I've finally got my Dillon churning out reloads after it sat idle for about 3 years. For my first load, I'm using 147 gr HSTs and 6.9 gr 3N38. This should get me roughly 1200 FPS.
My first cartridges were loaded a big long (1.16") and we're hitting around 1050 FPS. Way low for the load but figured it was related to COAL.
I went home and made another batch with the COAL of 1.144" (book states 1.142" but HST is 0.02" longer than the book's XTP). These gave me the same velcoties (~1050 FPS) as the original batch.
I figured I screwed something up, so I made a third batch and was very careful with powder and COAL. Once again, I got 1050 FPS. I actually mixed my reloads in with some Federal 115 gr plinking loads and could barely tell a difference between the two.
List of things I've checked:
List of things I need to check:
My first cartridges were loaded a big long (1.16") and we're hitting around 1050 FPS. Way low for the load but figured it was related to COAL.
I went home and made another batch with the COAL of 1.144" (book states 1.142" but HST is 0.02" longer than the book's XTP). These gave me the same velcoties (~1050 FPS) as the original batch.
I figured I screwed something up, so I made a third batch and was very careful with powder and COAL. Once again, I got 1050 FPS. I actually mixed my reloads in with some Federal 115 gr plinking loads and could barely tell a difference between the two.
List of things I've checked:
- Chrony. It's reading correctly as my Federal plinking rounds were reported as near 1125 FPS.
- Scale. At first I assumed the scale was to blame. I checked a few things and was able to confirm it is reading correctly.
- Projectiles. Checked to make sure my HSTs are actually 147 gr.
List of things I need to check:
- Crimp. I'm using a relatively light crimp that allows the rounds to pass a case gauge. Does crimp play a large role in hitting velocities? Should I increase my crimp?
- Powder. I have several pounds of 3N38. I believe they're all from the same lot. They're all about 2 years old and haven't been opened previously. Either way, I can try opening up another bottle and see if that gives me the same result.
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