Interchangeability of components question

bill c68

bill c68

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Ok, so as I am looking for new loads etc, I sometimes notice the load data will also list the type of primer and cartridge used.
I can see that effecting the accuracy and consistency of a load but if I were to use a diiferent primer and brass am I altering the safety of the load? etc?

Also as far as safety goes, if I have a 140 gr bullet any 140 gr recipe should be ok right? If I load a 140gr Nosler based on data for a 140 gr Sierra, there shouldn't be any issues right? (I know certain bullets should not be loaded at max, such as partitions etc.)

Thanks
 
If you have a 140gr Sierra load, and want to use different bullets/primers/brass, the proper way to do it is to back off a bit, and work back up.

Manuals are pretty good guidelines, but guidelines nonetheless.

Some bullets greatly increase pressure compared to others.
 
I do a several manual comparison of the bullet weight and take the general concensus for the starting charge weight. From there, I keep the max charge in mind (as well as pressure signs) and start working up. I've never hit the max charge before finding the best accuracy, but that could be just me.

(E) :cool:
 
I do change out 155 gr bullets between SMK, Nosler, Berger and Lapua depending on what I have on hand. All have different seating depths. I don't change the powder charge, case or primer when switching bullets.
If, however I was changing cases or primers I would back off a grain or two as a starting load and work back up.
 
ricciardelli said:
Any time you change ANYTHING, re-work the load.
Click to expand...

Of course...

What I am asking though, is I f I can not find a published load for the components I have, will an existing load with similar components be a safe place to start?

Example:
I found a load for 36 gr Varmint Grenades for my 22-250 using varget powder
Start: 36.5 gr, Max 40.5 gr

The notes say that Winchester Cases and Federal primers were used. I do not have Federal primers, I have Winchester, so I loaded 4 loads last night, 36.5, 37.5, 38.5 and 40.5.

Now I will soon be loading 7mm-08 and 30-06

I found a load for 4 different 139 gr Hornady bullets but they used Hornady brass and Remington Primers, I have Federal, Winchester and Remington Brass and Winchester Primers.

I guess bullets themselves have different lengths but the brass and primers should be relatively safe to be interchangeable right? Or should I stay at the low end of the Max/Min scale?
 
Well - Its depends... Hows that for an answer?

I tend to reload to close to minimum loads - so I'm roughly 20% below max pressure levels. At my load levels, I can switch primers, bullets of the same weight(or less), brass etc without too much worry, as I have a lot of margin to play with.
If I was closer to max load, then I'd be much more cautious. Particularly in the realm of brass, which can vary quite a bit in internal volume, and cause changes in pressure, and performance at the range.

In summary, you should start at minimum load using similar component data. Sounds like you want to use the Hornady 139 SP (good choice!) only. Start with min loads for all types of powders. Use the same brass for each lot (I use the same brass across the board, to eliminate this variable.) You'll likely find that one powder works better than the others - you can focus on further development with that powder, or workup others simultaneously...
Thing is, once you get an optimal load for a particular combination, any change - brass, bullet, primer, charge etc will likely affect that optimization. (So its to your advantage to stick with the same brass, primers, etc. If you've got different types of brass already, segregate them to different bullet weights or types.)
 
You can do anything you want . . . just be aware you can replace a rifle but eyes, hands, fingers, and skin grafts have levels of pain.
Every reloading manual has warnings about starting with maximum loads or trying untested procedures. Err on the side of safety. Mind you there might still be some openings in #### Cheney's shooting school . . . don't be a ####!
 
Gatehouse said:
If you have a 140gr Sierra load, and want to use different bullets/primers/brass, the proper way to do it is to back off a bit, and work back up.

Manuals are pretty good guidelines, but guidelines nonetheless.

Some bullets greatly increase pressure compared to others.
Click to expand...

X2. 2 different bullets may both weigh 140 gr., but have different bearing surface on the barrel because of a slightly different shape. If you are close to the top end already, back off a bit and work up.

Barnes bullets especially can increase pressure dramatically because of a larger bearing surface.
 
Funny, I was just looking at some loads suggested by LEE for my 139 Gr 7mm-08 and it listed a max load of 43.5 gr (no specific primer or case) and Hornady reccomends a max load of 41.5 gr/ Seems like there can be quite a difference between published load datas.

I recently paid the $30 and joined Load Data .com, lots of data on there. I only have one type of powder so far and a few different bullets, I have decided I will never substitute a bullet based on load data but I will swap cases and primers and just stick to the lower pressures as a starting point.

Also, I have a bunch (190) of old sierra 180gr spitzers I found in my father's reloading supplies, they are probably 30-40 years old, I am assuming these would be safe to use with newer data, any reason why not? I ran them through my polisher for 25 minutes, they now look like they came fresh from the factory!
 
Well - You may find that using one powder is limiting. I will pick up a few bullet weights for a given calibre, typically a hunting bullet like the Hornady Interlock's. Most rifles will preferentially shoot a given bullet weight, so once that is established, I play with powders, staying fairly close to minimum loads. If I get ambitious, I play with charge weights.
You can p*ss away a lot of time and money playing with the variables. Working up a load with a buddy is good, as his rifle may tune to a different bullet weight than yours, you can divvy up accordingly.
 
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