How much to increase my powder charge while working up a new load?

Small cases build pressure faster than the larger cases. A Fireball size case I go up 0.2, on a 22-250 I go up 0.3, 30-06 I go up 0.5. I start with a low powder charge and work up in those increments until I see pressure or reach the max in the books. This is my way of doing it and I am sure others have their way. Just be careful and watch for flattened primers, sticky bolt or unusually fast velocities if you have chronograph.
 
Originally Posted By: 450 DakotaSmall cases build pressure faster than the larger cases. A Fireball size case I go up 0.2, on a 22-250 I go up 0.3, 30-06 I go up 0.5. I start with a low powder charge and work up in those increments until I see pressure or reach the max in the books. This is my way of doing it and I am sure others have their way. Just be careful and watch for flattened primers, sticky bolt or unusually fast velocities if you have chronograph.



Flat primers mean almost nothing as far as pressure goes. Sticky bolt is a major pressure sign.

Primer flow is your first indicator.

To the OP, if you start with the suggested starting load in the book, moving up in 0.5gr increments is fine in the 22-250. You need to research pressure sign. Learn all you can about it. Weather you go up in 0.2, 0.3 or 0.5gr steps, what does it matter if you can't read pressure?
 
Originally Posted By: zr600Yeah i have the berger, and the hornady. Im loading 60gr vmax with varget in a 1:12 twist 22-250.

Does your rifle stabilize the 60 gr. VMax? Just checking, since this might be right on the edge of bullet weight that will stabilize in a 1:12 twist barrel, out of a 22-250.

In my load development, I usually go up .2 to .3 grains in each test group, for smaller cases, and in magnums, .5 grains.

Squeeze
 
zr60,,,,I'm slightly different than most of the others when building test loads for the smaller case rounds...I drop back from the Max Published load by one full grain and then build in .1gr increments

It depends if you are loading for precision accuracy, as I do, or general field hunting where a point of impact deviance by 1/4 inch probably won't make a major difference..

By using the .1gr increment, I tend to cover the possibility that my group is as tight as possible the first time around and usually, my most accurate loads fall between .4gr and .7gr below the published max data...I've tried loading in the .3-.5gr increments and wound up having to back track on loads between two potentially 'good' groups to find the one in between that I missed the first time around...

When I consider that a trip to the range is an hours drive each way, the cost of components used initially is less expensive than a 'do over'...
 
How long it takes to get to a range is a big factor today. I am lucky that I can shhot from the barn door. I am 60 feet from my bench so everything can be set up while I experiment.
 
For me, increments vary. In the '06 cases and larger, I typically start a grain or so above minimum and work up from there one grain at a time, sometimes to a couple grains above max if I have a long throat in a barrel. Same with the magnums...

With the .223, Hornet, 22-250 and so forth, it is .3 to .5 grains at a time. But these increments can and sometimes do get smaller, depending on the burn rate of the powder. As has been said: smaller cases increase pressure faster than do the larger...
 
As you can see there are different ways to work up the charge. One method I use sometimes is to take the difference between the starting charge and the max charge and divide that number by 7,8,9 or 10. Then start at the starting charge and bump by that amount.

That lets you get across the range (start2max) with 7-10 loads to get you in the ball park. Next trip to the range I will have loads with smaller steps around those that showed promise on the 1st trip.

Be Safe,
 
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I work up in .02 and start about 1.5 grains below max published data. I load 10 of each charge weight and pick the 2 best groups load 10 more to verify and then you can play with seating depth if you wish to. I have off the shelf rifles and low end optics but I can get .75 to .5 inch groups on a day when I do my part. I also do a very meticulous case prep to try to get as consistent as I can.
 
I do 1/2 a gr for actual loads. For checking pressure I do a min load, 50% max and max loads. I shoot low to high and If I don't see any pressure signs I start with the best of the 3 and go from there.
 
I cheat some... I look at others loads and check to see if it falls within specs of the books... Not the max of the book data though... Then I start around there and usually find that their load is very close or right on for my gun also.. Now my 204 I picked up a load from a friend and its a bit hot but I have no issues with it in any weather conditions and works real nice..
 
I work in .5 increments with my 22-250 and settled in on a 55gr. V-Max that gets dime size groups at 100 meters all day long.
My best load for Varget is 34.5gr. for a chrono speed of 3424fps.
The load I shoot all the time is 55gr. V-Max with a 33.5gr. charge of IMR 4064 with a chrono speed of 3369fps. and dime size group at 100 meters.
These loads are shooting out of a 26" Rem 700 VSSF II 22-250.
 
I forgot to add I load 36gr. Barnes HP Varmint Grenades with 39.0gr. charge of Varget for a chrono speed of 4053fps. and get under 1" groups at 100 meters. This load is not fur friendly, and is intended to blow up praire dogs, but it breaks the 4000fps speed.
 
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