Acceptable projectile weight range for load data?

[ViperTwoSix]

[grayfox]

"Acceptable and safe"? If you ask most mfrs, the answer would likely be "no." There is definite wisdom in heeding published load data.

And, Most of those you're seeing (Hornady, Nosler, Sierra, etc) are for cup/core bullets, and for the few that throw in a mono, they have actually done testing on them and still put a disclaimer in their notes.

You. Haven't. Tested. Any. of. yours. right?

Mono bullets are harder to vary the grainage on, as opposed to copper/lead cup/core.

As an example, in 6 Arc Hornady has an 87 gr Vmax and a 90 gr mono, 2 separate load lists.

Now I have some hornady 90 gr Eldx's.
Which load data set would I use.....easy - the 87 Vmax.

Barnes has the one exception in totally mono that I know of, in their 120 ttsx/115 tac-tx/120 tsx data. All one load data sheet.
As for your 105's or 95's, pretty sure the mfr has some recommendations, you can follow them.

If I'm going to sub one bullet for another (c'mon most of us do this at one time or the other...), I stay within a commonly known "class" (like 120-123 gr bullets), otherwise after some careful consideration and weighing of variables and any posted results, I would probably feel ok in using a similar bullet less than a 5 gr delta from the "listed" load. Starting low and working up.
I'm pretty conservative when it comes to these things.
Hate surprise Kabooms.
Plus the OAL might definitely change - beware of that and pushing that new bullet into your lands.

Staying safe is paramount. Choose any delta's wisely.

[Oso Polaris]

The primary concern is PRESSURE, which can be effected by several different variables.

1) Weight of Bullet - all things being equal, heavier bullets typically generates higher/greater pressure than lighter bullets.
2) Shape/Design of Bullet - short ogive bullets with a lot of bearing surface (increased contact with rifle bore) tend to have higher pressure then high BC bullets, which have minimal bearing surface
3) Construction/Material of Bullet - material composition of the bullet affects the amount of friction/resistance within the rifle bore. Lead is the softest, solid copper monolith bullets are the hardest, and copper-jacketed bullets vary depending upon the thickness of the jacket.

Even with bullets of the same weight, different construction &/or different shape can materially change the amount of pressure that a specific bullet/powder combination generates. In order to optimize performance and maintain safety, each bullet (different make, model, or weight) should be treated as unique.

[JASmith]

[ViperTwoSix]

Thank you Grayfox, Oso, and JASmith for the info and replies. Much appreciated!