950 FPS in the 1960s and 1970s. This was a little optimistic but not greatly so and my testing found them to run 800-920 FPS. Now the standard 158 load is published at 730 FPS.
I have been shooting the 38 Super Colt for many years. In the 1970s & 1980s Super ammo was always in nickel cases to separate it from the lower pressure 38 ACP. I clocked factory ammo at 1,200-1,250 FPS back then. Now factory Super ammo runs 1,050 FPS, the same as the old 38 ACP and the Super cases are no longer nickel. Easy to see what happened, here.
The 41 and 44 Magnums are not as hot as they were years ago. I think many shooters found the loads too hot to handle and the guns suffered rapid wear causing complaints.
Even the reloading manuals use lower pressure loads than were listed back in the day. Compare a manual from 1970 to one published today and notice the difference in the top loads. Current books are far lower. This is because of lawyers advising them to keep things well under safety limits.
The 158 grain 38 Special was generally claimed to run 870-950 FPS in the 1960s and 1970s. This was a little optimistic but not greatly so and my testing found them to run 800-920 FPS. Now the standard 158 load is published at 730 FPS.
I have been shooting the 38 Super Colt for many years. In the 1970s & 1980s Super ammo was always in nickel cases to separate it from the lower pressure 38 ACP. I clocked factory ammo at 1,200-1,250 FPS back then. Now factory Super ammo runs 1,050 FPS, the same as the old 38 ACP and the Super cases are no longer nickel. Easy to see what happened, here.
The 41 and 44 Magnums are not as hot as they were years ago. I think many shooters found the loads too hot to handle and the guns suffered rapid wear causing complaints.
Even the reloading manuals use lower pressure loads than were listed back in the day. Compare a manual from 1970 to one published today and notice the difference in the top loads. Current books are far lower. This is because of lawyers advising them to keep things well under safety limits.
