Made my first loads

marine6680 · November 27, 2013, 06:44 PM

PPU Brass, trimmed to 1.75
Hornady 55gr FMJ seated to 2.2
CCI #41 primers
H4198 powder

The range for H4198 is 19gr start and 21gr max. When talking in another thread about building up a load, it was suggested to do full grain jumps in powder... This seemed a bit much for me, when close to the max. So I did several with 19gr, 20gr, 20.5, and 21gr.

Does this look good to everyone or should I make some changes?

jamaica · November 27, 2013, 07:24 PM

Please fill in the caliber you are loading for. Also what manual did you get your data from? You will get better answers if you give more details about what you are doing.

With a max of only 21 grains you are wise to go in steps of .5 grain.

Now if you were loading around 35 grains in a rifle, 1 grain would be fine.

If loading a fast powder with a max of 8 grains or less, you can see that 1 grain is a large percentage of the total and probably not acceptable to go in increments of 1 grain.

Think about the percentage of change when deciding.

4runnerman · November 27, 2013, 07:37 PM

going by trim length and bullet and powder- Im guessing 223 in a AR platform, with the primer choice.

jamaica · November 27, 2013, 07:44 PM

4runnerman, If I had to guess, that is what I come up with too. The reason I ask is that in my Hornady 7th, the max for that caliber with the 55 grain bullet and 4198 is 20 grain.

marine6680 · November 27, 2013, 07:53 PM

Yeah, 5.56 AR chamber... forgot to put that in there. Had to extrapolate that 21gr was the max for this. From the online data I found and the data I have here... Only one book gave data for FMJ and H4198. Did find several lods for similar bullets of other brands in several sources that said the load was good. It was a speer bullet that I found the most data spread out in more manuals that helped me be more confident in the numbers.

pathdoc · November 27, 2013, 07:56 PM

You'll never feel more nervous than when you touch off that first round... nor more pleased with yourself when you finish the box you loaded without anything bad happening.

Remember to check for pressure signs every time you make a step up, however much you've got to hunt for that spent brass! Ask an experienced reloader if you're in doubt. And if you find the signs, don't be embarrassed to STOP RIGHT THERE, pack the rest of the ammo away, take it home and disassemble it. You can always recapture the components and reuse them. (You DID buy a bullet puller, didn't you? Go out and get one now! And a dish to dump all the ingredients in.)

marine6680 · November 27, 2013, 08:12 PM

Oh yeah... my fiance will be with me to grab the brass after each shot. I will be looking close at each piece before shooting another. All must look good for me to move to the next load. I have a puller if need be.

I also put a little bit of crimp on the rounds as well.

I am hoping that the 21gr load looks good. So long as I have no cycling issues at lower loads, I would like to use the 20.5gr load as a plinking load. Being less than max makes me feel better when loading in large numbers. A little difference to the high side when metering will still keep me below max. The measure would vary between .2 plus and minus depending on how I pulled the handle. Being very smooth, it was very close, but a little fast or jerky, it could get a little variance.

pathdoc · November 28, 2013, 07:30 PM

Being less than max makes me feel better when loading in large numbers.

You're not the only one. As to the variance, I guess it depends on whether you're going "blind" (and check-weighing every tenth load or so) and choosing to live with it, or weighing every charge. If you're weighing every charge, a powder trickler is the way to go. Set the dispenser a bit low, drop the charge, and trickle up to exact weight while it's still on the scale.

Depending on what you're trying to do, this:

http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/

may help you find a load for which those couple of tenths of a grain won't matter much in accuracy terms, while still easing your concerns about running into pressure problems.

marine6680 · November 29, 2013, 11:36 AM

Thanks.

I didn't think a small variance would matter much for plinking. I may try a different powder that my meter better when some becomes available.

November 27, 2013, 06:44 PM	#1
marine6680 Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2012 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 4,594	Made my first loads PPU Brass, trimmed to 1.75 Hornady 55gr FMJ seated to 2.2 CCI #41 primers H4198 powder The range for H4198 is 19gr start and 21gr max. When talking in another thread about building up a load, it was suggested to do full grain jumps in powder... This seemed a bit much for me, when close to the max. So I did several with 19gr, 20gr, 20.5, and 21gr. Does this look good to everyone or should I make some changes?

November 27, 2013, 07:37 PM	#3
4runnerman Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,577	going by trim length and bullet and powder- Im guessing 223 in a AR platform, with the primer choice. __________________ NRA Certified RSO NwCP- Performance Isn't Optional

November 27, 2013, 07:53 PM	#5
marine6680 Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2012 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 4,594	Yeah, 5.56 AR chamber... forgot to put that in there. Had to extrapolate that 21gr was the max for this. From the online data I found and the data I have here... Only one book gave data for FMJ and H4198. Did find several lods for similar bullets of other brands in several sources that said the load was good. It was a speer bullet that I found the most data spread out in more manuals that helped me be more confident in the numbers. Last edited by marine6680; November 27, 2013 at 07:59 PM.

November 27, 2013, 08:12 PM	#7
marine6680 Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2012 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 4,594	Oh yeah... my fiance will be with me to grab the brass after each shot. I will be looking close at each piece before shooting another. All must look good for me to move to the next load. I have a puller if need be. I also put a little bit of crimp on the rounds as well. I am hoping that the 21gr load looks good. So long as I have no cycling issues at lower loads, I would like to use the 20.5gr load as a plinking load. Being less than max makes me feel better when loading in large numbers. A little difference to the high side when metering will still keep me below max. The measure would vary between .2 plus and minus depending on how I pulled the handle. Being very smooth, it was very close, but a little fast or jerky, it could get a little variance. Last edited by marine6680; November 27, 2013 at 08:37 PM.

November 27, 2013, 07:24 PM	#2
jamaica Senior Member Join Date: March 24, 2006 Location: Northern Utah Posts: 705	Please fill in the caliber you are loading for. Also what manual did you get your data from? You will get better answers if you give more details about what you are doing. With a max of only 21 grains you are wise to go in steps of .5 grain. Now if you were loading around 35 grains in a rifle, 1 grain would be fine. If loading a fast powder with a max of 8 grains or less, you can see that 1 grain is a large percentage of the total and probably not acceptable to go in increments of 1 grain. Think about the percentage of change when deciding.

November 27, 2013, 07:44 PM	#4
jamaica Senior Member Join Date: March 24, 2006 Location: Northern Utah Posts: 705	4runnerman, If I had to guess, that is what I come up with too. The reason I ask is that in my Hornady 7th, the max for that caliber with the 55 grain bullet and 4198 is 20 grain.

November 27, 2013, 07:56 PM	#6
pathdoc Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2013 Posts: 669	You'll never feel more nervous than when you touch off that first round... nor more pleased with yourself when you finish the box you loaded without anything bad happening. Remember to check for pressure signs every time you make a step up, however much you've got to hunt for that spent brass! Ask an experienced reloader if you're in doubt. And if you find the signs, don't be embarrassed to STOP RIGHT THERE, pack the rest of the ammo away, take it home and disassemble it. You can always recapture the components and reuse them. (You DID buy a bullet puller, didn't you? Go out and get one now! And a dish to dump all the ingredients in.)

November 28, 2013, 07:30 PM	#8
pathdoc Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2013 Posts: 669	Being less than max makes me feel better when loading in large numbers. You're not the only one. As to the variance, I guess it depends on whether you're going "blind" (and check-weighing every tenth load or so) and choosing to live with it, or weighing every charge. If you're weighing every charge, a powder trickler is the way to go. Set the dispenser a bit low, drop the charge, and trickle up to exact weight while it's still on the scale. Depending on what you're trying to do, this: http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/ may help you find a load for which those couple of tenths of a grain won't matter much in accuracy terms, while still easing your concerns about running into pressure problems.

November 29, 2013, 11:36 AM	#9
marine6680 Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2012 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 4,594	Thanks. I didn't think a small variance would matter much for plinking. I may try a different powder that my meter better when some becomes available.