Bullet Weight

ulflyer · February 5, 2005, 05:51 PM

With lead bullets, is the powder loads based upon the weight, as opposed to the type of bullet (swc, rn, fn, etc)?

WESHOOT2 · February 6, 2005, 10:06 AM

Powder charge weights are determined by bullet weight, material, and construction.
And some other stuff.

Ask, because maybe someone else already knows..........

rwilson452 · February 6, 2005, 10:53 AM

the powder charge is based primarily on weight and the friction caused by the bullet in the bore. so a softer lead bullet can use a larger charge than a copper plate. A bullet with a larger bearing surface will cause greater resistance than and one with a smaller bearing surface. naturally weight is the big factor.

Bearing surface is the part of the bullet that rubs against the inside of the barrel.

Some lead bullets are made of harder alloys than others. some jacket material is harder than others. If you want to load a bullet you don't have a listing for use the figures for the next higher weight in a similar bullet and work up slowly.

It has been my finding that for accuracy the charge will be 5-10% less than the max charge listed.

To quote Mr. Earp," Fast is good, accuracy is final."

ulflyer · February 6, 2005, 06:25 PM

Thanks guys. I've been using a 225gr 45 acp lead bullet called BBTTFN (no idea what "TT" means) made by Alliant with Bullseye at 3.5 and 4.5 gr. The lower charge works my Rem-Rand nicely as well as Smith 457 and Taurus Mil-Pro. All I do is punch paper...no serious target shooting. I have Lyman #47 and just used the closet alloy weight listed.

OldGunner · February 20, 2005, 02:14 AM

If you really want to know about cast bullets and the shooting thereof, there are two books that are MUST reading: The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and Jacketed Performance With Cast Bullets (The Bible) by Veral Smith (The Guru) of Lead Bullet Technology (LBT) fame. Basically, the powder charge is designed to create pressure. With cast bullets especially, it all begins with the base of the bullet. The pressure generated upon ignition of the powder charge needs to be enough to cause the base of the bullet to expand to completely fill the barrel and not allow any gases or flame to escape around the bullet. This needs to happen before the bullet leaves the cylinder (if it's a revolver). Thus the powder and charge (weight) is picked to generate enough pressure to cause that to happen depending upon the hardness of the bullet, and is varied to determine speed, accuracy, and so forth. Obviously, there's more to it than I have stated here, but that's the gist of it. Casting your own bullets turns handloading into an entirely new and exciting game, and I highly recommend it.

February 5, 2005, 05:51 PM	#1
ulflyer Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2004 Posts: 154	Bullet Weight With lead bullets, is the powder loads based upon the weight, as opposed to the type of bullet (swc, rn, fn, etc)?

February 6, 2005, 10:06 AM	#2
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	yes and no Powder charge weights are determined by bullet weight, material, and construction. And some other stuff. Ask, because maybe someone else already knows.......... __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

February 6, 2005, 10:53 AM	#3
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	bearing surface the powder charge is based primarily on weight and the friction caused by the bullet in the bore. so a softer lead bullet can use a larger charge than a copper plate. A bullet with a larger bearing surface will cause greater resistance than and one with a smaller bearing surface. naturally weight is the big factor. Bearing surface is the part of the bullet that rubs against the inside of the barrel. Some lead bullets are made of harder alloys than others. some jacket material is harder than others. If you want to load a bullet you don't have a listing for use the figures for the next higher weight in a similar bullet and work up slowly. It has been my finding that for accuracy the charge will be 5-10% less than the max charge listed. To quote Mr. Earp," Fast is good, accuracy is final."

February 6, 2005, 06:25 PM	#4
ulflyer Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2004 Posts: 154	Thanks guys. I've been using a 225gr 45 acp lead bullet called BBTTFN (no idea what "TT" means) made by Alliant with Bullseye at 3.5 and 4.5 gr. The lower charge works my Rem-Rand nicely as well as Smith 457 and Taurus Mil-Pro. All I do is punch paper...no serious target shooting. I have Lyman #47 and just used the closet alloy weight listed.

February 20, 2005, 02:14 AM	#5
OldGunner Member Join Date: February 18, 2005 Location: Dallas Posts: 28	If you really want to know about cast bullets and the shooting thereof, there are two books that are MUST reading: The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and Jacketed Performance With Cast Bullets (The Bible) by Veral Smith (The Guru) of Lead Bullet Technology (LBT) fame. Basically, the powder charge is designed to create pressure. With cast bullets especially, it all begins with the base of the bullet. The pressure generated upon ignition of the powder charge needs to be enough to cause the base of the bullet to expand to completely fill the barrel and not allow any gases or flame to escape around the bullet. This needs to happen before the bullet leaves the cylinder (if it's a revolver). Thus the powder and charge (weight) is picked to generate enough pressure to cause that to happen depending upon the hardness of the bullet, and is varied to determine speed, accuracy, and so forth. Obviously, there's more to it than I have stated here, but that's the gist of it. Casting your own bullets turns handloading into an entirely new and exciting game, and I highly recommend it.