WB
One might presume that the factories had it all figured.
Thursday, January 25, 2018, 15:46

That is an arguable point. Likely it's true if you are shooting factory produced jacketed projectiles and shooting factory ammo. However if you reload and have a specialty application like a overcapacity 12" barrel handgun, you can custom taylor loads (no pun) for greatly enhanced performance. Ditto for a big bore revolver. A bit faster burning rate for a rifle capacity hunting handgun specialty ctg. or maybe a heavier bullet to give more resistance in the short tube, burning more powder, and improving efficiency.

Cast bullets are slicker, and have less resistance in the bore than jacketed counterparts. In a typical pistol or revolver I regularly see 100 fps for a given weight at the same pressures listed, sometimes more! Also I can add a bit of weight, go the same speed, at the same lighter factory pressure for a notable increase.

In all it's mostly tinkering and harmless fun. Any animal shot will likely not be impressed with my efforts or notice any extra 200 fps. But every once in a while I find a guy who just emptied some 240 gr. JHP into a hog and it ran off, while my story goes more like the shot went completely though to cut a sapling in half on the off side, said hog ran 10 yds. and piled up. (How many .44 Magnum JHP in the buffalo, Denning, 11? - HIS beginning of the search) As noted there is a point of diminishing returns, a line that is truly silly and rough on equipment to cross. Many do too. But it is fun to search out that line and find your comfort zone, just the right spot.