Seems like current load data does NOT take into consideration what is being manufactured! Or am I just looking in the wrong place?

You are looking in the wrong place.


http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/

https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/


Realize that what the ammo factories use and what is available to the reloader are two different things in many cases.

You will never get all the same powders, primers, wads and shot that the factories use.

And if you are looking in PRINTED shotshell loading manuals, the data is usually based on the components commonly available for a year or so before the manual is published.

So, for example, in the most current Lyman print manual (edition 5), published in 2007, the MOST recent components in their loads will have been what was available in 2006 (since it takes a year or so to review and print a major manual with hundreds of pages of data to check over).

And, a surprising number of the loads that got published in the 5th edition were just straight copied over from the 4th or even 3rd edition of the Lyman manual. Especially where THOSE loads' components were known not to have changed in their ballistic performance since they were originally published.

Therefore, no wad, powder, primer, or hull that was made (first-released-to-reloaders) AFTER 2006 shows up in the Lyman 5th edition manual. The other problem is that there are MANY loads in the manual for which you can no longer expect to find one or more discontinued component(s) (say, PB powder), and almost no one can use that load recipe.

The same problem CAN exist with on-line data, but the manufacturers are much more motivated to update their loading data when it can just be done electronically. But, they all still need to review their ballistics-technicians-produced data for reasonableness before they put the loads on-line. So, the on-line data from the powder or wad companies tends to show current components much more quickly than in-print handbooks - but even that cannot cover all the latest components or all the millions of combinations of components.

Good luck, garrisonjoe

Never say never. Winchester has published the exact components used in some factory loaded shells. Remington at one time printed what powder they used in, I think it was in Nitro 27s. I think it’s a safe bet they used their wads and primers too. I guess if we can believe them you can use the exact same components as the factory. Though it’s been a while since I’ve seen any Remington STS or WW shot.
Other than those two, I’m not aware of any other shell manufacturers that told what they used in their shells that was also available to us handloaders.
I suspect Alcan used their own powder of some blend or other with their wads and primers in their shells too. But they never identified the powder that I’m aware of.

BP

avtech-
Sometimes I fail to understand questions posted on this forum. This is one of those times.

Could you help me by providing one or two examples of some current load data that does not take into consideration what is being manufactured?

Many thanks.
--Bob

Well thank you pitted bore because I also can not understand what the OP is talking about. I don't use the Lyman manual [ although other than that I'm a big Lyman fan ] but the reloaders guides from Hodgdons and Alliant. Everything listed in their loads are being produced and available to us. Maybe avtech can put his question another way.

I went back and looked at his thread heading -
Mfg current wads vs load data? Maybe he's asking about Mfg wads. I'm not sure.

Never throw out older printed loading manuals. My experience is the on line manufacturer’s loading sites usually drop loads made with components no longer being manufactured. I have loads of components that are “obsolete”. But because I have older manuals, I can still make up loads for them.

I guess that avtech isn't all that interested in the answer to the question.

Not only Winchester, but Peter’s printed the exact recipe on the box if you wanted to duplicate it. As I recall, on the 20 ga target shells the powder used was Unique

Yeah.

And here I wanted to ask what "[*]" meant when placed at the beginning of his post....

Is that an abbreviation for the Texas state flag?

garrisonjoe

A bracketed asterisk is part of bbcode for creating a bulleted list, but that usage makes no sense in the original post.
--Bob