JBledsoe,
If you blind yourself you will go on Social Security Disability so it does effect me directly because I am a taxpayer.
You innitally wrote "The cases show no signs of pressure and primers are not flattened."
Here is an excerpt from Steve Timm's excellent article in the Varmit Hunter Association magazine on primers as pressure indicators.
"Regrettably, primer shape and condition don't always follow our perfect world scenario. This is why reading primers is done more to substantiate other pressure indicators, rather than being a stand-alone signal.
The biggest problem in reading primers comes from the fact that primer cup material hardness and thickness varies slightly from lot to lot. Also, both hardness and thickness varies considerably from brand to brand. Like cases, some primers are hard and some are soft.
If a handloader uses a single lot of primers, it is a great deal easier to see the evolution of primer shape as chamber pressure advances. Additionally, by using a single lot of primers, and getting intimately familiar with it, we increase the possibility of noticing a development that is out of the norm. The key is to see the change and act on it (like a load reduction) before pressure becomes a problem.
I'm slowly growing convinced that flash hole size affects primer shape. Currently, I'm working with two large lots of Winchester .223 Ackley brass. The nickel-plated cases and the brass cases have precisely the same powder capacity, yet the brass cases flatten primers about �-grain (of H-335) ahead of the nickel ones. So what's the difference? The flash hole is very slightly larger in the brass cases. Is it possible that the gas back-pressure is slightly higher in cases with larger flash holes? Makes sense to me.
Cratered primers are not always a sign of high pressure. They also can be caused by a firing pin hole that is too large in relation to the size of the firing pin. If there is a significant gap between the pin and the hole, the primer material will flow into it at almost any pressure. It also is possible to experience pierced primers by using a firing pin that is sharp or too long. If a handloader experiences either of these problems at apparently low pressures, a trip to a fine gunsmith is in order.
My last comment on working to maximum may sound sort of sermon-like. I am the survivor of one total rifle blowup and one near-detonation. One was totally my fault and the other can be rightfully blamed on a non-shooting secretary of the old Kimber outfit. I've paid my dues and wear the scars and metal in my body (literally) to prove it.
Now listen up. If you load for a .223 Remington, but lust for .22-250 velocities, for Heaven's sake buy a .22-250. It just isn't worth the risk of hurting yourself by overloading the .223. Trust me, a rifle blowup, even with a relatively small cartridge, really spoils the hell out of your day.
Experience has shown that it is best to enjoy each cartridge for what it is. If you adopt this philosophy, you'll find that you will enjoy load development. Hey, just think of it as a compelling reason to buy that new .22-250 or .220 Swift. End of sermon."
You are never to old to learn. A lot of people who haven't survived as long as you could see the NOT pressure tested load data posted here and say those namby pamby wusses who write reloading manuals are just try to protect us from ourselves with wimpy loads and use them with unhappy results. So my cautionary note was not just for YOU. When you start your load development I hope you get a bench far away from innocent bystanders.
