Hornaday load data?

[SFW]

Where can I find the loading data for the Hornady .270 130Gr SST bullet? Thiw 130SST is what my rifle is most accurate with, and I'd like to be able to roll my own as close to the factory load as possible.

Thanks for the help!

[Unclenick]

The factories use powders not available to hand loaders, so you almost never can copy them exactly. I looked over the loads for the .270 Winchester (I assume that's what you have; there are 18 different .270 caliber cartridges in the QuickLOAD database, but I only see Hornady selling ammo for the .270 Winchester among them). It appears to me a number of powders can be worked up to loads that will be close to factory velocity. That doesn't mean they will have factory barrel time (that depends on the shape of the powder burning curve) but they will have factory level energy.

My first choice among the offerings is Reloader 19. It looks like it will get the velocity you want just before reaching maximum load. That's good for the life of the gun, as the pressure's not quite at maximum. The manual says to start with a Winchester WLR primer, a Hornady/Frontier case, and use a COL of 3.210". In that, use 50.5 grains of Reloader 19 to start and don't exceed 59.4 grains. QuickLOAD thinks you will land on around 57.4 grains to get factory velocity, so I would work up toward that, watching for an accuracy sweet spot. If you don't know how to do that, look at Dan Newberry's site.

[SFW]

thanks!

[Jim243]

Buy the Hornady reloading manual, it lists all their bullets made. (sold to the public)


Jim

[temmi]

You can and should get their manual.

Also you can call and ask them any question... I do quite often.

When you load you should know that if you wish to duplicate a round you should measure the COL of the original bullet and use a Crono to get the velocity and try to match it...

[Unclenick]

Originally Posted by temmi

When you load you should know that if you wish to duplicate a round you should measure the COL of the original bullet and use a Crono to get the velocity and try to match it...

The chronograph manuals generally warn not to do that. This is because it is only safe to do if you know you have the exact same powder in the exact same gun with the same brass. For example, if you work a load back up to the same velocity in the same gun with a different primer or with a different lot of powder but the same capacity cases, that's OK. Change either the gun or the brass water capacity (different brands can be quite different in some instances), and the pressures needed to get to a specific velocity will change.

For example, 3060 fps with the OP's bullet looks like it will be safe to get to with all the powders in the Hornady manual, Reloader 19 included, but if he tried to do it with Reloader 7, he will be up in the proof pressure range. This is due to the faster powder making more pressure and acceleration earlier in the bullet's travel down the barrel, while the slower powder has a lower peak pressure but keeps pressure up longer, so the bullet accelerates more later in the bore. See the QuickLOAD plot below.

[ryalred]

In addition to what was just stated, never start with a load that you think will provide the velocity of a factory load. You must start with a charge at least 10% lower than the maximum allowable charge for the weight bullet you are using and gradually work up, watching for pressure signs as you go. SOME GUNS WILL NOT HANDLE THE MAXIMUM POWDER CHARGE LISTED IN RELOADING MANUALS. There are several factors that determine how much pressure a given load will produce: size of the chamber, length of the throat, diameter of the barrel, etc. If these things are on the low side of spec or slightly under, then dangerously high pressures can result before you reach the maximum charge listed in a manual.

[NWPilgrim]

All the above applies to trying to match any factory load. But Hornady especially! Hornady works with the powder manufacturers and its own engineers to get powders that will give velocities higher than any over the counter canister powder can possibly give within the safe pressure limits.

Not all of their ammo is higher than normal velocity but a lot of it is so I would never try to match Hornady factory ammo velocities. Just work up the best load you from the manual and testing at the range. RL19 and IMR4350 should be good powders to start with. Lots of others in that range as well.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Hornady works with the powder manufacturers and its own engineers to get powders that will give velocities higher than any over the counter canister powder can possibly give within the safe pressure limits.

I see Hornady make this claim a lot. It may well be true in a theoretical world but it doesn't translate over the chronograph. I can meet or beat Hornady factory load velocities in 204, 7mm-08 and 22-250 with absolutely no signs of pressure and below max loads.

[Colorado Redneck]

The Hornady 25-06 Light Magnum is advertized at 3110 fps. Using data from the IMR web page, using IMR 4831, that velocity can be easliy surpassed with no pressure signs, in our gun. And whats more, the Hornady ammo does not chrony as fast as advertized in our gun, a Ruger 77 MKII.

I like Hornady bullets, but this load data business looks fishy to me. Between the lawyers, and the bullet manufacturers selling their own ammo, there seems to be a disconnect. Older books show load data that exceeds the factory specs and now the load manuals use decreased loads. Didn't that load data show pressure signs in 1970?