I am looking at reloading a WBY .340 round using an Accubond 250gr. Nosler has some load data on the website and I have a Hornady book with load data for 250gr rounds. Q: Is it safe to use the Hornady 250gr data for the Nosler 25gr bullet?

Thanks and don't beat me up too bad!

Yes and no it might or might not be.

I have used one brands bullet data to reload another bullet brand.

Start out low and work your way up

Hornady uses a spitzer nose, where nosler uses a secant design. ON AVERAGE, this means you can expect the hornady bullets to generate pressue faster then the Nosler bullets.

Bottom line, back off, and work up slowly, but the Hornady data should provide you with a reasonable starting point.

Once upon a time Nosler did not have a manual or publish any loading data so shooters had to use data from other sources. A lot of very useful loading data comes from Lyman and the various propellant manufacturers. It has always been common practice to substitute bullets in loading data. Just because you use a Nosler bullet does not mean your bullet is identical to the Nosler bullet the data was developed with 15 or 20 years ago. Same for the powder, primer and brass. You barrel and seating depth is different also.

No matter what the load though, don't be stupid.
Work up the load based on data from 4 or 5 manuals. Any load data that are outliers either high or low should be omitted.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

When working up a load what is the typical step-up increment amount?

Does anyone have some advice on working up Weatherby loads with the additional freebore?

You don't have to always shoot the top maximum loads that beat your rifle and shoulder. I work up in 3/10th grain increments. Look for a load that gives great accuracy that isn't dead on max and of course not over it. Remember working up loads in cold weather will give the same loads higher pressures in hot summers.

quote:

When working up a load what is the typical step-up increment amount?

I've always used 1%.....a whole grain at a time when the load is 100 grains....1/2 grain at a time when the case is being loaded at 50 grains....it's been a good rule for me.

In general, substituting a bullet of the same weight and type (in this case, jacketed cup-and-core) only requires the same adjustment as substituting any given component -- start at a reasonable level below the top listed load and work up as indicators dictate.

In actuality, the gun the round is shot in has much more to do with pressure and velocity than do the variation of components. In other words, unless you are shooting the very same rifle (not just same model and caliber) that the data was generated in, then the data is ONLY a guideline and will be by definition imprecise.