zrexpilot

I have load that my 7-08 loves but its a bit on the hot side.
48.5 gr rl19 with q 162 gr sst. thats 1 gr over max load in the nosler manual.
primers are flattened and thats all i see.
the bolt lifts easy.
How do I know if its safe to use. If all I do is lose case life I am ok with that, but some say I am going to blow myself up
what you say.
I tried 47 gr and worked up , my goups got tighter and tighter as I added, at 48.5 gr it does 1/2 moa or better at 200 yds

Pawildman

Flattened primers are not always a sure indicator of overpressure problems, but can give a hint. Sticky bolt lift is a pretty good indication of impending trouble. Are you getting smudged primers? If not, I'd proceed with caution, but not overly concerned. If you are working this load in cooler temps, you may have some bolt lift problems in hotter weather, so be on the lookout for that.
I load my 7mm Rem Mag a good bit over Lyman book spec max, and it shoots great with no problems. Do I advise doing that to anyone? Not at all. Ya gots ta know yer equipment & its tolerances...

zrexpilot

when you say smudged what do you mean, i dont have any leakage if thats what you mean.
and when checking bolt lift how does one check, is it right when you start to lift or at the top when you unlock it.

harter66

Stiff bolt to me means anywhere in the lift or cam. The bolt is ,in anything mauserish,pulling some during the lift. Keep in mind also that even lot to lot brass can vary enough that your safe accurate load in this brass might not fit in the next brass,or be safe in the rifle built just before or after yours .

I've this 30-06 ,I matched from a lot of 150 ,3 sets of brass.I worked up a load that shot very well. So I went though the stash and matched out another lot dropped my load in ......wth.....really some 500 fps slow.

Check another manual for bullet weight and charge go slow, stop when you get lift load.

Pawildman

... When I say "smudged", I'm referring to getting a black residue ring between the primer and the casing pocket. If not, good.
... harter66 explained sticky lift pretty well. Once you get it, you'll know it if you're used to shooting that gun with "no problem" ammo.

bigcountryextreme

Your probably ok, but with these grey situations, if you start getting very easy primer seatings at 3 loads, most likely, your above 60KPSI.

Colorado Cajun

Every single load I have ever shot out of my 3006 has always flattened the primer for me. Some of those were even below minimum listed grains in some manuals. If they eject fine, and you not getting cracks in your brass you should be okay IMO. Watch your brass.

I think the companies that put out load data keep it on the lower, more safe side, because they don't know who is using the data or what the condition of the gun is that it will be fired from. They don't want a law suit or to get anyone hurt. On case life, I quit full sizing my brass and shoot it fire formed now. I find that is making a difference because I had some that cracked right at the spot at the base of the case that expands out.

harter66

Cajin , I believe that is called head separation,and is not good. Let me share 1 about that too.

A mark x mauser with a varmiter bbl in 22-250 (it'd be a walking varmiter w/benchrest stock now) we shot about 5 rounds for group at 200yd then picked on some randome targets farther out having no issues with targets of 8-10" out to 400 or so from the bench. On the 11th total round the primer fell out on the bench,brand new factory ammo. The 5th case showed gas leaks and progressive incresses with every shot. The 11th case also had the crack at the web line . We sent it off to Olin/Winchester and bought some new brass. I loaded 1 of the old pet loads the rifle shot well and off to the range. I put up 5 targets for 3 guns and shot 5 from each starting with the 22-250 we checked targets then moved on to shooting for fun. 4th round of the 2nd string gas leaks . The loads was about 1 gr above minimums IIRC with a load that has a 5-6gr window. The 8th round had full head separation with no stiff bolt ever. Our conclusion was that the action and bbl just stayed too hot long enough to cause the pressure issues. The rifle shot right to point of aim every time no change in report or recoil.

harter66

Since I've begun shooting cast in everything I've got I've learned volumes about pressure . Secondary explosion effect is the small charge in a big case low pressure situation you're refering to? Kind of unlikely in that particular case not impossible.

Cajin
Headspace may be the issue causing the case cracks you refered to. By not FL sizing you have effectively removed the the long headspace. I have a Chec mauser that is just such .

Scott Gags

I use bolt lift and velocity as my guide for excessive pressure. If you compare your velocities to max in the manual you should get a good idea of the pressures you are running. Once you match the velocity listed at max charge in the manual with your loads you are running very close to the max pressures listed in the manual.

Different rifles will make different pressures and velocities with the same charge rate but the actual pressure and velocity relationship is pretty consistant.

Adjust for barrel lengths at 17FPS for a 7mm-08 if your barrel varies from the manuals barrel lenght.