New to reloading and I have a recipe someone gave me for a 6.5prc with an ELDX. They are recommending what my reloading book says is the MAX load for H1000 at 60,400psi.
My question is…….is it safe / smart to just try a new load at max load grain right off the bat or should I start lower and look for pressure signs as I work up to max?
P.s. - Im going to try Jim’s Berger recipe once I get a little better at relaoding.
Personal opinion here, but I wouldn’t do it that way.
I do know there are people who do. In fact they will sometimes say start at Max and work up from there until you get pressure. They’re working under the assumption that all Reloading Data has been “lawyered down”
I typically aim for about one grain below Max on the books as my ideal load. I will do a very short, quick pressure test/ safety test ladder. One shot at 2gn low target, one at one grain below, one at target, and one at one grain above Target which would be Max load. Just making sure there’s no gross, obvious pressure issues.
I know that’s not super scientific. It’s low sample size. But I’m going to do more testing which should show if there are pressure issues. If my ladder goes okay I’ll go straight to my target / ideal load and load up several and shoot groups.
Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t do that. Some barrels are tighter than others, and pressure can build. Also, if you pick a load that is maxed out, it may shoot fine in the spring, but then you go out on a hot summer day and you’ll find yourself over pressure.
Personally, I don’t understand people’s fascination with max loads. It ruins accuracy, creates pressure problems, and increases risk. If you focus your reloading on ACCURACY and DEPENDABILITY, I think you’ll end up with far better ammo.
I often find good loads about a grain under the lowest listed “max” load among the several reloading books I check.
Also have to really ask what you will achieve by going higher.
In my experience, with the cartridges I load for, I get roughly 30-40 fps per each grain of powder increasse.
Thus it takes 3 full grains of extra powder to get me 100fps.
Looking at ballistics software for a 7 SAUM, that 100 fps extra gives me 50 yards more terminal performance. Not zero, but not staggering either. At 600 yrs (further than i hunt but within the effective range) it gives me one inch less wind drift.
Gordons says that 3 extra grains takes me to 70K psi. 15K over max SAAMI.
All that for increased barrel wear, increased recoil, less accuracy, and harder on the wallet.
I’m not reloading yet but hope to start. Mostly 6.5 cm & 300 win mag.
I’ve got a good bit of once fired brass for each. My question is, some of
the brass is Fed or Rem or Hornady. Some is nickel plated (I guess?). Will
the different type/brand of brass make ammo shoot differently an if so
how much. Both guns are more hunting than precision guns (sig cross & Bergara premier)
Yes it will make a difference on brass manufacturers. Each company has slightly different thickness that effect the total case capacity. I would sort by manufacturer and then shoot 3 rounds of each with the same moderate powder load over a chronograph to check. For hunting it may not be much difference, but I have noticed a change in dispersion.
I think the reason they were using/suggesting the max power load was because they got the best accuracy results with that combo.
@backfire based on your comments im assuming you would disagree with that. Here is the confusing part…….
You have said multiple times now on the podcast that doing the traditional ladder is a waste of time and statistically inaccurate unless you shoot a massive amount of test points to get a definitive dataset. By that time yiur barrel life has changed and could also skew results. For those of us that dont have Eric Cortina on speed dial, what is a good method for developing a bulltet / powder combo if we don’t have access to “the winning recipe”. Not saying this maliciously, im really curious. If you search hunting forums for 6.5 prc handloads you get hundreds of different opinions from people who swear their load is a winner.
I know my riffle shoots an ELD-X fairly well and I want to handload to avoid the uncertainty of Hornady’s flavor if the week component substitution. I dont have access to reloader 26 and I am unlikely to ever see it on the shelf. So, where do I start?
Im not calling Jim out here. If anyone can recommend a good method im eager to learn.
I’m currently following the outline that Hornady put out in one of their podcast.
I look at the Reloading Data and choose a Target powder charge which is typically one grain lower than maximum. I then do my little four shot safety ladder just to make certain. If that goes well, and so far every time I’ve done it it has, I will load up somewhere around 10 cartridges at My Chosen powder load and seating depth. I will then test those. I’m currently doing three shot groups for anything like a 280 or bigger, and five shot groups for 308 and smaller.
If the initial 10 Rounds sucks, then I’m done with that particular combo and immediately work on switching to a different bullet or a different powder. If those 10 Rounds look very promising or good then load up 20 more and repeat. If those extra 20 work well then you’ve got your load.
Good question.
For me, I simply pick a known reliable powder that isn’t on the extremes of burn rate for the cartridge. That’s easy to select from the middle of the listings in the book. Known accurate powders would be options like H4350, Varget, N555, N565, N570, Retumbo, H1000, etc. they type of powders that are constantly used in the best loads from various cartridges.
Then, I’ll pick an acceptable velocity and powder charge. Depending on the cartridge, I’m often between 0.5 and 1.5gr less than max. However, it really depends on the cartridge. With mild cartridges like 6.5 creed or 308, I’ll often be closer to (but still well under) max. For magnums, I’m usually quite a bit lower than max.
Then I’ll pick the bullet I prefer for its BC, cost, reliability, and terminal performance. I’ll load that to whatever the typical is for that bullet. Perhaps 30 thou off for ELDX or ELDM, and 90 thou off for coppers.
I’ll select the primer based on book recommendation, but I tend to prefer Federal primers in most loads.
Generally, that’s gonna work. I’ll load up 25 so I have a couple sighters and then enough for a 20-shot group.
If the load meets my expectations, I’m done. If it doesn’t, I’ll make a major change like a different bullet.
For me, it’s about validating full recipes instead of running invalid tests with no statistical meaning until we convince ourselves with a single lucky 5-shot group that it’s good.
Others will disagree. We can still be friends, but I’m not sure if you’d still be invited to my birthday party lol 
Welcome to the loaders merry-go-round. Seems like rifles have their own personality and preferences on what they like to eat, and will quickly show you what they don’t like. If or when you find a rifle that just likes everything, that is a unicorn so hang on to it. The rifle is a tool and so it is calibrated to the job you need it to do. Chasing those .5 MOA groups out of an older Browning or Remington that has a pencil hunting barrel will be tedious. Like Jim has previously posted, a 1.8 MOA is pretty much average. Load for accuracy with the velocity that will do the job at the ranges you anticipate, a little extra is always nice if a little longer shot presents. I have been hunting for 60+ years and loading for the last 40, to date my longest shot was 307yds. But, finding that magical load that will put 10 rounds under a dime at 100 yds is always in the back of my mind.
Thanks for the replies. This relaoding business sure is a rabit hole.
My next question is how much will the brass play in the role of accuracy? Since im new i am realoding once fired brass from Hornady, Federal, and a few Barnes. I am starting to get the hang of full length resizing. Once I can crank out consistent shoulder bump and neck size I will invest in some good brass. Am I likely to get totally different results if all other variables remain constant?
I began reloading two years ago using once fired Hornady brass…until it was 5x fired at which point I decided to buy some Starline brass because it was easy to find at my local Scheels. Now the Hornady brass is still 5x fired as the Starline brass is much more consistent (and it’s not even a top tier brass). The Hornady brass just sits under my reloading bench until I need to do something like Loctite a bullet in a fired case to measure CBTO distance to the lands when exploring a new bullet. Beginner tip: one thing i’ve gotten my money’s worth out of is a cam-lock bullet puller and collet. The kinetic hammer-looking bullet puller damages polymer tips (and is messy).