Looking for a good First Load for my new .223, I turned to Lyman's 49th and Hornady's 9th.
Lyman lists the 36gn Barnes Varmint Grenade as wanting (insert loads here) and a COAL of 2.240 inches. Wow!, I say, comparing data against the Hornady book - that's exactly the same recommended COAL as the 53gn V-max! And there's overlap between the charge weights for the propellants I have! (As listed by Lyman for the VG and Hornady for the V-max.)
Turn to the Barnes book (4th edition) to cross-ref that COAL, and lo and behold they want something like 2.190" for their bullet and they do NOT list the powders I have (IMR3031, Varget) at all. I'm not worried about the powders - if you can't trust Lyman, who can you trust? - but the COAL has me confused. One of these sources MUST be wrong.
I suspect the best way to find out is to go out in the shed and see if the VG is actually long enough to seat to that COAL, but in the meantime can anyone shed light on this? I have a gut feeling that if they WILL seat comfortably to that length (and stay in the case), then the Lyman data were developed with the projectile seated well out to (a) lower pressures and (b) allow maximum loads with some of the slower powders they list.
Lyman lists the 36gn Barnes Varmint Grenade as wanting (insert loads here) and a COAL of 2.240 inches. Wow!, I say, comparing data against the Hornady book - that's exactly the same recommended COAL as the 53gn V-max! And there's overlap between the charge weights for the propellants I have! (As listed by Lyman for the VG and Hornady for the V-max.)
Turn to the Barnes book (4th edition) to cross-ref that COAL, and lo and behold they want something like 2.190" for their bullet and they do NOT list the powders I have (IMR3031, Varget) at all. I'm not worried about the powders - if you can't trust Lyman, who can you trust? - but the COAL has me confused. One of these sources MUST be wrong.
I suspect the best way to find out is to go out in the shed and see if the VG is actually long enough to seat to that COAL, but in the meantime can anyone shed light on this? I have a gut feeling that if they WILL seat comfortably to that length (and stay in the case), then the Lyman data were developed with the projectile seated well out to (a) lower pressures and (b) allow maximum loads with some of the slower powders they list.