Pressure signs?

[bwsmith]

I am a tad concerned on this load because I am not seeing any pressure signs but at half a grain higher than my most accurate load the cartridges stick a bit when fired which tells me they are starting to get too hot. half a grain less is a tack driver and good hunting load.

Here are primers and brass. Anyone notice pressure signs that I am not seeing?

 

[tylenol9999]

It looks fine to me.

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

primers look abit cratered to me

 

[Yarddog]

"am a tad concerned on this load because I am not seeing any pressure signs but at half a grain higher than my most accurate load the cartridges stick"

When you back off the half gr dose it stick? If not that's your load IMO ; )
Y/D

 

[Blue68f100]

If the bolt is starting to stick you need to back off, 1st sign of pressure signs. Primers are generally hard to read since the hardness varies depending on mfg. Your starting to show on the primers but not terrible.

 

[bwsmith]

"When you back off the half gr dose it stick?"

When I back it off a half it chambers perfect. As soon as it started to stick a bit I stopped. I went back to the half a grain lighter load for one more shot to make sure it was the load and that one was fine.

FYI, each vertical row is a different load. The one where you can see a couple unfired is the one that was sticking. The brass laid out is the one half grain under that didn't stick and shot great.

 

[243winxb]

First thing i see wrong with your workup, is 2 different brands of brass. Different Component = Different Pressure. Some have pressure signs, primer flowing into the firing pin hole, no rounded edge on the primer. Hard extraction/bolt lift is another. The 2 brass laying on top are different. The right one looks like the hotter loading??

 

[edfardos]

Federal primers? Looks great. Mid pressure.

Other primers? Mid to high pressure, not redline.

 

[jwrowland77]

It looks like the beginning of high pressure on some of those primers.

Like said though, I see at least three different headstamps. When doing rifle, you want to do a workup with one headstamp and that's it. Each different headstamp is going to be heavier or lighter, meaning you're going to have different internal capacities. Heavier brass is going to have smaller internal capacity, so the pressure is going to be higher.

I would go back and pick one headstamp and do the workup again. If it was me, I would probably use the brass headstamp that gave me the best results at the .5 grain under and work around it or just keep that load with just that headstamp.

 

[bwsmith]

Yeah, there are 3 headstamps. .280 ain't the easiest to find. But I do have enough of each to finalize just one since it looks like I have found a sweet spot. All Federal Primers.

Thanks for the second opinions!

 

[Walkalong]

Is the Norma brass the heaviest?

 

[oneounceload]

half a grain less is a tack driver and good hunting load.

Then why are you messing with success?

 

[witchhunter]

Those all look kinda hot. Primers are flattening out and cratering around the firing pin. You won't get good brass life like that. I don't use mixed brass either as others have said, you need a baseline. You can't get a baseline with mixed components. When the bolt gets stiff, you are too hot. Just my opinion, but if the sweet spot is half a grain less, show us that brass.

 

[Walkalong]

half a grain less is a tack driver and good hunting load.

Then why are you messing with success?

I agree, another few FPS won't make much difference. Drop back down to your tack driving load and see what the primers look like, because the ones in the pics definitely look "warm".

 

[bwsmith]

"Then why are you messing with success?"

The half grain too hot was just in the lineup for testing (the last one so less bullets to pull). I didn't know half a grain less was the sweet spot until I went through that series of 6 test loads at half grain intervals. I was at 2 grains less for hunting because I figured a 1" group was fine. But as I worked up it, the group size kept dropping to a final of 0.43" until the "Too Hot" load which opened up to almost 2" with the only 2 shots I took (I wasn't taking chances).

I just loaded up another batch for testing isolating test lines to different brass (Norma, Barnes, and Remington) sith the same F210 primers. Once I clean and trim the ones I just shot and separate by headstamp, I will also load 1 grain under what we established as too hot. That one grouped at 0.5" but 50fps less than .5 grain under hot.

The 280 is by far the most fun caliber I have loaded to date.

 

[Potatohead]

Can anyone point out for me which cases give evidence of high pressure or whose primers are " cratered" ? (ex: first pic, 3rd row, 2 down)


I don't reload or shoot much rifle but I'd sure like to be able to identify high pressure signs. They all look pretty much the same to me.

 

[jwrowland77]

Can anyone point out for me which cases give evidence of high pressure or whose primers are " cratered" ? (ex: first pic, 3rd row, 2 down)


I don't reload or shoot much rifle but I'd sure like to be able to identify high pressure signs. They all look pretty much the same to me.

Basically in the first picture, the entire row to the left and to the right of the case that is laying over.

The row to the right shows the beginning of high pressure primer craters. While the row to the left is more pronounced.

 

[Potatohead]

Thanks Jwrow. I'm trying to learn to recognize this type stuff..like the mysterious ring around the case before it's going to separate. I start seeing that thing on every case when I'm inspecting my brass Don't know if it's really that pronounced or if my brain is just making it materialize since I'm looking for it. I can turn the smallest speck or glare into that ring every time it seems..

 

[243winxb]

bwsmith, more data would be nice. Like powder, grains, bullets, with the Fed 210 primers. What rifle? Some bolt faces may make the primer look like high pressure. The harder bolt lift is a sure sign if thats what you mean by

As soon as it started to stick

 

[gamestalker]

Working with mixed brass for work ups isn't the best route to go. Different brass produces varied pressures that can be significantly higher or lower. The best way to approach it if your unable to use matching head stamps, is to find a load that won't produce a sticky bolt with any of the head stamps.

As for primers, they aren't your best indicators for pressures. I read primers, but in addition to other signs such as, bolt lift, chrony readings. Those primers you have pictured, some look like they're getting up there, but nothing that jumps out at me and says excessive or over the top. I would be more focused on bolt lift, being that you are using mixed brass.

GS