Why? Because they all work well enough in my loads to allow the use of a 1911 to roll hard tin cans out to 25 yards. For the average shooter, it doesn’t get much better than that.
I also use H110 or 2400 in .357 Magnum loads with a 125-grain JHP. And for .38 Special, HP38 has worked well behind a variety of bullets, from 110- to 158-grains. I load well within standard pressure for use in a vintage Colt Diamondback.
When I brew up .45 Colt loads, I use a 250- or Hornady 255-grain lead bullet, and once again, my favorite propellant is HP38 (6.9 grains). Out of a 7.5-inch Ruger New Vaquero, the bullet is moving about 890-900 fps and I’ve been able to conk a can at 25 yards enough times to convince me the cartridge-gun combination is sufficient.
Here’s a hint for consistent loads: weigh your bullets. I typically grab a random bullet a couple of times during a loading session and weigh it on my little Lyman electronic scale.
If It Ain’t broke, Don’t Fix It
That Goes for Handloads, Too
A .41-caliber 210-grain Hornady XTP bullet launched by 19.8 grains of H110 propellant from a 10-inch barrel strokes along at 1,465 fps, according to Hodgdon’s Annual Manual. While not the maximum load, it’s plenty of horsepower for me.
Likewise, a 210-grain Nosler JHP propelled by 20-grains of H110 will warp out of the muzzle of a similar barrel at just over 1,600 fps, according to Nosler’s Reloading Guide No. 8.
Neither bullet hits those velocities when fired from either my 6.5-inch Ruger Blackhawk or my Smith & Wesson Model 57 with its 6-inch pipe — but they’re pretty darn impressive. So much so, that 30 years ago I plugged a buck with the Ruger in an old clearcut and he didn’t go anywhere.
More recently, I was carrying a 4-inch Model 57 — the 6-incher comes out for the annual Elmer Keith Long Range Memorial Handgun Shoot, an invitational match that doubles as a fund raiser for the NRA Foundation — when another mule deer needed to be put down. A moving head shot did the job.
From my 6-inch S&W, the Nosler bullet has carried me to a 2nd- and 4th-place finish in successive matches, and if I’m ever on the trail and an emergency arises, I’m confident that bullet will go where I send it. Which brings me to the point of this narrative.
Handloading is a marvelous pastime, one my longtime pal (and a truly wonderful fellow) Bob Nosler once said in an interview for this column, “Is a game of recipes.” We of the loading bench brotherhood like to experiment. I’ve kept powder and bullet companies busy over the years, gracing my bench with presses, dies, trimmers and scales from RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Redding and others, and bullets from just about everyone who makes them.
But once a handloader discovers a consistent load that works repeatedly in his or her gun, it’s over. In my humble opinion, once you find a reliable combination of components — stick with it.
Choose Your Powder
You can spend a small fortune on propellants, so unless you’re independently wealthy, once you find the right mix it’s probably a good idea to stick with one or two propellants.
For the .41 Magnum, I only use H110 or Alliant 2400. Sure, there are other great choices, such as W296, and people swear by them, but those two work for me — and that’s what counts. When I head over to Spokane, Wash. in late May for the Keith shoot, my loads will be topped with 210-grain Nosler and Sierra bullets, the latter which also works very good in my loads and they’re almost identical visually.
One bullet no longer made is the old half-jacket Speer 220-grainer I used in my .41 Magnum loads back when I first got started. When seated, it looked like semi-wadcutter and shot rather well out of my Ruger.
I’ve had good luck reloading .45 ACP ammunition using HP38, CFE Pistol, AutoComp and Titegroup, either with 230-grain FMJs or plated bullets, or a 185-grain JHP. Those powders have all delivered the goods, but as time has passed (along with my youth) I’ve settled on HP38 and Titegroup, with CFE Pistol and AutoComp as my backup powders.
By the Book
Actually, that should be “Buy the Book.” Or several.
We’re talking about loading manuals. Nosler, Hornady, Speer, Sierra, Hodgdon and others all have reloading manuals containing thousands of recommended loads for hundreds of different calibers. Think of them as recipe books.
I get two copies of Hodgdon’s Annual Manual every year — one kept on my work desk and the other on the rack above my loading bench.
While people like to experiment, it’s probably not a good idea to push your luck, especially if you’re new to the loading bench. People who produce those manuals have pushed the envelope so you don’t have to. You want to get the most out of your ammunition and the gun in which it is used. You don’t want to blow up a gun in your hands, or anyone else’s. It’s painful and expensive.
Most manuals will identify specific loads and mark them as “Most Accurate Load Tested.” These may not be the hottest in terms of velocity and chamber pressure, but they are the most reliable in terms of putting a bullet where you want it to go.
Always refer to loading manuals for guidance and approach listed maximum loads with caution. Every loading manual carries the warning to never exceed maximum loads.
Even if you do load by the book, I don’t recommend using maximum powder charges in any caliber until you’ve tried a few and checked for signs of pressure, such as flattened primers. If that’s happening, you need to back off on the powder charge immediately and start pulling bullets.