Yes, there are a host of cartridges that SAAMI and factory ammo have kept to less than stellar performance due to those rounds having been chambered in weaker actions than what are built today. That's probably not all bad, considering the legal society we live in today and the fact that a huge percentage of our society do not want to be held liable for their own actions.
However, for those of us who choose to be responsible for what we do, we still have SAAMI and the manuals for 'guides'. We also have a tremendous group of professionals who are willing to share their expertise in the guiding department. None of this becomes 'law', it is all still guides. The weapon of inquery remains the 'law' and it will dictate what it likes and doesn't like - and it won't like having its pressures sent into the twilight zone. My 8mm Mauser Persian Carbine had a sizing die problem that we diagnosed as a 'short barrel-slow powder' problem. When I sent a case full of 'too fast' powder down the barrel, the report was nothing short of eirie, extraction was normal, but the spent primer fell out on the ground. I didn't need to shoot a 2nd round to recognize I'd gone overboard. A new sizing die (which an article in a gun magazine indicated might just cure my symptoms) solved my problem and I went back to 'normal' powders. This 8mm mauser Persian Carbine runs right along beside my Dad's Remington 700 30-06 without the slightest hitch. Not terribly interested in what SAAMI has to say about either of these fine calibers - we choose not to Max out either one. The '8' runs a 185gr Remington Corelok right near 2500fps out of its 18inch barrel. The '06 sends its 180gr Sierras and Noslers just over 2600fps from its 22inch barrel. Factory 180's clock just a tad more at 2640fps avg. from this '06 at 3500 ft elevation and 88 degrees F. Both weapons knock down Elk at over 250 yards with aplomb, though we frequently take them at under 100 yards. These loads are our self-imposed limits as opposed to Max for the cartridge or weapon. Granted, we understand also that different powders will run equal velocities at very different pressures. We must stay totally aware of where we are in the process, but the weapon gets the last word in raw performance. We get to choose where we operate on the scale. I choose to run my 8mm case overal length at 3.30 inches, when the chosen bullet will allow it. Vastly different than the book COAL which is usually 3 inches or less. Why? My rifle likes it. It likes loads which can be found in the 8mm-06 data, which also has a COAL in the 3.3inch area. No, they don't end up with the same case capacity, so they can't just be blindly accepted as equals, but slowly working up from a chosen starting point will guide me into what my rifle likes. And I shoot it and shoot it and shoot it. I know what it sounds like and I know what it feels like. And when it goes over the top, it tells me, on no uncertain terms. It is an entity unto itself that I have learned to understand and 'listen to'. Doesn't happen overnight.
This particular rifle came to me in 1963, and is still my go-to rifle of choice for everything on 4 legs heading for the freezer.
Regards,
Sweetwater
