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[dugsagun]

I have been reloading the hornady 139btsp in my dads browning safari 7mm rem mag for about the last dozen years with 70g of rl 22 in winchester nickel cases with cci large rifle primers at 3.224". I found that load in modern reloading as it was the only book I owned for a long time. My 60yr old dad can consistently put 3 shots inside an inch at 200 yards. Its the only load hes ever used for deer in that gun. I recently bought the hornady #9 reloading manual and that load according to them is over 3grains above max. I noticed they list it for ALL the 139g bullets they make. If you had a good load that you were using for a long time and then one day it is suddenly too much, would you change the load? I told my dad this and mentioned that if we worked up a different load, we could update to a bullet with a plastic tip. He said what he has been using as long as hes had that rifle is just fine.

 

[MikeDVB]

My Speer manual gives loads for W231 on a .45 ACP from 5.6 to 6.2 but another member was concerned as 6.0 was listed well above the max in another resource they had access to.

It does seem to vary a bit from manual to manual, but I would rely upon a newer manual more than an older one.

 

[O'Shark]

I have the same situation with my pet 45acp load and the Hornady manual. My Speer manual lists 5.6-6.2 grains of 231 for a 230gr RN FMJ. As it turns out, 5.9gr seems to be the my 1911's favorite load. Graf's had the Hornady manual for $9.99 a few months ago so I picked one up. It listed the 231 load for a 230gr RN FMJ as 5.0-5.7 grains .

In your case, I looked in my Speer manual and the closest bullet that is shown is a 140 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw soft point. Using RL22, their maximum load is 66.0 grains which is actually less than Hornady's 66.8 grains. Since I have relied on Speer data since the late 1980s, I would have never exceeded their maximum load.

I understand that companies will err on the side of caution. I rely on sight, sound and feel to determine if I am on the ragged edge of a given load. I look for pressure signs on my brass. I listen for a change in report and I feel for unusually high recoil when compared to factory ammo. Only you and your dad know how this load is behaving in that rifle. If it were me, I'd work up a new load with the bullet of your/his choice

 

[Broom_jm]

I'm going to get flamed for this, on two counts:

1) Hornady is notorious for being quite conservative on their MAX loads. That's why you should always use 2 or 3 sources for your load data.

2) When you've been reloading long enough, you learn to look at reloading data as a solid guideline, not hard and fast rules. For new guys, I strongly suggest they do NOT exceed a max charge. For guys who know what to look for, it's not always so cut n' dried.

I reload for several wildcats, where data is not available for certain bullet/powder combinations. I've had to learn how to know whether or not the load I'm using is safe. Maybe your 7RM has a long throat, mitigating pressures. There are lots of variables to take into account, but if your primers aren't flat as a pancake and you aren't separating case heads after 3 or 4 rounds, yer probably good to go!

 

[biggen]

Broom_jm hit it on the head. Reloading manuals are a guide, if the load has been good all these years, it's still good.

 

[MikeDVB]

Being new to reloading myself, I've been researching what to look for as well as acquiring as many manuals as I can. At the end of the day if I blow my gun up - I have nobody but myself to blame, but will obviously start on the lower end of the scale and work my way up to what I feel is appropriate based upon the manuals and my inspection of the brass and feel of shooting them.