Thank you for that! Now, is the "minimum" grain load listed in a reloader's manual for my intended 168 gr. bullet capable of using on game?
Hello Brydawg, This is a long read, if you are like me,
ADD, you might want to read it in steps and over time. Now if you look in your Nosler #8 manual (page 400) at the top of the page it should say,
"7mm Remington Magnum-168 grain 7mm (.284)." now look at the first load listed for the 168 grain Accubond bullet. If you look at the load data for powder type 4000-MR (the first powder listed), there are three powder charges/loads listed for this bullet. The first charge/load is "62.0" grains and next to the 62.0 grains is "MAX", that means it is the maximum load that is recommended in the
PAC-NOR test barrel in which that load was developed. If you look in the top menu there is a heading "Barrel Length/Make" and next to that heading is another box where it is written "24" Pac-Nor". THAT
does not mean that it is a safe load for your particular rifle, but it "ought" to be and no matter what you should never increase the charge/load any higher than the 62.0 MAX load.
Now looking at the same manual, Nosler #8, and looking at the same powder type 4000-MR you will see a listing of 58.0 grains, that load ought to be considered as the
"minimum" load to answer your question. Now looking at the same powder type 4000-MR you will see an additional charge of 60.0 grains, that is a powder charge/load that I would consider a safe charge/load to start my reloading with. I would say that the middle charges listed would be a safe place to start my reloads at. I would always stick with the lowest charge/listed if I wanted to start at the minimum load for the bullet that I am loading. IF you charge/load a very small amount of powder, you can get what is called a
squib load, meaning there's not enough powder to get the bullet out of the barrel or barely get the bullet out of the barrel and the bullet hits the ground. This can be dangerous because if you do not notice that a bullet is lodged in the barrel and you fire another round, there's a "potential" for a catastrophic failure of your rifle due to build up pressures from the second/next round. Whether you are firing factory ammunition or reloads, if you are hearing a very loud report when your round goes off and with one of your rounds the report is simply a "pop" or not quite as load of the other reports you have been hearing, it is a good idea to check your barrel to make sure that there is not a bullet lodged in your rifle barrel. Squib loads can happen when loading rifle cartridges, however they are more likely to happen with pistol reloads due to the fact that the powder charge is a lot lower. Squib load in rifle are most likely to happen if your powder scale is misread or set at the wrong reading, or if the powder measure does not drop the right amount of powder. Dropping the right amount of powder from the powder measure "can" happen if the charging handle is not brought back all the way to pick up the next charge, or sometimes if you are using a course, granular powder the powder can stick together and the powder does not drop properly.
In a previous post to your OP, I wrote that it is important to
check, recheck and then recheck. An important tool to check your powder charges/loads is the reloading block. As you charge/load your cases, after priming, place all the cases that you are planning to reload in the reloading block. Once you have charged all of your rounds, check the cases with a flashlight to ensure that all of the powder levels are the same. You ought to check your charges/loads after 5 or 10 powder drops to ensure that the setting on the powder measure are still at the setting that you set it at. By checking our powder charge I mean after the 5th or 10th drop into your cases, drop a charge into the pan of your scale to see if it is at the proper setting that you started with. As you are reloading your cases it doesn't hurt to check our powder drops every 5-10 rounds just to make sure that your powder measure is still set at the charge you set it at originally.
I'd like to address something that I wrote in my first paragraph about maximum loads:
"The first charge/load is "62.0" grains and next to the 62.0 grains is "MAX", that means it is the maximum load that is recommended in the PAC-NOR test barrel. THAT does not mean that it is a safe load for your particular rifle, but it "ought" to be and no matter what you should never increase the charge/load any higher than the 62.0 MAX load." By this I mean that not all rifle chambers are the same, if the chamber on your rifle has a tight chamber (compared to the 24" PacNor barrel chamber) there's a possibility that the maximum charge/load of 62.0 grains of 4000-MR is too high and the chamber pressures may be too high because your chambering is not the same as the chambering in the 24" PacNor barrel. Thus if you want to reach the MAX load you have to work up to that load by 1/4 or 1/2 a grain at a time increase in your rifle until you reach the 62.0 grains. My experience is that many reloaders want to reach the MAXimum load listed, however that load usually is not the most accurate load in your rifle.
SO.......there's a lot of information here. As I have suggested it really really would be good/helpful for you to have an experienced reloader to help you when you get started and someone who is available either in person or on the phone to sort of fill in the blanks as you reload. Usually when you first start out there's a lot of apprehension and there's going to be a lot of questions when you first get started. This isn't that difficult, it just takes time and experience to learn the process of reloading. You can do this because you have common sense enough to know that you have to ask questions and you are asking and seeking information on how to reload. Keep asking questions and do not feel that you are asking dumb or stupid questions, because there's no such thing as a stupid question/s. I hope that this all makes sense to you.
