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Old November 20, 2008, 04:21 PM   #1
GringoLoco
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Starting loads

I'm sure this is already answered somewhere, but I can't get the search feature to cooperate. I'm getting ready to start my first batch, and I've read that I should start 10% low. Is that 10% lower than the max, or 10% lower than the recommended starting charge? I'm assuming I should start at the recommended starting charge, even with LC .223 brass (thicker, less volume, more pressure), right?

Thanks for putting up with all the questions lately.
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Old November 20, 2008, 04:42 PM   #2
44Magnum
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If you have a published recommended starting load then start there. The 10% rule is based off the max when you don't have a starting load.
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Old November 20, 2008, 05:53 PM   #3
rn22723
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Hello
There are some powders that you specifically you can not down load Win 296 and Hodgdon 110. Their data suggest 3 percent. As a rule of thumb it is a good idea to start with a 10 percent reduction off of the max load. Now, here is another point, if reloading rifle rounds you need to follow the DATA specifically to the letter. Because brass capacity varies greatly. Case in point the Sierra Manual uses Fed brass for the 308 data, where as if you looked on line at the Hodgdon data it uses Win brass. Two vary different case capacities...with straight walled pistol rounds that is not that much of an issue.

My rule of thumb is 10 percent.
So if say a max load is 40gr, then the the starting load is 40grains
40x0.1=4gr is 10percent
40-4gr=36gr

Now, for me I have figured my increments to be 1percent of the max load round up to the nearest tenth of a grain.
40grx0.01=0.4gr

So my loaded rounds for the round would be

36/36.4/36.8/37.2/37.6/38/38.4/38.8/39.2/39.6/40gr

Now that is a lot of rounds, so what I might do is just go with .5gr increments. I then load 6rds of each increment. I then use the 6th round for fouling rounds, which are shot first so I do this to check for pressure signs. Any load that is not good is not shot, and the components are then recovered. No sense wasting resources.


Handgun ammo is done similarly, but of course the increments might be tenths of a grain.
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