Overpressure?

I shot a few rounds the other day with my .338 Edge using 91.1gr of H1000 seating my 300gr Berger OTMs to .010 off of the lands. This is what the case head looks like. You can see one or 2 of them have ejector marks, but faint. My question, Is this load overpressure? There wasn't any sticky bolt lift or hard extraction.

Doesn't look like a dangerous load to me , but you're getting close . What was the velocity?

2810fps

WeiserBucks said:

Doesn't look like a dangerous load to me , but you're getting close . What was the velocity?

Click to expand...

But I also don't want to shoot out my primer pockets

I would back it off slightly and see if it maintains accuracy, ES and SD . 300's don't need extreme velocity to perform great and your brass life will improve. No reason to step on the gas unless you're a velocity hound .

looks like i can see a lil bit of cratering on the primer but that doesn't necessarily mean pressure. Was that new brass? if so then the head space my have been the cluprit on the ejector mark

The brass is on its 2nd firing

Reload a single casing multiple times and see how long your primer pockets survive. Then decide if case life is sufficient at your powder / pressure levels.

i would check to see if the ejector has a bur around the hole at all. also run it across a cronograph and see what the velocity is

on 2nd fired brass, the primer has flattened but not overly flat, you have some slight cratering, I do see just a tick of ejector marking and a few, and you can see some of the machining marks from the bolt face on your primers if you look close--I'd say you hit max for your combo
I'm not sure what the case capacity is of adg brass compared to others, but here is a reference page for you also : http://www.defensiveedge.net/index.php/338-edge/116-338-edge-loading-data

I would disregard any marks on the primer from your boltface, they are completely meaningless. The primer hits the boltface with whatever pressure is running in the cartridge.
Anyway, as suggested, load a single case until failure, then determine if you are at/or above max for your brass.
I have seen slight ejector marks identical to yours with new and once fired brass in my own EDGE.
Only difference being mine was Rem brass and yours is ADG.

A sharp edge/burr can be the culprit, or a softer lot of of brass. My Rem also craters primers on ALL ammo regardless of pressure, there is a bevel on the firing pin hole from the factory.

Cheers.

Reduce the powder charge for longer brass life. Or buy brass after 3 or 4 firings. If pockets become loose before the 5th firing.

2810 is a known node for edge and 300's. I run that but most likely have more freebore. I get some random clickers from my die not sizing the web enough. I wouldn't worry about it. ADG brass is pretty tough. I ran up to 94 grains at 2920 with H1000 before I hit bolt lift. Even at that I didn't see ejector marks or primers flat. Bolt click on top of the lift.

I always stop when there are cratered primers. Bolt face marks are a step past that. I would tone it down a coupe of grains, and look for an accurate load with a low SD. Adjusting COAL may help with pressure. By backing off to 0.02" or0.03" may reduce pressure with that load, due to the bullet jumping further to the lands.