crunching powder when bullet seating.

[dmiller369]

this is my first time reloading.

178gr AMAX
IMR 4895

Im making 5 loads of each; .40gr .41gr .42gr .43gr .44gr and .45gr

Im on .43gr and i think i feel powder crunching when im seating the bullet.

the OAL of the bullet from tip not o is 2.85. Im pretty sure that im not seating the bullet to far in. is it normal to have this cruch?

 

[MtnCreek]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

Yes. Your data source should show a 'C' after the charge weight letting you know it was a compressed charge.

 

[GardDog]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

Do you use a drop tube or pour straight into the case with the pan?

 

[dmiller369]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

lee shitty powder measure. then to the scale. then the pan to the funnel into the case.

 

[GardDog]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

Does the funnel have a drop tube? I started using a longer drop tube and the "crunchy" loads laid down better.

 

[targaflorio]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

What brass are you using? At 2.85" COAL? 308 Win? I have not used 4895, but 43 grs seems light to be a compressed load... You should be able to eyeball it to see, or you can get a collett puller and pull a bullet and see if the powder is compacted.

Yes, as mentioned the loading manual should tell you if it is a compressed load, if you are using the same brass as the book.

I just ordered the Forster drop tube funnel to be able to drop more powder myself!

 

[dmiller369]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

according to lyman 49th edition- 178 amax with IMR 4895
minimum powder is 37.5
maximum is 43.5

Now i just bought this book, i was going off of 175 and 180 AMAX because my other book did not have 178gr.

should i not fire the 44 and 45 gr.?

 

[former naval person]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

Not in my opinion. FWIW

 

[Tough Guy]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: savage168USAF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">according to lyman 49th edition- 178 amax with IMR 4895
minimum powder is 37.5
maximum is 43.5

Now i just bought this book, i was going off of 175 and 180 AMAX because my other book did not have 178gr.

should i not fire the 44 and 45 gr.? </div></div>

What kind of shooting you doing? Gonna shoot some pig or deer or just target shoot (we're still guessing your talking/assuming 308 cal). I would suggest you use that IMR4895 for blowing stumps out of your backyard...

I've had some of that stuff for years and never found a good use for it. My best load for 308 is 168 grain bullet and Varget 45.5 grain. H4895 shoots very simular to Varget but with different powder load.

 

[Beef82]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: savage168USAF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">according to lyman 49th edition- 178 amax with IMR 4895
minimum powder is 37.5
maximum is 43.5

Now i just bought this book, i was going off of 175 and 180 AMAX because my other book did not have 178gr.

should i not fire the 44 and 45 gr.? </div></div>

First you should develop loads in half grain or smaller increments, for more data points and more warning before pressure is too high. Compressed loads are no big deal.

IIRC Lyman is pretty good for listing max loads that either show pressure in most rifles or just barely beyond will. The obvious answer is you should never exceed maximums. The most important thing is that you be observant, at all times in the reloading process including firing the loads, watch for pressure, when it shows go no further, this may happen before you reach book max, it may not.

Good luck, report back with your results.

 

[targaflorio]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

Do not go over book max unless you have a chronograph to show you where your velocities are relative to the book data. For 308 loads, .3 grain increments are about right as you approach max.

 

[Jhnmdahl]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

If I had to guess, I'd think the 40-43 grain loads will shoot just fine, but the difference between 43 and 44 with a longish 178gr bullet could take you from safe to trouble in a hurry. Moreso if you happen to be using slightly smaller 7.62mm brass (e.g. Lake City) instead of .308 brass.

The advice to load up some 43.3 and 43.6, and shoot them before thinking about 44gr, is good. I doubt you'll make it to 45 grains without seeing pressure signs that make you want to stop first.

John

 

[dmiller369]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

alright well i took your guys advice and bought a kinetic bullet puller.

Also i have a new question now.
my 37.5 grain round shot the best at .49 moa. My next best was 41 grain at about .79 which could have been shooter error. Anyhow i did the math and my 37.5 grain will only hold supersonic out to about 900 yards vs the 41 holding supersonic past 1000.

what happens when the bullet slows down past the speed of sound? will i still be able to shoot this accuratly at 1000 yards?

 

[Aimsmall55]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

No it will destabilize and tumble like a badly thrown football. Have you thought about a different powder? What's your barrel length. Have you thought about the 175 smks. I hit 1k with those with a mv of 2678 fps. I could load hotter but I'd lose my accurracy node.

 

[targaflorio]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

Bigger bullets with high bc's will maintain their momentum/velocity longer. Some guys are shooting the Amax 208 successfully in 308 win

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

I'm not going to look it up, but it seems to me that crunching 4895 is unusual, in most any application? A max load of 4895 usually results in a lot of empty space in the case? I don't load 308 very often, and hardly ever use 4895 but crunching powder in a 308 sounds more like 4831 rather than 4895? But, what do I know? There are very few properly assembled and selected loads that require compression and every one that I have ever used involved H4831 or IMR4831. Which, (I assume) is why 4831sc is the best thing since sliced bread? BB

 

[boltgunluvr]

Re: crunching powder when bullet seating.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: savage168USAF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">lee shitty powder measure. then to the scale. then the pan to the funnel into the case. </div></div>

You can smooth your Lee powder measure with mica powder and/or disassemble and make sure there is no plastic flashing causing charge weights to vary. Love my Lee measurers and since they're plastic, they don't rust...ever! Welcome to compressed loads. I've had some good ones. BUT, its nice to hear powder rattling inside one's loaded cartridge when you're far from home. I've witnessed reloaders that discovered they forgot to load the powder before seating a bullet, went hunting....well....you know the rest! Not good. You can get excellent results with 85%-95% load density too.