140gr Hornady FTX Load Data

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Ben_hutcherson

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I bought a lever action 357 magnum rifle a few weeks back, and was really excited to work up some good rifle-specific loads.

So, with that in mind, I picked up two boxes of the Hornady 140gr FTX bullets. These are the "pointy" bullets with the polymer tip(as used in their factory Leverevolution loads) so that they can be safely loaded in a tube magazine.

I checked a Hornady manual in the store, but the loading data for this bullet is minimal. The only powders it lists are AA #7, AA #9, Enforcer, and Vihtavuori N110. All of these powders are, at least for the time being, unobtainable around here.

My Lyman manual skips over this bullet entirely(it is sufficiently different from the 140gr XTP that I'm not comfortable using that data).

The Hogdon website does at least list a few more powders, including H110. I don't have any H110, but plan to pick up a pound of this(or W296) the next time I see it available. I'm still kicking myself for not buying some two weeks ago when I saw it.

I do have two "magnum" powders on hand, 2400, and 300MP. I'd hoped to at least find some load data for this bullet for 2400, but that seems to be eluding me at the moment. Can anyone point me toward either an online or print source with load data for this specific bullet and one of these two powders?


These loads will only be shot out of a rifle(Rossi 92) so "rifle" load data is fine.

Thanks
 
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~ Howdy Ben
I will soon be loading the 140' xtp's, .. I just looked in all
3 of my manuals for ftx data and found nothing, but I was
reading somewhere recently that the the brass (cases) have to
actually be "trimmed" to accept this particular projectile?
And was just wondering if you knew of this, .. just did a
quick search & found this .........

"just remember Hornady recommends trimming your cases shorter than standard
to keep OAL within specs when using their FTX bullet. They are adjusting their
load recipes to accommodate the smaller case capacity....
..if you use load recipes that are not FTX specific, you yourself will have to
make this adjustment. Load recipes for XTPs are quite easy to find for most powders
and in most cases, duplicate the load recipes for other brands
of bullets in their weight category."

Hornady FTX vs XTP loads - THR

Handloads.Com Forum: 357 mag Load with Hornady 140gr. FTX

.. Will be interesting to see what you come up with, been
thinking of gettin' a lever gun myself* .. Good Luck

~ Don
 
Last edited:
Don,

Thanks for the response.

I had come across the suggestion to trim the cases. Since I don't really want to mess up good 357 brass, I went ahead and loaded a few dummy rounds in "regular" length 357 cases.

The dummy rounds loaded and cycled fine in my rifle, so I think that I'm just going to go ahead and load them in standard length cases.

So, with that in mind, I'll go ahead with a cautious work-up using the 140gr XTP data. I'll report back here once I've had a chance to do so.

Thanks again,
Ben
 
The issue with trimming them is not so much the action cycling, it is the long ogive on the bullet engaging the rifling when the round is chambered. Load up a dummy, mark the bullet with a black sharpie marker or dykem, and chamber it. Remove the round and examine the bullet for marks indicating it was touching the rifling. If so, you need to trim the brass to avoid an excessive pressure spike when it lights off.
 
The dummy round my have cycled correctly but that was luck for the most part. If you cycle the lever quickly like when you are on a hunt you will see the problems show up. You aren't "ruining" the brass when you trim it down, just use the same brass for the FTX bullets from now on. I'm almost sure you will use them again when you see how much flatter they shoot than other .357" bullets and how accurate they shoot. You will only need 40 or 50 cases for hunting ammo. I got the first 50 pieces from the factory LVR ammo I bought. Later I trimmed an additional 50 pieces from some Hornady cases I found at the range in a .357 Magnum XTP box.
 
If you have any other Hodgdon powders you may want to check their web site, they do have recent data for the FTX bullets.

However, from comparing the data for more recent tests using Autocomp I suspect that the FTX data given was for cases that had been trimmed per Hornady's suggestion. It would be nice if Hodgdon (or Hornady) would make that particular detail clear. Personally, I think a call to Hornady is in order and if you do, make sure that let them know you don't appreciate that they allow data to be published without some specific notation that the cases were trimmed. I mean, come on, what the heck are we supposed to call this new trim length, the 357 Minimum?
 
scooter123 said:
If you have any other Hodgdon powders you may want to check their web site, they do have recent data for the FTX bullets.

However, from comparing the data for more recent tests using Autocomp I suspect that the FTX data given was for cases that had been trimmed per Hornady's suggestion. It would be nice if Hodgdon (or Hornady) would make that particular detail clear. Personally, I think a call to Hornady is in order and if you do, make sure that let them know you don't appreciate that they allow data to be published without some specific notation that the cases were trimmed. I mean, come on, what the heck are we supposed to call this new trim length, the 357 Minimum?
Click to expand...

Hornady manual (at last version #8) does indicate a trim of
1.240" for the 140 FTX

Hodgdon uses a trim of 1.285 which as you say is NOT good based on what Hornady says it should be.

Hodgdon and their new fangled website needs to address that.
 
IMO it's Hornady who is wrong. The MINIMUM trim length for the 357 Magnum per SAAMI is 1.270 inch. Since the actual specified range is 1.270-1.290 inch Hodgdon is within spec at 1.285 and it's Hornady who has committed a Foul.

Personally I don't care if they lose a tiny bit of aerodynamics, Hornady should designe their bullets to function properly in a case that is within SAAMI specifications. Asking people to trim to some oddball length that falls between 38 spl. and 357 Magnum is just plain WRONG.
 
If you want to use a pointed bullet in a cartridge that over history has only used flat or round bullets you have to make an adjustment somewhere. Shortening a case by only a few one-hundredths of an inch does not make a .357 Magnum into a .38 Special case. I'm not completely sure using such a bullet in the .357 Magnum is necessary even though I like them but for those who like it I see no big deal making the case ever-so-slightly shorter.

I do like those FTX bullets in the 30-30 and 45-70 because they do increase the range of each by 50 yards and keep the bullet flatter.
 
Based on the advice here, I went out and bought a new Lyman trimmer, and have started trimming a lot of 357 magnum brass to the suggested length. I'll go ahead and do 50 cases, which should give me some room to work up a load.

Thanks again for the advice and suggestions.
 
scooter123 said:
IMO it's Hornady who is wrong. The MINIMUM trim length for the 357 Magnum per SAAMI is 1.270 inch. Since the actual specified range is 1.270-1.290 inch Hodgdon is within spec at 1.285 and it's Hornady who has committed a Foul.

Personally I don't care if they lose a tiny bit of aerodynamics, Hornady should designe their bullets to function properly in a case that is within SAAMI specifications. Asking people to trim to some oddball length that falls between 38 spl. and 357 Magnum is just plain WRONG.
Click to expand...

Well yes, I suppose if you put it like that. I see no sense in the FTX anyway. The good old XTP's are fine and can actually be safely used in tube magazines.
 
Rule3 said:
Well yes, I suppose if you put it like that. I see no sense in the FTX anyway. The good old XTP's are fine and can actually be safely used in tube magazines.
Click to expand...

There's been problems with the XTPs fired from leverguns. They don't seem to hold up well with the extra velocity generated from a longer barrel.

The FTX on the other hand does very well.
 
Just be aware that you will have to keep those shortened cases segregated forever. Because if you try using them with a standard bullet you'll have issues with the cannelure not lining up or your crimp die not setting a crimp unless you load those STANDARD bullets short, something I'm not willing to do in a 357 Magnum.

IMO the wiser option would be to figure out some way of chopping 0.04 inch off the plastic tip and use that to obtain the shorter COAL Hornady suggests. BTW, this is what Hornady should have done from the start with these bullets. Because in time I'll bet that some of these shortened cases will end up mixed up in with the standard length cases and then you have problems with missing crimps.
 
Water-Man said:
There's been problems with the XTPs fired from leverguns. They don't seem to hold up well with the extra velocity generated from a longer barrel.

The FTX on the other hand does very well.
Click to expand...

Yup, they will separate and sometimes leave the jacket in the bore when you push them much above 1600fps. I'm not sure about 357, but I do know they make "Magnum" rated XTPs in .45 cal that are designed for rifle velocities.
 
From Hornady's website: Bullets - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc
XTP®

The controlled expansion of the XTP and XTP Mag is 1.5x its original diameter over a wide range of velocities. It features a heavier jacket, which stands up to the high pressures and velocities of the highest performance handgun. Find out more...

XTP®

Controlled expansion with deep penetration.
Recommended muzzle velocity range: 700 to 1500 fps

XTP® MAG™

Controlled expansion with deep penetration at higher velocities than the original XTP.
Recommended muzzle velocity range: 1200 to 2300 fps

FTX®

The Flex Tip design makes the FTX safe in all tubular magazines and delivers controlled expansion across a broad range of velocities. The FTX also delivers the flattest trajectories EVER from lever guns.
More about FTX Rifle products...
More about FTX Handgun products...

Rapid, controlled expansion with deep penetration.
Recommended muzzle velocity range: Handgun 800 to 2100 fps
Recommended muzzle velocity range: Rifle 1800 to 3000 fps.
 
It's amazing that even after the introduction of the FTX, Hornady Manual #8 list velocities for the XTP in other 357 calibers (Maximum, Bain Davis,Herrett) at speeds exceeding 2200 FPS. The 110 XTP in the 357-44 Bain Davis it's max is 2400 fps.
 
Rule3 said:
It's amazing that even after the introduction of the FTX, Hornady Manual #8 list velocities for the XTP in other 357 calibers (Maximum, Bain Davis,Herrett) at speeds exceeding 2200 FPS. The 110 XTP in the 357-44 Bain Davis it's max is 2400 fps.
Click to expand...

Bigger case capacity with slower burning powders and a less steeply sloped pressure curve giving a slower rate of acceleration to that max velocity?
 
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