My favorite load

[loadedround]

When I first acquired my Delta Elite in the mid 80's there was very little loading data available let alone let alone dies or cases. I remember buying and firing Hornady 20 pks of ammo just for empty cases to reload. I finally settled on 8.0 gr of Blue Dot with a 180 gr Speer JHP for practice and pin shooting and my carry load is the same bullet over 10.2 grs. For over 25 years, I couldn't see any reason to change. YMMV.

[michael e]

I am still playing with diffrent bullets/powders .   So no favorite has been picked out yet.     

[Vice]

When I first acquired my Delta Elite in the mid 80's there was very little loading data available let alone let alone dies or cases. I remember buying and firing Hornady 20 pks of ammo just for empty cases to reload. I finally settled on 8.0 gr of Blue Dot with a 180 gr Speer JHP for practice and pin shooting and my carry load is the same bullet over 10.2 grs. For over 25 years, I couldn't see any reason to change. YMMV.

I got my first Bren Ten a year or two before the Deltas came out.  I don't remember Hornady Ten at that time, only Norma 10mm was scarcely available for a premium.  And it was Hot stuff in the early days.

[sqlbullet]

When I first acquired my Delta Elite in the mid 80's there was very little loading data available let alone let alone dies or cases. I remember buying and firing Hornady 20 pks of ammo just for empty cases to reload. I finally settled on 8.0 gr of Blue Dot with a 180 gr Speer JHP for practice and pin shooting and my carry load is the same bullet over 10.2 grs. For over 25 years, I couldn't see any reason to change. YMMV.

Alliant says 10.2 grains of blue dot should make about 1200 fps with a 180 grain JHP.  A good carry load.

The issue I have had with lighter loads and Blue Dot is very poor powder burn.  Do you use Magnum primers or just live with unburned powder in the action?

[alwaysshootin]

When I first acquired my Delta Elite in the mid 80's there was very little loading data available let alone let alone dies or cases. I remember buying and firing Hornady 20 pks of ammo just for empty cases to reload. I finally settled on 8.0 gr of Blue Dot with a 180 gr Speer JHP for practice and pin shooting and my carry load is the same bullet over 10.2 grs. For over 25 years, I couldn't see any reason to change. YMMV.

Alliant says 10.2 grains of blue dot should make about 1200 fps with a 180 grain JHP.  A good carry load.

The issue I have had with lighter loads and Blue Dot is very poor powder burn.  Do you use Magnum primers or just live with unburned powder in the action?

1200fps is going to be my goal, but using XTP's, and over Long Shot. My thinking is 180 going 1200 is the perfect carry load.

[Turo]

1200fps is going to be my goal, but using XTP's, and over Long Shot. My thinking is 180 going 1200 is the perfect carry load.

At the moment, my carry load is just about what you mentioned.  180gr XTP over 9.5gr Longshot which gives an avg velocity of 1213 fps*.  They actually feel a little light (recoil-wise) to me, but then again that means faster follow up shots. 
I'm hoping to move up to a 9.8 gr load which moves about 1260 fps once I get more of them downrange to prove reliability.

*Out of a stock Glock 20 barrel.

[loadedround]

Two questions have been asked and need answering:

1. Hornady ammo was out (on the shelf) when I first got my Delta Elite. It was packaged 20 rounds in a oblong white box. It was loaded with a 180 gr JHP and it was HOT! I still have two boxes of the Hornady factory if anyone desires pics. If I remember correctly, the Norma stuff was twice the price.

2. I use only winchester LP primers in my 10mm loads and have never experienced unburned powder in my barrel or action.

[sqlbullet]

Winchester.  My experience is that they are hotter than most normal primer.

CCI 300 + moderate loads of Blue Dot leave unburned flakes in all my guns.

[humphreys19]

Call me old fashioned if you want, but I have yet to find a handgun cartridge that can't be loaded successfully with Unique.
Maybe not for full maximum, super duty, nuclear type loads, but good plinkers, and good full power service loads.
8 grains behind a 165 HP ( I am using Zero at the moment ) makes me happy, is .3 gr under Alliant's max, and shoots great in my 20sf and my converted 30.

Happy shooting, Tom

[sqlbullet]

I have nothing against Unique.  Burned several pounds of it through my guns.  Extremely versatile as far as loading a range of calibers.  Doesn't deliver max performance in the 10mm, but certainly good performance.  Better for the lighter bullets.  In the heavies I tend to load for it just bests 40 S&W performance, but is great of plinking, and those are certainly serviceable loads.

[The_Shadow]

Blue Dot has been a mainstay for many calibers/cartridges...while it may not produce the highest velocities it is up there and the accuracy is fantastic.

10.5 grains under the 200 Hornady XTP works well from my S&W1006.

[Maine1]

Unique is a great general purpose powder. i use it for practice loads in 38, 9mm, 40, 45 and a little bit in 10mm.  I get the 8# jugs, and i don't bother with the 1# cans anymore.

If i am going to send an XTP from a 10mm, it will be going 10mm speed, and unique wil not quite do it...so i get out the 800X. Too bad, if i could get a 200 gr XTP to 1200 in a 10mm, i'd be in heaven.

[Taterhead]

Winchester.  My experience is that they are hotter than most normal primer.

CCI 300 + moderate loads of Blue Dot leave unburned flakes in all my guns.

Same here. Blue Dot likes to be revved up. You've probably found, as I have, that it gets VERY clean as pressures climb. The dirty burn of moderate loads still somehow produces the accuracy leader in my G20. My G20 groups well with BD for just about any bullet type.

[REDLINE]

Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm only throwing out some speculation and wouldn't really know at this point.  But for an all around powder that seems to offer up decent velocities, even if not 100% top notch velocities, without having to fill up the case to achieve the results, and at a fairly reasonable cost as far as powders go, seems like Power Pistol might not be a bad choice.  Do you experienced loaders feel the same, or am I way off base here and completely missing something?

[DM1906]

Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm only throwing out some speculation and wouldn't really know at this point.  But for an all around powder that seems to offer up decent velocities, even if not 100% top notch velocities, without having to fill up the case to achieve the results, and at a fairly reasonable cost as far as powders go, seems like Power Pistol might not be a bad choice.  Do you experienced loaders feel the same, or am I way off base here and completely missing something?

Generally speaking......
Case fill = consistency.  The closer you get to 100%, the more consistent the round will be.  This is why, while they don't offer the highest velocities in short barrels, AA9 and 2400 (and others, like 4227) are the most consistent and accurate.  Choose your trade-off.  If the case capacity were a little greater, 296 would be the bomb!