first try at load development (more pics again)

aheppner

aheppner

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well i just got my new rifle sighted in with some cheap factory loads,

this is my first target rifle so iv never really done load development before

here is what i got,

.223 savage f/tr

rem brass
cci primers
69 gr SMK
imr 4320
coal 2.325'' .020'' off the lands

I loaded 10 shots each, 23gr 23.5gr 24gr 24.5gr 25gr

i was thinking shoot either 2 groups of 5 with each or one 10 shot group and then see what the groups look like

take the best load then play with the length to fine tune

is this the best way to go about this?

Will post pics of all targets shot after my trip to the range.
 
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I'm new at this stuff, too, so no gospel here, but I'd recommend doing 2 five shot groups of each load and spreading them out so that you don't shoot both groups of one kind of ammo in a row. 5@23, 5@23.5, 5@24, 5@24.5, 5@25, then start back at 23gr again. Shooting that many groups over the course of a session, barrel heat and cleanliness could be minor factors, so spreading it out is probably better, and of course have a break between each group to cool off. Bring another gun to shoot so you're not impatiently wanting to start the next group right away like I do. :)

Good luck, have fun, and look forward to seeing the results.
 
I know some people shoot 3 shot groups, but as your science teacher likely said, three data points hardly makes a trend. Many people shoot 5 shot groups for load development (myself included from time to time). But when I can, I like shooting ten shot groups. There's quite a bit more confidence that can be gleaned for repeatable precission from ten shots than five.
 
thanks for the advice guys, i think ill try the 5 shot groups and see how that goes,

i just read the load development article on mystic precision's web site, lots of good info there too

i hope to get out to the range soon if the weather gets better here, and ill post my results with pics
 
I've read that 10 shot groups are your best bet for a data trend. Groups of 5 shots would work to see a down and dirty result. Less than 5 shot groups is a waste of time and energy.
 
When you are doing a ladder test, you are looking for vertical spread. How many shots you fire depends on how well you can hold your point of aim. I used to shoot 5 shot groups, but now I shoot 3 shot groups to save time and barrel life. You can usually tell if the three shots are promising or not. I also do all my testing at 300 yards, as this magnifies the vertical spread. I ignore windage.

When a group is promising I do the fine tuning with 5 shot groups, and then when I have settled on a a load I shoot a 10 shot group to confirm. At that point I am confident enough to make up a couple hundred of that load.
 
I googled this ladder test term today. Very interesting. I think I'll be using this method from here on. Save quite a bit of ammunition and seems a painfully obvious means of working up loads when you figure it out. That said, after the ladder test, that'd be when I'd select the best powder charge of the groupings and shoot a 10 shot group to figure out the best grouping spread I can expect for that particular combo powder, bullet, casing and primer combo.
 
.5 gr steps is big for a .223 but it will get you started in the right direction. Once you find the load that works best, try going up and down .2 or .3 gr and see if it tightens up a little more.
 
maynard said:
.5 gr steps is big for a .223 but it will get you started in the right direction. Once you find the load that works best, try going up and down .2 or .3 gr and see if it tightens up a little more.
Click to expand...

I have to agree .I have shot groups that were .2gr apart and went from plus 1" to 1/2" and vice versa.
 
well i went shooting yesterday and the wind was soooo bad, sometimes living on the parries sucks,

so i only shot one of each load to look for overpressure sighs

then i shot some of my cheap factory rem. UMC to see how bad the wind was.

i was about 8'' or 9'' s right at 200m

it was so gusty that i didnt want to wast my time trying to shoot my load development ammo,

wind was so bad i was more worried about the wind blowing me around when shooting then the actual effect on the bullet trajectory

the next calm day i'm gonna be out there come hell or high water
 
Finally got some shooting in,

here are my targets from today's shoot,

LD1.jpg
LD2.jpg


all groups were 9 shots except the rem umc that is a 10 shot group

i think my best 2 groups are the 24 gr and the 25 gr IMR 4320

the 24 gr group is .432'' center to center vertically and the 25 gr group is .557

more shooting will be needed to confirm these results, ill probably load 25 of each and shoot 5 shot groups next time

so now im going to load some more and get the crony out to see what the speed is like

i think it is safe to say my rifle doesn't like the 55 gr UMCs
 
Forget the center to center distance and only worry about the vertical dispersion. Your 25 gr group looks the best except for the one shot out to the left, which could have been a gust of wind or pilot error.

Like Ganderite says, if there isn't and pressure signs try another scoop of powder.
 
When I am searching for that most accurate load I do a ladder test. This shows clusters of impacts that I later load up 3 rounds of each of the cluster. I would start with 1 round at 23 again and the the next would be 23.2 and 23.4, every .2 grains all the way to 26 like ganderite says. This shows were the load is intune with the barrel harmonics/vibration. Watch for pressure and let the barrel cool between shots. Clean the barrel of copper before test. Shoot a couple of fowling shots and proceed. Other ways work as well and they all are good, because any day out shooting is a good day.
 
Ganderite said:
Any pressure signs on the 25gr? I would try 25.5 and 26, as well.
Click to expand...

i don't think there is any sign of over pressure, the primers are very slightly flattened i'm not sure exactly how much is acceptable.

is it normal to have slight primer flattening when shooting a "max" load? book max is 24.8grs

i compared my primers after they were removed to some from a factory load, mine had a slight ridge around the edge (on the 24gr+ loads) no signs on the cases.

should i try different primers? what are the best small rifle primers, shoould i get match or magnum primers?
 
I'm going against the grain;) and saying group C at 24gr is the one to work on. I can't count 10, I think I found 8, but it looks like only 2 were off horizontal, barely. Nice group.

I would try from 23.9 up to 24.3 in .1 increments. You could do it in 3 or 5 shot groups.

Just an opinion.
 
9x19p said:
I'm going against the grain;) and saying group C at 24gr is the one to work on. I can't count 10, I think I found 8, but it looks like only 2 were off horizontal, barely. Nice group.

I would try from 23.9 up to 24.3 in .1 increments. You could do it in 3 or 5 shot groups.

Just an opinion.
Click to expand...

all the groups were 9 rounds,

i was thinking of working with that load as well cuz im only going to be using these 69gr smk for closer ranges (100m to 500m) so max velocity is not as important

after i am more experienced im gonna try some 80gr bergers and see how far i can reach
 
did some more shooting

Well i did some more shooting today, nice day less wind than last time

I decided to go with the 24 gr load so i loaded up 50 rounds and i shot at 100m

some of the groups are good some are okay, i need a little more trigger time so i can be more consistent

group C on the first pic is the first one i shot then group B.
then i adjusted up 1 MOA on my scope for C then down 1/2 MOA for the rest and zeroed my elevation turret

100yardzero1.jpg
100yardzero2.jpg
IMG00037-20120531-1358.jpg
 
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