I am kinda curious what velocity I am getting from my reloads. We don't have a chronograph so I was wondering how accurate the listed velocities in today's reloading manuals are.

It depends very much on your rifle. With some rifles and loads I get velocities that are near, either plus or minus, to those listed in loading manuals. With others I do not. Also, results vary by powder and bullet. Variations can be as much as 200 f.p.s., or even more.

Depends on what manual you are using. I have found the Hornady manual is really close in the calibers that I use. You really need several manuals to compare with.

If you go to http://stevespages.com/table1.html you will see what the loading manuals "predicted" my velocities would be, and what I actually measured.

Gentlemen,

It really depends on the rifle and load combination. For some reason, Nosler thinks they get 2970 fps in their 7mm Rem Mag with 62.5 gr. of Reloader 22 and the 175 gr. Partition. In my two 7 Mags I have a hard time exceeding 2780-2800 fps with that load. With IMR 7828, I usually get velocities exceeding the values printed in reloading manuals, no matter which bullet I choose. I can't give any explanation other than that maybe it is magic.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

7mm Rem Mag Page www.slatesafaris.com/7mm.htm

As LE270 said, all rifles are individuals, but overall my results have shown several manuals to be real close to what my reults have been. Old Speer manuals were close, as were thew Lyman No. 47 and No. 48, as well as the older Hornady manuals.....

Hey FarRight, I agree with the folks that say the Velocity can vary considerably with the particular firearm.

Relying on velocity as the "only" Pressure Indicator of when to STOP adding powder has the potential to be dangerous. But, using it in conjunction with all the other typical Pressure Indicators is a good idea. It just gives you one more piece of information to consider.

The biggest problem I've seen with them is some people think they can work toward a randomly-picked, arbitrary velocity from a Manual(or from the net) and just keep adding powder until they get to that velocity. Maybe they can do it safely and then again maybe not.

I've had access to Chronographs for many years now and rarely bother with shooting across them.

Just work up to a good SAFE MAX Load for your firearm and then go shoot it at the distances you would actually take a shot at Game. Create your own "Drop Chart" for that specific Load in that specific firearm and you will be much better off than knowing what the Velocity is(or is not).

Best of luck to you.

I use a top-of-the-line Oehler with the proof channel to weed out bad readings and I've found that the comparisons, given the variation in powder lots, primers, barrels, etc, that if you are shooting a "mild" cartridge you are normally fairly close BUT if you are shooting something really speedy or even a little over-bore you just never know.

The absolute worst one I ever had was a Rem 700 Classic in 350 RemMag...none of the books came close and I used a ton of different powders until I finally got to 2015BR and a milder primer that I could get close to some of the velocities listed.

Just take a look at the Barnes manuals and see how powder amounts and listed velocities have changed from manual to manual.....Nosler too although they aren't quite as bad.

One thing about chronographs, they really took the excitement out of magazine articles. - Dan

i wondered about this so i checked my gun hornady data 480 ruger i got within 120fps with same powder charge 25 grs h110 w/325xtp same thing with 400 gr xtp 120fps less than they stated i sure they use pressure barrel and other variables, i quess??

I have had chronographs for a long time. I find that the manuals are very close when you adjust instrumental to muzzle velocity and take barrel length and conditions into consideration. I still use on once in a while but my estimate is as good as anything.