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Posted: 2/2/2011 6:18:17 PM EDT
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So I'm new to reloading and I've done a lot of reading here, ABC's of reloading, several manuals, magazines and the like. I feel I've got a decent base of knowledge. I've taken one trip to the range with my first batch of reloads. They all want bang and made a hole in the paper. I will call that trip a huge success as I shot about 40 rounds of 30-30 and 50 rounds of .223. I was fairly methodical with the 30-30 keeping track of every round and documenting it on paper. I got some good data and some clear direction for which way to go as it pertains to creating a more accurate round. The .223 rounds were much less formal, I was mainly making sure all rounds fired and would function as intended in my rifle (a franken AR). I used a holosight at 100 yards and ended up with minute of man accuracy. I accomplished all I hoped to that day and now I also have a good boost of confidence that I CAN do this and I CAN make better ammo cheaper than I can buy it.
Moving on the the next step: now I am more interested in creating an accurate round for my AR. Here is what I have done so far and what I plan to do at my next range trip. I have loaded the following rounds in lots of 10 and will fire all in 10 shot groups using my AR that is now topped with a Simmons 3-9 power scope . The powder measurements are not what I have loaded, I can't get to my load data as that would involve waking my wife right now so, ignore that and just look at the procedure I set up. All loads start at the suggested start level and increase by .5grains. I will start at the lowest charge and fire all ten into one target. I will switch to the next ten and move to the next target. I have some targets with 4 bullseyes per page so I will use one of those per powder type and make sure to keep good notes. I will watch for signs of pressure as I step up each time. None of my reloads go up to the max suggested powder charge, if I see a trend of shrinking groups and no signs of trouble as I move up the line I will continue to increase powder charge for the next trip, I didn't want to run into issues and have to pull apart a bunch of rounds. Sierra 63 gr SP IMR 4198 19 gr 19.5 gr 20 gr 20.5 gr IMR 4895 22 gr 22.5 gr 23 gr 23.5 gr H335 24 g r 24.5 gr 25 gr 25.5 gr I am using the 63gr Sierra projectile as I was given several hundred of these and I hope to do some side by side comparisons with my SHTF M855. Hopefully these will perform similarly so I will have a good plinking load to mimic my SHTF ammo. Next I want to work up a load for a bunch of 52 gr BTHP I was given so I can make a nice target/varmint round. I will use the same procedure as above unless someone can point me in a better direction. Am I on the right track? Can anyone recommend some improvements in my system? |
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Google "ladder testing" or "optimal charge weight". Yup...a ladder test will help you figure out what charge weight works best with that rifle's barrel harmonics 'sweet-spot'. Wow, I search "ladder testing" and found this website, freaking amazing info in there. Thanks for the heads-up and for steering me in the right direction. |
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Be sure you read up on Dan Newberry's optimal charge weight(OCW). The link is HERE. At the moment, the link seems to be working slowly. At any rate, it's a good read. I use his OCW meathod, and it seems to work well.
His blog is called Practical Riflery. He frequents the blog, so you can get his input on things if you need them. Just be warned, it moves a lot slower that here, so you have to be patient when waiting for responses. Read up on both meathods and use the one you thing will work best for you. |
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Quoted:
Be sure you read up on Dan Newberry's optimal charge weight(OCW). The link is HERE. At the moment, the link seems to be working slowly. At any rate, it's a good read. I use his OCW meathod, and it seems to work well. His blog is called Practical Riflery. He frequents the blog, so you can get his input on things if you need them. Just be warned, it moves a lot slower that here, so you have to be patient when waiting for responses. Read up on both meathods and use the one you thing will work best for you. Another great site with tons of info, thanks! The two schools of thought look very different. I bookmarked both of them for future reading as time permits |
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To add to the above (excellent) advice: go slowly and carefully, and pay close attention as you go. When developing a load, I carefully WEIGH each powder throw to make sure I'm getting results based on my load, not from variations in my powder measure.
It also helps to keep everything as consistent as possible. I've used brand new cases that I carefully sized and trimmed to a consistent length, weighing the cases before and after to maintain consistency. I've weighed every bullet, culling a bunch that were 0.05 off nominal weight. I've been obsessive about consistent seating depth and COAL, too. The final load from all this wound up being very consistent and accurate, and I knew it was because the load was right, not lucky. |
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beeragent, if you go to the reloading forum on sipershide.com there is a very good 5 part series called 'Handloading for Long Range' by TresMon. He covers: determing powder charges, prepping brass, optimizing headspace and seating depth, and other pertinent stuff. The guy does a real good job of explaing things in 'laymans' terms. http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=13&page=1 enjoy. |
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