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Posted: 8/29/2009 10:23:36 AM EDT
| Is it really a have to unless your building up to max loads |
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Well the idea is safety and function. You don't need to extensively test for accuracy if you don't want to, but I'd advise you to follow the procedure of starting 10% down and working up.
There are other aspects of the loads, such as bullet weight, type and the overall length. Your firearm may like some better than others. If you load up a ton of stuff and then discover something is wrong/doesn't work well then you will spend a lot of time dismantling your loads. 
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I'd say some degree of load development is essential. Your process need not be extensive (such as loading several dozen batches at .1 grain increments), but personally, I would never load up a large batch without at least a good test batch.
The "test" should be 1 - to ensure the load will function adequately and safely in your firearm (especially auto loaders). 2 - to ensure the load will perform adequately for its intended purpose. 3 - steps 1 and 2 are repeatable Once those minimum criteria are met, you should have enough confidence to load up a larger batch. For me, steps 2 and 3 are where I always get bogged down. If my intended purpose is sub 1 MOA, then step 2 takes some time and several test batches to find. Then when I do find the magic load, I'll try it again at a later date (step 3) only to find that I can't repeat the performance which takes me back to step 2. But if your intended purpose is not accuracy, then safety and reliability will be the only things you need to be concerned about and that should be fairly easy to achieve pretty quickly. |
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Quoted:
The "test" should be 1 - to ensure the load will function adequately and safely in your firearm (especially auto loaders). 2 - to ensure the load will perform adequately for its intended purpose. 3 - steps 1 and 2 are repeatable Once those minimum criteria are met, you should have enough confidence to load up a larger batch. For me, steps 2 and 3 are where I always get bogged down. If my intended purpose is sub 1 MOA, then step 2 takes some time and several test batches to find. Then when I do find the magic load, I'll try it again at a later date (step 3) only to find that I can't repeat the performance which takes me back to step 2. But if your intended purpose is not accuracy, then safety and reliability will be the only things you need to be concerned about and that should be fairly easy to achieve pretty quickly. you hit it on the head i load for accuracy been working up loads for 3 months now narrowing it down each time goto the range .i started with 3 powders same case same bullet same coal loaded each powder in .5 grain increments 10 rounds each (i would shoot a 5 shot string of each clean barrel and start run #2) then i looked at the targets took the best 2 from each powder and went again the next time after i got it down to where they all are shooting about the same groups (sub moa) i took it one step futher and started moving the bullet closer to the lands to see if it improves any it takes me a hwile but i got 3 loads shooting .365-.742 @ 100yrds each outing when i do my part |
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Depends…
I have some bullets that I won’t be using for anything serious… They range from 10.9Gr @ 1100 fps to 12.9 Gr @ 1300 fps. So if I load all of them with 11.9 Gr, I should be in the 1200 ballpark and safe enough. However! this is for a gun and cartridge that I do load for… If the gun or cartridge were new to me, I would be at the starting load. Looking at another, I see a velocity spread of 100 fps and a powder range of 0.3 Gr from min to max!!! I am thinking a little more caution and respect for that one would be in order! |
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Is it really a have to unless your building up to max loads Yepper, and any one that advised other wise is a poor carpenter! Do the proper load work up, or you risk your gun and you! Some powders do not take to downloading very well, ie H110 and W296! If you do not have the time and inclination to do things right, then buy factory ammo! |
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i also learn not to trust just one manual some differ . one thing i also do is check the spent brass for pressure signs ie hard to eject,primer flattened or blowed out Points to be well taken. On this subject it should be mentioned that shooting your buddies hand loads developed for his gun, in your gun, is asking for trouble. Shooting reloads that you know nothing about, is ....well like jumping from an airplane with a parachute packed by...me? 
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Yes it's a have to IMHO. How do you the loads will function in your gun if you don't test them. The load development stage is where you want to find out if a specific load works for you or not. Finding out they don't work after making 100's or 1000's of rounds is not the time you want to find out the loads suck |
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