ezterra

Thanks Guy. I've inquired about this on another forum and my local IDPA forum. The overwhelming consensus seems to be to try another powder. I think I will do that, then maybe later try working a load with the Universal. I also gathered that Universal is probably not the best choice for pistol powder. Rainier bullet's load data, as tested by Midway USA, shows a maximum powder of 7.1 grains, IIRC, for the Rainier plated bullet. And with the 7.1 grains, they got 900fps out of a 5" barrel.

Thanks for the responses. I will look into going with regular Clay's. So, nothing sounds out of the ordinary with what I was doing, right? Sounds like my gun just shoots slower, huh? I just wanted to make sure before I looked into switching powders or something. I was also recommended Alliant Pistol (I think that's what it's called). Would that be a good way to go too?

Hello. New member here, and this is my first post. I'm also new to reloading. I recently bought a Dillon 550 and worked up some loads in .45 ACP. I am shooting it out of a Kimber Warrior. According to my load manual, the maximum powder charge is 6.0 grains which should give a velocity right around 850 fps. The hottest load I made was 5.9 grains and I got only 719 fps (average of 5 shots). Here's the info on what my loads were: Bullet: Berry's 230 grain RN Powder: Hodgdon Universal Primer: Federal #150 Large Pistol Primer Brass: Mostly Winchester White Box-All once fired OAL: 1.270" I double checked my scale, and it's calibrated. I shot factory Winchester white box through the chronograph and it read just under 850 fps, so the chrono is working. The crimp appears to be tight enough, with no bump where the brass meets the bullet. The measurement right at the crimp is .470". Am I missing something? I want to get a power factor of 170, which is 739 fps. So I want a velocity around 740-750 fps. I did see on Rainier's web site that they have some load data, and according to their data, the maximum powder charge they have is 7.1 grains for the 230 gr RN. Should I work up loads above 6 grains? I'm just real hesitant to do so before I confirm that there isn't any other factor that might be causing my bullets to be so slow. Also, I didn't know if there is anything I should be concerned about when increasing the powder above 6 grains. Thanks for any help and suggestion.