Hodgdon reloading manual.

[Deja vu]

I just bought a Hodgdon reloading manual. I see that the loads look a lot hotter than the loads from my Speer and Hornady books. Are these loads really safe?

For the 357 magnum 125 grain bullets using H110

Hornady says that the starting load is 17.4 grains and the max load is 19.9 grains.

Sierra has 18.6 as the low end and and 19.8 as the high end.

Hodgdon has 21.0 as the starting load and 22.0 for the max load.

Hodgdon has its starting load higher than the other brands max load... is that correct?

[Powderman]

One of the checks and balances I use when reloading is that I have multiple manuals. I will research the load in all written references, and then start with the LOWEST I can find.

A good tool to have is a chronograph. You can work your loads to the desired point with relative ease if you chronograph the load and compare it to published data. Or, when you find the sweet spot, you'll have good figures to work up a load with another powder.

[black mamba]

Check the cartridge overall length (OAL) of the loads in the different manuals. Bullets seated out just .05" allows another 1.25 gr of powder in the case capacity of a .357 magnum. Bullet diameter and bearing surface make a big difference in pressures as well.

[Jim243]

Check the cartridge overall length (OAL) of the loads in the different manuals. Bullets seated out just .05" allows another 1.25 gr of powder in the case capacity of a .357 magnum. Bullet diameter and bearing surface make a big difference in pressures as well.

+1


Jim


If it is a Hornady bullet, use Hornady data, if it is a Sierra bullet use Sierra, if none of the above use Hodgdon.

[sourdough44]

I cross reference several manuals, yes Hodgdon is high at times. That 125 grn 357 load with H-110 was never something I'd be interested in. H-110 with a 180 grn hardcast, now there's something I'd do.

[wncchester]

"I just bought a Hodgdon reloading manual. I see that the loads look a lot hotter than the loads from my Speer and Hornady books. Are these loads really safe?"

No loading manual is like an engineering manual with fixed data points. Each of the loads in your books was safe in the guns and with the components they used. They used different stuff and your's is different from any of theirs so your experience will likely be somewhat different too. Loading is not rocket science; unlike (real) science, nothing about reloading is absolutely repeatable time after time.

I suggest noobs stick with one manual, any manual, until he learns to deal with things without the confusion you now face. More manuals add neither clairity nor safety, just more confusion.

A manual matched to a specific brand of bullet or powder has no more validity than any other; fact is, no component change will make as large a difference as the gun the load is fired in.

[Doodlebugger45]

For some cartridges with some bullets and some powders, Hodgdon might be a little bit hotter than others. But with other combos, Lyman might be hotter. And still other combos, maybe Sierra will be the hottest. When you're first starting out with a new bullet/powder/cartridge, it is nice to look at a few sources of data to get a feel for what they are saying. Naturally, you will start on the low end to see how your gun reacts and then you can do some experimenting to find the optimum combo for your gun.

I can say though that for the 7 revolvers and 8 rifles that I load for, whenever I have compared multiple sources of data, I have yet to find a published load from any of the manufacturers that gave me high pressure signs as I approached their max load, even if that max load was the highest of all published. That's not the case for everyone though, so that's why you start out low. However, even though the max load has always been safe for me, it hasn't always been the best performer. That's the other reason for starting out low on the charge side. No, I can't recall any instance where the starting charge turned out to be the most accurate, but there have been plenty of combos where the best accuracy was about midway or maybe 2/3 of the way between starting load and max load.

[wogpotter]

whenever I have compared multiple sources of data, I have yet to find a published load from any of the manufacturers that gave me high pressure signs as I approached their max load, even if that max load was the highest of all published.

I'm one of those other folks who fit in the "That's not the case for everyone though, so that's why you start out low. " category you mention.

I worked up a load for 125 Gr Hornady XTP bullets in a 6" .357 revolver using Unique powder & magnum primers. I was getting stuck cases that refused to extract unless I whacked the rod to break the seal. This happened 1.3 Gr below the listed max load. It was the load, not the gun as all other factory & hand-loaded cases had extracted with no problems.

After switching to H-110 powder & working the load up a second time I had drop-free extraction. Now I only use H-110 for the XTP's & keep the unique for SWC lead bullets without problems, even with the same M/V from the 158 gr bullets.

Sometimes its just the combination of components that doesn't work, more than a single component that fails.

[black mamba]

Obviously, the slower the powder, the less critical an overload would be (i.e., an extra grain above max with W231 would increase pressure a lot more than 1 extra grain of H110). With a slow enough powder, it would be impossible to get an overload. Powders like 110/296 and 4227 are approaching that threshold for magnum pistol cartridges.

[praetorian97]

Why buy the manual when (HODGDON) they post all the details on their website for free?

[wncchester]

"For some cartridges with some bullets and some powders, Hodgdon might be a little bit hotter than others. But with other combos, Lyman might be hotter. And still other combos, maybe Sierra will be the hottest."


True but it's meaningless about who developed the data. It only proves that different guns are indeed different, no matter what Hodgdon, Lyman or Sierra says, our's are still different too. So checking one manual or twenty won't make the data more "accurate". No matter what a book says, we gotta shoot our own rig and doing that - safely - demands we develop our loads intelligently no matter what the book says. They ALL say, "Start low, work up slowly....", etc., and they mean it.

[BigJimP]

I looked up the current online manual for Hodgdon .....

125 GR. HDY XTP Hodgdon H110 .357" 1.590"
Min is 21.0 1881 38,400 CUP
max is 22.0 1966 41,400 CUP

and yes, I think its correct / but like others said --- especially in a revolver load ....I'd start on the low end ( maybe a little below published minimum / and slow single fire...test em). But Hodgdon is a good company / and when in doubt between manuals - I trust the powder company's data.

[Deja vu]

I realize that it is not exactially rocket science. But I have a hard time with the fact that the minimum load in Hodgdon is a fair bit hotter than the max load in other manuals.

[Clark]

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.
The way that the 357 magnum was developed was to take a 38 special, and increase the powder charge until the cases stuck. Then back off a small safety margin and that is the 357 mag.
Years went by.
They tried to measure the pressure and register it with SAAMI.
Then someone made thin chamber wall 357 mags, and factory ammo would get sticky cases.
So they reduced the SAAMI registered pressure.
Then they came up with new ways of measuring pressure.
In 1999 Midway published 357 mag loads that were lower than 38 special loads published by Speer in 1964.
They used an "Oehler System 83 and piezoelectric transducers, the latest in industry standard equipment".

Here are some of my experiments:
Put a .380" straight fluted reamer into a S&W model 60 38 special and reamed each chamber in the cylinder out to 357 mag length.
1) Alliant load guide says 9gr max Bullseye for 110 gr. JHP 357 mag.
I did and the case stuck. Backed off to 8.7gr and the case was free.
2) Hodgdon load guide says 22 gr. maximum for H110 125 gr. JHP, wspm.
I did and the primer squished into at top hat.
3) "Midway Load Map" says max 357 mag load is 13 gr. AA#9 158 gr. JHP.
"Lyman 47th" says 16 gr.
I did 17 gr. and the case stuck bad.

What does it all mean?
H110 gave me the most power in 357 mag, without stuck cases.