Pressure signs this early??????
 

I am reloading for my 300 win mag. It is a Tikka, brand new, three shots before last Monday. I started out at entry load, 72 grains of RL 22. I shot the first shot and flattened the primer completely. The bolt was not sticky but that primer was flat flat. Do some guns have tight chambers? Will this gun come out of it with more firings? I am trying to work up to 75.5 max load and most accurate load according to nosler and a friend. I have never had a gun do this with a light load. Any advice.....I want to have this thing loaded up hot by Aug.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

With theinexpensive prices of chronographs every handloader should invest in one. It truly gives you important info about your loads. Not only velocity butalso standard deviation. That can be important forlong range accuracy.
Haugenna, if you are getting pressure signswith a starting load,is it possible that your bullets are seated too long and into the rifling? Pressures will skyrocket! Depending on what brand of primer you are using, flattened primers are not always an indicator of high pressure.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

Primers are the first indicator. But its a poor one. If your using federals, they are going to look flatten no matter what. If its winchesters, or even CCI, then there may be some high pressures. How close are you to the rifling? Might want to back off .01" in a win mag.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

As Bob Hagel said in his book GAME LOADS & PRACTICAL BALLISTICS FOR THE AMERICAN HUNTER,"All rifles are individuals. What may prove to be a maximum load in one might be quite mild in another, and vice-versa."

It is possible that even a published starting load might be close to maximum in your rifle, and what is published as a maximum load might be well under max in someone else's rifle. You may have noticed, if you have compared loading datafrom a number of different manuals, that there can be a wide variation in the "maximum load" between the different load data sources, even with identical bullets and powder type.

If you have access to a chronograph, you can find out what the velocity is that you are getting from that "light" load. It may be that it is fast enough as-is, and that you do not have to increase the powder charge at all to get the performance level you are seeking.

Also, note that a flattened primer alone is not proof of too-high pressures. It CAN be, but there are other possible causes for flattened primers as well.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

Thats it. I am shooting Barnes TSX in 180's and those bullets are long. I was crunching powder on a light load.I will load up some that are seated a little deeper. Anyone have the COL of 300 win mag.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

WOOOOH! BACK UP!

are you using a Barnes Manual? Because I've found that standard reloading manuals are inadequate when using the x bullet.Using loads out of theNoslermanual for partition of ballistic tip bullets when loadingx bullets isDANGEROUS. Those bullets are long, seating them deeper may cause you to have a compressed load which can cause pressures to skyrocket also.

http://www.barnesbullets.com/tsxguidelines.php

Does anyone have a Barnes manual? Please look up the starting load for a 300 win. loading 180gr. X bullets and post it here.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

In addition to what has already been suggested here, you might also take one of the fired cases and see if a bullet slides easily into the neck. If not, you have either a tight neck on the chamber or a fat neck on your cases. This will cause pressures to jump pretty good - even on starting loads.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

Man I am even more confused now. I am on the road now and don't have my manuals, and I don't think TSX's are even in the newer barnes manual. I get frustrated with these damn manuals bc one will have the bullet I like but not the powder or vice versa. And the newer manuals are so conservative. Does anyone know or have the load data for RL 22 with a 180gr TSX???? Also what is the COL? Am I walking a fine line here? Like I said...not one bolt was sticky, no marks on the brass, just flat primers. I will measure the brass when I get home in a week. Gotta love a sales job.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

For 180gr XBT bullets and 300Win mag, the barnes manual says

RL22 70.5gr to 75.5gr (2898fps to 3103fps)

so Barnes claims tsx is safe 2gr over this load. So you should safely be able to go to 77.5gr. I have found with most of my magnums (powder greater than 70gr), you can got 3.5gr or so before heavy bolt lift.

I bet your not up to pressure yet, until your brass is not trimmed or your smacked into the rifling. Maybe even soft primers. Like I said, it depends which one. Watch for bolt lift.

RE: Pressure signs this early??????
 

bc,
I started out light 72 grains and worked up +.3 and I saw pressure signs with flat primers the whole way. Did they give you a COL in that book? 75.5 is the magic number I want to be around depending on how the guns likes the formula. I am using Win large rifle ???? I think thats the name????? primers. Is compressing that load (75.5) gonna cause high pressure?