Matt in San Antonio
Excess Pressure signs on brass in Ruger no 1
Saturday, September 01, 2018, 09:18

Morning folks,

I have a stainless Ruger no 1 in 308 and I am working up hand loads for elk.
It is a 20 inch barrel and I am trying to get up to an initial velocity of 2650 ft/s so that at 400 yards I am still at 2000 ft./s and have a proximately 1500 foot pounds of energy.
I am using the Barnes solid copper bullets for penetration.
I know that I may be limited on velocity due to the length of the barrel but I am trying to see where I end up.

Now that you have the background, I would appreciate some help knowing how to interpret excessive pressure signs on brass from a Ruger no 1.

Max load indicated in the Barnes manual (44.5 gr)
I ran the OCW Test at powder intervals of .3 grains from 43 to 44.8.

I then loaded five bullets in .3 gr intervals going up to 46 gr to attempt to find Max pressure or 2650 ft./s-whichever came first.
The intent being to continue the OCW test up through the target velocity or the “dial back” spot once I find over pressure.

I borrowed a chronometer but it’s not working reliably so I’m trying to proceed using pressure indications until I can find another chrono.

Bullet - 168 gr Barnes TTSX
Powder -Varget
Brass - lapua
Primer - CCI BR2

Thx
Matt