Hi- I'm a newbee to reloading and this forum so please excuse my ignorance. I shoot a 7mm rem more often and tried a few half loads. Can this harm my gun (and me)? If the case is half empty will the powder burn at a faster rate and cause a pressure spike. I have had to retire my 223 (calif. black listed) and have not got a bolt action one yet. A full load @ 75-100 yards doesn't leave much of a ground squirrl left and shooting 100+ rounds in an afternoon gets old. Can anyone point me in the right direction for info on reduced loads? Maybe a pistol powder or slower burning powder. I currently use Hodgdon benchmatch.

Darrin (Snipe)

[ 12-10-2002, 22:23: Message edited by: Darrin ]

Hey Darrin, First off "Welcome" to the Board. You will find a good number of knowledgeable people here when compared to the other sites.

You would be better served to post your question in the Reloading Board, but I'll help you out here.

Yes, you can get in trouble by only using "half" the amount of powder you are supposed to "IF" you are using what we refer to as a Slow Powder in a typically Over-Bore cartridge. Back a good many years ago there was a lot of press on this subject. It is sometimes refered to as "Detonation, a Pressure Excursion, or the Secondary Explosion Effect" and can destroy your rifle as well as you.

However, there is some good news. The fine folks at Hodgdon recently announced it is acceptable to look at H4895 loads they have listed for a specific cartridge and reduce it to 60% of MAX for a SAFE down-load. Check the Hodgdon web site for specifics.

Also, most of the Component Manufacturers Manuals list down-loads for most calibers. And Lyman has a whole bunch of information in this reguard.

Good that you asked, because it could get you into trouble with the wrong powder.

Best of luck to you.

This is the reply I got from an e-mail i sent to Hodgdon

"Hi Guys, I'm looking for information on reduced powder loads. I shoot and reload a 7mm rem with Benchmark powder. I would like to reduce the load for ground squirrl shooting. I was refured to your web site "The fine folks at Hodgdon recently announced it is acceptable to look at H4895 loads they have listed for a specific cartridge and reduce it to 60% of MAX for a SAFE down-load. Check the Hodgdon web site for specifics" but didn't find any data on the subject. Was I looking in the wrong spot? Can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks Darrin"

"Help Account <Hpchelp@hodgdon.com> wrote:

Use a 50% case full of H4895, and that will be a good light load.
Thanks,
Phil Hodgdon"

thanks for the help-Darrin