Thread: What are you using for pressure estimation in your handloads.

Reloading manuals are very conservative - they have to be so as to allow for the idiot that starts at max and works up from there.
Personally I start in the mid range with a suitable powder, projectile combination and slowly, as in .3 or .5 of a grain, work up from there, looking for accuracy and a good group. Once Ive established that, I get the chrony out and measure velocity. Then I enter the data into my ballistics calculator and away I go. Nothing magical, just simple and straightforward, and the results speak for themselves.
There are a number of pressure signs that each individual rifle and cartridge combination will demonstrate, but generally to much pressure will be significant increased recoil, significant increased noise, many aspects of the case expanding to fit the chamber resulting in bolt markings on the case head, split necks, case head separation, blown or flattened primers, and more. This usually has the secondary effect of a bolt which is stiff to lift