Minimum distance for load testing?

[stralia]

Soooo, what do we do when the weather is crappy in Calgary(like today), how do we test our loads? Does a 50 yard indoor climate controlled range offer enough to provide accurate load tests for distance shooting, or do we just have to wait it out to hit the 100 yard + outdoor ranges....Thoughts?

 

[kimmer82]

i would test at 50 yards if there was no option.
accurize my scope and just play around waist time is better then looking at your rifle at home in my mind lol

 

[fiddler]

It depends on the circumstances. many of the old milsurp rifles that come into my hands need a lot of work, and sometimes can't hit a piece of paper past 25 yards. In which case its a good distance to get the rifles sighted and zeroed in before attempting my valuable home loads. For open sights I use a big piece of cardboard at 50 yards, and for scoped rifles I like to go a hundred. I like to know where every round goes when I'm running a batch of ladder loads. Why I suggest iron sights at 50 yards is because there is too much vision error when the front sight is wider than the target at 100 yards. When I'm testing ladder loads, I use only a 3 point shooting rest to remove any error of my own. Hand loads are valuable and take a lot of time to perfect. I insist on knowing without any doubt which load is a quarter of an inch better than the others. Otherwise, whats the point of looking for load accuracy when human error has been introduced to the mix.

 

[K0na_stinky]

You might be able to load test at 100 yards. You might have a hard time telling good from bad. You might also skip by some good loads. Generally you want to load test at the distances you are going to be shooting at.

 

[stevebc]

I test at 300 yds. This is the minimum distance I shoot at anyway.

 

[tiriaq]

If you want to seriously test loads intended for long range shooting, you have to test at long range.
Vertical spread is directly related to velocity variation. It just doesn't show up at 100. As mentionned, 300 is much better than 100. And longer is better yet.

 

[Tomochan]

Personally I test at 200m as 100 isn't long enough (too many false positives) and 300 and beyond introduces the additional variable of shooter error. Better marksmen than I may not find this an issue

 

[JayCarver]

I also test at 200 for the same reasons as above.

 

[asa]

I to agree with the others for long range my 338 edge A.I. with 300 gr smk really starts to come into its own past 300 yards. Closer ten that is not all that impressive.

 

[ultimate_monkey]

IMO 300yds is minimum for almost any caliber, i dont shoot the little .17s but any thing .22 and above iv found 300 to be miniumum and 4-500 even better

50yds is fine for a .22lr test but any thing outher then that your just shooting for the sake of shooting, you wont get any valuble information other then running your loads over a chrony

 

[Ganderite]

I am satisfied that 100 results are meaningless for a long range rifle.

I like to shoot groups at black 4" square aiming marks (I cut up wear centers) stapled to a white sheet of paper at 500 yards. This gives me an idea of loads that have promise. Only 1000 will tell me if a load will work at 1000.

If i can't get the 500 yard range on a given test day, I do the same test at 300 yards, aiming at the corner of a black patch. For this kind of testing, i have someone in the butts put a red spotter in the center of the group, so i can keep a plot of which group is which load. I also call down on the radio so he can label the group.

 

[shooter64]

When you guys are loadtesting at 200 or 300 yards, what power scopes are you using? When I loadtest at 100 yards with my 9 power scope, I find it hard to maintain a consistent aiming point?

 

[Dogleg]

Try a different target. You can develope loads with irons with the right target.

 

[tiriaq]

When you guys are loadtesting at 200 or 300 yards, what power scopes are you using? When I loadtest at 100 yards with my 9 power scope, I find it hard to maintain a consistent aiming point?

I use the highest power available.
It is important to use a target that gives a precise aim.
Like Ganderite, I will often aim at the corner of a black patch.

 

[maynard]

While there are some good points about shooting at longer distances for load testing, I do have to add one thing. A load that produces a 2 moa group at 100 yards will not turn into a 1/2 MOA group at 500 or 1000 yards.

 

[Dogleg]

While there are some good points about shooting at longer distances for load testing, I do have to add one thing. A load that produces a 2 moa group at 100 yards will not turn into a 1/2 MOA group at 500 or 1000 yards.

On the other hand, a 1/2 MOA at 100 load can turn to total crap before 500.