Am I about to blow my face off?

[Subzero]

Through all these posts, I am not sure I have figured out exactly what your goal is. If it is speed alone, only in the perfect storm will either of those powders give you more than what you are using now.
I am going to assume just by your original post that you are newer to reloading so I am going to give you one piece of advice, you can sort through it.
Forget the glitter(speed), develop a load that holds a tight waterline to the distance of what the rifle and load can accomplish efficiently. So, just because your rifle can make a hit at 2300 yards, it does not make it a 2000 yard gun.
Random numbers here, just say 1300 yards becomes your apex, you want this rifle capable at this distance. Develop a load where your vertical spread is minimal here. It will carry further out and still do fine to a point. But now, any shot from 100-1300 yards now will be like you eating a big fat piece of german chocolate cake with not one, but 3 layers of yummy frosting.
Most, not all of us go through phases in reloading, from scared to pushing the limits and in between. You run on the edge of hot, moisture, heat, and others are now elements that cannot work in your favor.

Milo-2 thanks for all the info so far. Rifles are mostly a fun hobby for me. I enjoy reloading just as much as shooting at the range. The fun for me is wringing out the best accuracy and velocity out of a rifle (safely of course). I have easy access to a 1,000yd range so that's usually as far as I shoot.

I'm also a hunter, and will probably make this my primary Elk rifle, if I get the accuracy and velocity I'm looking for.

 

[Its204fast]

If you're working your load up near max load in cool temperatures, consider the increase when shooting in warmer temps.
I was loading for a rem700 .204 Ruger with 32gn SBK RE-10X around 26gn, 5 shot group was just below 1 inch in 40° weather. same load at 90° was over 2 inches with a little more primer flattening. I switched to Benchmark and haven't had any problem with temp stability, but group size is a little larger.

 

[milo-2]

Milo-2 thanks for all the info so far. Rifles are mostly a fun hobby for me. I enjoy reloading just as much as shooting at the range. The fun for me is wringing out the best accuracy and velocity out of a rifle (safely of course). I have easy access to a 1,000yd range so that's usually as far as I shoot.

I'm also a hunter, and will probably make this my primary Elk rifle, if I get the accuracy and velocity I'm looking for.

You received some good advice here, you will do fine. If I made it sound like I have not lived on the edge with velocities, far from the case.
Funny thing for me, the 2 cases I pushed the hardest, and had unreal speeds, the brass never took the hit. That gives a false sense of security, I paid for it down the road thinking it was normal.

 

[nmbarta]

You received some good advice here, you will do fine. If I made it sound like I have not lived on the edge with velocities, far from the case.
Funny thing for me, the 2 cases I pushed the hardest, and had unreal speeds, the brass never took the hit. That gives a false sense of security, I paid for it down the road thinking it was normal.

Do you mind explaining what happened?
That false sense of security can be a real problem. We all have to start somewhere, but these days the new guys have thousands of pages of internet to wade through. I can see how it would be difficult to distinguish between what's good advice and what's not.
Those of us that have been doing this a while can easily spot bs when we see it.

 

[milo-2]

Do you mind explaining what happened?

Lol here, you realize when a guy admits what an idiot he is or has been on a forum like this, one could just as well be in central park with his pants around his ankles.
When I first got into LR shooting, I went to a 7 saum, with 70gr of VV N570, I was pushing a 180 hybrid at 3160, 27" barrel. The powder had just came out for the most part, 2010 maybe, and decided for myself, this is the norm.
My primer pockets on my 500 pcs of brass were just as tight after 6 firings as they were new, no pressure indicators at all. Down the road I figured where my safety net was, to divulge that here would be pointing fingers, not doing it.
My 2nd was my first 6,5 creed, before it was cool. With 44gr of RL, I was pushing a 140 hybrid at 2975, 24" barrel. That lot of Hornady brass was in fact the only Hornady brass that was good. Not one pressure sign, even in 90 deg heat.

Once you are in the mindset that pushing things to the limit is kosher, it will eventually bite. For me, it came in 6SLR, for this case you really need cheap brass, or use premium and spend most of your time cleaning it up after forming. So Win brand it is, on 2nd firing of every pc of brass fired, either gassing the primers, or decapping them on the spot. I was shooting 110 Sierra's at 3085 fps. It took over 600 pcs of brass formed to get 1300 rds from the barrel.
Of course we are all different, and learn differently, but it seemed once I was into stupid, and stupid was working, it became the norm.
When I pass out advice, it is usually from experience, but am capable of using the common sense card also, (if I have any credibility left after this). I could have told the op here he was about to make mistakes, but I know for myself it can be done, so today I try back guys out of uber speeds. Whether or not I said anything logical in this thread is subjective.
Shooting world IMO is one of the biggest industries where conjecture rules.
This to me is a fact, based on experience, I get no better barrel life from a moderate load, than I do a hot load. And just by rd counts, I am correct in saying that is how it is for me. BUT, have I figured in all the outliers correctly to actually make that statement to you?
You were 100% spot on telling the OP or whoever will listen, that when seeking advice be fully prepared and capable of sorting it.

 

[nmbarta]

I doubt there is one guy on this forum that can't tell a true story about doing something truly stupid at some point. I prefer those stories are told, so I can prevent myself from making the same mistakes.
When I go back to my first days of reloading and look at my process of working up loads, it's almost comical...but in a scary way.
No measuring tools other than a beam scale, no experience, no fear.

 

[milo-2]

I doubt there is one guy on this forum that can't tell a true story about doing something truly stupid at some point. I prefer those stories are told, so I can prevent myself from making the same mistakes.
When I go back to my first days of reloading and look at my process of working up loads, it's almost comical...but in a scary way.
No measuring tools other than a beam scale, no experience, no fear.

Yeah, measuring tools, follow RCBS die directions.
I loaded bulk pistol and 223 for yrs, it wasn't till I got into LR shooting did my inner idiot surface. Under control today, Lol

 

[jbs2014]

You received some good advice here, you will do fine. If I made it sound like I have not lived on the edge with velocities, far from the case.
Funny thing for me, the 2 cases I pushed the hardest, and had unreal speeds, the brass never took the hit. That gives a false sense of security, I paid for it down the road thinking it was normal.

Milo

gun did not blow up did it?

 

[milo-2]

Milo

gun did not blow up did it?

NO, did I dramatize this too much? lol
The loads had to be way hot, yet void of pressure signs.
My closest thing to a mishap occurred by grabbing the wrong powder one morning while in a hurry and ultimately having normal, mixed loads, and oh crap loads.
Of course, the range story with this batch of ammo was funny, from hits to no one knowing where the bullets landed. Until the bolt handle locked up, of course, now you must chrono one to know.