223 bad load data?
07-19-2009, 01:41 AM
#11
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 422
Lee only copies data from other sources. There are better books out there.
I have seen 'start 10% under max and work up' in multiple books during my 30 years of handloading. Never saw the disclaimer 'but only on replica and older firearms'. That warning is based on many parameters that are out of the reloading manual authors hands. Barrel length, leade length, barrel condition, bore size, brass volume, etc... They all contribute to your pressure and the velocity that the bullet leaves the barrel. Most every barrel will have a different pressure with the same exact load so the simple assumption that you are only loading to xx,xxx psi could be a dangerous one. Start low and work up. Accuracy kills, not velocity.
I have seen 'start 10% under max and work up' in multiple books during my 30 years of handloading. Never saw the disclaimer 'but only on replica and older firearms'. That warning is based on many parameters that are out of the reloading manual authors hands. Barrel length, leade length, barrel condition, bore size, brass volume, etc... They all contribute to your pressure and the velocity that the bullet leaves the barrel. Most every barrel will have a different pressure with the same exact load so the simple assumption that you are only loading to xx,xxx psi could be a dangerous one. Start low and work up. Accuracy kills, not velocity.
07-20-2009, 04:29 AM
#12
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location:
Posts: 279
I can understand starting 10% below max on replica and older firearms, but in a 5 year old ruger 223, seems a bit unessasary to me, and I tend not to waste bullets these days. I chose r15, cause it gave the best velocity,and loading it down, would defeat the purpose. Some loads have only a 1 grain difference from minimum to max, so I fail to see what so inappropriate about starting a half grain under the max., since I wasnt going to use r15 if I had to lower it much less anyway., Which I why I whound up using 4895 instead . My load data book is LEE, and its max load for a 55 gr bullet, is 28gr R15 (hornady SP)which is 53600psi .There are other loads for 223 that go up to 55000psi, so I felt plenty safe w/ this load, I just never saw a case fill up that much , even though I knew it was a compressed load, I didnt think it would compress that far.
you said it yourself, you don't want to waste lead.. how about wasting powder, primers and cases???
that's why you start at 10% under max and load 10 - 20 at a time for test firing.. then work your way sideways through your powders (all at 10% under their max) and only then, work your way upwards from there..
my money says you'll find your most accurate load is well & far under max..
look, I don't mean to jump down your throat, but the pressure in a .223 is plenty enough to do serious injury if a case ruptures, and if you follow this same prodedure for large calibers, like say .30-06, you're well on your way to orbiting a gun and blowing your face off...
