As will be obvious here, I'm new to reloading. Right now I'm only reloading revolver calibers for use in handguns and lever-action rifles.
What I'm wondering is how you handle these situations where the bullet is the same weight and diameter but otherwise a little different from bullets that you can find a recipe for, complete with a target number for COL, in a reloading manual.
This what's going on in my head: I read stuff about following recipes exactly. I have some XTP bullets from Hornady, and if I want a recipe for them, I can find it in the Hornady manual (provided I can get one of the particular powders they chose). But most of my bullets are less expensive: X-treme plated bullets and JSPs from another vendor. For the other 158g JSP, I figured if I didn't have a recipe exactly for it, I could use the one for a 158g XTP or other jacketed bullet and just lean towards the middle of the powder charge. But the bullet lengths are not the same, and also the canneleurs are not in the same place as the XTPs relative to the base of the bullet. So what should I use for a target COL? In some cases I can make the case capacity behind the base of the bullet identical and still put the crimp somewhere in the canneleur, but not always. In those cases, if I put the crimp somewhere in the canneleur, the case capacity behind the bullet is altered. In the situations I have, e.g. comparing a 158g XTP to the other 158g JSP, the case capacity behind the bullet would be greater in the other bullet, leading generally to lower pressures, except with powders like H110, which I understand might deliver unpredictable results at charges lower than the stated minimum. Maybe it's not enough that I need to worry about it?
What I'm wondering is how you handle these situations where the bullet is the same weight and diameter but otherwise a little different from bullets that you can find a recipe for, complete with a target number for COL, in a reloading manual.
This what's going on in my head: I read stuff about following recipes exactly. I have some XTP bullets from Hornady, and if I want a recipe for them, I can find it in the Hornady manual (provided I can get one of the particular powders they chose). But most of my bullets are less expensive: X-treme plated bullets and JSPs from another vendor. For the other 158g JSP, I figured if I didn't have a recipe exactly for it, I could use the one for a 158g XTP or other jacketed bullet and just lean towards the middle of the powder charge. But the bullet lengths are not the same, and also the canneleurs are not in the same place as the XTPs relative to the base of the bullet. So what should I use for a target COL? In some cases I can make the case capacity behind the base of the bullet identical and still put the crimp somewhere in the canneleur, but not always. In those cases, if I put the crimp somewhere in the canneleur, the case capacity behind the bullet is altered. In the situations I have, e.g. comparing a 158g XTP to the other 158g JSP, the case capacity behind the bullet would be greater in the other bullet, leading generally to lower pressures, except with powders like H110, which I understand might deliver unpredictable results at charges lower than the stated minimum. Maybe it's not enough that I need to worry about it?
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