hot auto pistol loads

[scrat]

Maybe it makes a difference on how fast you put a hole in a piece of paper. Now when shooting distance rifle its important to work up a load but at the same way your not trying to max out the bullet. Im trying to hit a target at a given spot with a given bullet. This may take a few different powders to achieve my desired results. not maxing out. If i have to max out i may be using the wrong powder.

 

[taliv]

well, i understand some people want hotter loads because they may have better terminal ballistics (e.g. more likely to expand from short-barrels) and the extra force may cycle the action longer as sludge builds up on the rails or lube evaporates.

still, i mostly agree with you scrat.

 

[ashercg]

What does MAX load mean? Before the internet, when I first started reloading I bought a Speer reload manual. I have never exceeded the loads listed in that manual which claim to generate pressures at or below SAAMI limits (no +P). Now I have many load resources and there is no correlation between Max loads in these resources. It is a rare exception that the same bullet type and weight get the same max load in any two resources. Even the same brand and styles of bullet get wildly variations in max load recommendations. Speer’s latest manual list 7 gr H universal for 967fps from their 200gr jhp 45acp. Hodgdon lists 6.7 for the same speer bullet (Many powder reference sources use different or unspecified bullet brands). 19500CUP is the SAAMI max for 45ACP (not +p). None of Speer's or Hodgdon's loads get within 1500 CUP of this and most "Max" loads are in the 17000 CUP range. With modern guns, I believe that most reloading issues are a result of double loading fast powders or barrel obstruction issues.

I agree that unnecessarily beating up your gun with high power loads is dumb but I think that with heavier springs this can be mitigated. My weapons are for self defense and my sights and I need to be proficient with the loads that I use for that purpose.

If I need to achieve the same performance from my reloads as say 45acp Golden Sabers 185gr at 1140 fps (do these factory rds damage my gun?) how can I do this while staying under Max loads?
What am I suppose to use as a Max load reference?

 

[benzuncle]

I've always been a believer that if I want "more" I should get a bigger bore or a caliber with more velocity.

Seems I read in the Richard Lee Modern Reloading somewhere that "...game and humans will never know if you hit them with a hot load or a regular load".
He then went on to say that the middle loads shoot straight, cost less to load and do less wear and tear on your firearm. (My apologies if I got the source confused with someone else.)

The first loads I "built" using the minimum from Lee's Modern Reloading almost skipped off the floor on their way to punching a hole in the paper. Hell! I thought they might bounce off it! But they were consistent and didn't blow me or my gun up. The first time you load and shoot your own ammo, there's a little trepidation. Then when all goes well, jubilation sets in...

 

[evan price]

I have had "max" loads come out sooty and fail to cycle a gun. Bumping up ten percent made for happy gun, happy brass.