Help needed with handload
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Go to the powder manufactures website and look it up for yourself instead of taking a strangers word for something that may be dangerous .
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
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Ok now not sure how long you have been reloading. It sounds like you do not have any manuals or reloading books what so ever. You need to get some of both. The book you should have is ABC's of Reloading. You should have at least 2 manuals from bullet manufactures or others. I prefer the Sierra manual and the Hornady Manual. You can download guides from the powder manufactures at their web sight. Also Hodgdon puts out an annual in magazine form of all their reloading data and updates as well.
Reloading with out at least 1 reloading manual is asking for the Grim Reaper to come a knocking on your reloading room door. It is not only dangerous but just plane STUPID as well.
You will find that in a given cartridge that most of the max loads will be within a 4 to 5 gr window. A case of set size can only hold so much powder.
Now why are you wanting max loads? You will not see the best performance from the 308 at max loads. most of the time it is at the point where the powder is just touching the base of the bullet (Case neck area) that you will get your best accuracy at least that has been the case in my 308. The 308 dies not like full power loads and you will find that out after you burn some powder.
Plus loading to max loads without the aid of a reloading manual is crazy. Please for your safety go get a $20 reloading manual.
Reloading with out at least 1 reloading manual is asking for the Grim Reaper to come a knocking on your reloading room door. It is not only dangerous but just plane STUPID as well.
You will find that in a given cartridge that most of the max loads will be within a 4 to 5 gr window. A case of set size can only hold so much powder.
Now why are you wanting max loads? You will not see the best performance from the 308 at max loads. most of the time it is at the point where the powder is just touching the base of the bullet (Case neck area) that you will get your best accuracy at least that has been the case in my 308. The 308 dies not like full power loads and you will find that out after you burn some powder.
Plus loading to max loads without the aid of a reloading manual is crazy. Please for your safety go get a $20 reloading manual.
cpttango30 , in order to avoid starting out at or above the max he first has to know what it is .
While I don't reload for rifles I think a 5 grain variance for a particular bullet/powder combination Maximum is a pretty wide gap .
So much so it sounds to me like he is getting recommendations from guys for their particular favorite loads for that combination .
Perhaps it is just a personal philosophy but I like to get data from the source of the components I am working with , that is why I gave him the addy to Hornady's online reloading Manual where he can also download and save their yearly publication there .
After looking at the Sierra website I am rather surprised they don't have data for any of their bullets listed there but then I see Speer doesn't either . I suppose the powder makers are more interested in the reloaders safety and make Data easily available and free while the bullet makers are more interested in making a buck and selling their reloading manuals .
O and stanivey I am simply sharing a few thoughts here with cpttango30 not disagreeing with his advice to you which is quite correct .
If you are reloading without the benefit of owning a reloading manual you're doing nothing but asking for trouble
While I don't reload for rifles I think a 5 grain variance for a particular bullet/powder combination Maximum is a pretty wide gap .
So much so it sounds to me like he is getting recommendations from guys for their particular favorite loads for that combination .
Perhaps it is just a personal philosophy but I like to get data from the source of the components I am working with , that is why I gave him the addy to Hornady's online reloading Manual where he can also download and save their yearly publication there .
After looking at the Sierra website I am rather surprised they don't have data for any of their bullets listed there but then I see Speer doesn't either . I suppose the powder makers are more interested in the reloaders safety and make Data easily available and free while the bullet makers are more interested in making a buck and selling their reloading manuals .
O and stanivey I am simply sharing a few thoughts here with cpttango30 not disagreeing with his advice to you which is quite correct .
If you are reloading without the benefit of owning a reloading manual you're doing nothing but asking for trouble
Thanks you all for your help and comments. I have been reloading for a couple of years now for my .223 rem but have just got myself a steyr ssg in .308 so this cartridge is new to me. I have a speer manual that gives a max load of 42 grains of blc-2 for a 165 grain bullet (speer), my lee die paperwork quotes a max of 47.5, sierra quote 44.8 and hogdgen quote 47.2(if i remember correctly).
Its not so much a case of me wanting to load to the max, but i have a 5.2 grain variation between max loads and i want to know the true max load to keep things below that. I guess the safest bet is to take the sierra max load and keep my reloads below that, what do you think,
p.s you guys are lucky paying U.S costs a sierra reloding manual in the U.K will cost nearer $80, i am just too much of a tight *** to pay that, for data of a single cartridge.
cheers
Its not so much a case of me wanting to load to the max, but i have a 5.2 grain variation between max loads and i want to know the true max load to keep things below that. I guess the safest bet is to take the sierra max load and keep my reloads below that, what do you think,
p.s you guys are lucky paying U.S costs a sierra reloding manual in the U.K will cost nearer $80, i am just too much of a tight *** to pay that, for data of a single cartridge.
cheers
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You can get reload data on any ammo right off the internet. You don't need that $80.00 manual.
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Each reloading manual is going to have a different max. Why because each company has different equipment. So you are never going to find two manuals with the same max.
Here is what I do I go between the lowest low and highest high. I take the average and start in the middle.
Have you looked on Ebay for a reloading manual? I understand not wanting to spend that much money but really how much is your life worth? Mine is worth more than $80.
Here is what I do I go between the lowest low and highest high. I take the average and start in the middle.
Have you looked on Ebay for a reloading manual? I understand not wanting to spend that much money but really how much is your life worth? Mine is worth more than $80.
I have found that the older reloading manuals are not nearly as conservative as the newer ones and the newest one I have is 20 years old. A lot of you guys ask about powders I have never even heard of because all my manuals were written before a lot of newer powders were developed. One of my manuals list Hivel 2, bet a lot of you never heard of that one and I used to load an old 06 of my dad's with it. Anyhow the loading data from my oldest to newest manual there is as much as 5 grains difference of what max is using 4350 and 4831 with some of cartridges I load for and any load listed as max in todays manuals is not dangerous. That is my opinion which is just that and NOT advice.
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H2o is right. My prefered load for my old Ruger 220 Swift was way over what they list today as max. It was devloped many moons ago when the swift was in its prime.
"Its not so much a case of me wanting to load to the max, but i have a 5.2 grain variation between max loads and i want to know the true max load to keep things below that. I guess the safest bet is to take the sierra max load and keep my reloads below that, what do you think,..."
Stan, the problem is that reloading is not an exact science. We are working with an organic compound, powder, that gives us some unavoidable inconsistances. Thus, what's "max" for me may be less than for you, what's max for you may be less than someone elses max. THAT'S why the manuals max loads vary and why they ALWAYS say to start low and only work up if no pressue signs are evident!
In other words, the starting loads in a book are most important because they do give you a safe starting place. After that, what becomes critical is how YOUR RIFLE digests your loads as you increase charges. Understanding this will help you recognise that the source of the data doesn't much matter, powder maker, bullet maker, new, old, etc., you simply MUST learn to recognise the signs of over pressure.
In time, a few years perhaps, you will become comfortable with loading and gain enough experience to recognise when you may increase your velocity, but NOT NOW! For now, it is safest if you stop at the most conservative book's max load, not the most generous nor an average of them.
Stan, the problem is that reloading is not an exact science. We are working with an organic compound, powder, that gives us some unavoidable inconsistances. Thus, what's "max" for me may be less than for you, what's max for you may be less than someone elses max. THAT'S why the manuals max loads vary and why they ALWAYS say to start low and only work up if no pressue signs are evident!
In other words, the starting loads in a book are most important because they do give you a safe starting place. After that, what becomes critical is how YOUR RIFLE digests your loads as you increase charges. Understanding this will help you recognise that the source of the data doesn't much matter, powder maker, bullet maker, new, old, etc., you simply MUST learn to recognise the signs of over pressure.
In time, a few years perhaps, you will become comfortable with loading and gain enough experience to recognise when you may increase your velocity, but NOT NOW! For now, it is safest if you stop at the most conservative book's max load, not the most generous nor an average of them.
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