.45ACP Lee Reloading Manual Observation

[NavyVet1959]

Well, last night I finished my first experiment with making a "M" type replacement for my Dillon Powder Funnel on my lathe, so I figured I need to test it out and load a round to see how it chambered. The powder measure seemed to be dropping a bit low for what I remember it being last setup for, so I went to my Lee manual and looked up the loads for 200 gr and 230 gr lead cast lead bullets to see if my memory was wrong and the powder measure was correct. It turned out that apparently I had been using the powder measure for something else and the load it was dropping was lower than would be used for either 200 or 230 gr lead bullets.

One thing that I did notice though was that the suggested load range for the 230 gr was higher than the range for the 200 gr bullet. That kind of struck me as odd. I had assumed that the ranges that they would list would be dependent on maximum pressure generated. My understanding has always been that (all else being equal) a heavier bullet will produce more pressure than a lighter bullet for a given powder load. So, I wonder what criteria they were using when they came up with that... I don't have the book with me right now, so I can't post the exact figures.

[Cowboy_Dan]

The ammount of bullet in the case is important too. Different bullet shapes could be the cause here.

[NavyVet1959]

The ammount of bullet in the case is important too. Different bullet shapes could be the cause here.

Perhaps... I don't remember the specified OAL for the two loadings, but I doubt that they were that different considering only a 15% increase in weight of a 200 gr vs a 230 gr.

I'm thinking that there's a good chance that at least from a pressure standpoint, the 200 gr could be loaded with the max 230 gr loading, and probably even a bit more. Accuracy *might* drop off... Leading *might* increase... But I don't think there would be a pressure issue.

[35remington]

Possibly some loads with 200s are worked up to targetish velocities and pressures and no more. 200s are target bullets more so than 230s. Some other manuals like those from Speer do this. Since Lee robs data from other sources, said source may have done this.

[Tim357]

Lee gets their data from the various powder manufacturers, then arranges the data according to whatever muzzle velocity a particular load happened to generate when it was developed by the powder mfg. No reference as to bbl length either.

[Tackleberry41]

Lee data is not very specific '230gr lead' covers alot of territory. An NOE250gr w HP pins makes a 230gr bullet, but would be seated deeper than a Lee 230gr. The OAL length on the Lee book for 230gr cast varies w powder, no explaination why it would be different. Where Lyman and other manuals get pretty specific about bullets. And the velocity numbers are near worthless without knowing the barrel length used for testing. I use the Lee book when I cant find data for a powder somewhere else, its someplace to start.

[reddog81]

That's one of the problems with manuals that don't mention the specific bullet. Additionally some loads are target / reduced power loads with no mention of this fact. Along with the fact that many .45 200 grain SWC bullets are developed to replicate the same amount of bullet inside the case as a 230 round nose bullet. Without knowing all the facts (which in many cases is impossible) there can seem to be contradictory information abound.

[Wayne Smith]

All of this is why Lee is the last manual I look at - and seldom use - given that I have about five or six.

[NavyVet1959]

I guess I'm going to have to take the 230 gr powder charge and put it behind a 200 gr bullet to see what it will do. It definitely won't be an over-pressure event.

[lotech]

A good reason for having a variety of load manuals. Because so much pertinent information (source, exact bullet, primer, age of data, etc.) is excluded from the Lee book, it should be used for reference only, not as a direct source for load development. Used in such a capacity, it's worth having.