When Reloading Manual Info Doesn't Match...

Tony C · February 14, 2009, 02:54 AM

Okay, so it won't be hard for you to figure out from this that I am fairly new at reloading. I have found a very good recipe for .45 Auto in 230 Grain RN bullets, but am still goofing with a 185 SWC load. Both of these bullets are Berry's Plated, fired from mixed brass using WLP primers and Winchester 231 Powder.

My question stems from my reloading manuals. I have three, the Lyman's 49th, Speer #14, and Hornady 7th. For 185 Grain SWC Jacketed bullets, here are the powder min & max...

Book
Speer: Min = 5.0 Max = 5.5
Hornady: Min = 5.9 Max = 7.2
Lyman: Min = 4.1 Max = 6.1

I just fired my third load using 6.0 grains of 231 out of my 5" XD. For the first time the pressure seemed good and no un-burnt powder. But, I still had about 1 out of every 4 rounds where the casing didn't eject causing an error in failing to load the next round.

I want to bring the powder up to about 6.4 or 6.5 to see if that will cause better ejection of the cases but am concerned about the load being too hot. I have been very cautious in my short time reloading to ensure that I am not exceeding maximum loads but I am not sure which book to trust as they very so much.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. As a side note, at 6.0 grains I didn't notice any problems normally associated with high pressure problems in the spent casings.

Thanks again for your time,
Tony

SL1 · February 14, 2009, 07:53 AM

I suspect that the bullets used to generate the data in your three sources were all different. Were any of the COLs different, too? Those 2 factors could explain much of the difference in load data.

For what it is worth, plated bullets seem to be softer than Lyman lead alloys and jacketed bullets, and thus tend to produce lower pressures at target load levels. QuickLOAD calcs bear that out in my loading for the 40 S&W. I can match pubished data and then switch a bullet to plated without changing any other parameters, and watch the pressure result drop by several thousand psi.

So, I would say that, when using an APPROPRIATE powder for low pressure loads, if you get too-low pressure signs, just keep slowly adding powder until it burns right and cases eject.

SL1

rwilson452 · February 14, 2009, 08:03 AM

one thing you might try to get a better burn is to tighten up the crimp.

dlb435 · February 14, 2009, 09:25 AM

Welcome to the world of conflicting data.
Yes, you can often find three different sorces with three different loads. You can even get different loads from the same source if you look at different years.
Try to chrono your loads. This will not let you know CUP but it will help. My book shows 906 fps for that round w/ a 4" barrel.
Try a different powder. 231 may not be the best powder for that bullet. Longshot might give you what you need. It's a much slower buring powder. There are many powder suitable for that load, you'll just have to try one.
You can also play with seating depth (just a little)
Good luck!
I'm getting ready to work up a load for my 9mm because the powder for my old load is no longer sold. I'm not looking forward to it.

February 14, 2009, 07:53 AM	#2
SL1 Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2007 Posts: 2,001	Different bullets? I suspect that the bullets used to generate the data in your three sources were all different. Were any of the COLs different, too? Those 2 factors could explain much of the difference in load data. For what it is worth, plated bullets seem to be softer than Lyman lead alloys and jacketed bullets, and thus tend to produce lower pressures at target load levels. QuickLOAD calcs bear that out in my loading for the 40 S&W. I can match pubished data and then switch a bullet to plated without changing any other parameters, and watch the pressure result drop by several thousand psi. So, I would say that, when using an APPROPRIATE powder for low pressure loads, if you get too-low pressure signs, just keep slowly adding powder until it burns right and cases eject. SL1

February 14, 2009, 08:03 AM	#3
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	one thing you might try to get a better burn is to tighten up the crimp. __________________ USNRET '61-'81

February 14, 2009, 02:54 AM	#1
Tony C Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 293	When Reloading Manual Info Doesn't Match... Okay, so it won't be hard for you to figure out from this that I am fairly new at reloading. I have found a very good recipe for .45 Auto in 230 Grain RN bullets, but am still goofing with a 185 SWC load. Both of these bullets are Berry's Plated, fired from mixed brass using WLP primers and Winchester 231 Powder. My question stems from my reloading manuals. I have three, the Lyman's 49th, Speer #14, and Hornady 7th. For 185 Grain SWC Jacketed bullets, here are the powder min & max... Book Speer: Min = 5.0 Max = 5.5 Hornady: Min = 5.9 Max = 7.2 Lyman: Min = 4.1 Max = 6.1 I just fired my third load using 6.0 grains of 231 out of my 5" XD. For the first time the pressure seemed good and no un-burnt powder. But, I still had about 1 out of every 4 rounds where the casing didn't eject causing an error in failing to load the next round. I want to bring the powder up to about 6.4 or 6.5 to see if that will cause better ejection of the cases but am concerned about the load being too hot. I have been very cautious in my short time reloading to ensure that I am not exceeding maximum loads but I am not sure which book to trust as they very so much. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. As a side note, at 6.0 grains I didn't notice any problems normally associated with high pressure problems in the spent casings. Thanks again for your time, Tony

February 14, 2009, 09:25 AM	#4
dlb435 Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2009 Posts: 654	Welcome to the world of conflicting data. Yes, you can often find three different sorces with three different loads. You can even get different loads from the same source if you look at different years. Try to chrono your loads. This will not let you know CUP but it will help. My book shows 906 fps for that round w/ a 4" barrel. Try a different powder. 231 may not be the best powder for that bullet. Longshot might give you what you need. It's a much slower buring powder. There are many powder suitable for that load, you'll just have to try one. You can also play with seating depth (just a little) Good luck! I'm getting ready to work up a load for my 9mm because the powder for my old load is no longer sold. I'm not looking forward to it.