Hornady quality control

[Go Bolts]

First, let me state that I am pretty new to reloading...only been doing it for a few months. Yesterday I went to load some .45 and I emptied a bag (100 count) of 230 grain FMJ bullets from Hornady. While reloading, I noticed that I was getting some variability in the OAL of the cartridges, and it turns out that the bullets I was using vary in length from 0.4 inches to 0.3 inches.

That's a pretty freakin big difference, and I would have expected more from a "premium" manufacturer such as Hornady. Is this a common issue with bullet components, or did I possibly get a bad batch? Either way, I will definitely keep an eye out for this in the future.

[Revoman]

It sounds to me like you have a bad batch. I would contact Hornady and let them know. That is not right. I use their bullets exclusively for 38 target and never had issues with their product.

[iareConfusE]

Although the variance in bullet length is unacceptable, your cartridge OAL shouldn't depend on the bullet length if your dies are set up correctly, and you are applying consistent pressure on the ram lever with each stroke. Just think about it. If you've already set your dies to a specific OAL, then even if the bullet was longer, it would just sit in the case a little bit deeper, and I'm assuming you're not loading compressed rounds either, so the powder wouldn't be pushing the bullet out.

When I first started reloading I also noticed that I had very inconsistent OALs, but then I realized that sometimes I was applying too much force on the ram lever, and sometimes too little. Now I have the muscle memory down so that I can get all my cartridges to within .003" of my desired OAL. Just takes time and practice to get consistency. Reloading requires more than just careful measurements. In order for it to be done efficiently, the reloader has to be able to "feel" the cartridge through the press. If you notice something doesn't feel right or feel like the majority of the other completed rounds, then something is wrong.

[Go Bolts]

Point taken...I'll try to be more consistent with my motions.

[C.G.]

Very common occurance and not just with Hornady. The weight will vary as well, that is why some reloaders pre-sort their bullets.

[Bill Steele]

Whoa there. Did you mean they vary by 100 thousandths from bullet to bullet? That is a tenth of an inch.

[Go Bolts]

That is correct, they vary by a tenth of an inch. The shorter bullets also have a slightly different shape (flatter nose) than the longer bullets. It may not sound like much, but it can definitely have an impact on reliability in picky guns.

[Bill Steele]

Hmmm, a tenth is a lot. On pointy bullets the overall length is less of an issue, at least as it pertains to weight.

As pointed out earlier, the overal length of the slug won't affect getting a consistant cartridge length (and hence how the round feeds in your semi) as only how deep the bullet is seated changes. But it does change the pressures you are dealing with for a given load. If you are running near max on a given load, I think +/- .1" in bullet length is not acceptable. I rarely see more than .010" difference in my FMJ bullets OAL. My SWC and other flat point bullets are generally within a few .001".

I bet Hornaday will replace them.

[Bill Steele]

One other question, you don't suppose you got some FMJ-FP mixed in with your FMJ-RN's, Hornaday makes both in 230gr .45ACP.

FWIW - I went down and measured a box of Hornaday 9mm XTP's, a box of .38 XTP's and a box of 300gr .44 XTP's and they were all +/- .005" (within bullet types, of course), these are all hollow points (flat nose), so I would expect the dimensions to be closer than run of the mill ball, but still....

[J-cat]

Hornady bullets don't come in bags. Don't blame Hornady for a mistake some yahoo made when he repackaged bulk bullets.

[iareConfusE]

Hornady bullets don't come in bags. Don't blame Hornady for a mistake some yahoo made when he repackaged bulk bullets.

My Hornady XTP bullets came in a bag, inside of a Hornady box.

[jwest]

I am almost at the point when I reload that I use Hornady bullets exclusively.

I practically order all of my Hornady from Powder Valley Inc. exclusively.

I would not be surprised if you could be the victim of some type of 'knock off' attempt - where did you get your bullets from - were they repackaged? Authentic Hornady bullets are packaged with a laser watermarked seal - were yours packaged this way?

[Bill Steele]

The more I think about it and based on your decription of how the bullets have a different shape, it really sounds like you got a box mixed of RN (Round Nose) and FP (Flat Points).

However they got mixed, if they came out of a Hornaday box and the factory seal was not broken, Hornaday will make it right, who knows, maybe give you a thou for your trouble.

On the other hand, if the factory seal was broken (it is a printed seal, not just clear plastic), then you need to look to the people that sold you the bullets. Maybe they got a partial box back and re-filled them with the wrong profile.... just sayin'.

oops, sounds like jwest beat me to it, what he said...

[Go Bolts]

J-cat, I'm not sure where you got the idea that I bought these in bulk from some yahoo...I purchased them from Midway (I think), and they come in boxes, inside of which are sealed plastic bags with 100 bullets. There is no way I could have mixed up different types of bullets since I just opened the bag.

That said, I loaded some more today, and the bullets were all nearly identical which leads me to believe I got a very strange box...I'll keep checking each box and report back if I see any more extreme variations.

[Taildraggerdave]

Glad the new box is working out better. Something else to think about...
The bullet seating die presses against the bullet's ogive. It (the die) doesn't care what's above or below that point. So, if your OAL's are different and everything else is the same, then the bullets are either thicker or thinner at the point where they contact the seating die. If you truly want to measure a cartridges OAL as the barrel sees it, get a precision mic from RCBS, (I think). Remember, the barrel only contacts the bullet at its thickest part. It doesn't care whether it is hollow point, flat point, etc. Those will all change your OAL from one type to another.

Take care,
Dave