bullet weight by different manufacture question

[PaseMkr]

Here is my question as a hypothetical example. If I am loading .45 ACP and referencing the Hornady Reloading manual for 230 grain FMJ round nose bullets, but I use Rainer 230 grain FMJ round nose instead of Hornady, would the manual's recipe still be okay? The point to the question is basically, would any manufacturer's bullet of equal weight to what is in a manual be okay to use for that load?

Thanks!

[Alland]

No, not necessarily.

Rainier bullets are not FMJ. They are plated and Rainier recommends using cast bullet data.

[Wrightturn]

Plated bullets will provide a bit less resistance and perform more like cast bullets than fmj . A plated bullet that seats deeper in the case can easily offset any difference in bullet hardness. Deeper seated bullets = higher chamber pressure. They require a tad more powder to produce the same velocity.

I did some velocity comparison years ago during my full auto phase. When fired in a 10.5 inch barrel plated bullets required about a 10% increase in powder but the difference wasn`t much. They did help reduce cost.

[richpetrone]

As stated previously, bullets seated deeper in the case reduce case volume and increases pressure.

Two bullets may have the same name and bullet weight, such as a 9mm 125 gr. JHP, but because of the bullet profile, they may not seat the same, and one style may inadvertenly be seated deeper in the case due to the nose profile, which will increase pressure. Loading manuals often give the cartridge OAL to help keep the pressures in a safe range for each particular bullet style and profile.

When reloading smaller pistol cases, care must be taken to use the proper seating depth, and to make sure your reloads do not experience "bullet set back" when shooting.