Developing this "proper" load

[Bruno2]

Unique is good for a starter, Alliant powders are double based powders and they are temperature tolerant. They don't burn as clean as single base do , but safe for newbs IMO. Hogdon has been my favorite over the yrs and they have their "extreme powders" which are temperature safe also. I would say call the manufacturer and get their opinion about a powder for your purposes, but they usually try to push their latest and greatest product onto you.

 

[noylj]

All plated bullets (except for Gold Dots and a couple of other major manufacturer's "bonded" bullets) should be loaded like lead bullets, and may be loaded up to mid-range jacketed bullet data.
To me, this pretty much means to stick with lead data as most jacketed mid-range data I have seen is within the lead bullet data.
Start with the lowest starting load you can find.
The data I sent may be "scrunched up" but shouldn't be very hard to read.
I wish we could post Excel files...

 

[Katitmail]

Hard to read but fow can I tell which bullet is lead in your list? Rmr suggests to use fmj load data for their bullets

 

[noylj]

The first are all lead/plated and then towards the end I have jacketed (FMJ/JHP).

 

[mstreddy]

OP, I'd suggest you weigh a sampling of those RMR bullets to ensure they are "ALL" 124 grains. Not trying to badmouth RMR, I've had excellent results buying from them, but one batch of pulled 9mm bullets I got from them was a mixed bag (literally) of 115s and 124s with three or four 147s thrown in for good measure.
I had to weigh all of them to sort them into their respective batches.

 

[Katitmail]

Well. Thats going to be really bad... They suppose to differ in sizes. If I just line them up vertically I should see if there any differences.

I heard they might differ but couple grains here and there, not like 115-124-147 in one batch.

 

[mstreddy]

You can tell a slight difference when you stand them next to each other, but with my tired eyes, it was easier (and more precise) to weigh them. The 147s are easy to tell - -they are big mothers.
What I did is weigh 3 at a time and that way it was easy to see if there was a mismatch -- 3 * 115 is 345 grains, 3 * 124 is 372, so if 3 gives me anything else, then one of these is not like the others... easy to remove one then see if the 2 left match -- does this make sense? It did when I was doing it. I can't type it out clear though.
There is a slight variation in the bullets so a 124 could be between 123.x and 125.x, but 115 (114.x) is a different bullet altogether. And never mind seating issues when you have your dies set.

 

[Katitmail]

Well. It's counter-productive to do this. I will check couple random groups but if I find it to be true - it will be my last order from them.. I don't have time to sort bullets

 

[mstreddy]

Don't write them off yet. Everything else I've gotten from them has been spot on, but that one batch was fubared. A little bit of time over an evening or three and they all got sorted out.
Jake at RMR has done well by most of us on this forum. I didn't even contact him to complain, as it was an easy fix for me.
As a general rule, I always spot check the weights of bullets before I load them, particularly a new batch from whatever supplier. I mic them too. You never know what's in the box.

 

[Katitmail]

Got 1lb of Unique and 1lb of BullsEye at LGS. Now I have something to experiment with

 

[Cosmoline]

Make sure you have something to write down results, and make sure you keep clear track of your loads. This sounds silly but trust me if you do a lot of handloading you'll forget what X load was. I use little baggies for tester loads, with the basic data on a piece of paper in the bag. Then I take the rounds out with the paper and make notations of results in a write-in-the-rain pad. You must keep track of what firearm your using, and the basic factors of bullet type, weight, distance to target, and of course precise powder charge. OAL is also very important for semis. The more precise variables such as primer brand, climate conditions, specific gravity of the shooting bench, etc. are more for precision rifles than handguns. With short guns you'll see VERY quickly which loads are tight and which are pie plate. I usually keep the target at about 10-15 yards for testing since that way I can distinguish good from excellent groups. My minimum test batch is six rounds, to allow for fliers and such. But if you're clamping the handgun down you can do it with half that many. The fewer variables *you* introduce, the faster you can get your results.

Also, with time you'll start to notice patterns with what different firearms tend to "like." I would NOT suggest trying one powder with .2 increments for the first go-round. Instead try multiple powders and bullets (if possible these days) using mid-range loads. Some will clearly be crud, others will look promising. Do your .2 increment testing with the promising ones in the second session. By the end of that session you'll have some solid loads to either mass produce or play around with further. And once you know the general preferences of that handgun, further testing gets easier. For example I've been working up loads for a Redhawk .357 this month. I know now that it does very well with 158 grain hardcast slugs over stout loads of 2400 or H110. I have just run out of one type of 158 grain hardcast and will switch to another, but I'll start my testing on that new bulk bullet with the same data and it should be about the same since the diameter and hardness are very close.

Once you have your selected load combo for a particular firearm, it's a good idea to make special note of it. I try to keep mine listed in a "paradigm" load book kept with the bench. This again may seem silly but sometimes years go by between load sessions with particular firearms, and most of us will tend to forget. With some double rifles the paradigm load was actually printed on the barrel.

 

[Katitmail]

I was thinking about doing batch in 0.1 increments(3 batches of 5) starting +0.2 from minimum for each powder.

Yes, I will write down all info. Most likely I will set OAL to "standard" and then try to increase it to see if it goes into my gun.

 

[jim243]

If I understand you correctly, this load will be for IDPA. To calculate the Min power factor you need to multiply the weight (124 grains) times the FPS (1008 fps). Most reloading manuals will state the FPS for each load. In checking the Lyman 49th manual for that weight bullet, you will be pretty much be at the max for any powder you use. Now these listings are for jacketed bullets. Plated bullets (depending on how much platting is used) will be close to the jacketed bullet information. To be safe start at 0.5 gains under Max and work your way up from there checking for pressure signs.

Most clubs DO NOT check for power factors in IDPA matches unless you are shooting in State or National Championships. (then they do check)

As a rule of thumb, faster powders produce lower pressures than slower powders. Win 231 will produce less pressure per load than say Power Pistol, but that means slower speeds. I only use ball powder and never use flake powder, ball powder just meters better with my equipment.

For rifle you need to dial in your loads, for pistol it is less important because the distances you will be shooting is less. It is also harder since your sight radius will be considerably shorter on a pistol. I would try on 3 different powder levels instead of doing a ladder test to find a good load.

Good luck and safe shooting .
Jim

 

[Katitmail]

Jim, I'm waiting for Dillon 650, so this is what my powder measure will be. You correct it's IDPA and I need 125000 with 124gr bullet.

I wonder if factory rounds make PF? So, factory loads pretty much at max?

 

[Mono]

Good day Gents

Its been a while since I posted, so please be gentle. As some of you may know, I have had some issues with my Marlin XL7 30-06. But even with all crap I have had, I did not quit trying to sort it out.She is my first new rifle. So over the years i have tried and tried, tested and tested. Approximately 2000 rounds have gone through this baby after they properly fixed the extractor, ( found out this week that i was not the only who had the extractor break.)
Unfortunately down here in Namibia( north of South Africa, south of Angola and west of Zimbabwe for those that do not know), we don't have a lot of options when it comes to gunpowder and primers. The variety of the latter only recently increased. Bullets I have tried are 150gr PMP, 180gr PMP( if you ever find some one who tells you these are great, slap him HARD!!. PMP's nickname directly translated is FART ME FLAT.). I did Sierra Gameking and Prohunter with average results, which was a 1" group at 100m( +- 140yards), which most people will say is good.
Then switched over to Nosler Ballistic tips 168gr, which during load development would constanly give me .75" groups at the same distance.
My basic recipe was Highlander Bass( Privi Partizan), CCI 250 magnum primers, and a S365 Powder which is supposedly equivalent to IMR4350. This however was not enough for me, because a .75 group on 100m turns into a 2'' group at 200m and so on and so forth. So the tests continued.
Changed powder to S355 which is supposed to be equivalant to IMR4320. Did not change my brass, or primers( primers due to availabilty issues and brass, because I have a lot of it) and the result was outstanding. If i could sort out the one bloody flier i have every time, then it will be a constant grouping of .25 and less. The usual result is two shot in one,where you can barely see the outline of the second hole and then there is is the one that is 1 to 3 cm off. If the flier went to the same side every time, it would likely mean that I pulled the shot, but it goes left, right, up and down. Also, there is no pattern. It would be 1,2, flyer, then say flier,1,2 or 1,flier,2.
The only item in my recipe that has stayed the same over the past two years, is the brass, which I will be tossing away TODAY. This due to 15 shots loaded, and 5 not being able to fit the rifle becuase of the should being bent.
I fully understand that a .25 group at 100m ( and .25 at 150m which i shot today) is good, but i need to eliminate the flier.
Could it be the Brass that is bent or old. The reason i want to sort this out is because the shots we take are between 50m and 600m, thus if you take a 600meter shot and its a flier, you have a long way to walk if you would the animal.
Help, advise and Critism will be highly appreciated.

rgds
The Neck

 

[Hondo 60]

bds - no flame suit needed

While Unique is an "awesome" powder that will just about do anything well, for match loads which often operate at lower velocities, I prefer faster burning powders

I couldn't agree more.

In my powder measures Unique tends to wander too much for me.
(Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure, RCBS Uniflow & Dillon Powder Measure)


I have about a 1/2 pound left & won't buy it again.
I've been spoiled rotten with Tite Group, Accurate #5 & Clay's Universal.
Those 3 handgun powders are ALWAYS +-.01gr.

I don't reload 9mak, so I have no experience with that one.
But for 9mm & 45acp, Tite Group & Accurate 2 or Accurate 5 work well.