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Hi guys - I'm new to reloading and wanted to check with the experts on whether these are pressure signs.. I see light extractor marks. But the primers?
Using a Lee hand loader, .308.
Varget 43gn
ELDX 178gn
Velocity 2510 FPS
I know this is over the Hornady spec and would accept a bollocking if deserved! Am chasing as much energy as possible..
Bolt was not noticeably sticky in lift or extraction..
Thanks - hopefully the photos attach
Ignore primers, some cases show ejector stamp marks. I’d be backing off the load a tad. Deer won’t notice the difference of 50fps
They look ok to me.edges still nice and rounded,no flattening.assume your foreign pin dents look like this with factory stuff too??? Which is actually good to compare factory fired with reloaded.can only see one photo,can't see any shiney marks etc on that photo.
To me it looks like soft primers and or a larger than spec firing pin hole.
Try a harder primer for a start.
Looked on the Adi website and for that weight of bullet you look to be about 2 grains under max load (varget is 2208). So pretty much around the ballpark, in so much as all bullets and rifles are a bit different. Honestly the deer won’t give a shit 100fps (or more) either way. If it’s accurate enough then job done. Can’t really see any significant ejector marks so if the bolts no different to lift should be okay.
No expert, however i'd be inclined to compare your obtained velocity against load data (allowing for 25ish fps per inch barrel length) to give you another reference for pressure.
In theory velocity and pressure will always go hand in hand. As mentioned, various brass indications are not always reliable measures of pressure (that is, until things are disintegrating).
They look ok. Some primers are softer than others. Mine are CCI and look similar with a pretty mild load
What rifle and barrel length, primers look good looks like a mild load
Primers are not indicating excessive pressure by clues I look for. I usually find when you're nearing the max pressure mark for the particular rifle being shot that primers will look quite flattened around the perimeter. In my experience you don't have to go far beyond that before getting a blown primer and / or noticeably stiffer bolt lift. Hopefully you wouldn't get that far having either found a max load or backing off the load slightly ( not the load you asked about here ) to stay in safe territory.
Looks ok, well within their limits
Bergara B14, short barrel approx. 16"Quote:
Originally Posted by Billo
Thanks a lot guys, noted on checking crater marks in factory rounds..
At least 2 & maybe 3 cases show distinct ejector stamp marks. See arrows on pic.
Nosler load data says 43.5gn is max for 175-180gn pills & 2599 fps out of 24in bbl. Given 2-3 cases show pressure signs I’d say you are very much at max psi. While the absence of brass flow signs doesn’t always correlate to safe pressures, the presence of these signs is a wake up call.
Pic with arrows
Attachment 278130
If was Hornady superprefomance load to begin with.... I've seen far far worse from them in brand new Sako rifle. Proceed with caution and don't hotrod loads.
Greetings Angus,
Your velocity is about what I would expect from your load and barrel length and the Hodgdons/ADI data so your pressure should be fine. The cratered primers are common these days due to a loose fit between the firing pin and bolt face and have nothing to do with pressure. I think that you are neck sizing your cases which often results in rub marks on the case head. Both Nosler and Hornady offer loads for a group of projectiles rather than a specific one as the Hodgdon/ADI data does which makes their data less reliable at times. The 175 grain Sierra projectile that Hodgdons used is much closer than the one you are using so I would trust their data more than the others. The most reliable indicator of pressure is velocity and this tells me that your pressure is fine. The .308 is a very forgiving cartridge, often loaded below max.
Regards Grandpamac
