Thread: High Pressure signs?

I will really appreciate some advice and feedback:

Last week I did my first ever reloads. I prepared two load development sets for my 6.5 CM (Howa with a 24” barrel) - one with 140gr ELD-M and the other with 143 ELD-X. Both using once fired Hornady brass, Federal Match LR primers and H4350.

I loaded three rounds for each load starting at 37.5gr and working up in 0.5gr increments up to 41gr. So 24 rounds in total for the 140 ELD-M and 24 rounds for 143 ELD-X.

On Saturday I took half the day and slowly worked through the two sets shooting over the Crony and checking the groupings at 100y.

140 ELD-M
I am a bit disappointed. Found a couple of speed nodes and 6 out of 8 groups was sub moa (best being 0.18). Best average velocity was 2644 at 41gr.


143 ELD-X
Did better much than the ELD-M’s. Again found a couple of speed nodes with three groups giving an ES of 9,2 and 7 respectively. All sub moa with the best being 0.3. The last one (the one with an ES of 7, 0.7moa being at 41gr) also gave the best average velocity of 2622.


At no point did I feel a heavy bolt lift. The primers looks the same as the primers in the factory ammo and no cratering. At 40 and 41gr I just, just start to make out a very light ejector mark on some casings.

I really want to try and get to 2700fps, so my thinking is to work up another batch of loads starting at 41.2gr and increment 0.2gr increments up to 42gr (which is 0.5gr over Hornady book max).

Can I ask you guys with more experience doing load development, do you see anything in my uploaded photos that I am missing in terms of danger signs?

How about my strategy with the next step to work in 0.2gr up to 42gr?

Thanks for your feedback and advice!


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