Hodgdon/Western powder data discrepancy.

[Toprudder]

Most of us know that Hodgdon acquired Western/Ramshot powder companies. Good news is the data is in together on Hodgdon’s website. Bad news is some things were lost in translation. Some of the velocity data didn’t seem to make sense to me, so I looked a little closer and found out the barrel lengths for the Western powders did not make the transfer. It is apparent in the 357mag data, so I suspect it may be wrong with other calibers as well. The Hodgdon online data lists the same barrel length for all powders (10”) but the original Western data lists 6”. See photos. Look at the data for Hornady 110 XTP and Zip powder.

 

[92G]

For every cartridge I’ve loaded, published velocity values have always been surprisingly different from my measured values. So barrel length is rather meaningless. The load data are there to be sure of my pressure/safety limits more than velocity. Also, zip would not be my choice for anything magnum. For western powders it would be enforcer, which has been an absolute beast powder for me in 357 and 44 magnums.

western’s load book is so nice that I mostly use it over the hodgdon website, especially since i’m done with hodgdon‘s powders.

 

[Toprudder]

For every cartridge I’ve loaded, published velocity values have always been surprisingly different from my measured values. So barrel length is rather meaningless. The load data are there to be sure of my pressure/safety limits more than velocity. Also, zip would not be my choice for anything magnum. For western powders it would be enforcer, which has been an absolute beast powder for me in 357 and 44 magnums.

western’s load book is so nice that I mostly use it over the hodgdon website, especially since i’m done with hodgdon‘s powders.

I don’t use published velocities as an absolute, only as a ballpark reference. But without a proper published barrel length, then the velocity data becomes not only meaningless, but potentially hazardous. When I am working up pistol loads, for instance, I am normally aiming for mid-range loads, and if I start to see velocity higher than I am expecting, I stop. A lot of the low-pressure pistol calibers simply can’t rely on primer condition to determine pressure, 38 special in particular.

I don’t consider Zip a magnum powder, either, but only showed the information as an example. (It would probably not be a bad powder for low recoil plinking loads, though.) The Enforcer or 4100 data had the same discrepancy.

 

[FritztheCat]

At least, one of them is wrong and maybe both.

 

[73Chall]

Been reloading 50 years albeit, shotgun only at present; and, Hodgdon‘s website is so user-unfriendly, compared to Alliant’s, I‘ll go out of my way to purchase an Alliant powder, over its Hodgdon equivalent …