reloading 55gr. FMJBT

[fabguy]

I am very new to reloading and have a question that is bothering me, 55gr. FMJBT, with PMC brass, Federal Primers, H335 powder, part that bothers me is Hodgdon manual says - 25.3 is max. gr. Nosler says- 23 gr. is ok, Hornady says-23.2 is maximum , I used 23.1 gr. (+/- .1 gr.) is this ok? which manual is best to go by? this is all just gonna be plinking, Zombie, paper ammo. Confused about the different powder recipes. Should I be concerned about it? which would be best recipe?

[bohoki]

heck i use the minimums half the time i just hit the dirt anyway i might as well save on powder

[Corbin Dallas]

I am very new to reloading and have a question that is bothering me, 55gr. FMJBT, with PMC brass, Federal Primers, H335 powder, part that bothers me is Hodgdon manual says - 25.3 is max. gr. Nosler says- 23 gr. is ok, Hornady says-23.2 is maximum , I used 23.1 gr. (+/- .1 gr.) is this ok? which manual is best to go by? this is all just gonna be plinking, Zombie, paper ammo. Confused about the different powder recipes. Should I be concerned about it? which would be best recipe?

You go with what the powder manufacturer says.

Nosler and hornady make the bullets,Hodgdon makes the powder. Trust Hodgdon.

[choprzrul]

You go with what the powder manufacturer says.

Nosler and hornady make the bullets,Hodgdon makes the powder. Trust Hodgdon.

Unless Hodgdon's data specifically references your bullet manufacturer's exact bullet you are using, the data actually might not apply. Case in point: 150gr flat base hollow point from Hornaday and Barnes are going to be quite different in amount of powder that can be used. Bullet designs differ between manufacturers. IMHO, follow the recommendation of the bullet manufacturer, they have tested their bullets extensively and know how they behave, but YMMV.

*Edit* ALWAYS start low and work up your loads slowly and carefully. ALWAYS watch for signs of pressure and adjust accordingly.

[Pryde]

Also bear in mind that most of those figures are for bolt guns. Be careful as the maximum charges for semi-autos should be a little bit less.

[fabguy]

Thanks everyone for your advise, but well, hodgdon"s site or book has nothing for the 55 FMJBT, only for the 55 Speer SP, I went with whats closest as far as bullet. I guess I will be disassembling those 100 rounds today and waiting until I find the correct recipe. I bought the primers, powder, and bullets from a gentleman here on Calguns back in july, and I don't know who the bullet manufacturer is. I will try to contact him somehow, I hope he still views his messages.

[gose]

I'm using H335, LC brass, Hornady 55gr FMJBT and Win SR primers and with 25.4gr Im getting ~3075 - 3100 fps out of an 18" 1/8 (XM193, for reference, is ~3150 in this rifle) without any pressure signs. However, your rifle can be wildly different, so you need to check your loads in your rifle.
When I try out a new load I usually start around minimum, or slightly over, and then load up ~10 rounds at every .5gr up to .5gr over max. If I'm lazy and have some more data I might do every 1.0gr. Everything is then shot over a chrono until I start seeing pressure signs, or I reach the velocity I want.

[fabguy]

I'm using H335, LC brass, Hornady 55gr FMJBT and Win SR primers and with 25.4gr Im getting ~3075 - 3100 fps out of an 18" 1/8 (XM193, for reference, is ~3150 in this rifle) without any pressure signs. However, your rifle can be wildly different, so you need to check your loads in your rifle.
When I try out a new load I usually start around minimum, or slightly over, and then load up ~10 rounds at every .5gr up to .5gr over max. If I'm lazy and have some more data I might do every 1.0gr. Everything is then shot over a chrono until I start seeing pressure signs, or I reach the velocity I want.

Do primers differ alot? until I find the manu. of the bullets, it sounds VERY close to what I'm doing. (as far as loads) I will be using them in a mini-14, (AR) 1/8 & 24" bbl, (AR) 1/9 &16"bbl.

[gose]

Do primers differ alot? until I find the manu. of the bullets, it sounds VERY close to what I'm doing. (as far as loads) I will be using them in a mini-14, (AR) 1/8 & 24" bbl, (AR) 1/9 &16"bbl.

Not a lot, but enough that something that is just on the safe side might get pushed into unsafe territory.

[Jonathan Doe]

To me, Sierra reloading manual is my trusted bible in reloading. Never had a problem following their recommendations.

[hs44]

I am very new to reloading and have a question that is bothering me, 55gr. FMJBT, with PMC brass, Federal Primers, H335 powder, part that bothers me is Hodgdon manual says - 25.3 is max. gr. Nosler says- 23 gr. is ok, Hornady says-23.2 is maximum , I used 23.1 gr. (+/- .1 gr.) is this ok? which manual is best to go by? this is all just gonna be plinking, Zombie, paper ammo. Confused about the different powder recipes. Should I be concerned about it? which would be best recipe?

Speer manual #13 says 26.0 is max for their 55gr fmj with H335.

[10fcp]

One thing you should have a lot of is manuels. I usually get several sources for the load I want, manuel,powder manufacturer and down loads. Then I will take an average for a middle of the road measurement and load 3 each in .3 increments until I get to the max. Any component change and back off a couple of grains or so and work your way back up. Take records of all changes for future reference. I have had a stiff bolt with one load using Fed brass where Rem and Win brass shot fine. This was in a bolt gun though. I take it your loading for an AR. Sierra and Hornady have a servise rifle section in their manuels. Just work up slow and watch for psi.

[sargenv]

Something else to look at is what kind of brass was used. Military brass tends to be thicker than commercial brass like Remington. Which means if you try to load max charge at say 26 gr in a Mil case, the pressure may be too great and may cause problems. Mil cases have less internal volume which equals lower charge for same pressure. One might be listing a higher charge weight but is using commercial brass. The other a lower charge weight and Mil brass..

[NRAhighpowershooter]

I'm sorry but I'm of the opinion that 'mil-spec' primers are a bunch of horse hooey and a cool marketing ploy... what do you think us match shooters have used for decades before these 'wonder primers' showed up to cure all of our semi-auto slam fires? it all boils down to making sure your primers are flush or below flush with the case head.......

for match use I use CCI primers(400's, 200's BR-4's and BR-2's) and I have used Federal, Winchester and Wolf and CCI for my blaster loads and have never had a problem with slamfires or hangfires...and I have been using these primers on Garands, M1 Carbines, AR's M1A's and HK-91's which have the most VIOLENT forward motion of ANY bolt carrier out there....

so basically it all boils down to making sure your firearms function properly and you pay ATTENTION to your reloading practices.....

[10fcp]

True the main thing is making sure your primer pockets are uniform and cut to the right depth( no flush primers ) but a harder cup is cheap insurance. If you spread the cost over each primer it's really not much at all. A uniform pocket and a harder cup = no problems.