RE: Powder Question
Mykey,
ALWAYS work up from the lower charge - especially when just beginning. And shoot those loads starting with the lowest charge loaded and move up accordingly.......that way you can inspect your spent brass for pressure signs as you progess to the higher loads..........you just might prevent a real bad thing from happening this way.
As far as what increment to increase by - that is a matter of what you are loading for. For large rifle cases (.270, .308, 30-06, etc), going in .3 to .5 increments should be fine - though once you find one you like, then you can bump it up or down .1 or .2 to see if it helps any. But if you're loading smaller pistol cases, .1 or .2 may be all you will want to move it at a time.
As a VERY general rule, take the range of loads given in your manuals for the bullet/powder combination you've chosen (say 3 to 5gr) and divide that range by .20 or .25 (maybe even .10 for safety's sake). Then use that number as your progression increment - until you get close to the maximum load.....then you will want to take "baby steps" up to prevent problems. So in the above example you would start with 3gr, then 3.4, then 3.8, then 4.2, then "whoa" it up to 4.5gr........past this proceed in .1gr increments and inspect your spent brass carefully. With time & experience you'll get a "feel" for the powder/bullet/case combinations you use and this process can be simplified some - but if you ever feel that you may be "pushing" it some......then BACK-OFF and take it slowly.
Just my $.02 worth
"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!