Hand Loading Hornady 125 grn HPs

[porter3861]

Good morning,

I just ordered some Hornady 125grn HPs to hand load in addition to 150grn SPs. I found some great load data recommendations on the forum from using IMR 3031 (my primary rifle powder) with the 150's. Any recommendations for the 125's? I'll follow the loading table recommendations in the Hornady book, of course, but you guys have a wealth of knowledge. I'll be loading these for accuracy and putting holes in paper.

Thanks,

Porter

[butlersrangers]

Speer Reloading Data has some nice 'reduced loads'.

The one for 130 grain bullets should work well with 125 grain projectiles.
There is also 'regular' data using IMR-3031.

The 110 grain (.30 carbine projectile) reduced load has worked well for me in Krags, with single-loading. (The cartridge OAL is too short for reliable magazine feeding).

USE STARTING LOADS - and ease your way up, if you need to.

[porter3861]

Outstanding! Thank you for the information and recommendations. I do plan to load these on the lighter side. After I work up some loads and shoot them, I'll post a range report. Hoping to work these out to a good grouping at 100yds.

Porter

[Old Soldier]

How do these loads shoot to the sites?

[butlersrangers]

The KCA Forum is a site.

My Krag rifles and carbines have sights.

At 50 yards, my 110 grain SP-RN (reduced) loads have hit close to point of aim.

[Old Soldier]

Spellen never been my strong suit

[madsenshooter]

I've got some good groups with Hornady's .310 diameter 123gr V-max bullet. Good enough that I shot them at Camp Perry once with a load that was maybe producing around 2500fps. I need to experiment more with them, the data above will help as I see some powders that I have on hand. The load I used at Camp Perry was a Blue Dot experiment I don't recommend despite its accuracy. It seemed to me that the rifling in the throat was going forward awfully fast!

[butlersrangers]

'Madsenshooter' - Did the 'V-max' reloads feed through a full Krag magazine or are they a 'single-load' proposition?

My experience has been that short (OAL) rounds move forward in the magazine, during firing. Eventually, a round will hang-up on the case-shoulder, blocking the magazine feed.

The jam is easily cleared by opening the magazine-gate and pushing the jammed cartridge 'down and to the rear'.

Smooth feed seems dependent in part on cartridge overall length.

[madsenshooter]

They fed through my 92/96 rifles set at an OAL of 3.10". Pretty good actually. That didn't leave a whole lot of the bullet shank in the case mouth. When I started shooting the BD loads the ogives were touching the rifling in the throat of the rifle I was using, one with what appeared to be an practically new barrel. A couple hundred later I noticed that I had to seat over the magazine length before they'd touch. If I were to seat them to the crimp groove, they'd be pretty close in OAL to some Hornaday 150gr FMJBTs I have loaded to an OAL of 3.03" Jump to the rifling would be about equal too. The 150s feed reliably so far, even in the highpower match I got most of the way through.

[madsenshooter]

I really hadn't looked at the Hornady 125s lately BR. Interesting new (to me) profile on product 30192. That's very close to what I swaged the HP profile of some 140gr Nosler match bullets down to in order to make them a bit more Krag friendly up the feed ramp. I used a Lyman 329 top punch. Those Hornady 125s would probably feed well in my parkerized 92/96, but I can't say that'd be true of all rifles.