Thread: My first load development

Originally Posted by Magnetite

Beg, borrow, or buy a chronograph. Without it you’re loading in the dark. As far as I’m aware velocity is the closest approximation to pressure we have. With traditional pressure signs you won’t know if you’re actually over pressure or it’s something else. And when you do see them you’ll could be in excess of 70kpsi. Even with traditional load data you won’t know if you rifle is running under/over pressure or the burn rate on the powder has changed from when the data was published.

Agreed. Compared to your overall investment in reloading equipment, a budget model chrony is not an expensive addition to your setup, but one of the most essential. I’m not alone in the opinion that you can’t safely load to maximum without comparing actual velocities alongside reloading manual information and other available data, such as brass inspection.
https://www.brownells.com/shooting-a...rod122616.aspx