What did you do in the reloading room recently?

p.. said:
CFE Pistol seems fine in 9mm and I've used it for several hundred rounds with 115g fmjs now, but once this pound is gone I'll probably try something else.

In 38 Special, it's kind of a toss up between Winchester 231 and Titegroup as to what I prefer. They both perform well. In that round I've also tried Red Dot, Green Dot, Power Pistol, and Unique. The closest thing I've found to what might actually be a decent defensive load is 6.0g of W231 or 7.0g of Power Pistol, with a 110g Hornady XTP. Either of those come out of the J frame doing just a tick over 900fps and that might actually get the bullet to expand.
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Yeah, I expect you would need to go with the lighter weight XTPs. The 158 grainers in .357mm diameter are kind of hard, I think, much better suited to .357M than .38 special. I don't have any experience with the 125 grainers in that diameter, but I wouldn't be surprised if you told me they also don't expand at 38 snubby velocities. Core hardness is something commercial defensive rounds have gotten better at. Hydrashocks are out, HSTs in. Hornady has their Critical Defense loads, which run softer cores than the Critical Duty. I've always wondered how the Zero 125gr and 158gr JHPs perform expansion wise. They're not bonded or anything, so I would expect them to separate from their jackets as often as not, but I think that's a soft lead core.
 
meh said:
Yeah, I expect you would need to go with the lighter weight XTPs. The 158 grainers in .357mm diameter are kind of hard, I think, much better suited to .357M than .38 special. I don't have any experience with the 125 grainers in that diameter, but I wouldn't be surprised if you told me they also don't expand at 38 snubby velocities. Core hardness is something commercial defensive rounds have gotten better at. Hydrashocks are out, HSTs in. Hornady has their Critical Defense loads, which run softer cores than the Critical Duty. I've always wondered how the Zero 125gr and 158gr JHPs perform expansion wise. They're not bonded or anything, so I would expect them to separate from their jackets as often as not, but I think that's a soft lead core.
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The thing I kind of don't like about the 110s is they leave so much empty case. I saw in one of the recent Federal defensive loads, they seated the bullet way into the case like a wadcutter. I want to play around with that, but I know I'm basically on my own for load data once I start setting it back that far.

This is the one I'm thinking of. I guess 2018... maybe not so recent.
Federal HST .38 Special +P Review and Ballistic Gelatin Test
 
I'll say this much, though. Expansion is great when adequate penetration is not in doubt. But given the one to live without if you can't have both, you'd forego expansion. I remember a case where they shot the crap out of some guy with 5.56 varmint loads. He took dozens of rounds before they stopped him. Probably would have been over sooner with a FMJ or two, even with no tumbling.
 
meh said:
I'll say this much, though. Expansion is great when adequate penetration is not in doubt. But given the one to live without if you can't have both, you'd forego expansion. I remember a case where they shot the crap out of some guy with 5.56 varmint loads. He took dozens of rounds before they stopped him. Probably would have been over sooner with a FMJ or two, even with no tumbling.
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Gah that must have been gruesome. I set out half liter water bottles to pop with 50g Hornady Vmaxes and they absolutely detonate. The bullet must be expanding and shredding just about instantly.

I just took inventory of my powders. This is what I have at the moment. Not that I'm looking to pick up anything else right now, but given that I load 9, 40, 38, 357, 223, and occasionally 12 gauge, what else do you guys like? My club's range maxes out at 100 yards, and for steel challenge I like playing with defensive power level loads.

I picked up some 300MP last fall when I saw it on a shelf, haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

Red Dot​
IMR Red​
Green Dot​
Power Pistol​
Unique​
W231​
CFE Pistol​
Titegroup​
​
2400​
Enforcer​
H110​
300MP​
​
IMR 3031​
H335​
A2520​
A2230
 
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Been watching too much Yellowstone lately
Decided to work up some reduced 30-30 rounds .
Starting at 21 grains of 4895 under a extreme 150 gr plated FN bullet with a very light crimp
Will be Shooting out of my late uncles old mid 70s 1894

I think next up is to get some match bullets for those 308 cases in the back and really see what the M1A can do, I’ve only ever ran 147 FMJs out of it shooting CMP courses of fire with iron sights 3F12C851-4438-464B-8439-41748A62838C.jpeg 4A24EDB8-E098-408E-A2D1-DB0E2BC87F30.jpeg
 
Just put together 110 rounds of .223 for my Varmint barrel Rem 700. 11 Variations of powder type and weight, and bullet type and weight. 10 rounds of each type. Everything I’ve feed this rifle so far has given just over 1” groups. Doesn’t really like anything or hate anything

It’s a got aTimney trigger and a good scope and usually a 700 like this would be 3/4 inch. I’m going to shoot five of each, swop stock to laminate, and run through another set of five of each. If something doesn’t go sub moa, I’m going to rebarrel. (I bought this new a few years ago on clearance in shop in Vt. It had been sitting somewhere for a while on display from dust on it, and the barrel date code had it being manufactured six years earlier. ). I wouldn’t mind going to a 1:8 twist rather than the 1:12 it came with.
 
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whacko said:
Quick 50 357 mag before I head to the club for a meeting

I only run the 125 grain projos thru the carbine when I use "stripper glitter". That recipe tears up forcing cones pretty bad. Great carbine load....over 2k fps.

View attachment 864022
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Noice. I bet those have some blast.
Your label says JSP but those are JHPs[smile]
 
Having sorted out a load for my PRS practice rifle in .223, I assembled another 200 rounds on the 550, giving me about 300 ready to go.

Then in a move I’ve long anticipated, for the first time I changed calibers to load 6.5 CM by switching to my second 550 press, which was already set up for 6.5. Loosen four thumb wheels, swap presses on bench, tighten four thumb wheels, done. Very satisfying.

I set out components for another 250 6.5 which I will start this afternoon
 
Want to load a few rounds for the M1. Anyone use Varget? I've read it's good and I've read that it's not. The more I read the less I know. The 03 seems to like Varget and I'd like to use the same powder in both. The bullet is a 150 grain Hornady fmjbt
 

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