OT 3 grains over too much?

[georgeld]

Bill:
Those days we didn't have anyway to chronograph things.
We just loaded til they shot well and added a few grains til things
got nasty: primers, cases, sticky bolts and such. Right?

Wish I still had notes on some of my '06 loads. Used to really spray p/dogs
with 110gr RN's, have no idea the velocity, I do know they were way out of reason. Only the quality of the rifle saved me from donating blood n tissue, maybe more.

BCB: That's what I was going to type. Each load, take notes, and watch the velocity. Once it levels off even when everything else looks good yet. Back off at least a grain.

I've tried just about everything wrong with reloading and driving cars that can be done. I've never rolled a car off the track no matter how hard I've tried or how bad I screwed up even spinning out at 105mph once!

The only gun I've blown up was that NEF conversion with the .17VR round.
.01 gr did that and I was watching and testing with the same case too. 10.2gr H110 is what blew it up. 10.1gr was fine 5 shots, 10.0gr was great too so I upped it a .1, then another .1. Blew the gun open, dozen specs of blood on my hand from the blown plastic trigger guard.
Got lucky again that time, nothing hit me in the face somehow.

Watch those velocities and quit, then back down a grain or more. That's what a chronograph is for.

[william t. oviatt]

Seems beating a Dead Horse here, (and definitely am not criticising), but the point I was making in my above posts, that 3 grains Possibly may not be over pressure, is that these published loading figures are ALL approximate, including velocities!

The reason for this is the fact that the chambering and building of rifles are as varied as the individuals doing the work....

Velocity figures are not the standard value to base safety on any more than the amount of powder....The ONLY value that ALL of these listed numbers are trying to provide, is an INDICATION of the PRESSURE!

If one had the access to equipment for accurately determining the PRESSURE, then THAT value would be paramount, and supersede all others!

I only point this out, for those coming to this site as neophytes that are learning and it is incorrect to place the velocity on a pedestal of ultimate value/indicator of PRESSURE!

Not trying to split hairs here, but ALL of these values are to help point toward reaching max pressures and velocity is just one more of these....One still needs to be vigilant in observing the other indicators, specifically produced by their own rifle/chamber/cartridge.

Humbly Offered,

Bill

[kenbro]

I've been playing with a 25-45 Sharps, trying to get to the elusive (To me) 3000fps x 87 grain bullet.
Only published data for my powder maxed at 28grs. for 2800fps. I worked up to 28 grs. Then fired over chronograph, result was 63 fps short of 2800. So, I put the chronograph away and carried on 1/10 at a time until primers very slightly deformed and my final charge of 30 grains started primer flow, but only very slightly.
I went back down 1 grain and worked up again using chronograph,at 29.5 averaged 2390 fps and when I got to 29.8 grains I hit 3003 fps. with no obvious pressure signs.
I'm happy to keep using this load and it's also the most accurate load tried!
Some of my previous jobs/ hobbies have been far more risky than this reloading exercise.
Life would be very boring without risks, in my opinion.
Ken.
Ps. Flame away.