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Posted: 4/27/2010 9:12:25 AM EDT
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I was curious how you all evaluate your loads when at the range.
I BZO'd my rifle at 300m, using M855 and some military Dog targets. 25 rounds, all hits, about a 8" X 10" group. Not too bad. I switched to some batches of handloads and hung 3 fresh dogs. Once on paper, I shot 2 more groups, and surprisingly, they were about the same. I didn't take my chrono, but they were starting loads, so were probably pretty mild. I did have my spotting scope, but obviously I can't use it and my sights at the same time. I've seen some people around with rifle clamps, (like the lead-sled), and that may be a good way to eliminate shooter error, but, they had scopes, which may be a "have-to" as well. I guess I was expecting a bigger or more tangible difference. |
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Reloading can generally improve the accuracy of any given rifle-ammo-shooter combination. But the improvement might be tiny, barely measurable. You shot 3 minute groups. Don't expect more from M855. If your handloads use the same bullet, you might be able to make a small improvement, but don't hope for much, the bullet will limit your possibilities. You left out so much information that it's impossible to know whether you have a problem or not. I'm assuming the target you used is a human silhouette; if so, that's pretty much useless for sorting out the accuracy of a rifle and ammo. If you know how to shoot iron sights, how to use a sling from prone position, how to read the wind, and your rifle is up to the task, you should have no problem shooting better groups at 300 yards. You don't necessarily need a rest and a scope. Those "clamps" you've seen are pretty much useless in my opinion and I won't own one. However I do own tripod rests and rear bags, a big ol' home made leather bunny ear bag for a front rest, and two or three slings, and all of those are useful. Whether a scope will help you depends on what you're looking for. However, irons are sufficient for discriminating between the accuracy of different loads, if you know how to use iron sights. |
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You'll need to come up with a method that works for you but here are some principles that I use:
- When going to the range for load evaluations, I usually have several loads to trial. - Like many others, I use 100 yards as the standard baseline for load evaluations. - Never shoot less than 5 round groups. 10 rounds is a better indicator. - Remove as much of yourself from the equation as possible. I use bags on both fore end and butt and use the lightest grip as possible when squeezing the trigger. For light recoiling rifles, I don't even have the buttplate against my shoulder. - Record your results in a way that you can compare and evaluate later on. I use the peel and stick targets that I remove from the backer and stick into a notebook for future reference. This way I have the luxury of going over my results and doing the measurements in my own time back at home. 
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I try to make up my mind what and how im going to shoot a week before I get to the range. I agree with areo and some others about not using alot of bench gear, just a bipod and a rear bag and a 100 yards as a gauge.
I shoot at least a five round group , sometimes 10. Usally only shoot 60 t0 100 rounds of rifle and go over to the pistol range to laugh at myself. This batch was made up for last monday but was rained out. I make the rounds and the targets up and number them with the info, then only have to add the conditions if needed. Some one gave me 1k of the 4x6 cards and I used my printer to crank out targets. This time im using the same powder weight and primer, just different cases . I have a few loads that are go to loads, but I like playing around with all of the cases and weights. 
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Quoted:
I was curious how you all evaluate your loads when at the range. I BZO'd my rifle at 300m, using M855 and some military Dog targets. 25 rounds, all hits, about a 8" X 10" group. Not too bad. I switched to some batches of handloads and hung 3 fresh dogs. Once on paper, I shot 2 more groups, and surprisingly, they were about the same. I didn't take my chrono, but they were starting loads, so were probably pretty mild. I did have my spotting scope, but obviously I can't use it and my sights at the same time. I've seen some people around with rifle clamps, (like the lead-sled), and that may be a good way to eliminate shooter error, but, they had scopes, which may be a "have-to" as well. I guess I was expecting a bigger or more tangible difference. Sir, I'm going to stay with only trying to answer the first part of your question, ie: how I do it. FWIW, I do all load testing in conjunction with my chronograph using NRA SRC 200yd targets which are the same as those used in HP competition at that distance. I set up my chronograph sky screens in front of the shooting bench at my practice range and shoot for groups across a bench rest as I chronograph each round. Even at 200yd most of the time I can see the shot holes on paper with my spotting scope so I'm able to narrow down which particular load performs the best pretty quickly. Once I've determined which loads appear to be the best including group size, SD, and ES I usually enter the data into the ballistics program on my computer to determine what the terminal velocities are for the bullets I'm using since I now have the actual MVs. I then return to the loading bench and reload more cartridges of the same bullet and charge weight and experiment by varing the charge weights in one tenth grain increments. I usually do ten shots of each tenth grain increment of powder charge and again shoot for groups across the chronograph. The groups and chronograph data will usually provide some fairly obvious indications of which loads shoot best in my rifle and that's the load I go with. I do test those loads at 300yd with the SR-3 repair centers and also the MR-63 to simulate the 600yd stage of across the course HP competition. FWIW, I have about twenty groups of cartridges I intend to test in exactly this manner as soon as my g'smith calls me to tell me my newly barreled rifle is ready. I've been working on this rifle for over two years now. One final note is that it really is easier to distinguish the better groups at 200yd vs. 100yd. When you shoot a sub MOA group at 100yd it really is difficult to distinguish the best of a bunch of sub MOA groups. Shooting at 200yd makes it much easier. HTH, 7zero1. |
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