Hello All,
It never ceases to amaze me when I hear about someone just picking a load out of the book and expecting to get the same results!
Just cuz its a "published load" don't mean it will be safe in your gun.
Alway, Always, Always start below max published (around 10% works well for me!)& "work up" your load. Even when you do "work up" a load, some wierd things can happen.
I was working up a load for a friends .308 Win some years back and, if memory serves, we were using:
1) Winchester cases (once fired, F.L sized & trimmed)
2) CCI 200 primers (new)
3) Winchester 748 Ball Powder (new)
4) 165 gr Sierra Spitzer Boatails
I like to shoot five shot groups and increase the load by one grain increments per batch as I work up.
Long story short, first group showed flattened primers.
Second group, second shot, had complete case rupture and primer fell out of the case when extacting case from the rifle.
WTF!!!!
This was still four grains BELOW max load as published in the Sierra Manual.
Stopped shooting (duh!), went home & pulled the bullets to double check load weight. All was as expected but the results spoke for themselves.
Never have figured that one out but I'm sure glad I didn't just pick the load one grain below max and trust them to be safe.
I have been reloading for forty years now and I still go back & re-read the instructions printed in every one of my loading manuals from time to time.(Alzhiemers kicking in I guess!)