What are they? What's their purpose, if any? What is the difference in results?

Are they just macho things for guys who play with guns, or do they actually serve a useful purpose?

Sue

Basically, they go a bit faster, hit a bit harder and have a better one-shot stopping.

As with anything, they can be either, depending on the person. There are alwasy people trying to get the most out of any tool or object they use. They will tinker with car engines, flashlight drivers or computers. Some do it to get a better product, some do it to test their skills and some do it just to say, "hey look at this".

That said, the "professional" use of hot loads is to get better performance out of a gun/caliber, without going beyond the capabilities of either. If you can load up the powder in a 9mm, so that the performance is closer to that of a .45, (I'm using these two calibers for reference only, not saying one is better than the other) then you have achieved the ability to carry a more powerful round in a smaller package, allowing your gear to be more efficient. The SEALs have been able to do this. They carry a lot of ammunition. If they carry 1000 rounds of 9mm instead of 1000 rounds of .45, the weight they bear is reduced substantially. This is done in hunting and target shooting as well, although target shooting is more for performance than weight.

Hope this answers your question.

Susan,

I have been a shooter and reloader for a good 30 years.

Your question is too general. It needs to be more specific, like: what is a hot load for a 38 Special? This round for example has commercial ammo that is +P (extra pressure) and there is also ammo that is +P+ (safe only in new, quality, guns). Cor-Bon for example loads “hot” ammo. That is; they use light bullets pushed to maximum safe pressure for maximum velocity. Also if you reload ammo you use a reloading manual. The manual has a minimum and maximum amount of gun powder that your can use for a cartridge and bullet weight combination. If you load to the maximum then you have a “hot” load. Some reloaders will load above the maximum safe amount of gun powder listed in a reloading manual and that is also called “hot” ammo.

As a general term, related to ammunition, “hot” means that it has the maximum pressure for that cartridge to get the most velocity possible. Energy is mass times velocity squared. That means that a small increase in velocity will give a bigger boost to energy. The more energy: the more powerful the cartridge is.

Their purpose is to get a little extra velocity to get a little extra power.

The downside is (generally) more recoil and increased wear on the firearm. And if the bullet used is not designed for the higher velocities, then bullet failure can result as well.

Regards, Vince

Like others have said, "Hot Loads" have a practical application. Using a real life example, there are a few 9mm 124gr +P loads on the market that mimic a .357 125gr magnum load... of course if you not loaded a .357 magnum load...

They have their purpose, but can also cause problems. Some weapons don't like them and can become unreliable, or worse, dangerous with hot loads. Recoil increases, decreasing accuracy in the inexperienced shooter. There can also be some also some legal implication when used for defence.

Personally I use Hornady 200gr +P .45ACP because my SIG P220 prefers this ammuntion over all the others I have tried.

Here's perhaps a little more perspective on the purpose of hot loads.

I own a 44 magnum, which is quite capable of being used for hunting deer, elk, black bear, just about any big game in the lower 48 that can be hunted. The nice thing is I can also use this same firearm with different loads for self defense, small game hunting, and target shooting. Each use category has a different load characteristic. For instance, I like to use 300 grain Jacketed Hollow point bullets with a muzzle velocity of 1,300 fps(feet per second) or so for hunting elk and mule deer. This is a hot load (the maximum load my firearm and the cartridge can stand) that results in the optimum chance for one shot kills at a maximum limit of range under field conditions. Hunting can require the absolute limits of the firearm and the cartridge's potential.

For self defense, I find that hot loads in my 44 magnum are excessive and do not improve the statistics. Typically I will use 240 grain Jacketed Hollowpoint bullets at around 1,100 fps(feet per second) or so. This is a lighter, slower load than for big game hunting, because self defense doesn't typically occur at maximum ranges, and because humans are not nearly so tough as most big game animals. Also, shooting the hot loads can be a little uncomfortable. There is more felt recoil, and the muzzle blast can be excessive compared to lighter loads. In a self defense situation, I would favor quicker, more positive manipulation and control of the firearm while firing than I would need while hunting big game.

Likewise, when hunting small game, such as grouse, rabbit, various varmints, I would tend to load lighter than self defense (such as 44 caliber lead balls) except in cases where range is more a factor. The conditions may even warrant the use of shot loads (a capsule full of particles called shot that, when fired, breaks open and provides for an area of effect distribution of impact, similar to shotguns). These are both effective at harvesting small game (I've even nabbed bullfrogs once or twice) as well as controlling pests at limited ranges to avoid over penetration and unintended secondary impacts of undesirable targets. These loads have little recoil and may not be usable in semi automatic firearms.

Hot loads do have their place. In smaller firearms, hot loads may only serve as self defense loads, and may not be suitable for big game hunting at all. They may be legal to use, but I would not consider any hot 9mm parabellum handgun load to be an ethical big game round.

"Hot loads" (+p) rounds have their place but as long as you choose the right round..ie hydroshock, golden saber,sxt you wont have to worry about it being a hot load or not.... and you wont have to worry about your weapons reliability

I cannot agree with that statement. I think that there are too many firearms out there, even new models, that cannot handle +p ammo of any type. I also believe that bullet velocity and bullet selection must be mutually evaluated because some bullets do not perform well at higher than standard cartridge velocities, while others only perform at or near maximum.

As previously mentioned, hot loads are not synonymous with +p loads. A hot load is a load that is at or near the maximum limits of both the cartridge and the firearm it is loaded in. A +P load can be an overload in some firearms.

Most semi-automatic pistols are designed with a recoil spring(s) with a tension set to a certain recoil level based on a standard load range (somewhere between a squib load and a hot load). Since the reloading mechanism operation is based on the dynamics of spring tension vs blowback force, using ammunition that is not calibrated to the spring tension will likely cause the firearm to malfunction, and could result in catastrophic failure leading to injury or death. Spring tension can be adjusted by using heavier springs, such as was the case with the Canadian made Brigadier; a Colt 45 knockoff with heavier recoil springs capable of firing a 230 grain bullet at 1,100 to 1,200 fps ( much like the LAR Grizzly in 45 win mag) without risk of damage or injury.

I would advise against using +P or hot loaded ammunition in any firearm unless you are sure the design and condition of the gun warrant it's use.

yes.. as a general rule.. +p rounds should be avoided.. the gun makers and ammo makers go to considerable lengths to make sure their products perform to high standards and consistantly... If you have a top end gun and use top end ammo your good to go...