Hornady 230 FMJ-RN

4runnerman · January 26, 2010, 06:10 AM

Hi all.Just wondering.Ideas on best load for this bullet 230 FMJ-RN. Shooting in 1911. Rather than lots of trial and error,thought i would get some god starting points and go from there.Unique powder and CCI primers. Book says 6.1 gn. max.Still in search of that sweet load for my gun.So far Hornady 200 HP-XTP seems to be very accurate with 5.8 gn.

Thanks All

DaveInPA · January 26, 2010, 06:23 AM

I've never used that powder, but in the future, don't waste your money on Hornady 230gr FMJ bullets. Get bullets from Montana Gold and save a ton.

**Unclenick** · January 26, 2010, 09:55 AM

Unless he's shooting an indoor range that requires no exposed lead. I had to buy a couple bulk boxes of Hornady bullets to get the enclosing cup on the back end.

Oh, I take that back. I see Montana Gold now has a CMJ. Is it equivalent or is it plated? I haven't seen one up close.

The old standard load the military used way back around WWI was 5.0 grains of Bullseye. It still works just fine. An equivalent load of Unique is about 5.6 grains, but Unique doesn't meter nearly as easily and will burn dirtier. 5.2 grains of Hodgdon Universal Clays is maybe the best compromise as it meters best and is cleaner burning that either of the old Alliant powders. All three produce about 830 fps and 350 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, same as commercial hardball. More modern military loads run closer to 880 fps and almost 400 ft-lbs. 5.3 grains of Bullseye, 6.0 grains of Unique, or 5.6 grains of Universal will all deliver that and are all within published load limits, though you want to work up to them, watching for case bulging in particular, in your gun.

Note, the above loads are for a Jacketed RN seated 1.260" to 1.270" in a tight chambered 5" barrel with a standard primer, not the 4.4" barrel Alliant uses in its loads.

Darkstar7 · January 26, 2010, 01:22 PM

As a data point, I use 6.0 grains of Universal Clay's with the same bullet from Montana Gold for use in my FNP-45. It is the minimum load I've found that will cycle the FNP reliably.

GeauxTide · January 26, 2010, 01:30 PM

I got stuck on the 200 Hard Lead SWC years ago. I like Unique because it's the one that allows me to stay in the black, offhand, at 50 feet. Unclenick is right about it being dirty, but the results are worth it. I use 7.0gr, which is over most of the books, but fine in my guns.

**Unclenick** · January 26, 2010, 03:57 PM

Darkstar7,

Since your load exceeds Hodgdon's listed maximum, I am surprised you had to get that warm to function. I wonder what the dynamic is? Have yo done any chronographing?

DaveInPa,

I just compared Montana Gold's 230 grian CMJ 1000 price, $0.1740 ea. to Hornady's 1500 rd bulk price for 230 gr. FMJ ENC at Midsouth, which was $0.1590 ea., then back again to Montana Gold's 2000 price of $0.1500. None of that counts shipping charges, but it looks like Hornady is being reasonably competitive when the quantity is close. The difference is small enough, in the 1500/2000 quantity range, that I would just buy whichever one shot better in my gun.

I notice MG's prices for three and eight cases of 2000 don't come down much; only a quarter of a cent. I am guessing we might be running up against metals prices rather than manufacturing prices with the heavier bullets.

stump shooter · January 26, 2010, 11:30 PM

I have shot several thousand WW 230 FMJ, and Hornady 230 TMJs with 5.9 grains of Unique and it gives me an accurate 825-850 fps.

The old standard is 6.0 grains, but considering the metering hassle with Unique, 5.9 is an adequate goal IMHO.

Darkstar7 · January 28, 2010, 03:50 PM

Unclenick,

The FNP has a really stiff slide spring - I found that anything less than 6.0 grains of Universal would lead to feed jams, I'm supposing because the slide wasn't going full travel rearward. In the reload manual I have, 6.0 grains of Universal for a 230 grain FMJ RN is still below the maximum. I'll double check it again but I've been shooting this load for quite a while with excellent results. I have not done any chrono work with it. The spent cases are not showing abnormal wear or visible signs of excess stress.

One thing I hadn't thought of - I may be referring to the wrong powder but I'll check it again and post further here once I've verified it.

Darkstar7 · January 28, 2010, 10:06 PM

OK, I checked my data again and what I said before still stands. I'm using 6.0 grains of Universal to push a 230 grain FMJ/RN with a COL of 1.260". I obtained load data from the Speer #13 Manual, page 575. It shows an acceptable range of 5.5 to 6.3 grains of powder for this bullet type. I've noticed that some of the newer manuals have lower maximum powder charge listings than earlier versions of manuals from the same company for a given bullet type. I've asked around to some of the other reloaders in the area and they indicated that they are still comfortable using the older load data as opposed to the newer reduced max load listings for some bullet types.

January 26, 2010, 09:55 AM	#3
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,057	Unless he's shooting an indoor range that requires no exposed lead. I had to buy a couple bulk boxes of Hornady bullets to get the enclosing cup on the back end. Oh, I take that back. I see Montana Gold now has a CMJ. Is it equivalent or is it plated? I haven't seen one up close. The old standard load the military used way back around WWI was 5.0 grains of Bullseye. It still works just fine. An equivalent load of Unique is about 5.6 grains, but Unique doesn't meter nearly as easily and will burn dirtier. 5.2 grains of Hodgdon Universal Clays is maybe the best compromise as it meters best and is cleaner burning that either of the old Alliant powders. All three produce about 830 fps and 350 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, same as commercial hardball. More modern military loads run closer to 880 fps and almost 400 ft-lbs. 5.3 grains of Bullseye, 6.0 grains of Unique, or 5.6 grains of Universal will all deliver that and are all within published load limits, though you want to work up to them, watching for case bulging in particular, in your gun. Note, the above loads are for a Jacketed RN seated 1.260" to 1.270" in a tight chambered 5" barrel with a standard primer, not the 4.4" barrel Alliant uses in its loads. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 26, 2010, 03:57 PM	#6
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,057	Darkstar7, Since your load exceeds Hodgdon's listed maximum, I am surprised you had to get that warm to function. I wonder what the dynamic is? Have yo done any chronographing? DaveInPa, I just compared Montana Gold's 230 grian CMJ 1000 price, $0.1740 ea. to Hornady's 1500 rd bulk price for 230 gr. FMJ ENC at Midsouth, which was $0.1590 ea., then back again to Montana Gold's 2000 price of $0.1500. None of that counts shipping charges, but it looks like Hornady is being reasonably competitive when the quantity is close. The difference is small enough, in the 1500/2000 quantity range, that I would just buy whichever one shot better in my gun. I notice MG's prices for three and eight cases of 2000 don't come down much; only a quarter of a cent. I am guessing we might be running up against metals prices rather than manufacturing prices with the heavier bullets. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 28, 2010, 03:50 PM	#8
Darkstar7 Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Western Washington Posts: 48	Unclenick, The FNP has a really stiff slide spring - I found that anything less than 6.0 grains of Universal would lead to feed jams, I'm supposing because the slide wasn't going full travel rearward. In the reload manual I have, 6.0 grains of Universal for a 230 grain FMJ RN is still below the maximum. I'll double check it again but I've been shooting this load for quite a while with excellent results. I have not done any chrono work with it. The spent cases are not showing abnormal wear or visible signs of excess stress. One thing I hadn't thought of - I may be referring to the wrong powder but I'll check it again and post further here once I've verified it. Last edited by Darkstar7; January 28, 2010 at 03:58 PM.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

January 26, 2010, 06:10 AM	#1
4runnerman Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,577	Hornady 230 FMJ-RN Hi all.Just wondering.Ideas on best load for this bullet 230 FMJ-RN. Shooting in 1911. Rather than lots of trial and error,thought i would get some god starting points and go from there.Unique powder and CCI primers. Book says 6.1 gn. max.Still in search of that sweet load for my gun.So far Hornady 200 HP-XTP seems to be very accurate with 5.8 gn. Thanks All

January 26, 2010, 06:23 AM	#2
DaveInPA Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Berks County, PA Posts: 1,106	I've never used that powder, but in the future, don't waste your money on Hornady 230gr FMJ bullets. Get bullets from Montana Gold and save a ton.

January 26, 2010, 01:22 PM	#4
Darkstar7 Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Western Washington Posts: 48	As a data point, I use 6.0 grains of Universal Clay's with the same bullet from Montana Gold for use in my FNP-45. It is the minimum load I've found that will cycle the FNP reliably.

January 26, 2010, 01:30 PM	#5
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,423	I got stuck on the 200 Hard Lead SWC years ago. I like Unique because it's the one that allows me to stay in the black, offhand, at 50 feet. Unclenick is right about it being dirty, but the results are worth it. I use 7.0gr, which is over most of the books, but fine in my guns.

January 26, 2010, 11:30 PM	#7
stump shooter Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Posts: 61	I have shot several thousand WW 230 FMJ, and Hornady 230 TMJs with 5.9 grains of Unique and it gives me an accurate 825-850 fps. The old standard is 6.0 grains, but considering the metering hassle with Unique, 5.9 is an adequate goal IMHO.

January 28, 2010, 10:06 PM	#9
Darkstar7 Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Western Washington Posts: 48	OK, I checked my data again and what I said before still stands. I'm using 6.0 grains of Universal to push a 230 grain FMJ/RN with a COL of 1.260". I obtained load data from the Speer #13 Manual, page 575. It shows an acceptable range of 5.5 to 6.3 grains of powder for this bullet type. I've noticed that some of the newer manuals have lower maximum powder charge listings than earlier versions of manuals from the same company for a given bullet type. I've asked around to some of the other reloaders in the area and they indicated that they are still comfortable using the older load data as opposed to the newer reduced max load listings for some bullet types.