Me Lawrd, I hear Mr. H. cussing...…………………………………...
Load five with magnums and five with your regular primers.
Set up two 100 yard targets and send'im down the range.
Post back your findings.
Luke, I've run into a lot of hand loaders that are new to the process. Most of them, like most men, don't bother to get informed, read instructions, etc. We've all "bin there, done that."
Bruce was a good fellow and loved to shoot. He would have used H4831 in everything if he could have. His words, not mine.
Many hand loaders are terrified to do anything not listed in the manuals. IMHO, that is a good thing, simply because it keeps them within safe parameters.
Some people are so convinced that it all requires rocket science or some sort of magical alchemy, that they will only shoot factory loaded fodder. They are adamant that all hand loaders are playing Russian Roulette. Well, some are and they give the rest of us a bad name.
It's great when experienced and knowledgeable people chime in to help newbies out or even people that only load sparingly.
You and I, nowarningshot, Ganderite etc would feel deprived with only a pound of powder, one hundred bullets and one hundred primers. That's a good start to an afternoon of shooting for us.
Most hand loaders aren't at that level. They can't financially afford to be for one thing and there are constraints of time, available shooting areas etc.
Some are downright stingy and only load enough to "get them through the hunting season" without any sighters or practice rounds. Depends on how and where they hunt.
I used to wonder why the local gun shop carried the five and ten round boxes of Nitrex ammo. They do, because that's all many folks can afford.
I shake my head at how many people purchase part cans of powder, with four or five ounces in them at the gun shows. They go fast and are seldom at a good price. Same goes for partial boxes of bullets and primers. I often suggest that they mix those part cans of powder with any of the same type they have at home. You would think I was a Vampire, when they pull out their silver crosses and retreat in fear.
They just don't know what's safe and what isn't, other than what some mentor has told them, or they've read in a manual or online.
Bruce was bound and determined that using Magnum primers was strictly verboten, dangerous and horror of horrors OVER PRIMING. He was a pretty astute fellow though and a few years before he passed, we went on a couple of shooting sessions to the Salmon Arm range and the Lumby range. He deigned to try some of my hand loads in his 308Win. They shot a bit high for his sight settings but the group was much tighter than his hand loads were shooting. The powder charge in his loads was very close that in mine and the powder was the same. The only difference was he used Standard primers and I used CCI 250 Magnum primers.
He saw the light. As I said, he was very astute. Ganderite made a few comments here about the subject as well and that convinced him that he wasn't going to be injured or harm his rifle. Bruce still had thousands of Standard primers on hand, which he fully intended to use up and likely gave it a pretty good try before passing. I didn't see or hear much from him for the last six months or so. Usually we talked or emailed at least once per week. I miss those chats as well. I know you two spoke a lot and he spoke well of you.
Anyway, you CAN'T OVER PRIME, as long as you use proper hand loading techniques. With medium to large cases it's almost impossible. With small cases and fast powders, there might be some issues.
Just use some common sense and all will be well.
