And to add a little to that helpful post......
The 115gr. and 124gr. refer to the bullet weight in "grains", not the pressure or propellant charge. You can have hot and mild 115 loads, and hot and mild 124 loads.

Thank you for the more insightful response Jon. As I said, I’m new to this but trying to learn what I can and perhaps eventually load my own ammo; I just don’t want to be too hasty about it.

Another variable is the burning rate of the powder, and it's ignition pressure curve. All of the factors (bullet weight, powder charge, specific primer, case dimension, headspace, chamber profile, and the run-in to the barrel rifling) are involved in a balance that the pistol's mechanism must cope with during the firing cycle. Firearms are designed to handle specific maximum pressures that pulse along the ignition pressure curve.

DWM and the group owned firearm manufacturers, powder manufacturers, component manufacturers and complete cartridge manufacturers. They had complete control in their design, development and testing of complete systems.

Today, with the broad market for firearms and ammo, we tend to forget that Lugers were developed as complete systems including the ammo.

With the broad marketplace, and competing suppliers today, standards had to be developed. That is what SAAMI is. SAAMI didn't exist when our Lugers were invented, because it didn't have to. DWM had complete control.

There is considerable research in developing the loads used in modern metallic cartridge ammunition. It is empirical (not theoretical) research, done in the lab by ammo and component manufacturers.

They publish books with specific recommendations for working up loads, including brands of bullet, powder and primer. These give good starting points for developing a load for a specific firearm.

Marc

Thanx to both Jon and mrerick for their more in-depth explanations. For those of us who don't know this kind of stuff, its a real Revelation! I'm just used to pulling the trigger and the gun goes bang.

What is the load on White box???

Here's a discussion about Winchester white box load data that I found online.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/inde...owtopic=145033

I would assume that all the components, including the powder, are made by Winchester.

Marc

Hi:

I'm sorry for my short answer above, but I usually get online after midnight. It is 3:52 AM here now.

Winchester does publish the specs. on its White Box 115gr "Target" ammo (not to be confused with its NATO spec. ammo that is avalable to the public as well).

If memory serves, it is at nearly 1,200 FPS, again too hot for an original Luger by some 12%

Also, the White Box I have shot has not grouped well at all.

Custom reloads I've developed (search my name for them) will easily shoot into one inch at 25 yards (shot over a sand bag).

Have any of you had any particular success wth the White Box as far as accuracy goes?

Sieger

I got your back, Jack! :D

This has been posted several times before; but since the Search function that John D. paid a lot to have included in vBulletin gets so little use, here's a new scan of Winchester's 'White Box' Target 115gr FMJ ammunition. Note the teeny-tiny ballistics table on the back.

I would also like to point out that powder composition changes, sometimes from year to year. A reloading table/book from years ago will not necessarily reflect real world values today. The Greens have had a detrimental effect on what can be used in smokeless powder today (or yesterday) as compared to loads worked up in years past and posted/written in reloading manuals & magazines. Always use the minimum load listed for any particular bullet and work your way up.

My $.02