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pistolchamp wrote: There is no factory load that I know of in any caliber that you cannot duplicate with canister powders... use the various reloading manuals and they will get you right where you want to be and safely.

So far, I haven't found any published loads that will duplicate published ballistics of Hornady's "Light Magnum" 180 grain .30/06 or their "Heavy Magnum" 300 grain .375 H&H.

I also haven't found published loads that will duplicate Cor-Bon's claimed ballistics in 9mm P. (115 JHP @ 1350)

My "standard" loads for the '06 use RL22. (BTW, the top velocities in the Nosler manual are wildly optimistic when fired in regular guns.) I use Winchester's 760 for the .375 . . . basically, these loads in my rifles - and those of friends - essentially duplicate what the factory claims (but seldom delivers!) from their "standard" loadings in regular production guns.

I'm too timid to work into the safety margin of any of my guns for what is really a modest increase in velocity (percentage wise, at least) but I'm always willing to learn.

Any specific suggestions on duplicating "Light Magnum" or "High Energy" factory loads?

Winchester's loading manual often makes reference to what the "factory" powder is - for example, 296 is touted as the "factory" powder in .357 Mag ammo. WWB in 9mm? Your guess is as good as mine, but FWIW it clocks a little over 1200 ft/sec out of my G17.

But . . . the powder the factory uses is probably not identical in burning rate to the cannister type powder you buy. Close . . . but not exact. The ballisticians at commercial concerns will take samples from each lot of powder and adjust the charge up or down in order to meet pressure and velocity specs. Cannister powders are deliberately held to a more consistent standard, cannister lot to cannister lot, as few reloaders have even a chronograph, let alone a pressure gun.

For example, the GI Ball load was originally supposed to be a 230 FMJ with 4.6 grains of Bullseye #2 . . . we have Bullseye today, but how many of us have encountered numbered Bullseye powders?

Barnes' Cartridges of the World lists the powder charges used in some USGI military ammo . . . some of the numbers are familiar, but others are "non-cannister" powders which do not necessarily have an exact commercial match.