Good evening fellow CGN members. I am trying to work up a load using the Hornady 230gr XTP projectile. My Lyman 49th Edition Handbook does not have any info for this load . Specifically concerning the OAL using the 230 gr XTP. The little bit of info that I did find online suggested the OAL be between 1.20 and 1.30. I did some dummy rounds at this length but they don't look rite. Like they are seated to deep when I compare them to the factory Hornady ammo pics from there website. Do any of you nice people have some factory ammo you could put the caliper to ? Or some real concrete info for this load ? I have some factory Hornady American Gunner with XTP's but they are 185 gr. They caliper out average about 1.45 Any help greatly appreciated.
230gr Hornady XTP
- Thread starter 75-B
- Start date
you are talking about 45ACP load with 230gr. HP XTP? If so,
1. OAL is decided by your gun. please search this forum. there have a few very good threads talking about how to determine the OAL for your gun(s). Basically you have to make a dummy round and try it with your gun bit-by-bit until it fits your gun(s).
2. for the powder charge. The Hornady Handbook is the best for this. Well, obviously, it's their bullet. In the book, for example, it lists, titegroup is from 4.3 to 4.8, win231 is from 5 to 5.7 and HS-6 is from 6.7 to 8.2. In the same book, it's listed 1.210" as the OAL for their load with foot note as "Our listed C.O.L(OAL) is for min-spec chambers. handloaders may need to load longer, depending on their gun, for correct feeding" which sends you back to point 1.
To me, in addition to do point 1, you can also use a commerical factory or reloaded ammo that shoot well in your gun(s) as reference, but ultimately you MUST do point 1 for sure because different bullets may have different physical shape.
this is the same question I asked a while ago which I got lots of the seasoned reloaders responded with useful info.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1259948-OAL-COL-question
also, to summarize, I quote(I think it's from Ganderite, but don't remember exactly), "take the barrel out of the gun and start with a long seated bullet and notice how the bullet engages the rifling. Keep seating deeper until the case mouth hits the chamber edge and the bullet does not touch anything. Make a note of that OAL. That is the Max for that bullet. Make your ammo about 10 thou shorter than that."
1. OAL is decided by your gun. please search this forum. there have a few very good threads talking about how to determine the OAL for your gun(s). Basically you have to make a dummy round and try it with your gun bit-by-bit until it fits your gun(s).
2. for the powder charge. The Hornady Handbook is the best for this. Well, obviously, it's their bullet. In the book, for example, it lists, titegroup is from 4.3 to 4.8, win231 is from 5 to 5.7 and HS-6 is from 6.7 to 8.2. In the same book, it's listed 1.210" as the OAL for their load with foot note as "Our listed C.O.L(OAL) is for min-spec chambers. handloaders may need to load longer, depending on their gun, for correct feeding" which sends you back to point 1.
To me, in addition to do point 1, you can also use a commerical factory or reloaded ammo that shoot well in your gun(s) as reference, but ultimately you MUST do point 1 for sure because different bullets may have different physical shape.
this is the same question I asked a while ago which I got lots of the seasoned reloaders responded with useful info.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1259948-OAL-COL-question
also, to summarize, I quote(I think it's from Ganderite, but don't remember exactly), "take the barrel out of the gun and start with a long seated bullet and notice how the bullet engages the rifling. Keep seating deeper until the case mouth hits the chamber edge and the bullet does not touch anything. Make a note of that OAL. That is the Max for that bullet. Make your ammo about 10 thou shorter than that."
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Awesome thanks guys. I did the plunk test with a dummy load . They plunked out at 1.272 so I seated a couple to 2. 262 and did a mag check and they were looking a little to close. The finial OAL that I came up with was 1.252 I am going to try and hit the range tonight and see how they are. 5.4gr of 231 is the powder
That's not altogether true. The ogive has a bearing on the OAL.
Just use the data correctly.
I am using a Lee 3 die set. On the factory 185gr Hornady American Gunner ammo I can push the bullet into the case if I try hard enough on a hard surface. I don't think they crimp ?. I do have the optional Lee crimp die and the manual says little to no crimp. With the ammo I put together the bullet is seated very well . Do you reloaders crimp your 45 ? Or does it depend on the bullet ?
Not necessaryly so.
From Hornady's web site.
"XTP®
Controlled expansion with deep penetration.
Recommended muzzle velocity range: 700 to 1500 fps"
