Question

How do y'all go about finding your max load for your bolt action rifles? I loaded some 7mag with imr 4350 with 162gr sst to 1gr below my hornady max in there book..i started low and worked up all groups was ok but the one with 1gr below max was best under a inch..im gonna do some more playing with it and run it over my chronograph..just wondering when y'all stop.and on my 30 06 the best groups came at 53.5gr of imr 4350 with 165gr sst seems like a low charge to me?

I stop when I get accuracy I like with acceptable velocities for the chambering. Ive noticed when you push the envelope you may not see obvious pressure signs but get way short brass life. If it shoots good with respectable velocity im okay.

Do you understand how to recognize pressure signs?

Answer.

If you keep adding powder until you see traditional pressure signs, you will in all probability be well above SAAMI pressure limits. Since you mentioned you have a chronograph, you have a handloader's best friend. Using your example of IMR 4350 and 162 Hornady SST bullets, you should be able to safely load up to the highest velocity listed with that powder and that bullet. This is true even if you have to use more grains of powder than the maximum listed amount to reach the maximum listed velocity. The same is true in reverse, i.e., if you reach maximum velocity with less than the maximum powder charge, you should stop adding powder.

There are many other variables which can affect maximum safe velocity in your gun. Your gun is different from the gun used by the technicians establishing the data, as well as the brass, primer, etc. Velocity is the result of pressure, but keep in mind a 1% increase in velocity will yield a 4% increase in pressure.

It has been my experience that Hornady load data can be the most conservative of most of the regularly used data sources. I've crossed referenced Hornady max data to Hodgdon's max data, and a few times, I wondered if I was even looking at the same cartridge.

Different guns and different components. If you compare data between hornady and Nosler, you will find big differences between them and hornady will list higher velocities for some cartridges and Nosler will have higher velocities for others. Always review the data for the bullets you are using. Substituting one manufacturers data for another can be dangerous. Swift bullets are notorious for developing higher pressures due to their comparatively long shanks and you must start out several grains lower when developing loads.

Wiley i am new but have done reading and video's. I know flat primers and hard bolt. But like on my 30 06 all powder charges looks like flat primers even in factory ammo so idk about that one. but i don't have a hard bolt lift.....on my 7mag when i went a grain below max the powder wasn't up close to the neck yet thats why i was wondering about that.

I think you first have to question why you are worried about speed? and weigh that with one of the main reasons you are hand loading in the first place... that is to get better accuracy than you can with factory ammo.

If you are getting great groups does it matter? I don't know you'll have to decide that, however if you look at the loading manual from someone like Nosler there is a tidbit of information that is really useful.... and that is the most accurate load for the given powder. What you'll find is that given a certain twist and bullet a certain velocity usually gives good accuracy.

My personal methodology is I don't want to sacrifice bullet weight for speed because of superior ballistics. I'd rather shoot a 180gr at 2700 than a 150gr at 2900. Especially if shooting long range. But I'm going to try and get 2750 from the 180 making it even less of a gap. So I tend to try and push everything as hard as I can. Sometimes it works out and a lot of times it doesn't... I just wasted a lot of powder. It was more accurate at a lower velocity.


If you decide you want to go as fast as possible and strictly go by the manual's numbers for your loads, never getting close to max (because you think it might be dangerous)... Here is the wrench in that plan.... If you don't go until you start to see pressure signs then you'll never know what the max is in your gun.

Depending on how the chamber is cut it can be significantly different between 2 identical rifles. In my experience it is common to be as much as 100 FPS.

I'm not going to tell you exactly how I find out what the rifle will handle other than I usually keep a rubber hammer for the bolt handle with me just in case, but consider I've been doing this 35-40 years. Some kid's Dads play golf and mine shot rifles.

Im not scared to push it past my posted max load. Im Just wondering if it's common to do so. I started reloading for accercy but obviously want all i can get out of it and keep tight groups.

I would say it is not common to go past published loads and you might see pressure signs even before you hit the book max... again all depends on your particular gun.

You have to decide if personal injury is worth 50fps. Once you get near max you need to work up VERY slowly and look at the primers, cases and usually the bolt handle will let you know.

Then once I have more or less found the max I will take that accuracy load I found at a lower velocity and maybe load 10-20 a little hotter and go back and see what it will do.

If it won't do it I change powders, bullets, etc. and start the whole entire process over again. You'll burn a LOT of powder and waste a LOT of bullets hunting for 50fps. That's been my experience. So if you want speed start with the fastest powder in the book obviously. But always try something a little slower and where you can kind of see the accuracy. I shoot a lot of Nosler and their data is real good in this regard.

I don't think 50fps has ever been noticed by a deer, just considering.

"you must start out several grains lower when developing loads."

Absolutely. I've broken the rules some by looking at the weights and the charge ranges of differing components, but it's only to give me an idea of where to start my low end ladder to begin my personalized testing.

Since you're loading for a 7mm RM, I'll tell you my experience with my own. I have a Remington 700 with a 24 in barrel. Nosler data lists max velocity with 66.5 gr R22 and 140 gr bullets at 3340 fps. It was 1/2" accuracy but my rifle barely got 3000 fps with that load. I finally worked up to 71.4 gr of R22 for 3260 fps, which is as fast as I really wanted. I noticed accuracy nodes occurred about every 2 grain step up in powder. No traditional pressure signs. Nosler data for 7mm RM is a lot faster than other data I've seen.

I've never had to break out the rubber mallet at the range (yet), but I've popped a couple of primers and had to work hard to open a few bolts.

Thanks for all the answers..this was my first reloads other than 223 and 9mm.. Guess ill load up some more and take my chronograph and see were my fps is and go from there.