Some basic questions about loading for break action 35 Whelen

[RegionRat]

That is either from your die or the chamber, but either way it isn't incipient case head separation.

BTW, You mentioned "... with some very obvious plateaus..." Those plateaus will evaporate if you put enough samples at each step, so don't confuse chronograph artifacts with paying attention to the target.

 

[dwizum]

So, looking at things some more and comparing measurements between the once fired brass and the new unloaded brass, I think the situation is obvious. This is just the case expanding to fit the chamber, that line must just be where the brass stretched since the diameter of the case got bigger but the diameter of the head stayed the same. The thickness of the brass at that point is clearly fine in the cut away cross section. The cases actually got about one and a half thousandths shorter overall on average. Between it getting shorter and the shoulder being fire formed to the chamber now, the head only sticks about 2 thousandths out of the face of the barrel now as opposed to the 7ish when it was unfired.

That is either from your die or the chamber, but either way it isn't incipient case head separation.

BTW, You mentioned "... with some very obvious plateaus..." Those plateaus will evaporate if you put enough samples at each step, so don't confuse chronograph artifacts with paying attention to the target.

Yeah, this was really just to see how it behaved from a pressure perspective and get some rounds through the new barrel. I'm going to pick one or two narrower ranges and load 5 at each powder charge to see how it groups as a next step.

 

[dwizum]

I loaded 5 each at a couple points that looked promising and just shot them. Some of the groups were OK, some were awful, but 68.8 gr produced a 5 shot group with SD of 5.04 and ES of 11.9. I think I've found my hunting load. I don't really see any point in screwing with bullet seating depth or anything else at this point.

Looking at POI on the target at 100 yards, there was only about half an inch of vertical spread, but the group was pretty wide, almost 2". I'll attribute that to the gusty 25 mph+ wind, plus the fact that I was resting the rifle on my first aid kit because I forgot my bench rest. Hopefully I'll get back this week to shoot a bunch more with a rest, verify the load shoots tight groups, and get the scope dialed in.

Thanks everyone for bearing with me and answering questions. This gun is a lot of fun to shoot. Popping the action open and reloading is quicker than I'd expected, once you get the hang of the rhythm it becomes second nature. I shoot at a very small, private, rural range and there are usually only one or two other people there, or I'll be alone. I'm pretty used to going in and out without interacting with anyone - but both times I've had this rifle there, people couldn't help but wander over and ask what it was.

 

[dthomas]

Pick your load from what the target looks like not from es or SD numbers.

 

[TC260]

Thanks everyone for bearing with me and answering questions. This gun is a lot of fun to shoot. Popping the action open and reloading is quicker than I'd expected, once you get the hang of the rhythm it becomes second nature.

A majority of the hunting I've done in my life has been with single shots and it's very common for people to talk about them as though they're not reloadable. They're slower yes but with cartridges at the ready it's not a big deal.

 

[dwizum]

A majority of the hunting I've done in my life has been with single shots and it's very common for people to talk about them as though they're not reloadable. They're slower yes but with cartridges at the ready it's not a big deal.

I've lost track of the number of other hunters who have said things like "oh, you only get one shot, better make sure it's a good one!" As if to imply with a bolt action you can just... I don't know, not bother trying to shoot well when trying to kill an animal? I get the attempt at humor but it speaks to something fundamental about how some hunters treat the responsibility of shooting at animals.