Hornady Lot to lot. 200fps difference?

[Kickin45]

Anyone know what BA after the Hornady UPC means? Assuming it’s GAP
Had an interesting day shooting today.
I’ve been breaking in my 6GT with factory H109 ammo.
In the past was only getting about 2780fps from them.
Was hoping the barrel would speed up quite a bit, but the rounds are stupid accurate.

Fast forward to today. Grabbed a couple boxes from my stash and went shooting.
Garmin immediately read 2960 for 20rnds
Looked at the box and saw GA after the UPC#
Compared old box to current box. Primers in the fast loads are gold/copper and barely have primer marks on them.

Here’s some pics for reference.
Any help to solve the mystery would help. Thanks Hide.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Probably should move this to one of the technical threads… because here in the Bear Pit…

The answers will be epic, but likely not that helpful.

In general lot numbers are just that… a “run” of ammunition. There may be small variances in the lots, which in normal use none would notice. But in precision world, there may be small differences in POI, etc.

Most of the time lot numbers are really only known to the manufacturer. Unless there is a recall or similar. And they would recall a whole “lot” with that number.

But outside the manufacturer, there is not much to discern from a lot number. It’s in their books… we don’t have insight into it as mere shooters.

Hope this helps.

Sirhr

 

[Kickin45]

Thanks sirhr. I couldn’t find just a general discussion thread.

 

[diggler1833]

I believe that the GA is just Hornady's specific loading for GA Precision to resell...but I've been wrong before.

GA could also mean "great ass", which is what @akmike47 has, and why he was fought over in prison for many years. Sadly, all that hogging out of his little leather cheerio over the years causes him to drop random turds while he's walking around the house. This is why he's always cranky and trying to start shit in the MPT.

 

[akmike47]

I believe that the GA is just Hornady's specific loading for GA Precision to resell...but I've been wrong before.

GA could also mean "great ass", which is what @akmike47 has, and why he was fought over in prison for many years. Sadly, all that hogging out of his little leather cheerio over the years causes him to drop random turds while he's walking around the house. This is why he's always cranky and trying to start shit in the MPT.

That’s quite the fantasy you wrote out, but thanks for the compliment. You can always take gay dudes compliments as truth, they are catty as hell usually.

 

[diggler1833]

That’s quite the fantasy you wrote out, but thanks for the compliment. You can always take gay dudes compliments as truth, they are catty as hell usually.

You're still mad that I won that bet where I could fit both fists up your dirt star and still have room to clap.

 

[Ledzep]

That's the item/SKU number. The GA suffix is for GA Precision when it was an exclusive deal through them.

Lot number will be around the corner on the other side of the box.

 

[akmike47]

You're still mad that I won that bet where I could fit both fists up your dirt star and still have room to clap.

No means no, I’m not a piece of meat!

 

[UKDslayer]

That's the item/SKU number. The GA suffix is for GA Precision when it was an exclusive deal through them.

Lot number will be around the corner on the other side of the box.

I believe they also did that w/Rem .260 when it first came out too (before some of you were born). They sold me four cases along with my Manners GAP build because they said it would be hard to find ammo for at the time.

 

[Kickin45]

That's the item/SKU number. The GA suffix is for GA Precision when it was an exclusive deal through them.

Lot number will be around the corner on the other side of the box.

So does GAP load these themselves?
200fps is a ton just because of a different lot.
I took 1 round from another box that did not have the GA after the SKU and the speed went back down to around 2770

 

[lonegunman762x51]

Ask Hornady. They are pretty good about responding. The lot size depends on different things. It could be based on the powder batch. If they made a batch of say 6,000 pounds of powder the lot has all the loaded rounds made with that powder.

 

[msgriff]

Makes me wonder if the GA suffix was originally formulated for bolt guns, and the more recent lots were adjusted to operate in gas guns too.

 

[Ledzep]

So does GAP load these themselves?
200fps is a ton just because of a different lot.
I took 1 round from another box that did not have the GA after the SKU and the speed went back down to around 2770

No, GAP doesn't load them. We loaded it with the GAP headstamp and sold it to GAP as the sole source for distribution. I believe that changed this year or last year and now it's a standard Hornady SKU that's available through all of our distributors.

If you have concerns with that particular lot, give our tech support a call. We can get it in and pressure/velocity test it. Load data/powder has not changed since inception across both SKUs other than a C.O.A.L. adjustment back in 2022. Do you have a SAAMI spec reamer?

ETA: What is the lot# on the brass primer stuff? Should be above the "Made in the USA" flag on the other side of the box on the same label. "32XXXXX" format.

 

[Kickin45]

This is the GA
No issues with it at all. No pressure, no swipes etc. I’m just curious about the different primers and the 200fps difference.
Shot 100rnds through it all in the 2700fps range which is really slow for 6GT
Grab a box with GA after the SKU and it’s all 2950.
Go back to non GA box, 2750

 

[Kickin45]

I appreciate all the feedback and the info given, but still have no answer to why there’s 200fps difference in lots. And only the boxes marked GA are 200fps faster. Only viable difference is primers.

 

[Kickin45]

Thanks for any info.

 

[SilentStalkr]

This is the GA
No issues with it at all. No pressure, no swipes etc. I’m just curious about the different primers and the 200fps difference.
Shot 100rnds through it all in the 2700fps range which is really slow for 6GT
Grab a box with GA after the SKU and it’s all 2950.
Go back to non GA box, 2750

You say no pressure signs and correct me if I’m wrong as my eyes may be playing tricks on me but is the GAP stuff, hold primers, not showing cratering and reformation around the firing pin or is my eyes deceiving me? That’s signs of pressure.

 

[Ronws]

I believe that the GA is just Hornady's specific loading for GA Precision to resell...but I've been wrong before.

GA could also mean "great ass", which is what @akmike47 has, and why he was fought over in prison for many years. Sadly, all that hogging out of his little leather cheerio over the years causes him to drop random turds while he's walking around the house. This is why he's always cranky and trying to start shit in the MPT.

Great, just great. Now you had to remind me of a funny ending to a story.

Back in the 90s, I was working for an electric company where the owner and possibly half the company went to the same church. Others had PO meetings.

Anyway, a supervisor I worked for named Roger had a friend, Charlie, who soon became a working friend of mine. We had similar senses of humor. Roger got Charlie this job, which was excellent for his PO meetings. Charlie spent 8 years out of 25 years to life for manslaughter. He walked ouit of prison on a Friday and was at work Monday.

Charlie and his father owned a roadhouse. Charlie liked to tell you about how the place was rough. When you walked in, they patted you down for a gun. If you didn't have one, they gave you one to even the odds.

Anyway, so, a dealer started hanging out and selling drugs out of his bar. Charlie told the guy he should either get a cut of profits or leave. It's a risk to his liquor license. The guy came up with a third option, which was to cut Charlie with a knife. Charlie reached under the bar and got his short stock shot gun and ventilated the guy, who passed away from his injuries. The dealer's friends got rid of the knife and drugs and made it look like Charlie shot an unarmed guy.

Charlie is a nice guy and will literally give you the shirt off his back if you need it. Just don't think you can take him on because he will prove you wrong.

One of the church boys was later freaked out to realize he had been working with a killer. Charlie said, "If I had known you bothered by it, I could have ended the story differently. I could have said, Hey, Bobby. You got a pretty butt."

 

[Kickin45]

You say no pressure signs and correct me if I’m wrong as my eyes may be playing tricks on me but is the GAP stuff, hold primers, not showing cratering and reformation around the firing pin or is my eyes deceiving me? That’s signs of pressure.

You are correct. In 30+ yrs of shooting, I’ve never seen a primer have barely a mark on it.
If that’s a sign of pressure, I wasn’t aware. I’m always learning.
So if that is a sign of pressure, that means the GA marked boxes are loaded hot?
Time to get out the scale and take some measurements.

 

[SilentStalkr]

You are correct. In 30+ yrs of shooting, I’ve never seen a primer have barely a mark on it.
If that’s a sign of pressure, I wasn’t aware. I’m always learning.
So if that is a sign of pressure, that means the GA marked boxes are loaded hot?
Time to get out the scale and take some measurements.

Yes, I’d pull it just for Intel. 200fps jump in a relatively smallish cartridge like that, I’d be curious what the charge was even tho I think avg speeds for a 6GT is about 2800-3000fps. But to get a 200fps jump I’m sure the GAP stuff was loaded hotter. Hornady typically errrs on the side of caution from my experience.