.40 S&W 180 gr. JHP loaded with W231

[Sig Al]

Hi guys, I going to load some 180 gr. JHP for .40 S&W. I 'm looking at some load data and the grains given vs/ velocity are so different. So are the min and max. example:

Sierra guide shows 4.4 gr. min at 800fps 5.6 gr. max at 1000
Winchester shows 4.0 gr. nim at 790 fps 5.0 gr. max at 950

Now if Winchester, the makers of the power show a min of 4 and a max of 5, how come Sierra shows about 1/2 a grain more on min and max?

I currently load 9mm with no issues and I'm going to start loading the .40 as soon as I get my shipment of bullets. I've heard some stuff to watch out for when loading for the .40 so I don't want to go too low and defiantly not go too hight. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

From the Hodgdon/WW site http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp:
180 GR. HDY XTP Winchester 231 .400" 1.125" 4.1 797 23,800 PSI 5.0 947 32,900 PSI

Call them if you have questions:
If you have a safety problem or concern - DO NOT EMAIL - CALL US DIRECTLY 7:00am to 5:30pm Central Monday-Thursday : 913-362-9455

Variations from one test to another are usually the result of the testing facility using a different test gun, with differently calibrated pressure transducers. Meaning..... that both numbers are correct, given the respective testing gun. If you're confused, ALWAYS call the powder manufacturer, and ask questions. They are there to answer them, and keep you safe! Just not on Fridays.....

 

[Sig Al]

Thanks for the reply and info. Funny thing is that Winchester and Hodgdon both show slightly different charges and the powder is theres in a way. Someone makes it for Hodgdons and they sell it as W231. I guess it could be the reason you mentioned. I have always found that to be true for all the other calibers that I load. Some books are showing much different recipes. Winchester and Hodgdon both show 4.0 or 4.1 to 5.0 as max but other books show as hight as 5.6 which appears to be way to high according to the powder manufacturer.