hot load question????

[Mount Sweetness]

H4831, great info as always!

 

[manitou210]

If you decide to stay with this load, don't load any more cartridges with a new lot# of Varget you could have major problems, start at least 10% lower

 

[Johnny G1]

What I would like to see is a 5 round group @ 200 yds. pretty dam good shooting as the the bullet is .308 and you are shooting @. 375??? Just my thoughts, you should be shooting international.

 

[mmattockx]

What I would like to see is a 5 round group @ 200 yds. pretty dam good shooting as the the bullet is .308 and you are shooting @. 375??? Just my thoughts, you should be shooting international.

That is measured center to center, not outside to outside.

Mark

 

[Johnny G1]

Oh I know how it is measured, but I'd still like to see the proof of it, a lot of 6mm shooter's have trouble at that and he did say 200 yds. .375 is 3/8 of an inch.

 

[Pathfinder]

I should of never sold that old parker hale...I had no idea I had an F class rifle in my hands.

 

[cosmic]

H4831 - Are you advocating that reloaders simply start at max load? Why are commercial loads in calibers like 6.5, 7, and 8 mm downloaded compared to the manual maximums? Do commercial manufacturers test their loads for pressure and velocity, or simply follow a published recipe?

 

[tiriaq]

Take a brand new cartridge case. Measure the diameter just above the extractor groove with a micrometer. Fire the load. Measure the diameter in the same spot. If the diameter has increased, the load may be too hot. This part of the cartridge case is solid. It takes a lot of pressure to change the dimension.

 

[mmattockx]

H4831 - Are you advocating that reloaders simply start at max load? Why are commercial loads in calibers like 6.5, 7, and 8 mm downloaded compared to the manual maximums?

I think he is simply stating that newer shooters/reloaders should be aware that we live in litigious times and that the lawyers often have had a hand in determining published limits, along with the fact that the majority of factory ammo is loaded to SAAMI limits with no problems. The fear that going one grain over a book max will instantly turn your rifle into a grenade is very overblown. Exceeding maximum loads should not be done without care and understanding that you are walking on the edge, but it is not necessarily a ticking time bomb, either.

All of the calibers you mention are downloaded in deference to older (usually milsurp) rifles that may not be safe with modern pressures. Those calibers in modern actions can be loaded just as hot as other current calibers with no problems.

Mark

 

[cosmic]

Well - The OP stated that he was going over max in a modern calibre with a mauser action of unspecified origin - what is safe as far as the action is concerned?

Regarding going to max (Sammi) loads, I'm going to differentiate between commercial ammo manufacturers and the average 20-and-some year old reloader. The commercial ammo manufacturer does a series of pressure/velocity tests to develop a load, then puts some "lawyer" margin on it, and applies a rigorous QA program to ensure the ammo they produce is consistent. Even so, you get the occaisional "blue pill" - witness the PMC 6.5X55 of a few years ago.
The DIY reloader does not have the benefit of expensive and sophisticated testing equipment - most dont even have a chrony. They employ tests which are somewhat subjective as an indicator of excessive pressure. They make reloading mistakes - poor records, inconsistent loads, swapped components, etc. ( True confession - I've reloaded for about 15 years, and made a few that I'm not proud of.)
By going to max load, the average reloader is reducing their safety margin for f*ck ups. Take the calibre in question - buddy loads up some 308 in commercial brass that is hot, and establishes that he likes the load. Gets some military brass for free and tries the same load - you know where this is going...