Maybe, maybe not. Stubble is right about the unknown aspect of it but where there is a will there is a way...of sorts. First off, your gun isn't the one Nosler used in their testing. You may have a tighter chamber or bore than they did, or a different length barrel. Or a dozen other variables that differ as well. There was an article three or four issues back in The Varmint Hunter Magazine that detailed a mathematic path for making reasonable evaluations on pressure based on velocity from a given gun, this being a statistical evaluation, not one of measuring absolute pressure. For that matter neither does the Oehler but with proper calibration it is pretty good. The math is long and dreary and I shan't try to replicate it here. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll dig out the issue, author etc. for you.

More to the point however, if you're getting published velocities from your Whelan, you have a gun that is more than adequate for anything in the Western Hemisphere, and most of the other half as well. If you want more, the prudent thing to do is GET A BIGGER GUN.

I have a 35 Whelen that I shoot regularly through a chronograph. I can reach Nosler's max velocities, with a Nosler bullet, with less powder. So my question is: Have I reached the peak pressures by obtaining the peak velocities? I would like to thank in advance anyone who can help with this question.

Without using a pressure measuring device such as the oehler m 43 on your rifle there is no way to know for sure if you have reached the design pressure for the cartridge.

I agree with the answers already given, but would like to point out that published loads are developed in test barrels that are cut to minimum dimensions. This is good practice, because it generates the highest pressures and velocities that a reloader is likely to encounter. It also means that, in actual practice, more reloads will be under published MV's than will be over at the published loads.

Partitions tend to be a little harder to engrave than other bullets, and tend to give slightly higher pressures and MV's.

My take is: when you reach the published max velocity for a specific powder you should stop right there.

If you are not seeing pressure signs at this velocity you are probably not far off. The powder manufacturers tend not to be overly cautious (although this goes in cycles).

Why skate on the edge? Is 50 fps going to make a difference to a critter? I doubt it. Be glad you make the max velocity and stop there.