The need for safe and accurate load data goes clear back to the beginnings of Hodgdon Powder Company, when its founder, Bruce Hodgdon, began buying surplus military powder and wanted his customers to be able to confidently buy and use his products. What began at the reloading bench in his basement, followed by trips to the range to generate loads for a few powders, has, over the years, become thousands of loads. Today that load data is the backbone of Hodgdon Powder Company. Hodgdon has two Ballistics Labs that generate all online and print data that you see today—one in Kansas and one in Montana. We use S.A.A.M.I.-spec pressure barrels made by the best custom-barrel manufacturers in the U.S., with min-spec chambers to ensure accurate and reliable data.
Speaking of S.A.A.M.I., Hodgdon Powder Company has been a proud S.A.A.M.I. member for 22+ years. As experts in the arms and ammunition industry, Hodgdon employees have been members of the S.A.A.M.I. Joint Technical Committee, Legal and Legislative Committee, and the Regulative Affairs Committee. To better understand the relationship between Hodgdon and S.A.A.M.I., let’s look at what S.A.A.M.I. is. S.A.A.M.I. is the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute. Founded in 1926 at the request of the Federal government, S.A.A.M.I. was tasked with:
- Creating and publishing industry standards for safety, interchangeability, reliability, and quality
- Coordinating technical data
- Promoting safe and responsible firearms use
S.A.A.M.I.’s mission is to create and promulgate technical, performance, interchangeability, and safety standards for firearms, ammunition, and components; and to be the preeminent global resource for the safe and responsible manufacturing, transportation, storage, and use of those products.
Today, S.A.A.M.I. is composed of the nation’s leading manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. The primary work of S.A.A.M.I. is done by its Joint Technical Committee in the establishment of product and industry standards for ammunition and firearms. These standards establish criteria like cartridge and chamber dimensions, barrel length and twist rate, as well as velocity and pressure standards for each cartridge.
Hodgdon Powder Company’s two Ballistic Test labs have been set up and operated using equipment and test standards that have been developed and established by S.A.A.M.I. Using both the Copper Crusher System (CUP) and the modern Piezoelectric Transducer System (PSI) for measuring pressure levels, Hodgdon produces safe, reliable reloading data for our customers that is within S.A.A.M.I. Maximum Average Pressure (MAP) limits for each cartridge listed. The copper crusher method uses pressure to apply force to a carefully machined copper cylinder of exact dimensions. The pressure applied to the cylinder deforms the copper cylinder. The deformation of the cylinder is measured with CUP units being applied from a previously compiled tarage table specific to each copper cylinder lot. The more modern method of measuring pressures involves using conformal piezo electronic transducers that sit just outside the case wall to measure pressures being generated. To further ensure the accuracy and safety of all our data, Hodgdon participates in S.A.A.M.I. round-robin testing of Reference Ammunition lots produced for the validation of test barrels, electronic transducers, and ballistic systems.
The reloading data available in the Basic Manual, Hodgdon Annual Manual, and the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center has been generated using methods, procedures, and equipment that meets the minimum requirements detailed in the S.A.A.M.I. Standards. Every time you pull the trigger you can be confident the load you are firing was thoroughly tested to be safe and reliable. The accuracy, well, that’s up to you!