Question for a .45acp load

[SPUTTER]

I have Green Dot and wanted to use it for some 230 .45 loads. My question is on my table it shows start grains at 4.3, but never exceed 4.3. It also says I can use a .5 Lee dipper. Wouldn't I be exceeding the 4.3 if I use the .5 dipper?

[zfields]

dont use dippers. Simple.

[SPUTTER]

Great answer

[zfields]

Sorry. Ill elaborate

I would not trust a dipper, they are not accurate for crap.
As for the charge weights, if its listed as a minimum and max, I would start .2 below, Chorno it, and check for signs of over pressure, and move up from there.

I try not to get into powders that have VERY close tolerances, expecialy when using volume based powder dispensers (IE Lee powder drops and dippers)

Not a bash against lee, since I use them and they work fine.


*EDIT*
Lee dippers are a volume measurment, not weight.

[gotsig]

Maybe a typo. I'm guessing your loading 230gr lrn.If that's the case you can go to 5.3gr for a MV of 842 fps.
Edited to add, if your loading jacketed bullets, I agree with zfields and I would shy away from green dot.

[SPUTTER]

Yes, 230gr LRN. Where did you find 5.3 for 842 fps?

[gotsig]

Yes, 230gr LRN. Where did you find 5.3 for 842 fps?

Speer #14-coal tested 1.270, Starting load 4.8gr for 772fps, max load 5.3gr for 842fps

[SPUTTER]

Speer #14-coal tested 1.270, Starting load 4.8gr for 772fps, max load 5.3gr for 842fps

Thanks! I'm guessing the Lee data table is a bit on the conservative side.

[eaglemike]

The Lee data table is conservative.

The dippers usually throw 10% less than listed in the chart. Lot variance is less than 10 percent in my experience, but I'm sure they are playing it safe.

Dippers work fine if you know how, but are a lot slower than a measure. Stuff like this was used for a loooong time before we have the equipment we have today.

A good scale is your friend. If you are wanting anything other than blasting/plinking ammunition at safe/moderate to low velocities, you NEED a decent scale and adjustable measure. A bench mounted measure is pretty cheap.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

So, I use dippers to get "close" on rifle reloads. Then, I use a trickler to get the charge perfect. Other than that, I don't really use them.

[korny351]

The confusion is caused by Lee using fixed volume measure vs. the usual weight measurement used in loading tables. By dividing the volume of the dipper by the VMD (volume measuring density) you get the charge weight in grains. In this case - .5 cc / .1262 = 3.9619 gr. Where .1262 is the VMD specific to Green Dot. This is even less than Lee's already conservative data. My guess is that this is to give a safety margin for people who choose to use a heaping measure as opposed to a level measure. I believe, Lee lists the same charge for both MIN. and MAX. loads only because the next size dipper would put the charge in unsafe territory with his data.

The formula and VMD were taken directly from Lee's instruction sheet that came with my Pro Auto Disk powder measure.

[chim-chim7]

mmmmm, anyone have that pic of the revolver with a blown cylinder from a over pressurized 45 acp load?

[coyotebait]

Maybe a typo. I'm guessing your loading 230gr lrn.If that's the case you can go to 5.3gr for a MV of 842 fps.
Edited to add, if your loading jacketed bullets, I agree with zfields and I would shy away from green dot.

Why? I load 230 grn jacketed with 5.2 grns of Green dot. Seems to run good.

[r3dn3ck]

I love green dot with .45's. I've built up some really awesome accurate loads with it in the past. Sure there are probably better powders for the job but if you got a pound of green dot, use it.

FWIW, it's really easy to toss in a double charge with .45's. Please be careful and stick to a procedure.

[gotsig]

Why? I load 230 grn jacketed with 5.2 grns of Green dot. Seems to run good.

I couldn't find any published data for jacketed(with green dot), and without a scale to work up a load...just being safe.Now, I have developed loads with limited published data, but I worked up in .1gr increments. Not sure if you can do that with a dipper.