need help with COAL and compressing powder

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nwt2002

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okay first off I have spent 3 hours searching to find my answers and although I have gotten alot of info I am still unsure of my answer.

I have set up for my .350 rem mag. the COAL recommended in my manual is 2.740, I am just starting loads so I have dropped powder about 5 grains, when I seat the bullet it appears that I am compressing powder. If i am not compressing powder now i will be shortly as i increase the load.

I tried the starting a bullet and chambering it trick and found that the COAL was 2.870.

Question 1.... is compressing powder safe???
2.... with the extra room is it safe to keep my COAL a little longer? Say around 2.760 or 2.780.

On another topic i found a pound of IMR 4064.. it has to be about 12 years old (since that was the last time i reloaded). Is this powder good to go or should I get rid of it?

thanks for any help
 
No specific knowledge of the load you're building, but...

Compressing powder can be safe...many loads are compressed, just double check that your charge is right.

OAL is usually limited only by your magazine...if it fits, its OK, until it won't chamber. Keeping in mind that pushing the bullet against the lands will increase pressure.
 
Provide some more specifics of the load and manual.

In most of the load data that I referenece, compressed loads will denote that it is compressed.

COAL is, indeed, an area of frustration. Do you have some factory rounds for reference?

As for the powder, if you are absolutely, positively 100% sure of its origins and labelling, there should be no problem using it.
 
"...about 12 years old..." Maybe. Depends on how it has been stored. It won't be dangerous, but it may not go bang very well.
Compressed loads are perfectly safe. My old Lyman manual gives compressed max loads for the .350 mag using both IMR4064 and IMR4895 and 150 and 200 grain bullets. All max loads using a 250 grain bullet are compressed.
 
thanks for the help, i was pretty sure iwas good to go.... but id rather be safe than sorry.
the load is 200gr hornady sp, imr 4064 max load off the top of my head is 56 grains... i am starting around 51 and working up... heading to the bench in min then off to the range... :shotgun:
 
Compressing powder charges in of itself is not a problem, although compressed loads are seldom the most accurate. The problem maybe alleviated somewhat by using a drop tube, and one can be fashioned from the barrel of a Bic pen, or even a drinking straw if you don't have a commercial one. If the charge is heavily compressed you will need to crimp the bullet in place or over time it maybe pushed out making the round too long to chamber easily. I have used powder which was 25-30 years old which worked fine. When I was a kid I fired some WWI ammo in my .303, it worked OK, but smelled terrible. It all depends how it is stored.
 
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