Hornady 185 gr. JHP HAP

[BennyS]

Just order some of the above bullets in 45APC Check my reloading manuals
Powder HP-38
Lyman starting load 3.9 gr.
Nosler 6.0 grains with a max of 6.5 grains
I emailed hornady and they told me to use the load data for their 185 gr. XPT which gives a starting load of 6.5 gr. and a max of 6.9 gr!
So you think I'm confused?

ANY SUGGESTION WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL,

[WR Moore]

If you looked at the Hornaday website, you'd note that the HAP is essentially the XTP without the internal jacket skiving and other things they do to make the bullet expand. Otherwise, it appears to be the same bullet.

[scooter123]

I would suggest tossing your Lyman manual in the trash. It is literally riddled with data that is a LOT lighter than that in other sources. BTW, this is true of almost any Handgun load in the Lyman 49 but when you start comparing Rifle loads they are way over most other sources. Personally, I do not trust the Lyman data and don't use it.

Good news is that there is lots of data to be found on the Net. In your case the Hodgdon web site indicates a starting point of 5.0 grains and a maximum of 5.9 grains for a 185 grain Hornady Jacketed Semi Wad Cutter with a minimum length of 1.135 inch.

BTW, that length seems to be WAY WAY short to me for a 45 ACP and I would suggest loading longer. I've loaded the 185 grain Hornady XTP's in 45 ACP using SR7625 and found a length of 1.225 inch works well and has the bullet sitting well positioned in the case. I have a sneaking hunch that someone got some 40 caliber lengths mixed into the 45 ACP data because in 45 ACP a 1.135 length wouldn't leave anything of the bullet outside the case mount for a crimp with the XTP bullet.

[BennyS]

hornady data for XPT is starting load of 6.5 to max of 6.9 and a AOL of 1.213.
My concern is the varying in starting load, as you can see from my OP hornady starting load is noslers Max! My lee and Sierra manuals don't list HP-38

[dickttx]

I have loaded about 100 with 6.5gn of HP38 and an OAL of 1.225. They have fed well in about four different 1911's and seem to be reasonably accurate.
My source was the Hornady manual. I would not be too concerned that other sources are different.

[buck460XVR]

Originally Posted by BennyS

hornady data for XPT is starting load of 6.5 to max of 6.9 and a AOL of 1.213.
My concern is the varying in starting load, as you can see from my OP hornady starting load is noslers Max! My lee and Sierra manuals don't list HP-38

Do your manuals show any info for W231? Same powder. Hornady 7th shows a start load of 5.9 with a OAL of 1.230. Nosler shows a OAL of 1.200 with their bullet, A shorter OAL generally means a lower powder charge. Also, Nosler shows a max velocity of 850fps, while Hornady shows 1000fps.


...and don't throw the Lyman manual away. It is a very good manual, I have found it not to vary any more than other sources. In magnum handgun loads, they tend to be a tad hotter than most, but this is one reason one should ALWAYS use more than one source before developing a load. I always try to use a least three sources of reference when trying a new combo. Anyone source that is excessively high or low gets thrown out. If more than one source shows similar data that's where I start, otherwise I average the data out from those that are close to each other. Has always worked for me.

[BennyS]

Originally Posted by dickttx

I have loaded about 100 with 6.5gn of HP38 and an OAL of 1.225. They have fed well in about four different 1911's and seem to be reasonably accurate.
My source was the Hornady manual. I would not be too concerned that other sources are different.

I guess your experience is worth the try. I will load to hornady data but I usually load to 1.225 as well.