perfect pattern powder usage

[Mike of the Mountain]

Never trust the bushing chart to throw exactly what it says. ALWAYS test your bushings. I like to throw 3-5 charges and dump them back in the hopper. Then I'll throw 3 or 5 charges and weigh the entire charge, then divide it by 3 or 5 and look at the average. Then I'll weigh the next 5 individual charges. That way you'll get a very good idea of what the bushing is throwing. While doing all the testing for the 8g loads, I did not find a single bushing that threw exactly what the chart had listed. They're usually under the listed charge (lawyers are a PITA).

[GH-16]

Thanks for the follow-up Guy's!

After I made my post about the need for a bushing chart, I got to thinking about how I was looking at charts I've had for years. I then went to the Hodgdon site and found an updated chart with the PP information.

Like you guys. I've been reloading for years and know not to trust a bushing chart & to only use it as a starting point. I always weigh my powder charges to not only find the right bushing in the first place, but I also weigh at least three throws before I start each session as well, just to make sure everything is good to go. One lesson learned over the years is that MEC bushings are notorious for throwing charges different from those listed in their chart.

Here's another oddity with regards to PP discovered yesterday. My 8 pounder of PP was delivered and when I looked at the load information on the container label, I noticed there was a discrepancy between what it had listed for the load I'm interested in, and the data published on the Hodgdon site. The Hodgdon site listed 14.8 grs but the bottle listed 15.1 grs for the exact same load. .3 grains aren't a big deal, but I did find interesting that the company that makes the powder has this discrepancy in their published loading information--Go Figure!

After taking a harder look. I found where the discrepancy is. The 14.8gr loading uses a Cheddite 209 primer and the 15.1gr is using a Winchester 209's but both loads list the same pressure & FPS. This tells me that basically you can interchange cheddite 209's & W 209's and still be within the specs for this load. Having to change .3grs of powder is basically insignificant when you get right down to it.