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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
my loads do not approach reloading book velocities?
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<blockquote data-quote="Garycrow" data-source="post: 926779" data-attributes="member: 30743"><p>It's pretty standard for handloads to not make book velocity. When they work up loads for the manuals they usually use pressure barrels that have minimum dimension bores and have the chamber cut to minimum SAAMI dimensions. They do this so the data they get and publish will be for a worst case scenario as far as pressure goes. By using minimum spec equipment they guarantee that they will be generating the highest pressure that round is capable of with that powder/bullet combination. Any factory rifle out there is going to be looser so will generate less pressure than their test barrel. Less pressure also means less velocity so that's why your velocities are lower than theirs. </p><p></p><p>You didn't hear me say it, but a judicious handloader can usually match the book velocity assuming the same length barrel as the test rig and the pressures will still be within limits. However, this means going over book max loads sometimes and working up to it with a chronograph. Since pressure and velocity are correlated, if you match the book velocity then you've matched the book pressure pretty closely, at least close enough that you're not going to damage your rifle or hurt yourself.</p><p></p><p>I'll get howls of protest of how you should never go over book max, that's just the lawyer driven society we live in. Reloading manuals are a guide, not a bible. They're only completely accurate for the particular circumstances they were developed under. Your rifle isn't an exact copy of theirs so loads have to be tuned to your rifle. Sometimes that means you have to stop below what's published and sometimes it's conservative. You have to let your rifle tell you what works.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Garycrow, post: 926779, member: 30743"] It's pretty standard for handloads to not make book velocity. When they work up loads for the manuals they usually use pressure barrels that have minimum dimension bores and have the chamber cut to minimum SAAMI dimensions. They do this so the data they get and publish will be for a worst case scenario as far as pressure goes. By using minimum spec equipment they guarantee that they will be generating the highest pressure that round is capable of with that powder/bullet combination. Any factory rifle out there is going to be looser so will generate less pressure than their test barrel. Less pressure also means less velocity so that's why your velocities are lower than theirs. You didn't hear me say it, but a judicious handloader can usually match the book velocity assuming the same length barrel as the test rig and the pressures will still be within limits. However, this means going over book max loads sometimes and working up to it with a chronograph. Since pressure and velocity are correlated, if you match the book velocity then you've matched the book pressure pretty closely, at least close enough that you're not going to damage your rifle or hurt yourself. I'll get howls of protest of how you should never go over book max, that's just the lawyer driven society we live in. Reloading manuals are a guide, not a bible. They're only completely accurate for the particular circumstances they were developed under. Your rifle isn't an exact copy of theirs so loads have to be tuned to your rifle. Sometimes that means you have to stop below what's published and sometimes it's conservative. You have to let your rifle tell you what works. [/QUOTE]
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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
my loads do not approach reloading book velocities?
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