redwoods Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I just shot 4 guns over the chrono, one was at 125pf. The other three are as follows........ 45ACP 230gr 4.0gr....177 power factor 38super open gun 125gr 8.5gr......177 power factor 9mm minor gun 147gr. 3.4gr........134 power factor The day was around 55 degrees and a little damp Should I lower my powder charge to get lighter recoil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 What powder are you using? How did these loads feel to you? Jim M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajg308 Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I just shot 4 guns over the chrono, one was at 125pf.The other three are as follows........ 45ACP 230gr 4.0gr....177 power factor 38super open gun 125gr 8.5gr......177 power factor 9mm minor gun 147gr. 3.4gr........134 power factor The day was around 55 degrees and a little damp Should I lower my powder charge to get lighter recoil? I think having a 10000 buffer on major loads is a good idea. Most of your carry ammo for a .45 is well over 200.000, so you are not even close to being too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 most people shoot for right around 170pf or so. You are good but a bit lower pf will be a bit softer to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scirocco38s Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 The only time I know of for power factor to be too high is with open guns shooting light bullets. At some ranges the club will have a velocity ceiling that for whatever reason they have deemed that bullets going faster than that are dangerous and will not be tolerated. My club used to have a velocity ceiling of 1600ft/sec for handguns especially if steel was in the course of fire. Now that the pf is at 165 that isnt a problem anymore as most of us arent pushing even 1500ft/sec. I do remeber the old days when guys would load 90 grain 380 bullets in their 38supers at 2000, boy was that harsh and rough on the steel of old. With the new steels that ae used(ar500) that probably isnt an issue either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I just shot 4 guns over the chrono, one was at 125pf.The other three are as follows........ 45ACP 230gr 4.0gr....177 power factor 38super open gun 125gr 8.5gr......177 power factor 9mm minor gun 147gr. 3.4gr........134 power factor The day was around 55 degrees and a little damp Should I lower my powder charge to get lighter recoil? I'd back of the .45 load until it was around 170 and call it good. Any more than that and you're just wasting powder, increasing wear (okay, pretty minimal) and dealing with a touch more recoil. I wouldn't mess with the 9mm minor load if it feels good...probably no competitive advantage to be gained and some guns get sluggish if you go too light. The Super open gun might work better if you back it off a little...just depends on the exact load and comp combination. Some guns track better on the high side and others are the opposite. Still, I like to find a combo that works the comp at 170ish and gives a consistent dot track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwoods Posted April 26, 2008 Author Share Posted April 26, 2008 I am using -titegroup for my 9mm -4756 for my 38super -clays for the .45acp I know titegroup will change and get hotter with temps but what about the others? I want to use less powder and have a softer shooting gun, that is my reasoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I will often run an Open load as high as mid 180's. Depends on the powder and bullet, but the load I like best with that particular powder and bullet that is OVER 172 is the one I use and I don't really care what the power factor is as long as it is over 172. Power factor of less than 172 and pressure signs are the only things I worry about with Open gun loads. The minor 9, I'd try it where it is, if it feels good bump it to 140 and see what it feels like. If it still feels good go with it. I like a little snap in the Production loads, and I don't want to worry about steel falling. The 45 load? It is right in the ballpark for me, if it felt good I would run with it. I run a little higher power factor than most I think, but I don't sweat the chrono stage and it doesn't hurt my performance at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace38super Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I am using -titegroup for my 9mm -4756 for my 38super -clays for the .45acp I know titegroup will change and get hotter with temps but what about the others? I want to use less powder and have a softer shooting gun, that is my reasoning. In .38 Super 4756 will chrono much faster at colder temps. I have changed to a load 1/2 gr less for temps under 60. With some guns the variation is even more. I chronoed my wife's Caspian with 7.7 and it had velocity equal to 8.4 in the summer. This was with 125 gr Hornday HAP at about 45 temp. Another reason to move to Fla or AZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Abrahams Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 (edited) i too was having a similar issue with my open gun (38 supercomp). the gun just seems to shoot flatter and track better at 178 PF than it does at 170 PF. is it ok to consistently shoot 178 PF loads through an open gun, or am i doing damage to it??? or at least wearing it out quicker??? (if it makes any difference i use slow powder such as 3N38, so pressures shouldnt be getting too high) Edited April 26, 2008 by W.Abrahams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I practiced with a friend with a video camera last Friday shooting my single stack in 45 ACP shooting 230 gr Precision bullets over Clays powder. I was considering lowering the powder a little as they were 177.4 PF. After seeing the film and how flat the gun is shooting I am going to leave it there. I think how the gun feels to you and reacts to the load should be the determining factor. My open 9mm seems to work best around 170 -172 PF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Hello: If you can tell the difference between 170 and 175 in 45acp using Clays you are a better man than me. I like to be on the safe side with my reloads so I will make major. On my 9mm I like them a little hotter than yours. I would use a timer and see which one shoots faster and more accurate for you. Softer/slower does not always work the way you think it will. The timer will tell you right away. Bill drills work great for that. I also like the Precision 200 grain for 45, 170 grain for 40 and the 147 for 9mm. Hope this helps. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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