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165 gr or 180 gr and why ??


doane

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I've just gotten into reloading (just loaded and shot 10 reloads this past weekend) and now I'm wondering why I'm stuck on 180 grain bullets. I THINK it's because I found a 

good deal on 180 grain ammo a year or so ago and have just stuck with it, for now. But now that I'll be reloading my own plinking rounds I'm wondering if I shouldn't try out some 

165 grain loads as well. 

 

Reloads that I mentioned above used once fired Remington brass, 180 gr blue bullets, 4.5 and 4.7 grains of HP-38, WSP primers. 

   

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depends on the gun, if you are shooting a poly gun you will probably prefer the recoil impulse of the 180's better. Also keep in mind if you have fixed sights the different weights may hit higher or lower. I used Precision coated 170 gr bullets for years,, mainly because they were a bit cheaper per case.

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On 1/15/2020 at 9:06 AM, doane said:

 now that I'll be reloading my own  plinking  rounds should I try 

165 grain loads

 

As everyone mentioned, the only advantages of the heavier bullets is that

it is easier to make Major and feels softer.

 

If you're just plinking, and don't have to make Major Power Factor (PF)

I'd definitely go with the 165 gr bullets with lighter charges.  Get the

Velocity down to c.800 FPS and you should have a great plinking round.   :) 

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I started 40 major with 180s because that was what 'everybody' was doing at the time.  I came to prefer the 165s because there was less muzzle rise and the sights came back more quickly.  The trade-off was a snappier hit to the hand.

 

I originally shot 180s for minor also.  Now all I shoot for minor are the 155s.  

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6 hours ago, zzt said:

I started 40 major with 180s because that was what 'everybody' was doing at the time.  I came to prefer the 165s because there was less muzzle rise and the sights came back more quickly.  The trade-off was a snappier hit to the hand.

 

I originally shot 180s for minor also.  Now all I shoot for minor are the 155s.  

ZZT I see you are back from the dead like me.. You happen to run a 6 inch gun ? was all the latest greatest about 10-15 years ago. And yep I found the same thing. Why I went to the 170's just seemed to run better in the longslides.

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  • 4 weeks later...
3 minutes ago, cervri said:

Off topic but: Been reloading since the 70's and until recently I have never seen the terms "Major" and/or "Minor" used in loading......What are we talking about here?..

 

Scoring for certain divisions in USPSA.  Some divisions offer a scoring advantage for major, and if you want that advantage you have to load to those levels

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1 hour ago, cervri said:

Off topic but: Been reloading since the 70's and until recently I have never seen the terms "Major" and/or "Minor" used in loading......What are we talking about here?..


Take your bullet weight and multiply it times muzzle velocity and divide by 100. 125 to 164 is minor power factor, 165 and up is major. Basically a 125 grain bullet moving 1000fps make the minimum floor for minor.

 

Uspsa is the only thing stateside that scores minor vs major for certain divisions (limited and open), every division however must meet minor. 
 

IDPA scores everything with a minimum 125 power factor but don’t have a major PF and everything scores the same. 
 

Steel Challenge has no power floor at all and you can shoot the softest load that will ring the target there. My steel loads will barely move the muzzle on a poly gun. 
 

Hope that helps. 

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