most important factors

pete evans

Well-Known Member
I am quite new to reloading and have stumbled across a couple of really accurate loads for my rifles, so i've missed out on a fair bit of load development.
What I suspect is that for a given rifle bullet powder combo is most important followed by quantity of powder then COL then brass primers etc. Am i right? what im planning to do is take my already resonably accurate rounds then incrementally increase and decrease powder weight till i get best accuracy (assuming acceptable velocity) then tackle COL. Does this sound right or would it be best to try different powder bullet combos first?

pete
 
Seriously Pete, from scratch best place to start is with either a chamber cast or the use of a measuring device that gives you the dimensions of your rifles chamber, using a dummy case with your chosen bullet you can find the length from seating to lands that you want, powders are a bit easier as you have reccomendations / charts etc, brass should be all one brand & roughly checked for weight, although some shooters will go all the way with case volume by water, flash holes should be uniformed as there is usually a burr on the hole, unless you use a premium prepped case, primers can be problematic but stick to well used brands like cci to start, some rifles will accept many handloads & combo's, some will only accept one or two, this is just touching on the subject, I'm sure people the likes of Muir will be able to help answer specifics. Steve.
 
If you have an accurate load then don't bother, stick with it.

But if you get bored...
Get a reasonable powder load then alter COL.
EG Use these increments off lands.
0.030", 0.060", 0.090", 0.120", 0.150" to see which is the best then fine tune either COL eitherside of best one from above.

At 200 yards inaccuracies show up more than at 100.

A chrony helps considerably.

FWIW I get very similar accuracy using either 44gr (3100FPS) or 46gr (3224FPS) of Vit160 for 87gr Vmax in a 243,
COL makes far more difference.
 
You guys work too hard. When I find a "really accurate load" I put down all the details in my loading notes and then move on. Different powders, different primers or different bullets; whatever. Only when I'm forced to change variables I rework loads as appropriate.

In my experience, these are the important issues of reloading, once an appropriate powder is chosen.

1.) Ignition. Consistent ignition is paramount.

2.) Consistent case prep. (trim length, especially)

3.) Consistent tension on the bullet in the neck.


After these things, you can dink around as much as you want but when any of the above are lacking, you're just playing hit and miss.

JMHO ~Muir

PS: Notice the word "consistent" in all of the above?? ;)
 
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