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Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate it.
So do you think I should work up until the brass is being ejected in the same or close to the same direction as the factory rounds?
I would like to get a chronograph sometime in the near future.
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I would look at the brass and see what it tells you. The ejection pattern is like a sundial, not a rolex.
Ultimately, we're all going off the magic of reading brass for pressure signs, and coincidence with velocity (when appropriate). When all you have is the brass, that narrows your options down. Yes, ejection is part of it, but it doesn't tell the full story.
I don't care what the velocity is, if the brass/primer says stop, you stop.
Get some good pictures of your primers for us.
If your groups are all over the place, there's three basic things that are likely the issue. First, the bullet/barrel just don't like each other. It happens. Second, you're at the wrong seating depth, which sometimes can't be controlled when working with magazine fed guns, so all you can do is be consistent, you should be able to push out a bit and see if that helps. Third, your powder charge is either not consistent, or out of the accuracy window.
I've met some bullets that despite my best efforts of load tuning, just won't group well. Switching to a match die that pushes further down the bullet, not on the tip, has improved my loads quite a bit. You can still make plenty good ammo with generic dies, so don't worry about it, for now. I have some bullets that shoot OK with light and hot charges, but are lasers with mild charges.
Until you get some baseline data to work with, from YOUR gun using YOUR scale, etc... you won't know. Use the book as a guideline. Some books will max out under what others start at. Be ready to pull some bullets.