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cohibamatt · January 29, 2012, 10:55 PM

I am new to Reloading, and I have purchased and read Lyman's Reloading handbook cover to cover. Following the books recipes for 45 A.C.P., I loaded my first 10 rounds Hornady 200 gr XTP HP with 3.4 gr of Bulls Eye with CCI LP Primers and Remington New Brass. 5 were crimped and 5 weren't, my first experiment. My first O.O.L was 1.275, as per book, and I found that the bullets wouldn't seat into my Sig P220 mags. No Problem, I adjusted the bullets until they jut fit into my mags. and then added .010 to make sure the fit any gun properly. My new O.O.L is 1.265. I believe this is .005 longer than the O.O.L of factory loads. No feeding problems, but I haven't tested the new loads at the range. I just loaded the mag. and chambered the round from the mag. to the gun. Since loading my first loads I found the "One Book One/ Caliber" for 45 A.C.P. The book breaks down the caliber by bullet manufacturer and by powder manufacturer. So I look up Hornady Bullets 200gr HP-XTP and Bulls Eye isn't listed. Next I checked Alliant's listing in the book. The load data isn't bullet specific, But the Data for a 200 gr JHP is listed at 6.0 gr max load. With conflicting data I checked the charts that came with my dies'. Lee's data lists 200 gr XTP with BullsEye at 5.1gr start and 5.8gr Max load. I decided to load another 10 rounds with 5.5gr of BullsEye thinking I don't have enough powder with the Lyman recipe and again crimped only 5. Being very confused I went and purchased another powder Accurate #2. Looking in the the " One Book/ One Caliber", I found a suggested starting load of 5.9 gr with the Hornady Bullet. Next I checked the data from my dies'. The data from the chart listed a starting load of 5.1 and a max load of 5.8 gr. I compromised between the two and loaded the next 10 rounds of #2 powder at 5.5 gr. and again crimped 5 and left 5 uncrimped. The reason for this experiment because I read in the One caliber book that you shouldn't crimp the bullets. Now for the Noobie Barrage of questions. Are my loads Safe? Will my 3.5 gr loads even fire out of my gun? Will the 6.0gr blow up in my hand? What data should I follow? Again this is my first attempt at reloading. I don't want to harm a bystander at my range, my firearm, or myself. What should I do if there is no data with my specific consumables? Can I vary with brands? For Example, if a recipe calls for Hornady Brass can I use Winchester or Remington brass? I know these questions may seem silly, but I would rather be safe than sorry.
Thanks in advance for the answers.

January 29, 2012, 10:55 PM	#1
cohibamatt Junior Member Join Date: January 26, 2012 Location: PA Posts: 8	New to Loading with Powder Confusion I am new to Reloading, and I have purchased and read Lyman's Reloading handbook cover to cover. Following the books recipes for 45 A.C.P., I loaded my first 10 rounds Hornady 200 gr XTP HP with 3.4 gr of Bulls Eye with CCI LP Primers and Remington New Brass. 5 were crimped and 5 weren't, my first experiment. My first O.O.L was 1.275, as per book, and I found that the bullets wouldn't seat into my Sig P220 mags. No Problem, I adjusted the bullets until they jut fit into my mags. and then added .010 to make sure the fit any gun properly. My new O.O.L is 1.265. I believe this is .005 longer than the O.O.L of factory loads. No feeding problems, but I haven't tested the new loads at the range. I just loaded the mag. and chambered the round from the mag. to the gun. Since loading my first loads I found the "One Book One/ Caliber" for 45 A.C.P. The book breaks down the caliber by bullet manufacturer and by powder manufacturer. So I look up Hornady Bullets 200gr HP-XTP and Bulls Eye isn't listed. Next I checked Alliant's listing in the book. The load data isn't bullet specific, But the Data for a 200 gr JHP is listed at 6.0 gr max load. With conflicting data I checked the charts that came with my dies'. Lee's data lists 200 gr XTP with BullsEye at 5.1gr start and 5.8gr Max load. I decided to load another 10 rounds with 5.5gr of BullsEye thinking I don't have enough powder with the Lyman recipe and again crimped only 5. Being very confused I went and purchased another powder Accurate #2. Looking in the the " One Book/ One Caliber", I found a suggested starting load of 5.9 gr with the Hornady Bullet. Next I checked the data from my dies'. The data from the chart listed a starting load of 5.1 and a max load of 5.8 gr. I compromised between the two and loaded the next 10 rounds of #2 powder at 5.5 gr. and again crimped 5 and left 5 uncrimped. The reason for this experiment because I read in the One caliber book that you shouldn't crimp the bullets. Now for the Noobie Barrage of questions. Are my loads Safe? Will my 3.5 gr loads even fire out of my gun? Will the 6.0gr blow up in my hand? What data should I follow? Again this is my first attempt at reloading. I don't want to harm a bystander at my range, my firearm, or myself. What should I do if there is no data with my specific consumables? Can I vary with brands? For Example, if a recipe calls for Hornady Brass can I use Winchester or Remington brass? I know these questions may seem silly, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Thanks in advance for the answers.