[mnbull]

This may be a stupid question so let me have it if it is, but are the loads listed in some of the manuals, hornady for example, the loads they use to produce their factory ammo? What powder and amount do they use for the different grain bullets they sell? I was surprised when I measured my factory made hornady ammo .30-06 180g SST bullets, and the c.o.a.l was much shorter than I expected it to be. I understand they make these cartridges universal to be able to fit almost any gun, but I was wondering aloud so I thought I'd ask.
I guess I could reverse engineer the cartridge and see what and how much powder is in it.....

 

[carver]

Welcome to the forum! The answer is no! The manufacturers of ammo use a powder that is their own recipe, and you can not buy it off the shelf! Most of the bullets, brass, and primers, you can buy over the counter, but not the powder. Most probably the reason for the COL is because the manufacturer does not know what type of gun you will be using, they also don't know how old it is, or in what condition it's in. CYA!

 

[mikld]

As Carver said, nope. Proprietary powders are used for factory ammo. A close way to duplicate factory fodder is pull a factory round, and weigh the powder. Look in your reloading manual for a powder, powder charge that's close to the charge from the factory ammos (so it's close to the burn rate of the factory powder). Then select a charge that's close to the factory velocity and use that for your reloads. May get close to factory stuff.

 

[bntyhntr6975]

If I recall right, my Lyman 47th had a few factory loads listed, but not many. Its been awhile since Ive looked in it though. Personnally, i dont have much use for factory ammo, i load my own because its better quality, and suited to a specific rifle. I do understand that some people want option of loading factory duplicates, and being able to get some off the shelf if they happen to run out when theyre off somewhere. That in itself isnt a bad idea, if youre happy with the performance. I do have the recipes for Black Hills Match and Gold Medal Match .308 loads, but i have a couple loads that greatly outshoot them (in my rifle). Most factories are also only using similar powder than what we buy in little jugs. Theirs is from a lot larger bulk, and will generally vary some from lot to lot. Our little jugs are more consistant ive been told. As was stated, specific load data from factories, is considered proprietary information. It wouldnt make it 'theirs' if other companies were making exactly the same thing.

 

[RandyP]

IF you have a chronograph (and most of us do NOT-lol) you could chrono a sample of factory ammo and then work up a load using the same bullet to give similar FPS results.

Somewhere between mid and max (probably nearer the max) is where factory ammo often falls. Personally I load mid or just slightly higher for my ammo and am satisfied with the results.