Reloading Question

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Bronco
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Reloading Question

Post by Bronco »

Howdy All,
I have been reloading for years and have what I do down pat!
BUT one thing I have never thought about before!

When following the max loads for handguns from the manuals; how do those rounds compare to +P and +P+ rounds ?????

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment :)

John
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CowboyTutt
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Re: Reloading Question

Post by CowboyTutt »

I'm hardly an expert but I suspect a "max load" would be maximum pressure according to SAAMI specs while a +P load would exceed that. Case in point, a 45 (Long) Colt operates at about 13,000 PSI plus some change while 45 Colt +P operates at 30,000 psi but is only usable in certain revolvers like Rugers, FA and Thompson Contender like designs.

-Tutt
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Griff
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Re: Reloading Question

Post by Griff »

Standard SAAMI specification .38 Special ammunition is loaded to a MAP of 17,000 psi, while .38 Special +P ammunition can be loaded to a MAP of 20,000 psi.
MAP = "Mean Average Pressure"...

I don't think there are any "official" specs for "+P" or "+P+" ammo, it's whatever the maker will load it to.
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CowboyTutt
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Re: Reloading Question

Post by CowboyTutt »

I agree with my ol' friend Grff, the specs for +P or +p+ seem to have no specification. My next example was going to be the 38 Special, but Griff's numbers are close to mine. There doesn't seem to be much of a "rhyme or reason" to +P, just what Griff said, "how hot are ammo company's willing to load" for the production firearms in existence in that caliber. The differences in pressure between SAAMI spec max loads and +P are quite variable. The differences in the 38 Special between the 2 are pretty small. My peak numbers are smaller than Griff's for the 38 according to Hodgdon Annual 2021, but in the ball park. In the 45 (Long) Colt, the pressure difference is rather huge. In 9mm, I'm guessing rather small. I'm not a fan of the 9, so not an expert on it. It sure was a good question to bring up Bronco and glad you did. -Tutt
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Tycer
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Re: Reloading Question

Post by Tycer »

So after emailing with a Federal Ammunition senior CS representative about Federal 9BPLE +P+ I am convinced that 9BPLE and all other manufactured ammo is within SAAMI specs. The lawsuits for failed arms would be unacceptable. It may be that an average of ammo doesn’t exceed SAAMI spec but the 9BPLE isn’t faster than other fast ammo labeled just +P nor reloading manuals from just a few years back. My Speer GD 135 grain 38 Special load that exactly matches Speer GDLE +P (pulled powder looks and burns like Unique and matches weight) is directly from the 1980? Speer short barrel load data. It’s not listed as +P.
Kind regards,
Tycer
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Bronco
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Re: Reloading Question

Post by Bronco »

Thank you gents for the thoughts and info!
Gettin old ain't for sissies!
There just has to be dogs in heaven !
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