Hoyt_Rocks wrote: ... My current load came from this site and it is as follows: 250G Hornady FTX, 38 grains LilGun, Hornady Brass (New), Rem 7.5 Primers, .476 taper crimp at the mouth. I am also uniforming the primer pocket and deburring the mouth. I have loaded 5 rounds with OAL at 2.255 and (5) rounds OAL at 2.240.
Hoyt_Rock-
Others have offered some good advice. Here's another viewpoint:
You probably should start with Hornady's recommendations for reloading, rather than taking information off the internet. Hornady has a lot invested in the stuff they publish; their reputation and future sales depend on their getting things right. Internet information (including that given on this site) can be OK, but it needs to be evaluated against reliable published data and your own experience. If you have little experience, then the only backup is information known to be good.
For your particular load, you have started at 38 grains of Lil'Gun. Check Hornady's data. The max recommended is 37.9 grains with the 250-grain FTX bullet. While the 0.1 grain difference is not likely to be a problem, what seems very significant is that you decided to start at the very top end of the recommended loads. Do you have a basis for doing this, other than what you've read here? Most reliable reloading manuals state emphatically that you should
start low and work up. (There are exceptions, but these are explained in the good manuals.)
Your load also starts at a COL longer than Hornady recommends. For this bullet, their listed COL is 2.225". Your loads are 2.255" and 2.240". Do you have good reason for deciding that Hornady was incorrect in their recommendation?
Experimentation is fine, but it needs to start from a known point of departure.
Do you have any measurements of velocity? With the FTX bullet and 38 grains of LG, you should be getting about 2200 fps from a 16" barrel. What did you obtain with your reloads? What velocities does the Hornady factory ammo show in your rifle?
If I'm off base here, the regular crew will be along shortly to clean it up.
Welcome, and be safe please.
--Bob