IMO - Reading pressure can be difficult

[Macmathews]

My rifle is a REM 700 5R in 308.
To make a long story short
My brass is Lapua... NEW load of choice is Lapua scenar 155's OVER 44.2 grains of XBR8202.. (IMR book max is 45.2)
I can shoot most pieces without a trace of ejector swipe or sticky bolt..
And then get swipe on the case head without any noticeable heavy bolt lift..
Its not like I am starting to get things hot within the gun because the next shot can be without any signs of pressure..
My guess is that some of these pieces of brass are softer than others ???
opinions ? Ideas ??


BTW - this load at 2.200 OGIVE 5 shot group shot just under 4" yesterday in a 10MPH wind.. @ 500 Yards.. I was more than happy

Kyle

 

[shoot4fun]

"Reading" pressure is akin to reading tea leaves. You have a 50/50 chance of being right and that is only 50% of the time.
The Remington 700 has several issues that , IMHO, make anything short of a completely blown up gun or primer blown out of the pocket not valid as to excess pressure or not.
I have owned R700 factory rifles in the past that showed the swipe at the minimum charge weight. One did it so badly that, after three or four shots, the ejector got so trashed up with brass shavings it refused to function.
I tend to look at primer/primer pocket signs for pressure. Very flat primers tell me there is too much. Also, primer pockets that get too loose too fast. Excessive case head swelling is another good indicator.
Also, are you over sizing the cases and bumping the shoulder back too far? That could be giving you the sign.
The R700 5R is one of Remington's better products these days; meaning QC appears to be much tighter than with the Dick's or Academy blue light specials. Enjoy!

 

[High Binder]

I tend to stick to looking at primers and nothing else. Another VERY important thing to consider is that pressure from high/low charges isn't the only factor. Head-space is a huge factor too. For example, here's a pic of one of my 338s with a very low charge (I think it was 88ish gr h1000) that had too much headspace, it literally stuck in the chamber so hard that I had to devise a way to pull it with all-thread and pretty extreme pressure.