Exceeding max load??

[Simomac]

G' day guys, have noticed in the past that most people on this forum are very much against exceeding load reccomondations, chasing accuracy and not chasing velocity, but my question to you is... If you slowly work up above max load for a given powder, all the while checking for pressure signs until you reach a velocity you are happy with, and at that velocity there are still no pressure signs then what is wrong with that? I have done just that. My pet load for my tikka t3 is 29 gr of at 2219 which is h322 equivalent using rem brass and federal 205 primers behind a 32gr sbk. These loads show a lighter bolt lift than hornady factory loads and have not seen a cracked case with some brass on it's sixth reload. Why is it such a taboo subject?Other than the obvious safety concern in the hands of an idiot who may work above max loads in increments of a whole grain at a time. The max load stated for this is 27.5 gr to give a little over 4000 fps, I found an accuracy node at 26.5 but nothing above, so I worked over max load in . 1 gr increments an found an even better node at 29 gr that give me 4160 fps and a flatter shooting combo, with no pressure signs, so why not??

[ryutzy]

I do the same thing for most of my guns and it's ok as long as you really watch pressure and know what you are doing. You are quite a bit over max, so your brass probably wont last as long and your primer pockets will probably loosen earlier than the "given" max load. Powder companies make sure they are "safe" when they give a max load and that's why you can sometimes exceed their max load. Remember every gun is different and one gun may be ok with a hot load and the next gun the same load may be way overpressure.

Their are a few things that can drastically change pressures. If you develop your loads on a cold day your loads may be fine until you shoot that same load on an 85 degree day. So when you are pushing the limit with over max loads you have to be careful. Another thing is brass neck tension. I have found that sometimes if I give an extra .001 or .002 of neck tension I can achieve higher velocities without changing my powder charge. Next is seating the bullet to touch or seat into the lands. This can make a really big difference. In my .243 I gained almost 100 fps without changing my powder charge by seating my bullet into the lands.

So in my opinion it can be safe to do this.

[Simomac]

Hi ryutzy , it is interesting that you can gain that much velocity by seating on the lands. I am currently using an oal of 2.26 in my 204 but have only got a little more room to play with before it will take the mag out of play which I'm not willing to do as this is a hunting rifle and I am not chasing BR accuracy.I agree that the brass will probably not have the life it would at lower pressure but I personally chase the performance I want over economy. I always try to do my load testing on warmer days if possible, and most of my varmin control is done at night, so an increase in pressure is not likely, although I agree that you must be mindful all the time when using a load that hot.

[Darkker]

Taboo just because of liability mostly.
Especially if you have a long throat, it is completely typical to be able to be over book max; but not over gun max.
In all of the other forums I visit, it is amazing to me how many people don't or don't know how to measure what their guns max COL is. For those folks they should ALWAYS stick with the books info.

[Tokimini]

I hope you use good quality brass and inspect it closely before reloading it. A few years ago my son and I were shooting some Hornady factory loads and he got one with bad brass. The whole back end of the round let loose. It trashed my bolt and my son got a face full of gas and debris. Fortunately he wasn't hurt, but I hate to think what could have happened if that round had been as overloaded as one of your's is. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

[Glen]

A good range report beats the heck out of a great medical report every day. Please be careful.

[Sth Oz Dan]

A good range report beats the heck out of a great medical report every day. Please be careful.

The longer you live, the more you get to shoot

I'm very new to reloading. I've reached manufacturers max loads for ADI BM2 with V-max 32 & 40, and VG 26, all with CCI400 primers which a lot of guys seem to get cratering on only mild loads. It's tempting to go hotter, but inexperience, and thorough reading on this forum are stopping me for now.
Although I'm not seeing pressure signs, and all cases have been used again since with no apparent issues, I may be missing something subtle.
It's up to you mate. Given more range time, I'd probably have no hesitations to go over max - 0.1gn at a time of course

[Pmoper]

G' day guys, have noticed in the past that most people on this forum are very much against exceeding load reccomondations, chasing accuracy and not chasing velocity, but my question to you is... If you slowly work up above max load for a given powder, all the while checking for pressure signs until you reach a velocity you are happy with, and at that velocity there are still no pressure signs then what is wrong with that? I have done just that. My pet load for my tikka t3 is 29 gr of at 2219 which is h322 equivalent using rem brass and federal 205 primers behind a 32gr sbk. These loads show a lighter bolt lift than hornady factory loads and have not seen a cracked case with some brass on it's sixth reload. Why is it such a taboo subject?Other than the obvious safety concern in the hands of an idiot who may work above max loads in increments of a whole grain at a time. The max load stated for this is 27.5 gr to give a little over 4000 fps, I found an accuracy node at 26.5 but nothing above, so I worked over max load in . 1 gr increments an found an even better node at 29 gr that give me 4160 fps and a flatter shooting combo, with no pressure signs, so why not??

Sorry but the way I see it going over "max loads" is like sleeping in a tent on railroad tracks....after all...there isn't a train coming (or is there ?)

[Ol` Joe]

The books are not cut in stone but are only guide lines.
There is no guaranty you can load to the max listed load, nor it will not blow a primer before reaching it. There is also no guaranty you will get the same max pressure and top velocities with the max load the lab did if you can load to it.

Chambers, throats, bore condition, specific components, etc, all affect the load. Even the various labs can`t agree on a set max load in most cases. A grain or two over in a case like a 30-06 isn`t likely to cause much trouble before you realize it is time to stop or reduce it. Concider. A 30-06 is rated at 60K psi SAAMI but, a 270 Win is rated for 65K. Both are built on the same case and chambered in the same guns. If you can load to the higher pressure in the 270 there is no reason if the rifle and components are new and in good shape you can`t do the same in the `06. I`ve loaded a bit over the book in a couple cases but, I`ve also have had to stop well below the published max in one rifle. I`ve a "Pressure Trace" attached to a few rifles of various caliber and have seen some fair differences between my rifles and the books at times. A 6.5x284 showed over 6K psi difference between 2 different factory loads under similar conditions, and I have a 270 Win achieves book max velocity and factory pressure at 5gr under book max with one powder.

I agree with the consensus that one should generally stay within the book and not experiment. I would never recommend a newbie exceed the book. If they are not using the same exact components listed in the book (rare) I normally recommend they stay below it. Experienced shooters that know their rifle and loads may possibly find they can exceed the book on occasion. They need to reconize though, that pressure signs do not always appear when you exceed max listed pressures until you are past the safe point. A reliable way to track pressure is prudent if at all possible, and with some cartridges I would concider it a must. The extra 100fps you gain might look good on paper but the target will never know it exists. Pressures to reach it might just be wild enough to cause problems down the road, or possibly even immediately, and there is always that summer sun heating up things and playing with our loads when we aren`t looking too.