New Reolader-Help With OAL

[dwpmusic]

I've only recently started handloading. I'm looking for the suggested OAL for a Nosler #44964 230gr .45ACP FMJ flat nose bullet. I've been loading Winchester 230gr FMJ round nose with an OAL of between 1.260" and 1.275" depending on which manual you consult. I may not be looking close enough but I'm not finding any information on any 230gr FMJ flat nose bullets. Been using 5.2gr Win231 for my reloads which I'm sure (correct me if I'm wrong) is adequate for a powder charge. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Blue68f100]

OAL is gun specific. Remove the barrel from your gun and make a dummy round or two and do the plunk test. If good assemble the gun and hand cycle 3-4 dummy round through to make sure they function. Then load some test rounds up as you work up your loads. My Kimber likes the short length 1.225" any thing longer jambs.

 

[dwpmusic]

Thanks for the reply. Are you speaking (1.225") for this particular bullet or just 230gr FMJ flat nose in general? Thanks again.

 

[thump_rrr]

Thanks for the reply. Are you speaking (1.225") for this particular bullet or just 230gr FMJ flat nose in general? Thanks again.

That is for his firearm. Take the bullet you want to use and make a dummy round with no powder or primer to maximum overall length. For example 1.800"
You remove the barrel from your pistol and drop the dummy round into it.
If it goes in all the way and the cartridge seats on the case mouth you wil hear a plunk, hence the name plunk test.
If the bullet hits the rifling you will not hear the plunk so you reduce the length .005-.010 and try again till you get the plunk.
Now you know the maximum OAL for that bullet in that firearm.

 

[dwpmusic]

Thanks again.

 

[ATLDave]

Remember, though, that holding all else equal and reducing OAL will increase pressures. If you load shorter than a "recipe" shown in a book, you will be increasing pressures.

 

[dwpmusic]

Thanks, Dave. I've gathered that from reading. Trouble is I can't find a "recipe" for this type bullet.

 

[ATLDave]

Accurate Powder's online/downloadable guide lists a load for a "230 NOS FMJ." I don't know if that's the same bullet, but if Nosler's 230 .45's are all the flat-nose kind, it's possibly a match. You can download the guide here (way more reliable than counting on me to transcribe it for you!): http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/accurate_load_data_3.5.pdf

Poke around on other powder companies' websites... lots of them have recipes on them. Irritating that Nosler doesn't have one for that bullet, though.

 

[ranger335v]

"...reducing OAL will increase pressures...."

That can get twitchy in the few small capacity, very high pressure auto loader cartridges (mostly 9mm and 10mm) but it makes little difference with others such as the .45 ACP.

Music, for any bullet, find an OAL that feeds and chambers in YOUR pistol and use it. There is no 'recomended' specific length, that's why you see different OALs in different books. What you see in the books is the length the test team used to develop the listed data in their pistol.

There is no need for specific load data for specific bullets, find data for the bullet weight and jacketed or lead and use that. If we had to have specific data for everything there are a lot of bullets we couldn't use!

Have fun!

 

[Lost Sheep]

It's the space UNDER the bullet you want to watch.

Remember, primarily, it is the free space UNDER the bullet you are trying to regulate when you set the OAL. But you can't measure that directly, so the OAL is a proxy measurement. If you have a generous hollowpoint or a more pointy bullet the same OAL as a flatter profile bullet will give you smaller free volume inside the case and higher pressure.

Secondary reason to control OAL is so the bullet does not impinge on the rifling. Too long a OAL and the action may not fully close.

Lost Sheep