How do you know how much powder a case will hold with a certain bullet grain? If I wanna use a 210gr bullet in my .300wsm that means I have less room for powder as the bullet will have to seat deeper to clear my head space??? Are you better off going with a smaller bullet and increase the powder? Where is the balance?
Bullet size vs seating depth vs powder capacity
- Thread starter logan1080
- Start date
You are actually trying to undo alot of the info found in the manuals. You should match loads with the manuals in regards to weight and length, start near min. and work your way up if you like. If your rifle's magazine requires shorter OAL then your chosen bullet will allow
and your loaded round has the bullet seated well down below the neck and you can't match the published OAL, your load will crank up the pressure, well above the manual no's. The WSMs have been criticized for not being able to use the longer bullets, because of action/mag. length, you'll just have to live with it or get a rifle with a long action and round.
and your loaded round has the bullet seated well down below the neck and you can't match the published OAL, your load will crank up the pressure, well above the manual no's. The WSMs have been criticized for not being able to use the longer bullets, because of action/mag. length, you'll just have to live with it or get a rifle with a long action and round.
Or load singles, if it is for range use. The .300WSM does suffer compared to the .300 Win Mag with heavy bullets because of its short OAL.
OP, most of this is in your manual. The room in the case isn't a consideration really because the loads in your manual are based on pressure, not case volume. You use less powder behind heavier bullets because pressures peak higher when trying to move the heavier bullet down the bore, not because you have less case volume to work with. It is common to run compressed loads with long/heavy bullets and that means that there is no air space left in the case after seating the bullet.
The balancing act in long range shooting is choosing bullet weight and BC against muzzle velocity. Lighter bullets run at higher velocities, but they suffer in BC, so they are more affected by wind and slow down faster. Heavier bullets run lower velocities, but carry their speed better and are less affected by wind. The heavier bullets also have more recoil, which can be an issue over a lot of rounds during a day at the range.
Mark
logan, you really can't expect people here to type out the loading manuals for you. All you will ever get from this forum is a lot of text with maybe some pictures. I own 11 loading manuals of various vintages and sources, and I can guarantee you that the volume of information in those is huge, and covers every question you have ever asked.
You need to do some old fashioned research with books, and then come here for specific questions about techniques or choices that you have made based on sound theory. How to load is best learned by reading loading manuals and watching a mentor. Manuals (plural) should be the first step.
You need to do some old fashioned research with books, and then come here for specific questions about techniques or choices that you have made based on sound theory. How to load is best learned by reading loading manuals and watching a mentor. Manuals (plural) should be the first step.
Not trying to be mean but here's the answers to your questions.
I'd really suggest you sit down with an experienced reloader & talk until you understand the dynamics of what's going on. Then read & re-read the manuals. Play safe, blown up guns can kill or seriously injure people!!
I'd really suggest you sit down with an experienced reloader & talk until you understand the dynamics of what's going on. Then read & re-read the manuals. Play safe, blown up guns can kill or seriously injure people!!
Really Logan, you need not think that there is a "perfect" load out there. All there are, are, loads. That's why some folks shoot .22 RF, and some folks shoot .50BMG. And some folks shoot both, and a bunch in between.
Each bullet has a range of speeds, distance, and game size for which it will be adequately effective. No bullet will be the be-all, end-all perfect solution for any field circumstance. Nor will any muzzle velocity, or bullet diameter, or bullet material.
Generally, long pointy bullets fly flatter and buck the wind better than short blunt bullets. Heavy blunt bullets generally get inside better, even at much slower velocities, assuming the shooter can get it to strike where it can get in. Rainbow trajectories simply limit the range at which it is proper to attempt shots on game.
All of which is to say, don't obsess about having the best load. Obsess about staying within book, being meticulous, keeping meticulous records, and actually loading some rounds. And, while some folks have managed to blow up guns, break fingers, blind themselves, and yes, I believe even kill themselves with boo boos, well, so do automobile operators, every day.
Follow your loading manual's most basic safety guides - only one kind of powder on the table at once, check and recheck bullet weight, style, caliber, powder, and then get at it. Empty powder measures when you are done charging the cases. This avoids the common mix-ups of wrong powder emptied into wrong can - it happens. Or thinking you have powder x in the reservoir when you left its faster twin last time you loaded. Get one of those cookbook stands so you can keep the loading manual open, clipped onto the appropriate page - yup, guys have toasted lovely guns because the page flipped itself between look-up and set-up!
But really. Turn your head on, stuff some powder into some cases, and shoot. In about ten years, you will have made most of the boo-boos possible, no harm done, and you will be a handloader. Share your journey - we all like to laugh at others' misfortunes, and we can all learn something.
Each bullet has a range of speeds, distance, and game size for which it will be adequately effective. No bullet will be the be-all, end-all perfect solution for any field circumstance. Nor will any muzzle velocity, or bullet diameter, or bullet material.
Generally, long pointy bullets fly flatter and buck the wind better than short blunt bullets. Heavy blunt bullets generally get inside better, even at much slower velocities, assuming the shooter can get it to strike where it can get in. Rainbow trajectories simply limit the range at which it is proper to attempt shots on game.
All of which is to say, don't obsess about having the best load. Obsess about staying within book, being meticulous, keeping meticulous records, and actually loading some rounds. And, while some folks have managed to blow up guns, break fingers, blind themselves, and yes, I believe even kill themselves with boo boos, well, so do automobile operators, every day.
Follow your loading manual's most basic safety guides - only one kind of powder on the table at once, check and recheck bullet weight, style, caliber, powder, and then get at it. Empty powder measures when you are done charging the cases. This avoids the common mix-ups of wrong powder emptied into wrong can - it happens. Or thinking you have powder x in the reservoir when you left its faster twin last time you loaded. Get one of those cookbook stands so you can keep the loading manual open, clipped onto the appropriate page - yup, guys have toasted lovely guns because the page flipped itself between look-up and set-up!
But really. Turn your head on, stuff some powder into some cases, and shoot. In about ten years, you will have made most of the boo-boos possible, no harm done, and you will be a handloader. Share your journey - we all like to laugh at others' misfortunes, and we can all learn something.
Generally speaking .300 WSM performance degrades significantly after increasing bullet weight past 180 grains. Compared to the Win. mag anyway. If you just want a 210 grain load why not work it up yourself? I doubt any reloading manual will list a load for that weight and any info you find from anonymous loaders online is suspect.
I have to disagree with that. They may be the most convenient way, but not likely the best way. Mail order a Lyman's manual and a Hornady manual and read those cover to cover. Then you will be equipped to ask some questions and read forum information from an educated viewpoint.
As for rral22 having 11 manuals, it wasn't that long ago that reloading info only came in books. Sites like the Hodgdon and Alliant powders ones are a very recent addition to reloading.
Mark
Actually, I do - two and a half hours actually. I live in a small rural Saskatchewan town 2 1/2 hours from Saskatoon and almost three hours from Edmonton, my closest good sources of reloading equipment, components, and manuals. Oldest ones go back to the early 80's.
I also read your other post, I have a few great loads but never bothered to post them as they are my loads for my (use to be) gun. They worked for me, but the possibility of them working right for you are probably unrealistic as all guns are different IMO and what I expect to get out of a load might not be what you want out of a load.
This is what I find interesting in reloading, you have to find the load that brings out the best in your rifle. To do this I would suggest:
- Start making a data book recording what you are doing and how it performs.
- Know what you need out of your gun (what do you intend to kill? or target only, etc..) and have realistic goals defined.
- Buy a manual, read it twice or more.
- Use quality reloading components and use the right tools for the job.
- Keep adjusting your inputs until your output starts to match your expectations.
- And as always, use starting loads and work up.
Cheers
I stand corrected. I really should pick up the Hornady manul... Been on my list of things to buy forever it seems. I stand by my earlier comment though. Those longer bullets eat up a lot of space. I am not saying it shouldn't be done, just that I wouldn't bother since 180's do such a great job for that class of cartridge. With the exception of Long Range shooting 180 should be all you'll ever need for the more popular .300s.
LongBomber
CGN Regular
- Location
- Fernie, bc
Headspace •In firearms terms, the headspace is the distance measured from the part of the chamber that stops forward motion of the cartridge (the datum reference) to the face of the bolt. Used as a verb, headspace refers to the mechanism by which the correct positioning is achieved.
You do lose effective case capacity when going to 200gr in the 300wsm. Although you can still drive a 200gr just over 2900fps from a 24" barrel. In a remington, especially the M7, you will be limited to a short COAL. In a Winchester classic you have a bit more magazine length to play with. If you really must use the heavier bullets get a Wyatt magazine box, and have a smith use a throating reamer to cut the throat a touch longer.
You do lose effective case capacity when going to 200gr in the 300wsm. Although you can still drive a 200gr just over 2900fps from a 24" barrel. In a remington, especially the M7, you will be limited to a short COAL. In a Winchester classic you have a bit more magazine length to play with. If you really must use the heavier bullets get a Wyatt magazine box, and have a smith use a throating reamer to cut the throat a touch longer.
Well now you have a definition of Headspace.
BUT do you understand it?
It has nothing to do with bullet length or cartridge Overal Length.
Rimless cartrdges are held in position by "Headspace" or for lack of better explaination, the case shoulder holds the base of the rim against the bolt head so there is no Excess Headspace (which is where the cartridge allowed to move ahead in the chamber creating a dangerious condition where the brass just ahead of the rim can be stretched too much.
BUT do you understand it?
It has nothing to do with bullet length or cartridge Overal Length.
Rimless cartrdges are held in position by "Headspace" or for lack of better explaination, the case shoulder holds the base of the rim against the bolt head so there is no Excess Headspace (which is where the cartridge allowed to move ahead in the chamber creating a dangerious condition where the brass just ahead of the rim can be stretched too much.
