I have been playing with this bullet in my 308 with Varget, best load is 48 grns. I have checked for pressure from a kiss to .005 in the lands, zero pressure signs. I called the sierra guys just to ask how fast they say this bullet can be run and they say there load max is 44.5.

So is my 4 grns over Sierra book load safe? This is .5 grns under the Nosler max for what ever thats worth..

Thoughts?

What brass are you using, and didn't they (Sierra) use Federal?

Winchester brass & primer,

Not Mill-spec brass

First, "zero pressure signs" is one of those throw away terms.

Plenty of rifles can be red-lined well above SAAMI max and give no sign of being overloaded, so I'd not rely on that as an indicator of anything.

Second, in the day and age of $99 chrono's, buy one. It's the most reliable tool the average handloader can own for determining safe loads.

In a 22" barrel a 150 should be running no more than 2,820-ish +/- with Varget.

Hodgdon's Max load for 150's is 47.0 gr's. I've found that to be about right in a variety of 308 rifles, though some take .5 gr's less than that, some .5 gr's more.

With a chrono you load for the average velocity to be expected based on a variety of sources from a given barrel length, bullet weight, powder.

My guess, based on loading for something like 8 308's, is your 48 grain load is probably over max.

But the only way to know is run it over a chronograph... barring that, I'd not be a full grain over Hodgdon's Max load.

Thanks Brad, I will take your advice

Thoughts? Is the velocity your getting in line, relatively speaking, with the bullet powder combo you're using? "Book max" loads are subjective at best, and are unique to all the variables used to attain them, which are too many to list. There are no free lunches, and data for such a round is plentiful. The bullet powder combo can be found in many loading manuals I suspect, and I'd wager that the book velocity given for that, no matter what the nominal powder charge is, is fairly consistent given the bbl length used. If you're within say, oh, 50fps of the given max velocity for a powder/bullet combo then your'e probably safe, and near max.

If I'd read further before posting, I'd have just quoted this and said +1

My max was 26.0 gr. and velocity hovered at 2800 +/-. Accuracy was excellent. My rifle only, so work up. That said, I am a little chicken about hot reloads after 40 years of handloading.

I pulled em apart and went back to 46 grns. The accuracy was as good as 48 and I just feel better about the load. Im going to clock em as soon as I can.

I don't think I'd have pulled them apart. If you were within some published max load you weren't likely to blow anything up.

You're well into the safe zone there. 46 grains is pretty standard with a 165 in WW brass.

Agreed, Im a bit of a pus about some of that chitt

Virtually every load I shoot in my .280 is 3-5 grains over any book max powder charge you'll find. However, the velocity is in line.

To borrow and alter a phrase from an old Carl Malden commercial: chronograph -don't leave home without it.
A well functioning crony will "read your primers" better than are capable of.

...and Third Sierra Data is suspect at best.

Sierra is the only manual that I know of where the data has NOT been pressure tested.

They test their loads in regular rifles and look for pressure signs by "reading" the brass case, etc. In other words, "They Guess".