Shot a ladder test. Now what?

[ERICK TUIN]

100yds is pretty pointless. Only way you'd see a vertical spread is if the powder charge intervals were huge, and in which case you'd probably not see the clusters.
I suppose you could use a chronograph, but you would really have to trust its readings.

Agree, at 100 yards most of the holes should be touching and going through previous holes unless something has drastically changed.

 

[StevieK]

Well 5 or 6 different charges, times 5 or 6 shots. Then repeat a group or two for final selection, plus sight in @ 200 for typical hunting rifle zero. Let says 50 shots for easy math.

Now you could load 10 loads, finer increments , then maybe 5 more to duplicate a confirm a node, and even do a 5 shot group or two and then sight in. Maybe 30 shots

Do all this at 200 and you should be good to go for any hunting situation and distance.

100 is too close for a ladder test on most chamberings.

Start doing your testing and sight in at 200, even on your ladder to start off, gives you that kick in the bum to be that much more accurate and consistent.

In theory yes the numbers can lend to saving some rounds, but again for my purposes it usually goes like this: load up from mid range to max load in .5 increments. Since I'm hunting I typically want a load close to max that still has good accuracy. So I shoot the lowest charge, if no pressure signs I move up, probably do this for the first 2 or 3 charges just to be safe to reach the real 3 or 4 loadings. Then I shoot a 3-5 Rd grouping. Maybe I've just been lucky but I always get an acceptable 1" group within this range. Then I pull the bullets out of the unused cartridges at home.

If I demanded a higher level of accuracy then I'd be very curious to try a ladder test. I also am not lucky enough to have a range longer than 100 yds to sight in at.

 

[Kelly Timoffee]

Then your method will work just fine, what is your max distance for taking game that you encounter?

In theory yes the numbers can lend to saving some rounds, but again for my purposes it usually goes like this: load up from mid range to max load in .5 increments. Since I'm hunting I typically want a load close to max that still has good accuracy. So I shoot the lowest charge, if no pressure signs I move up, probably do this for the first 2 or 3 charges just to be safe to reach the real 3 or 4 loadings. Then I shoot a 3-5 Rd grouping. Maybe I've just been lucky but I always get an acceptable 1" group within this range. Then I pull the bullets out of the unused cartridges at home.

If I demanded a higher level of accuracy then I'd be very curious to try a ladder test. I also am not lucky enough to have a range longer than 100 yds to sight in at.

 

[StevieK]

Then your method will work just fine, what is your max distance for taking game that you encounter?

For big game I'd be hard pressed to see anything past 200yds. Here in southern Ontario the property I hunt coyote might have one or 2 shooting opportunities out to 300 yds but it'd be doubtful if I'd pull the trigger, however my rem 700 in 6mm is my most accurate rifle I'd be confident that it would do its part

 

[Kelly Timoffee]

Load for groups getting 1 MOA or less, should be easy, sight in for around 1.5" high at 100 , then you would be about dead on at 200 and a pop can above the critter at 300.Of course check your ballistic charts.

For big game I'd be hard pressed to see anything past 200yds. Here in southern Ontario the property I hunt coyote might have one or 2 shooting opportunities out to 300 yds but it'd be doubtful if I'd pull the trigger, however my rem 700 in 6mm is my most accurate rifle I'd be confident that it would do its part

 

[Diablo7101]

I do all my ladder testing (and load development) at 300 yds. It just seems to work better for me. I don't get loads that group well at 100yds but fall apart at 300 or 400 yds. If they group well out at 300yds I really don't care what they do at 100yds.

 

[Dogleg]

Sometimes a ladder test doesn't show much more than what good working maximum is. Sometimes that's all you need. I'd load 10
10 each at 7, 8, and nine (assuming pressure agrees and velocity is somewhere in the expected ballpark) and see what it does. Observe how the POI aligns between those groups , as well as the group size. You might already be there.

 

[horseman2]

Two 8 shot groups at 200 metres showed it would virtually group any load.

The bottom group was shot at 300 yards (1 & 6 were previously used at 200). Lateral stringing with no vertical.

Then someone suggested that this was not a ladder test . . . so what is it? Pressure testing?
Regardless, the load used for hunting produced a three shot group at 192 yards.