This has become an interesting and informative discussion. Glad to see differing viewpoints.

My very inexperienced take away... try to mostly adhere to manual recipes, but realizing that some experimentation will be necessary, be sensible, start low and work up. Got it.

I’ll also go one further in expressing my frustration with reloading manuals. I’ve looked through several now and man, their suggestions are all over the map! So much so that trying to glean useable info at face value is nearly impossible. You pretty much have to blend ideas from multiple recipes to find a combo that seems sensible. For example, and I’m talking about 6.5x55 Swede here, say you like Hornagy’s GMX recipe, but it may be hard to find the prescribed primers in your area, so you gotta sub. I live in CA, so you can’t just order anything you want online. Pretty much have to go with what is available locally, which is always limited. Substitutions are all but unavoidable. People obviously do this regularly with success and safety.

Don’t even get me started on the lack of data for our required non lead bullets! It’s out there, but limited and inconsistent. Frustrating!

Then there’s some data that just makes no sense... for example the Barnes 127 LRX recipe using H4350 max’s at just 37.7 gr! That’s 7-8+ grains less than other recipes for other similar weighted bullets. That makes no sense. See warpig62’s recent post about load testing this LRX bullet in his Swede. He’s using powder charges that obviously worked out fine, 43-45gr., and are accurate, but are supposedly WAY too hot according to the Barnes manual. Yet look at the Hodgdon data for a 129 gr. bullet and he’s just fine, max at 45.5 gr. Even more extreme, their max with Hodgdon’s 4350 powder data for a 140gr bullet is still way more, 44gr., than the Barnes data with the same powder for the 127 LRX. That’s illogical to me. How’s a newbie to make sense of this!

Then there’s the issue of a lot of load data being based on use in old mil surp rifles, yet mine is a modern bolt rifle. More inconsistencies.

So I counter that it’s nearly impossible, and certainly impractical, to following reloading manuals to a tee. You pretty much have to use some creative license, yet common sense must also be applied liberally.

Last edited by SDHNTR; 02/13/19.