[Unclenick]

You are right. My eyes must have jumped. My apologies. Just don't want you blowing up.

I have to say, though, that Hodgdon data looks funny. They are claiming a 4% difference in powder charge gave them about 20% difference in pressure! I'm sure they've got data recorded to show it, but it's over twice the pressure difference you'd normally expect from that charge difference. The velocity difference is about right, which says even more loudly that the lower pressure reading was off, for whatever reason, and that low reading is likely why they didn't lower the starting charge further.

Speer #6 says to use 23.5 grains H4895 to 25.5 grains maximum (IMI case and CCI 400 primer) and shows the 25.5 grain load is compressed already. That compression may be due to the IMI case, though. IMI cases run heavy. The Sierra manual's bolt gun .223 section runs 23.1 grains to 26.1 grains maximum with all their 55 grain bullets, using a Federal case and Remington 7½ primer (their AR section doesn't list H4895). Sierra doesn't indicate compression, though. Lee just copied Hodgdon's data, so that doesn't help.

So, something's off about that Hodgdon data. Their IMR4895 data had a more normal span of charge weights. Lyman, Nosler, and Hornady don't list H4895, but the Speer and Sierra load ranges also have more normal spans than Hodgdon does.

One thing I've seen repeated often on the board (and have repeated myself) is the old rule of thumb to check three sources of load data before deciding what to use. That particular piece of Hodgdon data makes a good example of why.