Powder Charge Weight or Velocity - When to stop?
I was loading 45 Colt in Starline brass with a 260 grain soft cast BHN ~10 lead bullet and Hodgdon's CFE-Pistol powder.
My chrono testing showed the velocity I was getting from my 5.5" barrel Ruger New Vaquero was 30 fps faster then the maximum velocity listed in the Hodgdon Annual Manual magazine and I was still 2 tenths below the maximum recommended powder charge weight for standard (low) pressure 45 Colt loads.
Should I trust the chrono results and back off my powder charge weight slightly to bring down the MV (and pressure) to the velocity Hodgdon got while testing at their max powder charge?
Or continue adding powder to book max and and be over joyed at the velocity increase I will be getting and trust Hodgdon that I'm not exceeding pressure limits using their load recipe?
If I didn't have a chrono I would know what was going on and the above questions would never enter my mind. Ignorance is bliss till something goes KBOOM then your scratching your head if its still on your shoulders.
I also want to use my load in a new Winchester 1873 rifle I have on order, so the increased MV would be a big boon for rifle usage, but not if the increased MV is exceeding the standard pressure limits for the 45 Colt cartridge. Looking for advice from more experienced reloaders on how should I proceed.