I've never heard of or noticed this distinction with Speer bullets--and I could swear even my reloading components are labeled "Gold Dot"--but it is the case with Hornady XTP vs HAP. Competitive shooters discovered that the XTP was very accurate, but too expensive for high volume shooting. So, Hornady came out with the Hornady Action Pistol (HAP), an XTP without extra cuts that competition shooters don't care about anyway. However, in the case of the Hornady bullets, they are clearly labeled and there is no mystery about which is which.
Lincoln
Speaking as a manufacturer of precision stuff, I can offer that it is a common approach to delete a feature that may not have any impact on cost (or even a negative impact) so that you can sell that product to a different market at a lower price without devaluing the original product. A thing is worth what it is perceived to be worth.
Ignore Alien Orders
I finally got a chance to test the Bufffalo Bore 147gr loads today. Previously, I've fired a 1,000 round case of Georgia Arms and maybe about 200 of my own reloads loaded with the 147gr Gold Dot bullet in the test gun with no failures to feed. Today, I had 3 failures to feed in 40 rounds, which is when I decided to give up on the Buffalo Bores. With every failure, the bullet caught on the bottom edge of the barrel's integral feed ramp.
Wondering what the problem was, I measured the rounds when I got home with digital calipers. Their OAL is only 1.220". When I loaded rounds with this bullet, I had them way out at 1.260". I don't have any Georgia Arms on hand to measure.
Perhaps they would work well in a 1911 with a traditional feed ramp, which provides a shallower feed angle.
Lincoln
Last edited by lcarr; 12-31-2011 at 08:44 PM.
Nnnnnope. My LWC is unramped and it puked all over the BB. How did you find the recoil signature? I thought it was jarring and abrupt compared to even very hot 125s.
I am resurrecting a 550 that has been rusting in the basement for a few years. We will see what I can brew up.
Ignore Alien Orders
I always liked these loads out of an all steel full size gun. A couple of years ago, I ran a controllability test using at least 9 different gun/load combinations. The full size Super with the 147gr Georgia Arms load beat everything else--by a large margin. That's why it's my preferred carry gun to this day.
When I had similar feeding issues with Cor-Bon DPX, I blamed the bullet shape. I now think I could get it to work if I loaded the Barnes bullet myself. The 125gr Gold Dot for .357 SIG may be a good bullet to try, too, since it is designed to work at the higher velocities, though in the long run I'll probably stick with the 147gr for its sectional density.
Lincoln