The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old August 30, 2000, 08:07 PM   #1
faiello5
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
These are all West Coast plated bullets.

I am loading my 230g plated RN to 1.260-1.265 OAL with good results. This bullet
is .650 long. I bought some 200g plated RN that are .580 long. Should my OAL with the 200s be the same as the 230's or should I subtract the .070 (.650 length of 230s minus .580 length of 200s) difference from the 230 OAL and load the 200's to an OAL of 1.195 in order to have the same volume in the case? Seems very short. Or should I load them to a lenght inbetween? What is the rational for your response, whatever it may be?

Same question for some 225g plated flat points that I bought. They are also
.580 long. Should the OAL be 1.260-1.265 like the 230's, 1.195, or some different
OAL in between? Again, why? Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Frank
 
Old August 31, 2000, 07:31 AM   #2
WESHOOT2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 20, 1999
Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country)
Posts: 14,324
Eh, don't trust me.........? LMAO

---------------------------------------------

"all my advice is well-proven factory advice"
WESHOOT2 is offline  
Old August 31, 2000, 05:18 PM   #3
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
 
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
Guess I've missed something. (My mind?)

Anyhow, for the .45ACP, the OAL is important mostly so it'll go into the magazine (can't be too long) and so it'll feed properly (shouldn't be too short).

, Art
Art Eatman is offline  
Old August 31, 2000, 06:07 PM   #4
Mal H
Staff
 
Join Date: March 20, 1999
Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia
Posts: 16,939
faiello5 - The short answer is, yes, you're aiming for the same case volumn below the seated bullet give or take some - it isn't extremely important that all loads with different bullets have the exact same vol. Your math method is as good as any to determine the proper OAL. And as WESHOOT2 said previously and Art just said, the OAL should allow for good magazine fit and good feeding.

Mal H is offline  
Old September 2, 2000, 12:12 AM   #5
Henry Bowman
Junior member
 
Join Date: April 27, 2000
Location: AK
Posts: 139
I prefer 1.250 OAL with 200 H&Gs on up to ball, the .001 shorter seems to help reliability..henry
Henry Bowman is offline  
Old September 2, 2000, 12:08 PM   #6
Johnny Guest
Moderator in Memoriam
 
Join Date: August 28, 1999
Location: North Texas
Posts: 4,123
Frank--

I can relate to your concerns about COL
(Cartridge Overall Length) vs. volume of the case below the base of the bullet. I feel, though, that unless you are into the realm of rifle bench rest shooting or 1000 yard matches or long range varmint shooting, the volume concerns are pretty insignificant. If you can find ANY published information as to COL with that bullet, I bet it will be safe. There has to have been at least a certain amount of R&D work done. My rule of thumb is,
If the loaded cartridge LOOKS grotesquely short or long, it probably is not right.

The lengths you list are pretty close to what my manuals show as proper. 1.250 to 1.265 with a 230 RN is just about right.

I'd say load the 200 plated round nose bullets to nearly same COL as with the 230 RN. Only difference would be is there was insufficient bullet inside the case for secure holding. The general guide is to have the bullet seated inside the case to a depth of at least one-half the bullet diameter. So, with a .452 bullet, you need at least .226" inside the case mouth.

With the 225 FP, try 1.200 COL. I bet that will work. Speer illustrates a 200 JHP with a somewhat rounded nose, but it is still pretty broad, with a COL of 1.155". You might have to work with this length somewhat.

Generally, the longer, narrow nosed bullets can be loaded SLIGHTLY longer than those with broad meplats, due to the forward curve of the magazine. Max COL listed in Speer is 1.275, and this is shown only with the long, narrow-nosed semiwadcutter bullets, like the H&G 68 bullet. And many, like Brother Bowman, find it works better to seat even these as much as .025 shorter.

BTW--The H&G 68 200 gr. was designed, I read, to work well through the old style NON-throated barrels. A line drawn between the edge of the meplat and the shoulder of the bullet pretty well duplicates the similar points of the 230 hardball bullet. For this reason, I find it works quite well to leave my seating die set for the 230 RN when I load the #68-style bullet. Functioning in several 1911 pistols is flawless. I even leave the powder measuge set the same. The lighter bullet with same powder is beautifully accurate.

I think you'd be much better served to do as the other responders suggest--set the bullet in the case for reliable feeding, and forget the case volume. The differing weight bullets will have far greater effect than the timy difference in case volume.

CAUTION-----CAUTION-----CAUTION
The above remarks apply only when using standard charge weights. With max loads, seating a bullet even slightly too DEEPLY may result in dangerously high pressures. But, we were speaking of altering volumes with bullets seated rather longer than shorter.

Best of luck in your efforts.
Johnny

------------------
---The Second Amendment ensures the rest of the Bill of Rights---

[This message has been edited by Johnny Guest (edited September 02, 2000).]
Johnny Guest is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:38 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.04013 seconds with 10 queries