Greeting High Road Travelers!
A few years ago I had the opportunity to buy a Pasadena Model AutoMag and so I bought it (an impulse buy that, despite losing my job a month later, I still do not regret). I made the mistake of shooting up all the factory ammo that came with the gun (~30 rounds of 200 gr. "Wildey's Here" brand ammo). I have been trying to find a load that this gun likes, and have so far failed. The AutoMag, like a lot of semi-auto magnums, is a little finicky and is a picky eater. My particular gun is not happy with its diet, and it does not like to send the slide all the way rearward. As such, lock open on the last round is rare, and stripping a new round off the magazine doesn't happen; it just scrapes along the top of the next round and jams as a result. Despite my failing, I figured I'd share my data.
I used data from Hornady's Reloading Manual, 9th Edition. The manual says that 26.5 gr. IMR 4227 should get 1450 fps, and 27.1 gr. should get 1500 fps. I chronographed 50 rounds loaded with IMR 4227 in Starline brass behind 200 grain Hornady XTP bullets (primed with CCI 350 Large Pistol Magnum primers). Per Hornady No. 9, I loaded to a COAL of 1.600". I started with 10 rounds of 26.2 grains of 4227 and increased the load by 0.2 grains every 10 rounds. I used a Shooting Chrony Gamma at about 6 feet from the muzzle. When developing load, I keep track of the weights of bullets and COAL for individual rounds, and I give their averages for each string with the data. Even though the average bullet weight was at or near the 200 grain mark, the individual weights ranged from 199.1 gr. to 200.6 gr.
Minor cratering was apparent on many primers across the load range, though it was more common and more noticeable on the hotter loads. Primer flattening was minor on the lighter loads, but quite noticeable on the hotter loads.
I used MS Excel to fit trend lines to the average velocities. V is the velocity in fps, and w is the charge weight in grains. The linear trend line was v = 57.0w + 3.6 and had an R^2 value of .919. The polynomial trend line was v = 71.4w^2 - 3743w + 50537.9 and had an R^2 of .999. To reach the 1600 fps that was listed in Hornady No. 9 as the max for H110, one would need 28.0 grains of IMR 4227 according to the linear trend line, and 27.5 gr. IMR 4227 according to the polynomial trend line.
Needless to say (but I'm saying it all the same) this is for informational use. If you duplicate these loads, you do so at your own risk. If you hurt yourself, you assume full responsibility for your actions.
26.2 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1478
High: 1555
Avg: 1503
E.S.: 76.39
σ: 22.56
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.0 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1478
1507
1483
1499
1555
1479
1513
1513
1507
1497
26.4 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1485
High: 1531
Avg: 1505
E.S.: 46.03
σ: 12.60
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.0 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1493
1485
1509
1503
1531
1502
1514
1500
1514
1503
26.6 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1487
High: 1551
Avg: 1514
E.S.: 64.28
σ: 22.20
Avg. Bullet Weight: 199.8 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1551
1524
1524
1488
1546
1506
1495
1487
1510
1512
26.8 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1509
High: 1551
Avg: 1529
E.S.: 41.61
σ: 14.00
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.1 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1551
1520
1509
1536
1519
1524
1535
1513
1541
1543
27.0 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1539
High: 1559
Avg: 1548
E.S.: 19.44
σ: 5.91
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.1 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.601”
Individual Velocities
1556
1539
1546
1542
1547
1559
1548
1548
1550
1546
I hope to get some loads worked up with H110 within the next few weeks for .44 AMP. I also hope to eventually work up some loads for 240 grain XTPs. But, as far as reloading goes, I have a lot of irons in the fire right now, so it may be a while yet.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to buy a Pasadena Model AutoMag and so I bought it (an impulse buy that, despite losing my job a month later, I still do not regret). I made the mistake of shooting up all the factory ammo that came with the gun (~30 rounds of 200 gr. "Wildey's Here" brand ammo). I have been trying to find a load that this gun likes, and have so far failed. The AutoMag, like a lot of semi-auto magnums, is a little finicky and is a picky eater. My particular gun is not happy with its diet, and it does not like to send the slide all the way rearward. As such, lock open on the last round is rare, and stripping a new round off the magazine doesn't happen; it just scrapes along the top of the next round and jams as a result. Despite my failing, I figured I'd share my data.
I used data from Hornady's Reloading Manual, 9th Edition. The manual says that 26.5 gr. IMR 4227 should get 1450 fps, and 27.1 gr. should get 1500 fps. I chronographed 50 rounds loaded with IMR 4227 in Starline brass behind 200 grain Hornady XTP bullets (primed with CCI 350 Large Pistol Magnum primers). Per Hornady No. 9, I loaded to a COAL of 1.600". I started with 10 rounds of 26.2 grains of 4227 and increased the load by 0.2 grains every 10 rounds. I used a Shooting Chrony Gamma at about 6 feet from the muzzle. When developing load, I keep track of the weights of bullets and COAL for individual rounds, and I give their averages for each string with the data. Even though the average bullet weight was at or near the 200 grain mark, the individual weights ranged from 199.1 gr. to 200.6 gr.
Minor cratering was apparent on many primers across the load range, though it was more common and more noticeable on the hotter loads. Primer flattening was minor on the lighter loads, but quite noticeable on the hotter loads.
I used MS Excel to fit trend lines to the average velocities. V is the velocity in fps, and w is the charge weight in grains. The linear trend line was v = 57.0w + 3.6 and had an R^2 value of .919. The polynomial trend line was v = 71.4w^2 - 3743w + 50537.9 and had an R^2 of .999. To reach the 1600 fps that was listed in Hornady No. 9 as the max for H110, one would need 28.0 grains of IMR 4227 according to the linear trend line, and 27.5 gr. IMR 4227 according to the polynomial trend line.
Needless to say (but I'm saying it all the same) this is for informational use. If you duplicate these loads, you do so at your own risk. If you hurt yourself, you assume full responsibility for your actions.
26.2 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1478
High: 1555
Avg: 1503
E.S.: 76.39
σ: 22.56
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.0 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1478
1507
1483
1499
1555
1479
1513
1513
1507
1497
26.4 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1485
High: 1531
Avg: 1505
E.S.: 46.03
σ: 12.60
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.0 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1493
1485
1509
1503
1531
1502
1514
1500
1514
1503
26.6 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1487
High: 1551
Avg: 1514
E.S.: 64.28
σ: 22.20
Avg. Bullet Weight: 199.8 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1551
1524
1524
1488
1546
1506
1495
1487
1510
1512
26.8 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1509
High: 1551
Avg: 1529
E.S.: 41.61
σ: 14.00
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.1 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.600”
Individual Velocities
1551
1520
1509
1536
1519
1524
1535
1513
1541
1543
27.0 gr. IMR 4227
Low: 1539
High: 1559
Avg: 1548
E.S.: 19.44
σ: 5.91
Avg. Bullet Weight: 200.1 gr.
Avg. COAL: 1.601”
Individual Velocities
1556
1539
1546
1542
1547
1559
1548
1548
1550
1546
I hope to get some loads worked up with H110 within the next few weeks for .44 AMP. I also hope to eventually work up some loads for 240 grain XTPs. But, as far as reloading goes, I have a lot of irons in the fire right now, so it may be a while yet.
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