There are no absolutes in reloading. Read up on the different powders and go from there.
There are no absolutes in reloading. Read up on the different powders and go from there.
"What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v
While what Mark says is true, and can be applied to more than just reloading, I would say that you're on the right track.
I wouldn't want to work up loads that are giving me any pressure signs at all, regardless of temperature. I don't like the idea of loading to max either.
I am pretty new to reloading as well, but from my research/reading and guidance from guys who've been reloading for a long while, I've come up with my own theory(*)...which is to stay within the recommended powder range, adjusted for the variability of the powder drop with "x" brand of powder.
For example, if I know that I am +/- 0.2 grains with Varget, then I will load to a max of 0.2gr UNDER the recommended max published load. (ex. max load is 25.8gr, I will load to a max of 25.6)...but this is just me being conservative...may not be what others do.
*This is without a chronograph. If I had a chrono, I would maybe try to work up a little higher as long as there were still no pressure signs and I had some significant velocity to gain...and a real reason to gain it.
Last edited by Ironman8; 11-27-12 at 14:43.
Just a little update to my crushed shoulder issue, it appears I need to insert foot into mouth. I went die by die and found out that the crimp die actually crushed a couple of my cases. I still swear I saw one get crushed at the seating die, but I may not have seated the bullet correctly, and the lip may have caught on the FB bullet. I backed off the crimp, and it seemed like it did a much better job. I'll still keep an eye on it just in case it may still be both.
The neck tension on the TBBC bullet may be enough to not even worry about crimping...
When loading bulk training ammo, I look up the powders I want to use with the weight bullet I'm going to use in at least 5 manuals (I have all of them, even Normas!). I average the minimum and maximum charge,then start right in the middle. If it shoots well, I just go with it! If you stay well away from the maximums, you won't have to worry about pressure issues.
bump this back up as i have been reloading and I am trying to get more pics of setups so i can make mine better.
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