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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
Hot Load Help
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<blockquote data-quote="Grumulkin" data-source="post: 735128" data-attributes="member: 29281"><p>1. As other have said, going up in powder charges in the large increments you have done is wrong and dangerous. In that size case, I go up in 1 grain increments and when I approach a maximum load, I go up in half grain increments.</p><p></p><p>2. You are apparently under the delusion, as are many others, that velocities are a good way to gauge pressure and/or if the loading manual says a certain velocity was gotten with a certain powder charge, then that will be the same in your gun. Remember that the gun used for testing the data in the manual has a different chamber, a different barrel and the loads probably were assembled with a different brand of brass, different primers and different lots of powder than what you are using.</p><p></p><p>3. Assuming you're shooting a strong bolt action gun, didn't have to hammer the bolt open with a hammer and didn't have a pierced primer, you haven't done any damage to your gun.</p><p></p><p>My bit of counsel:</p><p></p><p>1. If you don't have a loading manual, buy one and read it.</p><p></p><p>2. Provided you have an accurate and strong rifle and provided you're a good marksman, one of the best ways I've found for determining what a good load is, is group size. At the lower end of the load range, the groups will likely be large, will get smaller as the load is increased and then start to open up again. Stop where the group size is the smallest and it's quite unlikely the pressure will be excessive.</p><p></p><p>3. There are various signs of pressure that can be different in various firearms. In bolt action rifles, things like a slightly sticky bolt lift, ejector marks on the case head, loss of the slight rounded edge of the primer, slight stippling of the primer which should be smooth, primer cratering, etc. are all signs maximum pressure is being approached. A pierced primer, unless the firing pin is defective, is a sign of excess pressure. A blown primer, i.e., one that falls out of the primer pocket, is a sign of marked excess pressure. I, by the way, never use a chronograph in load workup except in the final stages to see what the velocity is for a ballistic chart and not to determine what the pressure is.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Grumulkin, post: 735128, member: 29281"] 1. As other have said, going up in powder charges in the large increments you have done is wrong and dangerous. In that size case, I go up in 1 grain increments and when I approach a maximum load, I go up in half grain increments. 2. You are apparently under the delusion, as are many others, that velocities are a good way to gauge pressure and/or if the loading manual says a certain velocity was gotten with a certain powder charge, then that will be the same in your gun. Remember that the gun used for testing the data in the manual has a different chamber, a different barrel and the loads probably were assembled with a different brand of brass, different primers and different lots of powder than what you are using. 3. Assuming you're shooting a strong bolt action gun, didn't have to hammer the bolt open with a hammer and didn't have a pierced primer, you haven't done any damage to your gun. My bit of counsel: 1. If you don't have a loading manual, buy one and read it. 2. Provided you have an accurate and strong rifle and provided you're a good marksman, one of the best ways I've found for determining what a good load is, is group size. At the lower end of the load range, the groups will likely be large, will get smaller as the load is increased and then start to open up again. Stop where the group size is the smallest and it's quite unlikely the pressure will be excessive. 3. There are various signs of pressure that can be different in various firearms. In bolt action rifles, things like a slightly sticky bolt lift, ejector marks on the case head, loss of the slight rounded edge of the primer, slight stippling of the primer which should be smooth, primer cratering, etc. are all signs maximum pressure is being approached. A pierced primer, unless the firing pin is defective, is a sign of excess pressure. A blown primer, i.e., one that falls out of the primer pocket, is a sign of marked excess pressure. I, by the way, never use a chronograph in load workup except in the final stages to see what the velocity is for a ballistic chart and not to determine what the pressure is. [/QUOTE]
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