Folks, I understand the cautions, and have read the report many times. Detonation CAN occur, and it HAS ben duplicated in the labs. many of you seem to be mis-interpering the results of the study.
Again;
What happens, once in a while, when using reduced loads of really slow burners is the primer impulse bumps the bullet into the leade where the rifling stops it.
DON"T TRY TO USE SLOW POWDERS FOR REDUCED LOADS!
Reduced loads are safe and useful with the proper powder.
Not everyone that visits these forums is as knowledgable about reloading as others here. And I certainly don't claim to be a reloading guru. I've only been doing it a very short time off and on.
Joe Blow could come here and see that people are using 18 grains of powder in a 270 for reduced loads and think ..... if he can do it so can I ...... and then BOOM.
You are right. That is why I cringe every time someone comes to the net, with NO knowledge of reloading, and says: "Hey, Bubba here. I've got my granpa's .30/06 and I'm gonna be getting a RBCLEE press. What powder do I use for making really hot loads? I've heard that reloading books have sissy loads 'cause of lawyers."
Someone always gives him a load, very often a top end load. Recipe for disaster, plain and simple. Folks, the net is a great resource, but only a resource. Buy a friggin reloading manual...actually, buy two of them! By manual, I mean Hornady's, or Lyman's od RCBS or Lee. A loadbook from a powder manufacturer isn't a loading manual, and it usually assumes a certain degree of safe loading practices and knowledge. If you don't have that knowledge, you can get into trouble damned quick. Read the bloody thing. THEN go to your 'putur and start asking questions.
With some powders (slow burners) and some cartridges (usually big volume cases), reduced charges are as dangerous, or more so, than over charges!
Getting back to Joe Blow, I ain't his poppa. Joe's gotta get some knowledge. If he doesn't spend a little time actually researching and studying, he's an idiot anyway, and I'm not going to assume any responsibility for his actions.