littletoes
Well-Known Member
How many shooters go beyond what reloading manuals state in load info?
Beyond Recomendations?
- Thread starter littletoes
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Darryl Cassel
Well-Known Member
I have to agree with Prime and say "Many" also.
There are some of the older books that are very close to max but, many of the new companys that have written loading material want to protect themselves from lawyers wanting to make a few bucks.
I once found a cartridge in a loading book that was maxed at 12 grs UNDER what I was using as a max load in my rifle. In other words, the book called for 68 grs and I was using 80 grs of that same powder, without pressure problems.
NOTE----I'm NOT saying that all the loading information is way under max but, if you or I were writing a loading manual, do you think we would put the max loads in for someone we didn't know anything about to try? I certainly wouldn't.
I would say that most longrange hunters and shooters work with more powder then what the books call as a max loading.
Now don't anyone go and load something up 5 or 10 grs over max to try to disprove that theory. It could be a problem for you and your rifle.
Later
Darryl
There are some of the older books that are very close to max but, many of the new companys that have written loading material want to protect themselves from lawyers wanting to make a few bucks.
I once found a cartridge in a loading book that was maxed at 12 grs UNDER what I was using as a max load in my rifle. In other words, the book called for 68 grs and I was using 80 grs of that same powder, without pressure problems.
NOTE----I'm NOT saying that all the loading information is way under max but, if you or I were writing a loading manual, do you think we would put the max loads in for someone we didn't know anything about to try? I certainly wouldn't.
I would say that most longrange hunters and shooters work with more powder then what the books call as a max loading.
Now don't anyone go and load something up 5 or 10 grs over max to try to disprove that theory. It could be a problem for you and your rifle.
Later
Darryl
Ian M
Well-Known Member
If you have a chronograph you can watch the increase in feet per second that is gained by each grain of powder. Seems that pressure signs (tough extraction, bolt up-lift, shiny spots on the case head from the ejector hole, firing pin indentation gets a cratering effect on the primer) show up when the increase drops significantly downward. You might get 50-60 fps (or more) for two or three increments, then 10 or 15 fps and pressure signs. We do that and work back downward, the rifle has just indicated what max. pressure is with that load combination.
The above is always slightly over the book.
The above is always slightly over the book.
littletoes
Well-Known Member
Thanks Darryl, just what I figgured. Watch for all the signs of too much pressure and shoot for accuracy! littletoes.
CatShooter
Well-Known Member
I also think many... I use the manuals as a starting point, and then look for the usual suspects.
CatShooter
CatShooter
