Reloading manuals

[Buckman]

Why are these guys so far apart?  i bought a sierra manual yesterday and compared it to the Hodgdon data site and they are not even close.  For a 165 gran bullet and IMR 4064 Sierra says to start at 41.5 grains and max is 48.7.  At the hodgdon site they say to start at 49.0 grains and max is 52.5.  I then went down  to our local gun store and looked in barnes and speer and no one is on the same page.  I know everyone says to get new manuals and have a couple of them but where does a guy start when they are so far apart.  I'm thinking of starting at 41.5 and working up in .5 grain increments, am I on the right track?

[wncchester]

Because they used different rifles.  And different lots of powder and bullets and primers and cases.  Reloading is an art, not a science in which we can put so much of this with a bit of that and have everything work the same each time. 

That is why EVERY loading manual cautions us to start low and only increase the charge, or anything else, if OUR pressure signs permit.  In THAT they are ALL IN FULL AGREEMENT!

Yes, you are on the right track.

[stimpylu32]

Because they used different rifles.  And different lots of powder and bullets and primers and cases.  Reloading is an art, not a science in which we can put so much of this with a bit of that and have everything work the same each time. 

That is why EVERY loading manual cautions us to start low and only increase the charge, or anything else, if OUR pressure signs permit.  In THAT they are ALL IN FULL AGREEMENT!

All valid points , as there are no standard testing practices for loading each company does its own and all use diffrent types of equitment to get their results , some will use firearms , some will use test barrels and some just crunch the numbers .

Even the age of the data will make a diffrence , some of my older books are 3 to 4 grains over what the new ones say , so just start low and work up slowly .

I wish there was a perfect way to tell but alas it just is not there .

stimpy

[Siskiyou]

I have a number of reloading manuals on the shelve dating back to the 1960’s.  And I just purchased Hornaday #7, and Serria #5 to update my knowledge base.  You are correct most manuals do not match up.

Most Sierra data I have used calls for less powder then the old Hornaday and Sierra manuals.  In my opinion Sierra data is right on for Sierra bullets in my rifle.  For a long time I was loading other brand 150 grain bullets in the .270 Winchester.  I had to drop my charge a full grain and a half when loading the Sierra 150 grain .277 boattail.  I think the bearing surface on the Sierra bullet is greater.

Most manuals recommend starting low when starting a new load and working up because of the differences in components.  Recently I ran out of a long time pet powder and when it came to restock I purchase 2-cans with the same lot number.  I do not want to start from the bottom every time I empty a can of powder.

Sometimes manufactures change a component but keep a favored brand name.  Years back I purchase a supply of .277 caliber, 140-grain Winchester Silvertip bullets.  The original Silvertip had metal Silvertip, today’s Silvertip is made of plastic and the bullet is of a different design. 

Marketing is a selling ploy that does not always take safety into consideration.  When I started loading surplus 4831 it was the only 4831 on the market.  When the surplus supply ran out Hodgdon had it manufacture in Scotland and called it H4831.  The IMR came out with a slightly faster powder called IMR4831.  The IMR4831 is a good powder but it created a safety issue because it is faster burning then 4831/H4831.

If you scroll down the post link I describe the process I use now days to develop loads.  I have used this process for a lot of years loading a number of calibers.  It is time consuming, but I believe it has paid off.  The last few years I have inserted the Chrony in the process.  One of the lessons learn is that while manufactures may publish a certain velocity, the same factory number may not come close to published data because I am shooting a different firearm, at high elevation, and most likely my barrel is shorter then the test barrel.

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,117302.0.html

[OLDHandgunner]

Yes, Buckman you are on the right track. The manuals over the years have always said to start at least 10% below max and work your way up. And keep your eyes open for pressure signs. When I'm working on a new caliber or load I check out several manuals and kind of average what the max & min loads are for each. Then I start somewhere in the middle and work my way up or down until I get the best shooting load. Each gun has a different liking for bullets, powder, brass, primers, OAL and all sorts of other things. That's what makes reloading so much fun and interesting. Just keep good records of everything you do. It will make things alot easier.

[jhalcott]

  Those pressure barrels are pricey for one thing . And the copper crusher was always a chancey thing. Now the ammo companies use that little electronic device that tells them EXACTLY how much strain the load is putting on the gun. So they and the lawyers  had to lower the pressures a bit.  There was an article in one of the gun mags about it some time ago. The author stated his tried and true load was on the edge of over pressure. He had worked it up many years ago and had great success with it. But changes in powder,primers and bullets over the years obviously took their toll. Those manuals should tell you what was used to get the data. If you aren't using that equipment you won't get the same results.