Bulding an Accurate Load?

LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1

LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1

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OK, So Ive been trying to figure out how to properly build up an accurate, tailored round for accurate shooting. So far, All I do is clean the brass, resize, prime, then load a average load for plinking ammo. But my understanding is that to do up a taylored round, you:

1-Re size once fired brass
2-trim to length if necessary (I usually don't do this unless I already fired the brass 2 or 3 times, is that bad?, i did a measure while back when i first started and after two firing most were still withing max length.)
3-clean up burrs.
4-Prime.

Then bulding the load is:

1-Start with a minimal load, load five rounds, then increase load by .5 grains and repeat until reached the maximum load.

2-Fire each five round group recording your results and noting the best performing charge.

3-Take best performing charge and tweak + or - .1 grains, up to .4 grains in each direction. and repeat step 2.

4-take best performing round from Step 3 and mass produce.


So, is this the right way to do it? I know the basics, but am still learning.

Thanks.
 
Pretty much.

here are a few tips.

- neck size your brass instead of full size to increase accuracy. You can only neck size brass that was fired in the same gun your loading for.

- When it comes to trim length, most important thing is to make sure they are all consistently the same length.

- find out how long ur rifle throat is and load your bullets .010 off the lands. ( this is a good starting point at least)


Power load

Set up a target no closer than 500m. Load in + 1. gn from min load to max. Fire all at the same point of aim. This is called a ladder test. at least 2 of the bullets will be very close to each other. This is called a accuracy node. now work this node in .2gn. Find the 2 bullets that are tight. Using .1gn changes fire 5 shot groups and one of the 3 strings will give you your best results.

Finding a load at 100m is near totally usless unless 100m is all you will ever shoot.


Have fun man !
 
Can't you make your bull's eye 1 or 2 inches higher than the target's bull to compensate for distance say 1" per 100yds
AKD said:
Pretty much.

here are a few tips.

- neck size your brass instead of full size to increase accuracy. You can only neck size brass that was fired in the same gun your loading for.

- When it comes to trim length, most important thing is to make sure they are all consistently the same length.

- find out how long ur rifle throat is and load your bullets .010 off the lands. ( this is a good starting point at least)


Power load

Set up a target no closer than 500m. Load in + 1. gn from min load to max. Fire all at the same point of aim. This is called a ladder test. at least 2 of the bullets will be very close to each other. This is called a accuracy node. now work this node in .2gn. Find the 2 bullets that are tight. Using .1gn changes fire 5 shot groups and one of the 3 strings will give you your best results.

Finding a load at 100m is near totally usless unless 100m is all you will ever shoot.


Have fun man !
Click to expand...
 
Hmmm - Many of these posted workup procedures are for skilled benchrest shooters using precision target rifles, and a specific bullet weight/configuration suited for distance.
I dont fall into any of the above categories. I like to take sporting rifles, tweak them, and get the most out of them without going broke. In many cases these are sported milsurps.
My procedure is a lot easier:

- pick a suitable powder
- pick a few bullet weights for the given calibre. As I hunt with the loads I develop, I typically use cheap ol' Hornady SP's.
- Make up batches of 5 for each bullet weight at min load. Learn to be consistent in making your rounds.

Go to the range. Generally a sporting rifle will tune to a preferred bullet weight. Find the weight that is best and do further load development if desired. My experience is that a good load will show promise right out of the gate, even if the powder charge, and other lesser parameters, are not optimal.
If a cant get a rifle to shoot over the range of bullets I have selected, then the rifle/scope become suspect, and I will investigate remedial action. In the worst case scenario, it has a bad barrel and I will move on to another effort without pissing away a lot of money on ammo.
 
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I think this link has a fairly practical way of doing it. Note there are multiple pages. Click on the left side:

OCW Load Development

I would do the targets at 200 meters, or 300 meters is better if you have the scope to see the target clearly. Also on loading and case prep, see the Tools of the Trade link.

If you get into it a little more seriously you may want to check out these links too:

Incremental Load Development - Just a different slant on OCW.

Long Range Load Development

Case Preparation
 
I'm just about to take-on a new rifle, and was pondering the same questions as LeeEnfield, above. One thing AKD said struck a chord with me:

"Finding a load at 100m is near totally usless unless 100m is all you will ever shoot."

In my case, I have access to a formal 100yd range, but also much longer distances (farmland). After sighting in the scope with some plinking rounds, I'll start by working-up a load for 100 yards - if I can't get decent performance at that distance, I need to pay more attention to "something" (probably the shooter). Being a .223, I've got a small spread of powder weights available (25.0-27.5, depending on the bullet), so I'm looking at 5 round strings for each 0.2 grain difference. I can't imagine 0.1gr making the difference, at least initially. Once I find an accurate load at 100, I'll try that load +/- 0.1gr out at a longer distance. If I can get sub-MOA at 100, I should still be sub MOA at 300-400-500yds. (point of aim would be very different, but hopefully consistent.)

That's not the first time I've heard the advice to load the bullets as close to the lands as possible. Just yesterday (snow day), I used a Dremel tool on a full-length-resized .223 case, to slit the neck vertically into four quadrants. A bullet now slides in the neck, not "loose", but can be moved fairly easily with my fingers. Rifle is in the mail, so I haven't tried it yet, but in theory, if I hand-push a bullet into the neck extra-high, then carefully chamber the case, when I eject it, the bullet should be pushed back into the case just enough to show the OAL while touching the lands (unless it sticks to the lands on extraction). Then, I'll knock that 0.010 inches off, and call that my OAL. (I'll do this for each bullet, as they have different profiles)

(hope this isn't a thread hijack, but it sounds like we're heading toward the same fun range-day. And if I'm out-to-lunch, or unnecessarily picky about my process, hopefully someone will show me a better way.)
 
OH! Thanks Ron, read the first couple paragraphs, and this is a very different way of looking at things. Still reading!
 
The reason for using longer distance for load development is that distance exaggerates the effect of velocity variation. It is not linear, but a square effect. For the same velocity variation the effect it has at 200 yards is 4 times that it has at 100 yards. That is what load tuning is about; adjusting the load so the barrel position at bullet exit compensates for the inevitable velocity variation from shot to shot.
 
Ron AKA said:
I think this link has a fairly practical way of doing it. Note there are multiple pages. Click on the left side:

OCW Load Development

I would do the targets at 200 meters, or 300 meters is better if you have the scope to see the target clearly. Also on loading and case prep, see the Tools of the Trade link.

If you get into it a little more seriously you may want to check out these links too:

Incremental Load Development - Just a different slant on OCW.

Long Range Load Development

Case Preparation
Click to expand...

Good info and thanks. The bottem three items you've listed I have and for reference, I've previously made a hard copy of. With your OCW Load Development, I've opened it but with any of the sub titles listed on the left of the main page, I can access all to read but attempting to print all I get available is one page only out of all that are available to read.:confused:. Am I doing something wrong?
 
Johnn Peterson said:
Good info and thanks. The bottem three items you've listed I have and for reference, I've previously made a hard copy of. With your OCW Load Development, I've opened it but with any of the sub titles listed on the left of the main page, I can access all to read but attempting to print all I get available is one page only out of all that are available to read.:confused:. Am I doing something wrong?
Click to expand...

Have not tried printing it. Sometimes when I get into printing problems I do a copy and paste into a word processing program.
 
Ron AKA said:
Have not tried printing it. Sometimes when I get into printing problems I do a copy and paste into a word processing program.
Click to expand...

Like I say and even with the first or home page, I can read it in total. But again with the first page and the additional listed on the left, I can read the whole thing. If I go for a print preview, all that comes up is one page out of what may be a total of five. The remainder are for the most part blank. :redface:Keep in mind, ;)I'm from the 'sliderule' era:redface:.
 
Is the method stated above of measuring the lands the one normally used, or are there other ways? How do you all measure the depth of your lands?
 
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