Okay, this one's bound to stir up some controversy. I recall reading (in Handloader, I believe), that Veral Smith had figured out a basic rule of thumb regarding chamber pressure required for cast bullet obturation. If memory serves me correctly, this formula is bullet hardness (in BHN) X 1422 = chamber pressure in CUP required for complete obturation. This must obviously assume correct bullet sizing. This would mean that a bullet with a BHN of 15 would require a chamber pressure of 21,330 to obturate and seal the bore. By the same token a BHN of 22 would require 31,284 CUP to obturate the bullet. This does not seem unreasonable until we look at the lower pressure loads like 38 spl. and 44 spl. none of the standard loads hit anywhere near the 18,486 CUP a 13 BHN bullet would require. 13 BHN is about standard wheelweight territory. I just remelted 250 .38 wadcutters because they hit 15 BHN. Now I wonder if this was necessary. Does Verals formula match your own experiences?