Min oal

[Elevatorguy]

Hello!

I’m new to reloading and have a question I can seem to get an answer to.

So, I loaded up some 44 mag for my Smith and Wesson 1854. I used berry’s 240 gr FP with VV N110. Used load data from the Lyman reloading handbook for a 240gr cast bullet. Used the starting powder grain of 18.
When seating the bullet, I just used the crimping groove as a reference to seating depth. This put the overall length to 1.565

Since then I purchased the Modern Reloading second edition and noticed that there is a min OAL. The only reference I can find for the VV N110 in it is for a 240 gr jacketed with an OAL of 1.602

My concern is that the powder my be compressed and the possibility of a dangerous pressure situation. Should I pull the bullets and start over?

Another question is the Modern Reloading manual does have plated bullet info but if I seat the bullet to just above the min OAL the crimp would not be in the crimp groove. Would the be ok?

Attached a pic of the reload.

Thanks

 

[charlie b]

I would guess that since you are at the manual's starting load you'll be fine.

Plated bullets are either great or the devil's spawn depending on who you talk to, mainly due to application. Most plated bullet mfg have a velocity limit for their bullets so I would try to stay below that.

My experience with most pistol loads is that lead, plated and jacketed data is all within the error bars. Sometimes lead will be faster, other times jacketed will be. Some who have collected pressure data have seen the same results.

But, unless you have a chronograph you'll never know which side you are on.

Last, you can gather data from 4 different manuals and get 4 different load ranges, sometimes varying by a lot. I used to pick Sierra numbers because I had their manual and it was usually on the conservative side. The Lyman manuals were a close second, especially for cast bullet work since they listed a lot of reduced load data. The online Hodgdon manual seems to be on the hot side for me. VV online load data
seems to be a bit conservative as well. I haven't used the Alliant online data much recently.

 

[ShtrRdy]

You should be fine firing what you have.

The thing with plated bullets you have to be keenly aware of is to not use a heavy crimp. You basically do not want to cause the plating to get cut. If the plating gets cut the plating could separate and part of it could remain in the barrel.

 

[Elevatorguy]

Thank you for the replies!

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

You can identify too much crimp on plated bullets by firing at a sheet of paper from 7-10'. Plating coming off will leave debris/marks around the bullet impact.

 

[TTE]

My concern is that the powder my be compressed and the possibility of a dangerous pressure situation.

a compressed load is not inherently dangerous.
A compressed load at max charge weight could be a different story

 

[FeMan]

One thing to be aware of in pistol reloading is that the volume in the loaded case below the bullet has a direct and potentially significant effect on pressure. That is the primary reason for a minimum COAL. The actual effect of COAL is bullet specific but the change in case volume within a given bullet type and weight should be relatively minor.