My worst reloading experience came when I let some one else help me. No powder charge in a case that resulted in a stuck bullet in the bore. Never again. I do not know if you would call this a mistake, but I too took loading data off a web site for VV. They recommended a max charge of 26.6 grains of N133 in a 223. I worked up to 26.5 and was getting great groups and no pressure signs. Then I got a chronograph and ran my pet loads over it. 3700+ fps with a 50 grain V-Max - WHOA. I backed off - way off to 24.5 grains. Then the next year on their site I saw they had cut back their data too. I guess the mistake was not trusting other reloading data that showed 26.5 grains as too much. I just thought that VV would know what they are doing. As been said before, look at several different reliable sources and if there is one out of line, do not trust it. I now take at least three loading manuals lowest powder charge and average them and start there. I run them over a chronograph to see if my velocities are in line and then start working up from there, letting the chronograph tell me when I have reached a max load or I get the accuracy I want. Good Luck and be safe.
