Speer Load Data & Reloading Guide
Speer is a highly respected name in the ammunition industry, with a rich history dating back to 1943 when founder Vernon Speer started producing bullet jackets themselves due to supply shortages. Over decades, Speer has distinguished itself through continuous innovation and a commitment to delivering high-quality components for reloaders. The company specializes in creating bullets that cater specifically to handloaders, offering products such as the renowned Speer Gold Dot line for self-defense and hunting applications. Their precise engineering ensures consistency, a critical factor for those who demand optimum performance from their loads.
About Speer
Reloaders working with Speer products benefit from the company's strict quality control processes and adherence to rigorous industry standards. This commitment to quality ensures that each bullet, whether for target shooting or hunting, performs reliably and consistently. In addition to bullets, Speer provides well-researched reloading data, enabling reloaders to develop and refine their loads with confidence. Their comprehensive reloading manuals and online resources cover a wide range of calibers, offering precise measurements and recommended powder weights to achieve the desired ballistics.
Within the handloading community, Speer enjoys a stellar reputation for reliability and innovation. Their dedication to product excellence and continuous development makes them a preferred choice among experienced reloaders seeking precise and dependable results. Speer's contribution to advancing handloading techniques and their ongoing support for reloaders highlight their role as an indispensable component manufacturer in the industry.
Develop your own Speer Load Recipes
Use our ballistics calculator to create precise load recipes with products from this manufacturer.
Start CalculatingSpeer Bullet Types
Popular bullet types from this manufacturer – more may be available
Speer - Boaottail
The Speer Boat Tail bullet is designed for accuracy and terminal performance, making it ideal for handloaders and hunters. Its boat tail design helps ...
Speer - Deep Curl
The Speer Deep Curl bullet is designed for reliable expansion and deep penetration, making it ideal for handloaders and hunters pursuing medium to lar...
Speer - Gold Dot
The Speer Gold Dot is the world's most trusted law enforcement and self-defense bullet, featuring Uni-Cor bonded construction that electrochemically f...
Speer - Grand Slam
The Speer Grand Slam is a premium hunting bullet designed for deep penetration on large, tough game. Its unique two-core construction features a front...
Speer - Hot-Cor
The Speer Hot-Cor bullet is known for its unique construction that blends a lead core with a copper jacket, designed for optimal performance in variou...
Speer - Jacketed HP
The Speer Jacketed Hollow Point (HP) bullet is designed for optimal expansion and performance in hunting and self-defense applications. Its constructi...
Speer - TNT
The Speer TNT bullet is designed for handloaders and hunters seeking a high-performance projectile with rapid expansion and deep penetration. Featurin...
Standard Load Data — Speer
Select your desired cartridge and bullet weight below to access the corresponding load table. From there, you can choose any listed load recipe and transfer it directly into the ballistics calculator for further refinement, optimization, and precision tuning.
.355 | 124gr | Speer TMJ
9 mm Para
.243 | 90gr | Speer FMJ
6 mm B.R. Norma
.308 | 150gr | Speer Gold Dot
.308 Win.
.308 | 168gr | Speer Target Match
.308 Win.
.243 | 70gr | Speer TNT
6 mm ARC
.308 | 172gr | Speer Impact
.30-06 Spring.
.264 | 140gr | Speer Hot-Cor
6.5 x 55 Swedish
.224 | 55gr | Speer TNT
.223 Rem.
.355 | 124gr | Speer Hollow Point Gold Dot
9 mm Para
.355 | 115gr | Speer TMJ
9 mm Para
.310 | 125gr | Speer HP TNT
.300 AAC Blackout
.323 | 170gr | Speer Hot-Cor
8 mm Rem. Mag.
.264 | 140gr | Speer Gold Dot
6.5 Creedmoor
.243 | 90gr | Speer Hot-Cor
.243 Win.
.284 | 115gr | Speer Hollow Point
7 x 65 R Brenneke
.323 | 170gr | Speer Hot-Cor
8 x 57 IRS
.264 | 120gr | Speer Gold Dot
6.5 Creedmoor
.243 | 70gr | Speer TNT
.243 Win.
.308 | 168gr | Speer MHP BTHP M
.308 Win.
.308 | 168gr | Speer Target Match
7.5 x 55 Swiss
.323 | 170gr | Speer Hot-Cor
8 x 75 RS
.358 | 158gr | Speer LSWC
.38 Special
.264 | 140gr | Speer Gold Dot
.260 Ackley Improved
.323 | 170gr | Speer Hot-Cor
8 x 68 S
Community Loads — Speer
Sample load data using Speer bullets or powders from our database.
You need a PRO license to unlock and view all data.
We have the following 289 Speer Bullets in our Database:
.204 | 32gr | Speer TNT Green
.204 | 39gr | Speer TNT
.220 | 50gr | Speer HP TNT
.223 | 40gr | Speer SSSP
.223 | 45gr | Speer Spitzer Soft Point
.224 | 30gr | Speer TNT Green
.224 | 33gr | Speer TNT
.224 | 40gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point
.224 | 43gr | Speer TNT Green
.224 | 45gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point
.224 | 46gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point
.224 | 50gr | Speer HP TNT Green
.224 | 50gr | Speer MHP
.224 | 50gr | Speer TNT
.224 | 50gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point
.224 | 52gr | Speer Target Match
.224 | 52gr | Speer Varmint Hollow Point
.224 | 55gr | Speer FMJ
.224 | 55gr | Speer Gold Dot
.224 | 55gr | Speer SP w/C
.224 | 55gr | Speer TBBC
.224 | 55gr | Speer TMJ
.224 | 55gr | Speer TNT
.224 | 55gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point
Frequently Asked Questions
No. ApexLOAD PRO is a dynamic internal ballistics simulation platform, not a static load table. It enables you to generate a very large number of load variations by combining Speer bullets with suitable calibers and a broad spectrum of propellants. The example data shown below is provided purely for illustration and easier side-by-side comparison.
Variations usually result from differing input assumptions. When comparing simulated results with Speer’s published load data, it is essential to match core parameters such as case capacity, cartridge overall length (COAL), and barrel length. Even relatively small changes in these variables can noticeably affect predicted chamber pressure and muzzle velocity.
Speer’s published reloading data is based on controlled laboratory testing and pressure-verified combinations of specific bullets and powders. However, it is naturally limited to the exact configurations that were physically tested. ApexLOAD PRO, on the other hand, allows fully adjustable simulations. Users can modify seating depth, internal case volume, barrel specifications, safety margins, and other variables to reflect their specific firearm and component setup. Additional analytical tools, such as burn progression modeling and barrel time analysis, support more detailed load tuning.
From a database perspective, ApexLOAD PRO spans a considerably broader range of components. It includes hundreds of cartridge types, thousands of bullet entries from multiple manufacturers, and an extensive powder library across many brands. Speer’s reloading data focuses primarily on Speer projectiles and the powders tested with them, covering a more defined selection of cartridges and load combinations. Consequently, ApexLOAD PRO offers greater modeling flexibility and a wider combinational scope, whereas Speer’s data emphasizes empirically tested recipes for selected components
Speer's bullet lineup is built around a reputation for reliable, consistent, real-world performance rather than cutting-edge innovation for its own sake. Speer has always occupied a practical, shooter-focused position in the market — producing bullets that work dependably across a wide range of conditions, cartridges, and applications, at a price point that makes serious reloading accessible without sacrificing quality. Their portfolio spans hunting, self-defence, and target shooting, with particular strength in bonded hunting bullets and law enforcement-grade handgun projectiles that have set standards in their respective categories.
Grand Slam — Controlled Expansion Hunting The Grand Slam is Speer's premium rifle hunting bullet and one of their most respected products for large and tough game. It uses a bonded construction where the lead core is chemically fused to the jacket, preventing separation even at high impact velocities or when encountering heavy bone. The jacket is tapered — thinner at the nose to encourage reliable expansion initiation and progressively thicker toward the base to control the expansion process and retain mass. The result is a bullet that typically retains 85–95% of its weight while expanding to approximately 1.5–1.8x its original diameter, delivering both a large wound channel and deep penetration. The Grand Slam is available in calibres from 6mm through .375, covering deer, elk, moose, bear, and African plains game applications. It is particularly well regarded for elk and moose hunting where deep penetration through heavy muscle and bone is essential, and for situations where impact velocity is unpredictable — either very close range or extended distance.
Hot-Cor — Traditional Hunting Bullet The Hot-Cor is Speer's traditional cup-and-core hunting bullet and one of their longest-running products, using a manufacturing process where molten lead is poured directly into the jacket during production rather than inserted as a pre-formed core. This creates a mechanical bond between core and jacket that is stronger than conventional cup-and-core designs, reducing core-jacket separation at moderate impact velocities without the cost of full chemical bonding. The Hot-Cor delivers reliable controlled expansion on deer and medium game across standard hunting distances, and its affordable price point makes it an excellent choice for high-volume hunters and those loading for multiple rifles across different cartridges. Available from .224 through .458 in a wide range of weights, it covers virtually every mainstream hunting cartridge and has earned a reputation for consistent field performance over decades of use.
African Grand Slam — Dangerous Game The African Grand Slam series represents Speer's dedicated dangerous game offering, designed for the largest and most dangerous African and Asian species where conventional hunting bullets are inadequate. The lineup consists of two complementary bullet types intended to be used together — a soft-nose bonded expanding bullet for the initial shot where energy transfer and tissue destruction are required, and a solid for follow-up shots where straight-line penetration through the heaviest bone and muscle is the only acceptable performance standard. The soft-nose variant uses full core bonding and a thick, controlled jacket to deliver deep penetration while still expanding reliably, while the solid is built from a homogeneous construction designed to drive straight without deformation regardless of what it encounters. Available in the classic dangerous game calibres including .375, .416, .458, and .500, the African Grand Slam series is built to the standards demanded by professional hunters and dangerous game guides operating in situations where bullet failure is not an option.
Gold Dot — Law Enforcement and Self-Defence The Gold Dot is without question Speer's most famous and commercially significant product, and one of the most widely used law enforcement handgun bullets in the world. Its defining technology is Uni-Cor construction — a process where the jacket is electrochemically deposited directly onto the lead core one molecule at a time, creating a true molecular bond between core and jacket rather than a mechanical or chemical one. This essentially eliminates any possibility of core-jacket separation regardless of impact velocity, barrier penetration, or environmental conditions. The Gold Dot hollow point cavity is precisely engineered to initiate reliable, uniform expansion across the full range of velocities encountered in real-world defensive scenarios — from short-barrel concealed carry pistols through full-length service pistols. It meets and exceeds the FBI's demanding ballistic testing protocol, which requires reliable expansion and penetration through heavy clothing, automotive glass, sheet metal, drywall, and bare gelatin — the standard by which all serious defensive handgun ammunition is measured. Gold Dot is available in virtually every defensive handgun calibre — 9mm, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and more — in a wide range of weights and configurations including standard pressure, +P, and short barrel variants optimised for compact carry pistols. The Gold Dot G2 represents an evolution of the original design, featuring a softer, elastomer-filled tip cavity that initiates expansion more consistently at reduced velocities — specifically addressing the challenge of reliable expansion from short-barrel pistols where muzzle velocities are significantly lower than standard test conditions.
Gold Dot Rifle — Barrier Blind Rifle Performance The Gold Dot Rifle extends the Gold Dot technology into the rifle calibre category, applying the same Uni-Cor bonding process to rifle bullets for law enforcement and tactical applications. Designed primarily for .223 Remington and 5.56mm NATO in patrol rifle configurations, it delivers reliable expansion and weight retention after penetrating common law enforcement barriers — automotive glass, sheet metal, and body armour — where conventional rifle bullets often fragment or deflect unpredictably. The Gold Dot Rifle bullet has been adopted by numerous law enforcement agencies as their standard patrol rifle loading, valued for its consistent terminal performance and barrier-blind reliability.
TNT — Varmint and Predator The TNT (Total Nastiness — a nod to its explosive terminal performance) is Speer's dedicated varmint bullet, engineered for immediate, explosive fragmentation on impact with small targets. It features an extremely thin jacket and a hollow point cavity designed to initiate complete fragmentation at varmint hunting velocities, delivering maximum energy transfer and minimal ricocheting risk. Available in .172, .204, .224, and .243 calibres, the TNT covers the full range of varmint cartridges from .17 Remington through .243 Winchester, and it performs particularly well at the high velocities generated by dedicated varmint cartridges like .22-250 Remington and .220 Swift. The TNT Green variant uses a lead-free frangible construction for non-toxic applications while maintaining the same explosive terminal performance characteristics.
Speer Rifle — Target and Practice Speer's standard rifle bullet lineup covers the most common target and practice applications across mainstream calibres. These are conventional cup-and-core designs — boat tail hollow points and soft points — built to Speer's quality standards for consistent accuracy and reliable performance without the premium pricing of their bonded hunting lines. They are widely used for target shooting, load development, and hunting applications where advanced bonding technology is not required. Available across the most common rifle calibres from .224 through .30 calibre, they represent an accessible entry point into Speer's lineup for shooters building general-purpose loads.
Handgun Bullets — Target and Practice Beyond the Gold Dot defensive line, Speer produces a broad range of handgun bullets for target shooting, competition, and practice. Their TMJ (Total Metal Jacket) bullets enclose the entire lead core including the base in a copper jacket — unlike conventional FMJ designs that leave the lead base exposed — which eliminates airborne lead vapour at indoor ranges and reduces barrel leading. TMJ bullets are particularly popular with competitive shooters and indoor range users where lead exposure is a concern. Their JHP (Jacketed Hollow Point) and JSP (Jacketed Soft Point) handgun bullets cover standard target and hunting handgun applications across 9mm, .38, .357, .40, .44, and .45 calibre in a wide range of weights.
Lawman — Training and Practice The Lawman line deserves mention as a bullet and ammunition concept that reflects Speer's deep roots in the law enforcement market. Lawman training bullets are specifically designed to match the trajectory, recoil, and point of impact of Gold Dot defensive loads — allowing law enforcement officers and defensive shooters to train with an affordable practice load that performs identically to their duty ammunition at the range. This training-to-duty ammunition matching concept, while seemingly simple, addresses a genuine and important real-world need and reflects Speer's practical, application-driven approach to product development.
Overall Positioning What defines Speer as a brand is a consistent focus on dependable real-world performance over theoretical perfection. The Gold Dot set a genuine standard in defensive handgun terminal ballistics that competitors have spent decades trying to match. The Grand Slam and Hot-Cor deliver honest, reliable hunting performance without overclaiming. The African Grand Slam addresses the most demanding hunting application with appropriate seriousness. Speer does not chase headline-grabbing BC numbers or exotic materials for marketing purposes — instead, every product in the lineup earns its place by solving a specific, practical performance problem for a defined group of shooters, hunters, or professionals who depend on their ammunition to work when it matters most.