Need some help, 185GR XTP recipe


Cooter

Liberty or Death
I got my first reloading press in, Dillon 550B, and I'm starting with .45 acp before I move to rifle loads.
The only place in town that sells components is Bi-Mart, and the only bullets they had were Hornady 185GR HP/XTP. I picked up some CCI primers, and a jug of HS-6 (they told me that was the best powder for .45's that they had in stock.)
So I was excited to load some up, but when I got home, I noticed there were no recipes for XTP's in my recipe books. After searching around on the web, it seems data for this bullet is a bit scarce, and the links people give on other forums are broken. Can anyone give me some data on this elusive bullet? I would greatly appreciate it.
 

185gr jacket bullet

According to the LEE MODERN RELOADING 2ND EDITION:
45ACP 185GR JACKETED BULLET - HS6 Starting load= 8.6gr, MAX LOAD= 9.5gr

185gr XTP only lists accurate #5,2,7 and Solo 1000 and A NITRO100

The accurate #7 starting load for the 185gr jacketed bullet is 10.8gr
The accurate #7 starting load for the 185gr XTP is 11.7

So it looks like the starting loads are higher for the XTP. I would think that would make the jacketed loads a safe starting point. If the bearing surfaces are the same length I really don't see how pressures would be different for the XTP vs a standard jacketed HP.

****DISCLAIMER***** I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU GET BLOWED UP!!!!!!!:pleasantry:
 
Thanks Jes, I loaded some up today at 8.6 GR. They shot fine, although pretty light recoil. I'm not into match shooting, or anything, so I think I'll bump it up to 8.8 and load up a bunch. Man this is fun stuff.
To anyone who is on the fence, thinking about reloading: just go for it, it's a blast. :biggrin:
 
I also load Hornady XTP bullets, but in a different caliber. I use the 7th Edition Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading as a guide. This book is a good place to start if you are looking for 45 ACP reloading data. It indicates that you can use between 8.6 grs. and 10.3 grs. of HS-6 for the 185 grain bullet. Just be very careful as you approach the maximum load. I don't recommend it if you are just starting out. You need to work up to that level. A small change is the powder charge weight can cause the pressure to go up substantially. Watch for signs of excessive preasures. Also, make sure you use the recommended primers when reloading. Don't just grab any primer when reloading. There are differences in them.

Good luck and enjoy your new hobby. I do recommend getting a good reloading book like the one that I mentioned earlier.
 
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