Attempted ladder test

I used the ladder test method to find barrel harmonics with costly hunting bullets, like Barnes bullets. At 1$ a bullet in .308 diameter, it's nice to have a fast method to see what loads shoot, and what loads you should not lose time and money on. The ladder method works if you know how to analyse it. That's your rifle talking, telling you what it likes or not.

Those who write that the ladder method is just hype may have unlimited time and money, but I do not. Or they may not have tried it seriously. Those who judge your performance as a shooter by looking at a single ladder test picture really make me think of mall ninjas. Behind a keyboard, everyone can be a super duper know-all sniper...
 
BioPace said:
I thought the purpose of the ladder test was to look for powder load "nodes" that had a similar pint of impact? So that if your powder charge wasn't perfect you'd still be grouping.
Click to expand...

people I know think the same sort of thing, ill keep readingthe thread an see if its later explained
 
Over the weekend I loaded up the last of the projectiles that I had. I loaded six rounds each of 42.0, 44.5, 44.6, 44.7 and 44.8 grains based off of the node area I saw from the ladder test. I fired them off at 100 m to see if any of these charge weights would group better than the others and chronographed them. One thing to note is that there was some primer flattening with all of them.

42.0 @ ~ 2620 fps



44.5 @ ~ 2727 fps



44.6 @ ~ 2750 fps



44.7 @ ~ 2747 fps



44.8 @ ~ 2756 fps

confi



44.8 grains was the obvious winner of those tested, and I'm pretty sure the best group I've ever shot especially with it being six shots. Based off of this I'm pretty confident that I can order another box of these bullets and confirm this load. This load will out shoot the Amax load I have with a higher BC bullet travelling 100 fps faster.
 
You should consider using a better target than what you are using, put a 1/4" or 1/2" dot in the centre of the 2" circle you have drawn on the paper.
 
BioPace said:
I thought the purpose of the ladder test was to look for powder load "nodes" that had a similar pint of impact? So that if your powder charge wasn't perfect you'd still be grouping.
Click to expand...

I think that ends up being true, but the reason it is true is because of some combination of barrel harmonics and barrel whip. Finding a node in those two that is less powder charge-sensitive seems to be the goal.
 
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