Hot .204 loads with cfe223

[alltherage]

Shot my first .204 reloads yesterday with cfe223 and 32g varmageddons out of my model 12 vlp. It liked them the hotter the hotter they got. Wound up with my 6/16" group with 31.4 grains. I wasnt getting signs of pressure other than extractor marks. These must really be honkin out out of the 26" barrel. Looking forward to tge chrono. Are any ifyou shooting hotter than this? I ask because hodgdon max is 30.9, nosler 31, and hornady 31.2 i brlieve. I worked up slowly. Also have read that cfe works best toward max

[scope eye]

Yes I have done a compressed load 32gr + with CFE223 and BLC2 with 32gr Blitz Kings and 32gr Vmax's, they were both 4300+ FPS and no pressure signs.

Dean

[alltherage]

Wow. Nice. What rifle?

[scope eye]

It was a Savage the one with the nice thumbhole stock and fluted barrel, he had a soft spot for 20 cals he had 204s, 20 practical, 20 Tactical, 20 Vartarg, ect.

This one https://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/12BTCSS

Dean

[alltherage]

K. Mine has exact same barrel and action. I could feel the thumping on my shoulder at 31.4. Will have to experiment

[scope eye]

I did not realize a 204 could thump.

Dean

[alltherage]

Well relative to my wimpy factory loads

[darkker]

1) I wasnt getting signs of pressure other than extractor marks. These must really be honkin out out of the 26" barrel.
2) Looking forward to tge chrono.
3) Are any ifyou shooting hotter than this? I ask because hodgdon max is 30.9, nosler 31, and hornady 31.2 i brlieve. I worked up slowly.
4) Also have read that cfe works best toward max

1) So, other than some signs the brass was reaching it's yield point, you had no signs?!! That is a pretty good indication of being toasty.
2) You need one, this is the only "Sign" you should use. No one tells you what the alloy or it's tensile strength is, for factory brass. So you don't know if you are over-pressure without velocity, just that the brass is junk now.
3) The reason they have different loading charges, is because they used different powder. The side of your bottle warns that lots can vary by 10%. No one lists lot numbers tested in data, only velocity. Between differing min/max charges the velocity is the same. So don't assume you somehow have the same powder as your favorite book.
4) I read that the four horsemen of the apocalypse were spotted in Arizona a few years ago. These things should be taken with the same amount of disbelief. There will always be various nodes of accuracy for any set of components.

[alltherage]

after further examination, i believe the ejector marks are due to dirty cases. i don't tumble. I saw no changes as i went up. primers fine, bolt lift fine. I ended up getting solid precision at 31 and 31.8 grains. 3/8" groups at 100 yards. My savage 12 wasn't picky though with any of the loadings...quarter size groups were about as bad as it got.