Built some rounds with 68 grains of Hogdon 4831SC with a Barnes XLC 180 gr. on top in 300 WSM and there was a decent bit of crunching for the last several thousandth's during bullet seating. I was seating the bullets as long as they could reasonably go and fit the mag/chamber but still the compression was there. I am wondering if that is OK or not. I made 10 rounds and am hoping they will work, I am just looking for some feedback on compressed loads, especially regarding these specifics. I have loaded these bullets and others with comprable length with max charges with other powders and not had any compression. I'm hoping the 4831SC just happens to take up a little more room in the case and all will be well. Please advise==
Thanks--Don.

Fish,

H4831 is fairly bulky, and slow.( I would guess SC is also )
A max charge will most likely be compressed in 300WSM with 180 gr bullets .
A little crunching is not a problem, unless the bullet base gets squished out of shape in the process.

Travis F.

I have no experiance with the WSM but compressed charges are not rare and usually not cause for alarm in most cases.

You did work up the load right? Working up will give you clues to how your load is reacting to increased changes and should have been showing some sign of compression before now. If you haven`t had any pressure signs and the the last load appeared safe the extra .5 - 1 gr added charge "SHOULD BE" safe.
I don`t know what other powders you have tried but, ball powders especially are very dense and max charges are less likely to be compressed the stick type powder charges. I don`t believe the charge will cause problems if you are within listed charge weights from a reputable data source for this bullet.

Fish,

I've loaded alot of compressed loads that shot great.

The thing you have to watch for is OAL growth. Some compressed loads tend to grow after being seated. Crimping helps this but, I dont Crimp 300 WSM so, if compressed too hard it could be an issue. For OAL growth to be an issue the loads are very noticably compressed (Hard to Seat) and also, neck tension has alot to do w/ it.

Good Luck!

Reloader

try 65.0 gr of 4350 with that 180gr bullet, meters well and fills the case

Thanks guys, I in fact arrived at this load from the Nosler manual and it is just under the max load with 4831sc. Have had good luck with two other powders at or near max but haven't had the compression with them. I have been having good luck with IMR4350 and W760, but am going to Kansas this winter and had some temperature stability issues in my mind so I wanted to see if the Hogdon would shoot well, I've read the hype and also been told that it is very temperature stable, I don't know if W760m or IMR4350 is or isn't? At any rate I think I'll check the rounds for OAL growth and if that is cool I'll try one or two and see what happens at the range this coming weekend.
Again thanks for the feedback--D.

Fish, I've loaded a lot of H-4831 SC in my 300 WSM. Almost all of it was compressed to some degree.

Try using a long drop tube, slowly pouring the powder on the side of the funnel to make it "swirl" into the drop tube. This will result in a more compact powder charge, less compression.

The time to be worried about compressing powder is when you can feel the bullet being harder to seat. That's when it can be moved back forward by the powder being under pressure.

Thanks Grizz, It definitely wasn't too difficult to seat the bullet, I did use a long drop tube that came with my Harrells powder measure, but I throw 'em just a hair light and then trickle in the last .3 or so grains out of an old case. At any rate I've loaded up several more rounds with as much as 3 grains less powder and the load was still compressed. I actually have read some info where folks liked shooting a compressed load and some have even topped off their rounds with something other than powder to get some compression,so at any rate I'm not averse to shooting a compressed load, at least so far....I guess I'll see on next Saturday.
Thanks again--Don.

Fish30114,
Try some Ram-shot Hunter Ball it meters good and settles in tighter I think in the case I use 70 gr for both 165 and 180 in my 300wsm, also have a load 73.3 grs of the same under a 150 Honady IB.
Old Timer

Thanks Ol Timer, I haven't used any ramshot before, I'll give some a try. Do you have any opinion on the temperature stability on it? I am going hunting in Kansas in early December and have been told it will be really cold. Here in Georgia it isn't that drastically cold in the winter and I have had good luck with Win 760 ball.
Thanks for the feedback,
Don.