The concern I expressed is just to make it clear, especially to beginners reading the thread, not to use old manuals nor to start in the middle of a load range. I and others have had some bad surprises at the bottom load level, as described, and I don't know of any technique that would have reduced middle load pressure to the starting load level.
RoyceP said:
One contributor to this situation is the aging of manuals.
I am trying to imagine where you are coming from.
It's based on your post #7. Along with newer sources, you said you included consulting 1957 and 1977 Lyman manuals. Those are aging manuals.
From Lyman #50, page 15:
”1. Reloading Manual
Remember that all data sources become obsolete. The ballistic characteristics of specific components can and do change over time. It is possible for a component to undergo a substantial change without a name change. Thus, data changes with the passage of time. Failing to keep your data up to date can bring on serious consequences.”
If you are familiar with how the old data performs in your guns with your old powder, you are in a special situation, but you didn’t specify that in post #7. I just don’t want beginners reading the thread to assume grabbing granddad’s old load manual and relying on it is a good idea, so I mentioned why it is not. This may not apply to you personally, but without any caveats in #7, the casual reader cannot tell that it is not universally OK to use old data.
RoyceP said:
Uncle Nick is saying I am using unsafe loads somehow - I am not.
As I said at the start of my post, I am advising
others not to copy the example of starting with a load chosen like this:
…decide on a load, generally around the middle…
Again, from Lyman #50. Page 23:
”CAUTION!
Always start with the exact powder charge weight shown under the starting grains column…”
The starting grains column is their bottom load. There are similar or analogous cautions to be found in load books by Hornady and Speer, among others. Again, I don’t want beginners, in particular, to think picking a load in the middle of a published load range is a good idea, for the reason of the examples I already gave.