I know somebody that used to shoot 3" shells out of a model 12 Winchester. When I pointed out that the gun was not made for 3" shells, he just said, "but they fit"
He and the gun both survived. And he no longer shoots 3" through it.
Why do people load so hot?
- Thread starter Salmon Exceptional Ape
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He and the gun both survived. And he no longer shoots 3" through it.
...the crowd that doesn't set world records and shoot tiny, tiny aggs.
Because I want to go fast.
I wake up in the morning and piss excellence.
If you're not first you're last.
On a less flippant note, I will take the highest velocity that remains accurate, doesn't display pressure signs like extractor swipes and hard bolt lift, and gives consistently low SD's.
I need all the help I can get with my inferior wind calling ability and hot dirty speed does seem to help.
Now if I could just get more velocity out of VV N555 in a 6.5CM I'd be all set since I have a bit under 8lbs of the stuff. Out of Alpha small primer brass I am getting a hard bolt lift within 1gr of listed max load, and I'm not getting to 2700fps with 140gr ELD-M. Nice low SD's though and every group was right around .5"- .7" for 5 shots. I will try this under some 147's and not push them, just enjoy nice low SD's and hopefully a nice accurate load.
Meanwhile RL 16 in Lapua large primer brass at max load shows no hint of pressure, bolt opens easy, brass looks good, SD's are single digits, and it's averaging 2956fps... and shooting small groups. A max load of the same powder under a 130gr ELD-M is yeeting it out there at 3009fps, shooting small groups, and giving single digit SD's. Damn magical unicorn powder.
Some people load hot because they just like to tweak ammo. They like to stretch the edges of the practicality envelope just because they can. Others are looking for their personal individual hot loads for whatever different types of game they hunt...a load for pigs, a load for deer, and on and on. They just don't think factory stuff is good enough.
Why do people hot rod cars, it's the same question.
If you don't get it, you probably won't ever get it, & it's not for you.
If you don't get it, you probably won't ever get it, & it's not for you.
Yes the question is why do people push things until they break even though there's a perfectly good version with 95% of the performance that will last longer and work better? It's not about "getting it" I just think some people follow instincts rather than rationality and it's pretty silly to me. I wrote this post originally because I was honestly curious if I was missing something but after reading the responses here, it's clear that there is indeed zero benefit it running your gun at 10k over pressure, even if you aren't getting "pressure signs".
I don’t think you do understand. Or you misunderstood a number of the posts.
For the average daily shooter, the majority even, there’s more downside than upside, but as clearly stated in a number of posts above, there are those that do find the trade off worth it for their purposes.
For the average daily shooter, the majority even, there’s more downside than upside, but as clearly stated in a number of posts above, there are those that do find the trade off worth it for their purposes.
Life is short, quite being a sissy. Load that shit like its gonna be dropped.on hiroshima 
@lash gets it.
Many shooters have no viable need to burn 3 barrels a season or even rule the local club leader board.
Then there are those at a high level of competition (not me) that do to make it on the first page of the event let alone leader board.
Some of us just like to see where our skills place us occasionally for personal goals.
I'm going to load hot enough to get the job done and not anything more .
Trick is to decide what the job is and don't kid your self about your place in life.
You and your barrel will live longer.
I just now ordered a new barrel with two goals in mind.
A hit on 2 inch targets at 500 yards and a hit on 1000 yard targets. Both on an ar 15 platform.
Had a bad 6.5g barrel and being replaced with a "ridiculous" 24 inch 6 arc so I can get enough speed to get the job done without burning it up while practicing.
Competitive not so much, more of a hit or fail goal.
My reality has come to bear.
A hit on 2 inch targets at 500 yards and a hit on 1000 yard targets. Both on an ar 15 platform.
Had a bad 6.5g barrel and being replaced with a "ridiculous" 24 inch 6 arc so I can get enough speed to get the job done without burning it up while practicing.
Competitive not so much, more of a hit or fail goal.
My reality has come to bear.
Some people dont think twice about sticky bolt lift and piercing a primer now and then. I dont understand why someone would want to deal with the temperamental nature of such loads over something that runs like a top without hiccup in all conditions but it probably works well for them lots of the time.
Some people still think they "have a fast barrel" and it's not pressure..
Some people think they aren't at high pressure because their Alpha/lapua SRP brass doesn't show blatant pressure signs when they've got a nice clean, dry chamber.
For some folks, its kind of like creating some obscure wildcat that does basically the same thing as existing cartridges with head stamped brass and dies, they just like to eff around with it or nerd out about some tiny marginal improvement.
Some people still think they "have a fast barrel" and it's not pressure..
Some people think they aren't at high pressure because their Alpha/lapua SRP brass doesn't show blatant pressure signs when they've got a nice clean, dry chamber.
For some folks, its kind of like creating some obscure wildcat that does basically the same thing as existing cartridges with head stamped brass and dies, they just like to eff around with it or nerd out about some tiny marginal improvement.
If someone is talking about seeing how much boost they can run through a bone stock junkyard 5.3 and your first thought is "that isn't rational", you are 100% on the spectrum.
Some people just like to push limits to see what they can do. If you have the means and resources, it can be fun.
In reloading, yes some of those people are trying to win the Darwin awards because they don't fully understand the math of what is happening next to their face. But I bet most of them push the limits gradually instead of jumping straight to an internet load that is already at 80k in a specific rifle.
The guy who taught me about reloading loves to talk about his box of pissin' hot flamethrower loads, but the majority of their shooting loads are much more boring.
Some people just like to push limits to see what they can do. If you have the means and resources, it can be fun.
In reloading, yes some of those people are trying to win the Darwin awards because they don't fully understand the math of what is happening next to their face. But I bet most of them push the limits gradually instead of jumping straight to an internet load that is already at 80k in a specific rifle.
The guy who taught me about reloading loves to talk about his box of pissin' hot flamethrower loads, but the majority of their shooting loads are much more boring.
You guys realize it's a holiday For a lot of America, right?
Word is some dove shit in my pasture and I feel obligated to punish them.
See you Tuesday.
Word is some dove shit in my pasture and I feel obligated to punish them.
See you Tuesday.
I haven't read any post above here that explains why loading higher pressure is better. So you are saying that there is an inherent advantage to loading higher pressure vs achieving the same velocity in a larger cartridge? Because that's the only thing I think doesn't makes sense. For instance if someone really feels like they need a 105 berger to run at 3k you think it's better to run it in a 6br at 75k pressure vs a 6gt at 65k pressure? Obviously that doesn't make sense, there's no inherent advantage to higher pressure, there are only downsides. You really gonna argue about that?
I definitely do have those thoughts lol my buddies are all into choppers and LS swapped vans and they are certainly fun, but fun isn't
rational". You may get a higher top speed but you also blow your motor after 5k at the drag strip. I have a mostly stock 93 Dyna that never breaks down and actually has suspension. Like I get the fun of building a motor but I've also wasted years of my life on bike trips waiting for peoples bikes to be picked up...
It's actually a pretty good analogy though, for every hot rodded LS there are 10 7.4 liter trucks that go 300k with 500 hp stock. So yes, the rational thing to do is to choose the right tool for the job. The fun redneck thing to do is dick around with what you have, and anyway building motors is a lot more fun than putting too much powder in your case.
yeah this is kind of what it comes down to for me... Im also a rational thinker like you, but do love pushing for high scores where possible. Just not sure if its worth it next to my melon.
My take on root issue behind this topic is a lot of reloaders (not all) believe they are perfectly safe because they are only starting to see pressure signs every now and again. They might see max pressure is 62k and assume that pressure signs start at 62k-65k.. Well thats not too bad so they call it good. Math says they are likely going to 75k-80k+, but they don't know that.
As long as a catastrophic failure harms only the person pushing pressures that high, I dont care what they do.
I’m not going to argue at all. I was just telling you that you don’t actually understand what you think you do. You will obviously load how you feel is correct and for you that won’t be wrong.
Like most situations, people read and see what they want to see. This is no different.
bro this isn't church, you can just say what you mean and not beat around the bush and hand wave. I'm here to learn, so what exactly is the advantage to loading high pressure vs. bigger cartridge/slower powder?
You have nothing to actually say, got it. What a waste of timeBro, I’m done.
Do you even have reading comprehension bro?
You are just looking to argue. All that needs to be said has already been said. I cannot help that you have no reading comprehension. Now you are just trolling.
Yep. And the best way to understand another's motives? Ask him. Don't theorize about it without even asking the person you theorize about. Might be a long conversation in which you learn the other guy's POV is just about directly opposite your own, and you might have been thinking "nobody thinks this way."
Hell it made sense when I typed it, thought I was summarizing the thread, all the theorizing about why someone else "loads hot" when the big distinction is, who is loading hot what is hot what does that guy know about mechanics/combustion/tolerances...
Also the point you made, most people look for a mirror of themselves, vs finding out what the other person thinks and why.
Also the point you made, most people look for a mirror of themselves, vs finding out what the other person thinks and why.
you literally CAN'T be serious, I asked for a technical answer to a technical question and you are just trying to say I can't read. You come in here and just say "you just don't get it", I say ok I'm interested, explain it to me? then instead you just keep trying to throw out ad hominems. Over 14000 messages on here and you have nothing to say. You are such a phony and you are dismissed.
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