As somebody who’s only been handloading for a short time I greatly appreciate this info. This is an extremely valuable reference.

Mark this video should be watched by every beginner or novice reloader. Easily understood and thoroughly explained. Excellent content! Keep'em coming!

Another awesome video, after shooting for 50 years and reloading on and off for over 40 years Mark articulates things that I kind of knew but had never put words to. Many thanks, wonderful content.

This is one of the better videos that I’ve seen on the subject, keep up the good work brother

Nice, straightforward, simple English explanation that you don't need an encyclopedia or glossary to understand. Welcoming to beginners and convincing that internal ballistics and handloading is not restricted to some egghead priesthood, but that a reasonably diligent and observant mere mortal can do it and be safe. I applaud your efforts to translate the "Church Latin" arcana of the reloading world into accessible information like this. Great job.

Good info Mark, thanks for taking the time to make these informative videos. I hope others will see the value and help support your efforts.

Had to comeback and revisit this one. Great content as always my friend. Thanks for leaving it in its original form.

Thanks Mark. You are a great ambassador and teacher. I enjoy your videos a ton.

Very good information Mark. Thanks for explaining that bolt lift is potentially the first sign of excessive pressure.

Thank you, I did after 43 years of handloading learn somethings from your video.

Your tips in the videos are very detailed and instructive! Thanks for the info!

A great refresher for experienced hand loaders and a must-see for the beginner. Everyone should have the utmost respect for pressure!

Very nicely explained! All handloaders need to know how to read these signs and interpret the information the info the cases tell.

Thanks Mark. I appreciate your share your knowledge and experience.

A great video. Thank you for being very clear in what you were describing. It sure made things clearer for me!

Well Said man, this is great info for those who are unsure or new to reloading!!

The best video I have found on pressure signs in reloading!

I'm new at this and as always, If you know what you're talking about, you can explain it in simple terms. Mark does just that. I love this channel.

This advice is especially important for load development without using a crony. Lots of people in my neck of the woods rely to much on computer generated (kwikload etc) data. I recently started load development with new powder and bullet. Got my min/max load from the manufacturer and put all the dope into kwikload. Half way though the min/max I could not open the bolt. (Velocity were still way down) Check every possible option for the problem and could not find any. Went to a ballistician and he had a look at all my data and determined that the info I got from the manufacturer were computer generated but never tested.

Thank you for sharing instructional videos. I respect what you do very much

Thank you for sharing your experience. Pure gold for me.

Old Schoolers use to measure the web just in front of the rim using a 0.0001” micrometer. They used a veneer caliper looking for 0.00005” of an increase in diameter. This is spoken one half ten thousands.

Very insightful. I have a Remington 700 in 7mmRemMag I have struggled with extraction issues since day 1...used only factory loads. Had issues with brass sticking after 3 rounds regardless of brand of ammo. Now I have something else to look at. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Cheers

Well done, thank you both. Best info vid on pressure signs I've seen.

Thanks Mark Great video Mate, very well presented , Steve .

Thanks for the great info Mark. I'm heading up the range tomorrow to test some reloads a lot wiser thanks to this video. Cheers

Well done. All the signs to look for.

👍 thanks Mark. Came back to this one for a second viewing. Going to the range this evening to find my safe max load for a new rifle, hopefully it will group acceptably at that point.

Watched my brass for a long time great advice.

Great info and explanations, thank you kindly for sharing this to us out here :)

Thank you for the valuable information.

Another timely utterly informative video - with clear and easy to understand examples. Thank you. Like most, in the process of finding loads during reloading - powder nodes at the moment vs stable velocities / ES etc... bit concerning is the compressed loads ADI powder asks for giving good results ( Looking at you .223 Rem and ADI 2208) - a little flattening but not excessive. On a side note with regard to brass metallurgy - having built a home made induction annealer - its astounding in the different timings that the same calibre brass requires, vs differing manufacturers of centrefire brass. Brass is not brass! Finding it hard to find metal makeups vs differing manufacturers. I read a forum made a few years back where spectrometry was used to determine the values of each metal used in brass cases. I learnt there is a tiny %age of lead in brass too.

The worst stamping I ever had on a piece of brass was after a barrel replacement for a 22-250. Primer didn't show much over pressure sign, just brass stamping really. Turns out the chamber had been over polished and case wasn't gripping well on the sides. A local gunsmith explained to me what was going on and fixed it.

Thank you, I am new to reloading and this is precious information👍

Another great video with really good info as always keepem coming!!!

Using factory .308 Wolf steel cased rounds appeared to create pressure issues including difficult bolt lift and two cases of split rims. No issues with different brands of factory ammunition. Thank you for a great video.

Very timely info, I recently fired some factory Oz Outback 165g Gameking 308 ammo in my Ruger Scout and all 5 rounds had issues with 1. Tight Bolt lift, 2. Very flattened primers and 3. Ejector marks on case heads. These rounds all felt and sounded harder than the Federal I usually shoot and I wasn't prepared to shoot any more of these. After watching your presentation I am of conclusion that there is something amiss with this box of ammo and will err on side of caution and not shoot it again in this rifle. Thanks again & Cheers

Fantastic work guy’s!

As always great job 👍🔥💯

Great information, thanks for the effort. Just ordered a shirt from you guys. Cheers!

Great video man thank you.

Excellent information ! 👍

Great video, very informative.

Thanks, Great information

Great video, thanks for sharing

Very good information!

Worse case I had was with factory ammo, hard lift extraction and split brass. Shot 3 rounds, all did same so pulled bullets, dumped powder and reloaded safer rounds. Great video sir.

Thanks Mark Cheers Rob

Very good informations. Thanks.

Great video for beginners🤙

New to reloading fantastic video like them all fantastic guys thanks

Great info. Thanks

Great Video ! thank You !!

Great intro to reading brass

Thank you very great informative video. I learn my lesson thank you for sharing.

Excellent info

Great content thanks for sharing

Thanks always work you work loads up slowly........................................................

Your component remark is right on the mark with some chambers. I have one rifle that is extremely sensitive to brass choice. No other signs of pressure except difficult extraction on some brass. After weighing different brands of brass and measuring before and after firing, I found one brand that worked without any issues. Be it different alloy that rebounded back after pressure or I found that brand of brass by in large weighed less than more troublesome brands. To me meaning alloy and amount of metal actually in the case. A simple change to a different brand of brass completely solved the issue. Thank you for what you do.

Well done 👍

I bet you check sparkplugs in the same manner, as you said it's not one size fits all. Very informative video...... Thanks for all you do

Great info.!

I just did a ladder with 308win using varget in a remington 700 From the bottom of the ladder up to the top, i got cratering and extrator marks (couldn't hook my nail on it) No stuck bolt No heavy lift Velocity was on track (25 fps faster than book with 1 inches longer barrel Got a little worried so i started looking up videos I will say the SD and ESs were fantastic single digit sds and es in the teens

Thanks Mate !

Good work

Thanks

serious info on this channel. if you want real info on the topics seldom discussed, this is the place to be.

I have reloaded for 58 years. Do not assume that all published load data is safe for your particular weapon, especially max loads. I bought a new Henry Steel, .360 Buckhammer. I used Hornady load data, Accurate 1680 powder, 180 gr Speer bullets, WW cases, and CCI primers. I started 1 grain under max load. I had sticky extraction and flattened primers. PRESSURE! I ended 2 grains under max and the load was very accurate, no flattened primers, and smooth extraction.

thanks

great vid. been awhile since ive reloaded, but ive collected most of the tools once again and expect to reload next year. i keep buying loaded ammo when i find it available. itll give me that much more brass... well, thats my justification! but i enjoyed loading years ago and i look forward to it again.

Thanks for the sharing and enjoyed it,I was subscribed but then not, trying again.

Very well put. I have also found what works and looks good on one brass might not on a different brand of brass with the same load. Each brand of brass needs it's own load development.

Excellent video! I'd like to add a note to the theme of excessive pressure signs. At times these signs (cratering of the primer, difficult extraction, etc.) may appear even though the load is well-balanced and should not generate excessive pressure. When the round goes off, the case expands and adheres to the chamber walls, reducing the backward impact on bolt face, ejector plunger, firing pin hole, etc. Almost immediately the brass contracts again, and ejection is normal. However, if the sizing lube has not been removed completely from the reloaded brass, the case does not adhere strongly to the chamber walls and slams violently against the bolt face, producing false signs of excessive pressure. It happened to me once when I fired a few .30-'06 rounds that I had reloaded. It was a very moderate load, and all the components were the same as those I had used before: same primers, same powder of the same lot, same powder charge, same bullets, same everything. Yet the bolt was hard to lift, the cases were hard to extract, and the primers were cratered. The rifle was a Remington 700, with a plunger extractor, and the circular mark where the brass had flowed into the plunger hole was well visible. Before this batch that gave these signs of excessive pressure nothing untoward had ever happened with that load. The problem was not an excessive powder charge;, the problem was that I had forgotten to remove the sizing lube from the cases. After I did wipe them scrupolously clean, the remaining shells functioned perfectly. I do not recall ever reading anywhere about this sort of problem, so I thought I'd share my experience with you all. Make sure that no trace of resizing lube remains on the cases! I would like to add one thing: if one relies on signs of excessive pressure when reloading for a lever-acrion rifle, planning to reduce the dose of powder as soon as such signs appear, one may risk to damage one's rifle, as cases fired in lever-action rifles may fail to show signs of excessive pressure before it's too late and damage may have already occurred. I read this in a reloading magazine, so I cannot claim to have had any personal experience with excessive pressure in lever action rifles, and not everything you read in a gun magazine is Gospel...

Sometimes a poorly made rifle bolt can give a ring around the firing pin at the prime making it look like excessive pressure. But when that is the case it can do it even at low pressures. Just something to watch for.

Great information, thanks. Do you think that excessive neck tension might contribute to over-pressure?

good info, I'm working up 6.5 SE with 100gr pills . i have M70 zastava SS . I have left the reloading manuals behind and have just hit the spot at 3200fps where I'm planning to stop . I have no pressure signs at all and feel like I'm playing blind mans bluff at times. getting information like your vid has been hard to come by. thank you for your help

might have saved my rifle; i was having failure to extract issues with my remington 700. would have to knock the back after every shot. i took some of thr casings home and watch this video. something is def off with the pressure. ty

I have a 113-year-old 30-06 Springfield. I reload for it and my 30-40 Kraig. Keeping with loads from my '1960s Hornady bible. I will not overdose these with too much powder! While @ the range one day, I fired another round of 06 (Something hit me in the face). I Had a hard time lifting the bolt and finding out the primer was gone, and the primer pocket was a crater! Damn sure wasn't a squib load! The head of the brass was deformed also. No blood was found, so I loaded another round. It performed like it should. I think it could have been overloaded with too much 3031 propellant. Perhaps one got past me. ????

I like your work. Since you were reading brass. I thought you could mention dangers of case separation do to over sizing or pushing the shoulder back (excessive head space). Seeing a light color brass ring above base webbing. This being case stretch and weakening. In that case discards the case.

There's only one area I've found this to not be true. That's the AR-10/LR-308 platform. Man, when those things are over-gassed it will knock out primers, make extractor marks, and blacken the entire case. For bolt action, when I can taste brass shavings, I back her down a 1/10 grain...sometimes 1/5 grain, that's 2/10 for you Northern states folks. :) Great presentation and discussion Mark!! I often read about pressure signs, but if you haven't seen it or seen how it can mess up your brass and gun it's difficult to get a good idea of what is just soft alloy vs actual pressure signs.

Interesting you mention Lapua brass with the 338 LM. I have found that exact thing with brass from about 2 years ago. Older brass was fine.

Awesome video Mark! I have an interesting pressure sign that I'm trying to decipher on factory ammunition (Federal 170gr SP 8mm Mauser ). The bolt unlocked and extracted smoothly, but it looks like the primers backed out a fraction of a millimetre on most of the cases, the primer's edges are still rounded, no cratering around the firing pin strike (it is slightly off-centre though) , no other pressure signs than the primers backing out. It was my first time firing the rifle since I bought it, the dealer said it had its headspace checked and it was ok. Any clues why it could be doing this?

New to the channel, enjoying your work! Curious where you are, New Zealand I'm guessing? Just guessing at your accent... Is there an about us video I can check out? Sorry for all the questions, I noticed you tend to respond to comments so figured I'd give it a shot 🤠

I think you are right about pressure spikes causing inconsistent shot to shot reliability when case pressure is too high. I too will load sets of ammunition(10 rounds) when dealing with different powder or bullets, print groups on paper, scan the paper and digitally mark each shot from the different groups, then put all the coordinates into a spreadsheet for analysis. A repeat observation has been that vertical deviation tightens at a consistent rate as powder charge increases from too low then the deviation grows at a different and more exaggerated rate once powder charge is edging towards higher than ideal pressures. These are my observations from dialing in loadings for only a few different bullets for different rifle cartridges using different powders. Certainly not enough data for some kind of certainty, but the observations have repeated every time so far.

Another sign that I have noticed is expansion of the web. Measure the diameter of the case inside the extractor groove... a few thousandths of growth in the diameter is a definite sign of pressure.

Good vid but tip of the iceberg, I’d suggest everyone hand loading stick within component manufactures and SAAMI specs until they have not only a grasp of pressure signs but an understanding of pressure causes and effects. There are some solid tools and info available to assist in hand loading mixed components, wildcats and modified’s but you’ve got to know how to use and read them.

Thanks Mark. I've been reloading my own ammo for 67 years and am always open to more/varying sources of expertise. A specific issue I've been dealing with for decades concerns my modernized 1903 Springfield. I'm now on my 3rd barrel with this weapon, first was the original 30/06, then a .240 Weatherby and now a 6.5/06 Ackley Improved. My primers consistently protrude/crater into the firing pin hole without any other apparent (to me) pressure signs. My bolt lift is easy etc. My case life with this new chambering seems adequate albeit I've not shot a lot of rounds through the weapon at this time. My .240 Weatherby cratered primers also. I'm wondering if you can advise me about the recommended difference between my firing pin outside diameter versus the firing pin hole diameter in the bolt face. What gap is acceptable? Or are my chamber pressures excessive? Thanks. I hope I've explained my issue adequately.

It’s worth to mention that excessive head space will result in flat primers as well. If you have a loose chamber and fully calibrate your brass the primers will look terrible.

Flattened primers get my attention.

Why is my semi automatic 30-06 now always have the primer removed after firing. It was ok before but the gun would jam up and not cycle 20 rounds. A question for viewers.

I use federal large rifle magnum on all my large rifle reloading. I know they are softer then other brands, but what I think is strange is that I get extreme flattening of the primer, even on the loading manuals lower charging weights. I fired an interval of loadweights yesterday, and all of them showed VERY flat primers after firing, but no other pressure signs what I could see. what should one think of that when even the lowest charging weight in the powder manufacturers manual, giving extreme flat primers? The caliber is 6,5x55 swedish mauser, with norma 130 grain golden target and norma 203-b powder with norma loading data.

What about the neck of the brass I’m getting a black smoke mark running back up the slope of the brass that seems to me to be to much.

👍

I've had .22 mag cartridges split right down the side. Very difficult to remove.

No 375 H&H, in the cases out the front?!!! Was there a 270W? Regards, adam.

after seeing Kentucky ballistics almost die from over pressured 50 cal round... I kno its extreme but it made me nervous about reloading which I'm still very interested in wether it's sub sonic rounds for my suppressors or custom prs loads

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How come factory ammo fires dirty and hand loaded ammo fires clean in barrel