Noob Reloading Question: 147 Gr Zero Jhp Equivalent To Hornady Hp/xtp?

[BayouSlide]

Set up my new Dillon [thanks Brian!] and working up the specs for my first loads this weekend. I'll be using Zero JHP in 147 gr for USPSA Production [been using these bullets successfully for the last year in Atlanta Arms & Ammo loads].

All the reloading manuals list the Hornady 147 gr. loads. I am going to be testing Vihta Vuori N340 & 350. My question is, as far as C.O.L. figures, should I feel confident in using the provided specs for the Hornady bullets for my Zero jacketed hollow points? Got the Zeros on hand but no Hornady bullets to compare side by side: I would assume they are very similar in construction.

The VV reloading info calls for a C.O.L. of 1.142 for the Hornady bullets, which BTW, is a little shorter than the Atlanta Arms C.O.L. reloads I've been using...they seem to run in the vicinity of 1.105.

Appreciate any enlightenment y'all can toss my way...and thanks again to our forum host for such a great resource.

[yoshidaex]

Oal will depend on the gun you'll be using it in. A longer OAL might hangup in the magazine of your gun. Try doing a search here for what oal other members are using for the type of gun you have. Having a Hornandy bullet for comparison would be ideal but since you don't, start your recipe 10% maybe even 20% less than the published load. If you search hard enough, there should be some load data you could use as a baseline and go from there.

[DougCarden]

Hi there BayouSlide. You are in the right place!

I would invite you to do a search in the reloading areas under 147 gr and Vhitavouri and see what you come up with. Most shooters are using Titegroup, VV-320, 330, and some including myself use VV-310. Once you get your loads worked up with your powders you have then you can try some of the other loads and see what works best for you and your gun. A lot of people, including myself, load the 147gr bullets, whether they are JHP or FP to 1.130. This fits in most if not all gun magazines and gives you some more case room for the faster powders.

Good luck and enjoy your equipment!

DougC

[BayouSlide]

Thanks for the replies. Since posting, I've spent a hour or three further perusing info on this site and elsewhere. I've pulled down some good info on what others are using that seems consistent enough with my reloading manuals that I feel I have a safe starting point for a Zero 147 gr OAL for my G34.

I'm leaning towards starting with a 1.140 maximum OAL at the recommended starting powder charge and putting together a couple dozen rounds to test next week. But 1.130 would split the difference between the VV recommendations for Hornady and my current ammo.

I still have over 1K Atlanta Arms rounds on hand so I can take my time developing my load. The Atlanta Arms ammo is good stuff, but I'm hoping to put together something that will be a little more suited to my shooting. And maybe eke out some additional accuracy through experimentation and personal attention to detail than is possible with high volume reloads. And, last but not least, to be able to afford the extra practice I'll need to knock on the door of B class. Time will tell. Appreciate the advice, guys.

Edited January 7, 2007 by BayouSlide

[BayouSlide]

Finally found a post from Clay1 with info from Zero that answers the question. The O.A.L. should be 1.120/1.105. That makes sense based on my Atlanta Arms reloads which work well. I'll make some test loads in that range with VV N340 today.

Once again, this site is a great resource, though the search function is a little quirky in accepting parameters...then again, maybe it's just me that's a little quirky

[gose]

Im using VV340 behind my 147gr Zero JHPs.

The following load seems to give very good to excellent accuracy in all my nines (1-1.5" @ 50y in my SIG210s)

Bullet: Zero 147gr JHP

Powder: 3.95gr VV340

OAL: 28.6mm (1.122")

Primer: Fed100

Factor 132.0 in my G17, 132.1 in my SP01 and based on previous tests, I'd guess around 135 in my G34 (haven't had time to chrono with G34 yet)

Edited January 11, 2007 by gose

[BayouSlide]

Bullet: Zero 147gr JHP

Powder: 3.95gr VV340

OAL: 28.6mm (1.122")

Primer: Fed100

That's pretty close to the starting points I selected. I chronoed my first efforts yesterday at the range.

I loaded to 1.112 OAL with Zero 147s, the Fed 100s, mixed twice-fired brass and three different loads in my Glock 34.

3.9gr VV N340, which chronoed at an average of 972.7 FPS for a 143.0 Power Factor

4.1gr VV N350, which chronoed at 939.0 for a 138.0 PF

4.3gr VV N350, which chronoed at 988.6 for 144.7 PF.

It should be noted that both the N350 loads are below the starting points that Vihta Vuori recommends, but the PF specs and the look of a case filled to their specs made me decide to test a reduced starting load...I'm glad I did. Worked out fine. Based on my results, I couldn't see any need for 4.5 gr of N350 for a Production gun.

Both the 3.9 gr N340 and the N350 4.3 gr loads were on the snappy side, with a feel kinda similar to but slightly snappier than what I remember from 115gr commercial loadings. The 4.1 grain load of N350 was softer and more in line with what I'm looking for as far as the "feel" of the gun and similar in feel to the Atlanta Arms reloads I've been shooting. Accuracy was good for all, but I shot the N350 4.1 gr loading a little better in my limited initial tests; unfortunately I only had a few rounds of loads with the N350. But I would have been happy to take that 4.1 gr load to a match this weekend.

Last night I loaded up 100 rds of a slightly reduced load of N340 at 3.8 grains, and will load 150 with N350 at 4.1 gr for more indepth accuracy tests and trigger time before finalizing on my new load.

With a little acclimation to the feel of the machine and its operation, the new 550B I got from Brian is a champ. The only real quirk was that the angle of the powder measure fail safe rod and its adjustment spring/nut needs to be "just so" to avoid binding, so I kept tweeking and measuring until I felt I'd sorted it out. I'm using a Lee FCD in the final station for a light final touch up and my brass is sizing great, gauging perfectly and sealing perfectly in the chamber.

Loads of fun punching tight holes in targets with ammo you "manufactured" yourself. Loving it! Thanks everyone for the helpful info.

Edited January 11, 2007 by BayouSlide

[gose]

My loads feel a lot softer than Am Eagle 115FMJ and somewhat softer than the Win 147gr TCs, but it sounds like it's chrono time this weekend

However, going down from 143 to 135 will not get me into GM, so unless I end up reaching 150 I'll probably stick to a load that I know works and gives me good accuracy.

Edited January 11, 2007 by gose

[BayouSlide]

However, going down from 143 to 135 will not get me into GM, so unless I end up reaching 150 I'll probably stick to a load that I know works and gives me good accuracy.

I totally agree. Nothing wrong with even a 150 PF if that's what works for somebody. No trophies for the shooter who chronos closest to 125

Even at this stage of my shooting development, I understand that the more important thing is how the gun feels/works for each person's shooting style. I tend to shoot better with heavier bullets...like more of a recoil push than a snap...and it seems to aid my 53-year-old bifocal eyes in quicker sight reacquisition. And it just so happens that a mid to high 130s PF seems to work well for me at this stage of my shooting.

I've still got a long ways to go to break out of C class and a lot to learn. But places like this forum have aided immensely to quickening my learning curve.

[warpspeed]

I have found that for both MG & Zero, the published loads for XTP's and Sierra JHP's are a good starting point.