Load Development for Precision/Match Rifles

redman said:
Mr. Pollock,

Any specific tips for the .308 Win. that you can offer?? It'd be appreciated, since my reloading kit is almost complete, just missing a Chargemaster & a 3-way cutter which are coming in tomorrow.
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Same rules for pretty much any match rifle. Watch out for the 3B's or the killer B's if you will. Bullets, Bedding, Barrels. Some guys count Brass as well.

Weak link in 30 cal is bullets. Shoot the best your wallet can stand, don't be afraid to run the occasional box through a comparator (sinclair has one that looks like a giant stainless nut - then measure base to ogive) never leave home without it. Sort and shoot in bunches of the same length. This is a proven technique to get mass produced bullets to shoot a bit better. I don't sort for weight, but LR guys do.
 
I'm pretty confident when it comes to my rifle's components: the barrel is screwed onto an aluminum bedding. In fact, the bedding is just the top of the rifle body, which is essentially an aluminum skeleton housing the magazine well, trigger group, etc. and the barrel screws on to it with two captive bolts. The plastic parts of the stock are then screwed on to said skeleton.

rpollock said:
Weak link in 30 cal is bullets.
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Any recommendations? Federal GM works well with my rifle - are SMK's up to snuff (GM uses them)? Or is there a more consistent bullet in terms of length & ogive?

Thank you
 
redman said:
I'm pretty confident when it comes to my rifle's components: the barrel is screwed onto an aluminum bedding. In fact, the bedding is just the top of the rifle body, which is essentially an aluminum skeleton housing the magazine well, trigger group, etc. and the barrel screws on to it with two captive bolts. The plastic parts of the stock are then screwed on to said skeleton.



Any recommendations? Federal GM works well with my rifle - are SMK's up to snuff (GM uses them)? Or is there a more consistent bullet in terms of length & ogive?

Thank you
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I would consider skim bedding over top of the aluminum chassis. Uniform contact is key.

There are more consistant bullets than SMK's. Problem is they are not readily available. They come from custom bullet makers that mostly reside in the US, and most won't export. Your best bet is to sort the mass produced bullets.
 
rpollock said:
I would consider skim bedding over top of the aluminum chassis. Uniform contact is key.
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If I want to void my 10 yr warranty, I'll be sure to do that!! :D I had the front ring of my scope mount shimmed and almost had the warranty voided were it not for my giving them $hit for some previous service fumbles.

Well, between SMK's and the bullets used in Hornady's match cartridges (not sure what kind, don't think they're A-Max's as there's no red tip :confused:), which would you say are more consistent?
 
redman said:
If I want to void my 10 yr warranty, I'll be sure to do that!! :D I had the front ring of my scope mount shimmed and almost had the warranty voided were it not for my giving them $hit for some previous service fumbles.

Well, between SMK's and the bullets used in Hornady's match cartridges (not sure what kind, don't think they're A-Max's as there's no red tip :confused:), which would you say are more consistent?
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Factory warranty? I have always spun the factory barrel off all my new rifles put on a match type one in its place( I got tired of wasting ammo on factory barrels). I guess I have voided my warranty's for what they are worth.
 
What kind

redman said:
If I want to void my 10 yr warranty, I'll be sure to do that!! :D I had the front ring of my scope mount shimmed and almost had the warranty voided were it not for my giving them $hit for some previous service fumbles.

Well, between SMK's and the bullets used in Hornady's match cartridges (not sure what kind, don't think they're A-Max's as there's no red tip :confused:), which would you say are more consistent?
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of gun with a 10 year warranty????? First I ahve heard of....
 
Redman, keep in mind that rpollock is a benchrest shooter, and his standards on what is a "good" bullet are unbelievably high. Think of benchrest as Formula 1 racing; custom bullets are part of the bag of tricks used to win. To continue the racecar analogy, good factory bullets will deliver NASCAR-level performance, which for the vast majority of cases, is adequate.

Good factory match bullets (Hornady, Sierra, and others) are capable of delivering honest 1/2" groups at 100 yards, and one minute groups at 1000 yards. Until you and your equipment reach this level of accuracy, and desire to go ever further, you needn't worry that you are not using the very best custom bullets in the world.
 
redman said:
If I want to void my 10 yr warranty, I'll be sure to do that!! :D
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If you shoot reloads your warranty is already void.

No back to business...

I am new to the long range/presision shooting and know nothing about load development. What is the best way you could recomend to start. I shoot a .308 Remington 700P. Using SMK bullets, RE15 powder, Federal match primer and lapua brass. I also use redding dies. (if that helps)

I have know idea on where to start. I figured I will load the book values for know, get some good trigger time and then start developing a load. Problem is I dont know where to start :)
I read about the ladder method but from what I read you need a minimum of 300 yards to really get results. My range only goes to 200 yards. Is there another method you cold recommend?? :redface:
 
rnbra-shooter said:
Redman, keep in mind that rpollock is a benchrest shooter, and his standards on what is a "good" bullet are unbelievably high. Think of benchrest as Formula 1 racing; custom bullets are part of the bag of tricks used to win. To continue the racecar analogy, good factory bullets will deliver NASCAR-level performance, which for the vast majority of cases, is adequate.

Good factory match bullets (Hornady, Sierra, and others) are capable of delivering honest 1/2" groups at 100 yards, and one minute groups at 1000 yards. Until you and your equipment reach this level of accuracy, and desire to go ever further, you needn't worry that you are not using the very best custom bullets in the world.
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Didn't know he shot BR, I'll keep that in mind, but his advice seems reasonable... Don't think it will make me shoot worse.

Yup, the warranty is 10 yrs (I can scan you a copy of it :p) and it is a match barrel that shoots very well. Although reloads might void the warranty, they couldn't prove I used any like they could with a bedding job!! ;)

I too am interested in what Scharfschütze is asking; I thought nodes could be noticed ay any distance...
 
rnbra-shooter said:
Redman, keep in mind that rpollock is a benchrest shooter, and his standards on what is a "good" bullet are unbelievably high. Think of benchrest as Formula 1 racing; custom bullets are part of the bag of tricks used to win. To continue the racecar analogy, good factory bullets will deliver NASCAR-level performance, which for the vast majority of cases, is adequate.

Good factory match bullets (Hornady, Sierra, and others) are capable of delivering honest 1/2" groups at 100 yards, and one minute groups at 1000 yards. Until you and your equipment reach this level of accuracy, and desire to go ever further, you needn't worry that you are not using the very best custom bullets in the world.
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Very well put. I enjoy precision shooting but benchrest is a different beast entirely. Personally, I don't have a rifle range greater than 200 meters, my rifle is at the bottom end of the scale in comparison to what some guys are running and my skill level is nowhere near where it ought to be to be competitive. For many of us slobs there is such a thing as good enough. With my setup I can make a dime sized group at 100 yards which makes the onlookers at my club go "oooooh" and "ahhhhhhh". That's good enough for me.
 
rpollock said:
This thread is in the context of people developing loads for precision work, be it varmints or match shooting. The 270 win deer rifle is something else all together different.

6. Be honest with yourself. Keep records. If the rifle only averages .75 moa, but you have 1 lucky group at .25 moa, (dime size groups) you do not have a .25 moa rifle.

Like redman said none of these tips will make us worse shots.

Thanks for the interesting post Rick.
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rpollock said:
The amount of grip on the bullet doesn't seem to have much effect on accuracy. It is more a practical consideration relating to intended use and whether or not you seat in the rifling.
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One thing I've found that will keep flyers out of groups is to pay extra attention when seating your bullets and getting a feel for the amount of pressure required on your press handle to do that step. I've had the odd bullet that requires a bit more pressure on the press handle when seating. I mark those and keep them away from the rest of my ammo. Like anything else, inconsistencies with neck tension will ruin a group. More than once I've had 1 hole groups at 100 yards open up to 3/4" groups due to a flyer because of that. In my limited experience I've found that consistent neck tension is a must and that the amount of neck tension does affect the point of impact somewhat.
 
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