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Posted: 11/24/2012 6:21:40 AM EDT
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Just as a background I'm using range pickup (will sort my own from others in the future) brass, 62gr ss109, with Tac. Followed all the guildlines, so I tumbled, sized/deprimed with RCBS, trimmed to 1.75, added 23.1gr powder (started in the middle as I got there by chance when I set up the powder charger, and it was 25 out with a gusty wind, so I didn't have time to test this vs. that.) I seated the bullet to my rifle and was still in the OAL guidline. Messed up a few along the way and learned you need to keep your head out of your backside and think think think. I shot 10 federal not for duty use 62gr first as to get an ok guidline and make sure the scope was somewhat close as well.
My 10 shot handloads were not quite as good as the Federal and were about 3/4 in low at 50. Even though the conditions and using my rifle bag as the rest didn't help, the 7 I shot at the 3" target at 50yds landed within a 1-1/2 in. area. The fed would have measured about the same, but I had a better central cluster. I'm assuming (I know, that's not a goood thing to do here, but I might as well throw it out there) that using the same type of brass would help with consitency and trying to up the powder with the step process would sort out things as well. As well as all the other million things 
I was hoping to go out superman, but for the first time I didn't get hurt and the results were as good as most poor store ammo. Plinking was the goal, now this will turn into match brass, bullets and a Chrono––darn you all 
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POI is not as important as grouping. If you develop a load that your rifle likes then it might group high and right but will be a really tight group. If this is your zombie stick then you probably want to find loads that duplicate whatever type of ammo you stockpile so your sights will be consistent.
There are all kinds of tricks to wringing accuracy out of your reloads. It could vary from powder charge, bullet weight, primer selection to bullet depth/seating. I worked up hunting loads for my varminter. It likes the bullets seated just enough to fit inside the magazine which brings it to about 2.27 OAL with 70 or 75 gr bullets. I would say that bullet weight, powder charge and OAL are prob the 3 most important (and consistency between rounds). |
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Sounds like you did fine to me. You'll get the hang of it as you go. Your charges will get much more consistent, your primers will seat much closer to the same every time, and your bullets will seat closer to the same depth as time goes on.
Just remember to stay out of robot mode while loading your rounds and you'll be fine. Case prep is going to have more of an effect on the load than the actual brass. Although, some brass is better than others as far as hotter charges, and more loadings per piece. Welcome to a free'r(is that even a word) world. |
Welcome to the Reloading club. Continue to work up your load and the results will get better. I find that sorting cases helps in precession loads with match bullets. The SS-109 is about a 2 moa bullet, (about 2 inch groups at 100 yds) so no match bullet, but a great low cost plinker bullet. I seat the bullets to mid cannelure. Same as mil loads. Tac is a great powder with these bullets. Once you settle on a load, adjust the scope for your load.
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