I have been reloading for 20yrs. I have a Pacific/Hornady single stage.
I too have never seen maximum velocity= accuracy. I bought 2-.204's when they came out. Never got speeds like Hornady and Ruger professed without seeing high pressure signs. My most accurate loads come from moderate velocities, 300-400fps slower than people say they were getting.
Having 2 .204's, both Remingtons, I figured I'd try some loads from my Rem.7 just to shoot in my new XR-100. Wrong. The chambers were completely different, so much so, I could not even close the bolt on my XR-100....
You'd think two like calibers from the same manufacturer would at least be interchangeable....WRONG! And many people do this by shooting a friends reloads. Never do this....
To keep these same .204's separate, I use brass and primers for one gun, and different brass and primers for the other. Remington primer-gold, Federal primers-silver. Any method to keep from getting cases and loads mixed is worthwhile.
I owe all my gun's accuracy to my pickyness in reloading. I weigh each load, never just use lever powder measures. And I mic each case after resizing either neck size or full length, everytime. A micrometer is a must, and I too, have no less than 4 reloading manuals to use as a cross-reference.
Getting loads offa forum like this for new reloaders is fine, but look at manuals scrutinizing the info you get from these forums. People on here are for the most part veteran shooters and reloaders, and give good info on loads. Just always verify and drop back 5 grains first. Look for pressure signs closely. It'll be well worth your time to use load data from here, just do not start with the exact load, as your gun may not handle the load....gobblr addict
