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Old October 12, 2012, 08:50 PM   #4
Misssissippi Dave
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Join Date: December 5, 2009
Posts: 1,411
There is a pretty good difference between lead, plated and jacketed bullets and the amount of powder you will use for the minimum and maximum loads. Not all lead, plated and jacketed bullets are the same even for the same weight. There resistance going down the barrel varies. This is due to the profile and the hardness or material of jacket and the thickness of the jacket. Lots of things effect resistance. Getting as close as you can to the bullet you plan to use is important to finding the min./max. powder amounts.

Hollow point bullets have a shorter OAL most of the time. You need data that relates to the bullet you want to use. Having multiple sources for data is a good thing. You never know when an error gets published. Multiple sources will help you identify those errors. Two or more sources with very similar data normally are going to keep you out of trouble. No matter what you are loading you should start low and work the load up slowly to get what you are looking for. I stay away from top end 9 mm loads just to keep me out of trouble. I also find most top end loads are not as accurate as a load less than max. I have had plenty of trouble with minimum loads not cycling my pistols.

Make only a few (5 to 10) of something you are trying out. You might want to make 5 to 10 of each increment from min to max to test. Start with the min loads and shoot from a rest or sand bags to try to take out the human factor for testing. Once you find the load you think is the best, don't make more than 50 at first. After shooting all 50 at one outing you may find you want to adjust that load a little up or down. I hate pulling bullets. the fewer I need to pull the better.

Also when testing be certain there is a hole in the paper for every shot you make. You don't want to try to shoot a second shot with a bullet lodged in the barrel. That will make your range trip very unpleasant.

Lyman, Spear, and Lee make pretty good books to start with for getting load data. Also check with the bullet manufacture and powder manufacture to see if they also have load data for you to get a good reference. There is no such thing as too many sources. I tend to use the same ones over and over again until I start a new caliber then I want as many as I can get my hands on before I start loading them. Asking questions here is good, but getting your own data is better. I know I have upon occasion thought I remembered a load I have used when asked. When I look in my load note book I sometimes find I quoted the wrong thing. Mistakes happen. Another good reason to have multiple sources.

This site gives you another source but I have found some of those loads listed are on the hot side. Make certain you have at least one more source before using these loads.

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/de...Powder&Source=
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