Sounds like my last checkup.
@270OKIE there’s a lot going on in the combustion chamber. Starting at max is not working. Accept it and move on. Don’t defend a bad position. Starting low and working up is about more than just old guys who don’t like “recoil”. It’s the way to find the sweet spot for your rifle using your components. Trying to determine whether or not a load is reasonable by comparing recoil… I’ve never heard of that - probably with good reason.
Point being, your cases showed signs of gas cutting and scorching down to the body. That’s really bad, with a capitol B that rhymes with Boom!
If all you want is a big boom and lots of flame and recoil, keep going the way you are - but leave your Labradar to
@Walkalong first.
One time advice then I’ll quit bugging you: do not start your load development with a chronograph! Start with a target at the range where the books and bullet makers predict stable flight. Once you have accuracy and stability at the intended use range, THEN use a chronograph to verify velocity - to predict deceleration and drop.