Load data question

[Kevlak]

Hey all,

A friend gave me some berger 155gr hunting vlds for my 308. Now looking at the load data in my lee manual for a h4895 powder it says a min charge of 43gr and a max charge of 46gr. In the berger manual it says min of 39gr and max of 42.5gr. Now my question is why is there such a difference? Does any one have any incite to this?

Kevin

[elkhunter11]

Barrel and chamber dimensions vary from rifle to rifle, and powder varies a bit from lot to lot. As well, they are likely using different bullets, with different amounts of bearing surface, and possibly different cases, with different internal volumes, and possibly different primers. When you take it all into consideration, the differences in powder charges, from manual to manual, are not at all surprising. That is why you should start with the starting load and work up from there.

[Kevlak]

So would it be safe to start at the 43gr or should I start at the 39gr and work up from there? I'm not to concerned about max load just the min, as I figure I'll find my best accuracy before getting to max load.

Kevin

[elkhunter11]

Since you are using Berger bullets, I would be inclined to pay some attention to the Berger data. I would probably start at around 40gr, and work up from there.

[Kevlak]

Thank you for the information and advice! I will start at 40gr and work up from there.

Kevin