This section is for reloading and ammunition only, all loads found in here are used strictly at your own risk, if in doubt ask again.
All handloading data posted on Full-Bore UK from 23/2/2021 must reference the published pressure tested data it was sourced from, posts without such verification will be removed.
Any existing data without such a reference should treated as suspect and not used.
Forum rules
All handloading data posted on Full-Bore UK from 23/2/2021 must reference the published pressure tested data it was sourced from, posts without such verification will be removed.
Any existing data without such a reference should be treated as suspect and not used.
Use reloading information posted here at your own risk. This forum (http://www.full-bore.co.uk) is not responsible for any property damage or personal injury as a consequence of using reloading data posted here, the information is individual members findings and observations only. Always verify the load data and be absolutely sure your firearm can handle the load, especially older ones. If in doubt start low and work your way up.
ovenpaa wrote:Just one question... How do you know the OAL if you do not have a method of measuring the finished rounds?
Err, pass! - I don't!
I followed the instructions from what the redding dies said - mixed with a bit of what you said, and also a bit of what came natural...
the first batch of 30 i did i think are seated a bit far in (compared side by side with some old factory rounds I have)... but they should still be fine, I did 30 like that so they were consistent for load testing...
I'm also going to make another 30 with OAL as close to 2.800" as possible - but I need to borrow a vernier caliper from someone - hopefully my brother has one!
OK, I am worried now, OAL is critical and a short built round could give excessive pressures, it really is important to know the length of those 30 rounds you have built, if you can give me the OAL you currently have I can do a quick calculation and at least give you an idea of the pressures you might see. RPA make robust actions but it is still a lot better to be safe.
As an example, if I was to inadvertently build my .308's .020" short I would pull them and re-seat the bullets.
/d
Du lytter aldrig til de ord jeg siger. Du ser mig kun for det tøj jeg har paa ...
hmm, I don't have them infront of me (I'm at work) and as i say, I don't have a caliper... I'll see what I can do when I get home but I'm snowed under with things I'm doing for other people tonight :(
You'll almost certainly be able to pick up calipers and a bullet comparator from Bisley this weekend. HPS, Norman Clarke etc are present for the Imperial. If your press is semi-portable you could seat your rounds long then push them back on the range.
TattooedGun wrote:hmm, I don't have them infront of me (I'm at work) and as i say, I don't have a caliper... I'll see what I can do when I get home but I'm snowed under with things I'm doing for other people tonight :(
As a last resort you could improvise with a set square and steel rule and see if you can get a reasonably accurate reading but this is a far from ideal way of doing things. Do they look significantly shorter than factory loads?
/d
Du lytter aldrig til de ord jeg siger. Du ser mig kun for det tøj jeg har paa ...
ovenpaa wrote:Just one question... How do you know the OAL if you do not have a method of measuring the finished rounds?
Err, pass! - I don't!
I followed the instructions from what the redding dies said - mixed with a bit of what you said, and also a bit of what came natural...
the first batch of 30 i did i think are seated a bit far in (compared side by side with some old factory rounds I have)... but they should still be fine, I did 30 like that so they were consistent for load testing...
I'm also going to make another 30 with OAL as close to 2.800" as possible - but I need to borrow a vernier caliper from someone - hopefully my brother has one!
OK, I am worried now, OAL is critical and a short built round could give excessive pressures, it really is important to know the length of those 30 rounds you have built, if you can give me the OAL you currently have I can do a quick calculation and at least give you an idea of the pressures you might see. RPA make robust actions but it is still a lot better to be safe.
As an example, if I was to inadvertently build my .308's .020" short I would pull them and re-seat the bullets.
I'm not too worried about short rounds - excessive chamber pressures come from making longer rounds...
TattooedGun wrote:hmm, I don't have them infront of me (I'm at work) and as i say, I don't have a caliper... I'll see what I can do when I get home but I'm snowed under with things I'm doing for other people tonight :(
As a last resort you could improvise with a set square and steel rule and see if you can get a reasonably accurate reading but this is a far from ideal way of doing things. Do they look significantly shorter than factory loads?
enough to be able to see with my eyes, buit i don't know exactly how much shorter...
The rounds I eyeballed against - it should be noted - are older than me and of dubious quality anyways, and they also have a differing bullet head, so its no real way to gauge.
I also don't have a bullet puller - so i couldnt pull them all and reseat them if I wanted to.
Thats only half the story with pressure and OAL, reducing case capacity by seating deeper will also raise pressure. Deeper seating may require adjusting the powder charge.
For safety in hand loading you always need to "know" all the specifications of your round so you can compare against published data which is the foundation of reloading safely.
Come on Bambi get some
Imperial Good Metric Bad
Analogue Good Digital Bad
There are lots of potential causes of increased pressure. Reduced freebore (from longer rounds) is one; reduced case volume (from shorter rounds) is another. I don't have varget data in front of me, but your proposed loads sound potentially very high, and without knowing how far off the lands you are (by measure both chamber and cartridge length using a bullet comparator) I would steer clear of anything above mid-range. Make sure you are wearing glasses when you shoot.
You can build in two ways, jammed or jumped. Jammed means the bullet engages the lands when it is chamber and the bole closed, this can lead to an initial pressure spike but for some bullets will give better accuracy (Berger VLD's like to be jammed) Jumped means the bullet when chambered and bolt closed will have to move forward a set distance to engage the lands, Lapua Scenar's seem to like a small jump. The problem comes when you take a given powder charge and build short and you will see increases in pressure.
Come Saturday start with the low loaded ones first and watch out for pressure indicators such as excessively flattened primers, witness (shiny) marks on the case head and a bolt that is hard to lift, If you see any of these then it is time to stop. Keep your bullets in the shade as well.
The most important thing other than safety is to enjoy yourself, have a great day, learn something (I write everything down when doing load development) and don't forget to pop into Fultons, just leave your wallet in the car if possible.
/d
Du lytter aldrig til de ord jeg siger. Du ser mig kun for det tøj jeg har paa ...
Shooting glasses, don't buy those expensive shooting glasses. I have a pair of safety glasses and they are just fine. They cost me a tenner but I did opt for the most expensive ones I could find...
Also try as many as you can get away with, it is amazing how big a difference there is.
haha, last time I went to fultons i spent over £2k on an RPA
thanks for the advice.
I knew about looking at primers and what to look for with them for excessive pressure, and i was indeed going to start small and build up - fortunately for me i still have some common sense.
we will see, they might be over 1 MOA hand loads, which will not be great, but i may stumble on to a load that works great in my rifle...
we'll see :)
christel wrote:Shooting glasses, don't buy those expensive shooting glasses. I have a pair of safety glasses and they are just fine. They cost me a tenner but I did opt for the most expensive ones I could find...
Also try as many as you can get away with, it is amazing how big a difference there is.
Posh bird not!
haha, I'll take some with me - we have some at home anyways :)
