Next step?

Albertarookie

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As a newbie reloader I'm making my first real foray into load workup. So far I've loaded for .300 wsm with a 130 tsx over 60.5 - 63 grains of imr 4064 in 1/2 grain increments. Group sizes ranged from +or- 3" to a best group of .91". Should I a) play with the charge within tenths of a grain either side of the best load or
b) start fiddling with seating depth where the powder charge is now?

Thanks folks.
 
Take your best load and start to play with the OAL... see what results you get... it may be necessary to switch powders for best results... are you using magnum primers?
 
Yes magnum primers are being used. Cci 250 to be exact. For the intended purpose, coyote, deer and unless I judge the 130 to light possibly black bear, one inch groups are plenty good enough. However after seeing the difference in results I think it can get better with a single ragged hole being the ultimate goal. I forgot to mention the groups were shot at 100 yards.
 
Oh yeah what kind of increments should I be adjusting in. I understand I'll have to go both ways but do I go up or down .005 or .010 increments
 
Sooner or later you're going to be testing your shooting ability. Once you get under 1 moa as a targeted expectation, this factor comes into play. You can burn up a lot of ammo, only to find that you shouldn't drink coffee before hitting the range.
 
Agree with the above comments.

If I clamp my 243 in a shooting vice I can get 1/2" groups with a couple of different rounds (different weight bullets/different powder).

BUT when I switch to the way I will "hunt" the rifle - front supported only - the best groups I get (nothing else changed) is 1 1/2".

So my shakiness, posture, style, whatever, adds 1" to the group size.

Still more than accurate enough for any game animal I would shoot in the range that I shoot in (200 yards for me would be a long, long shot), so fiddling to try and shave another 1/10th of an inch or two would have little effect on "my accuracy".
 
I see where you're going with the 130 grain bullet. But, my question is: Why are you using such a light bullet, when a 150 grain or heavier will likely deliver far better performance in this cartridge? The rifling pitch (twist) of your barrel is likely 1:10". If so, it will stabilize a longer, heavier bullet much better. Something in the 150 to 180 grain range.
 
Nothing wrong with being different. Experimentation is how we learn, as reloaders. But I would like to offer some advice. I knew a fella years ago, who used very light...125-130 grain bullets in his .300 Winmag. Your Short Mag is pretty close ballistically, so a relatively fair comparison. He also used 4064 powder. Don't remember the load he was using, but he got some very high velocities with them. His accuracy was erratic though, as yours appears to be. If you limit your shots to under 200 yards.... these bullets should prove effective on deer sized game. But, if you don't place that light bullet just so...you're likely going to end up with a big splat, an ugly, but shallow wound and a lot of tracking of a wounded game animal. That light bullet is going to start out very fast, but, will shed energy pretty quickly, too. The TSX is a good bullet. Still, I wouldn't consider it the best choice for that cartridge. My opinion only...based on hunting with a .300 Winmag for 30-plus years, I wouldn't trade good penetration and expansion, for a few fps of velocity. I believe if you start with a good 150 grain bullet, then work up until you find the bullet your rifle likes....your groups should improve dramatically. Food for thought if nothing else.
Also, when developing loads for this cartridge, there is no need to go up tenths of grains in load development. Increments of 1/2 grain will work quite well. Once you've found a powder charge that delivers good accuracy, a bit of tweaking of bullet seating depth should get the results you're after. One thing to remember is that, one hole groups are fine in a target rifle. A hunting rifle that is consistently capable of delivering MOA groups under real hunting conditions, is all a guy needs. I don't know what sort of hunting experience you have....only that you are a newbie reloader. But hopefully you can take something from this.
 
Off the rest at 100 yards is the one hole expectation I realize that it's unrealistic under normal conditions. But hey we have to have a goal right> do appreciate the input from everyone I will take it all in and use it as a learning tool. As an ex co-worker once said "take a page from everyone and make your own book". I will continue to play around and maybe as suggested this will turn out to be nothing but a paper punching load.
 
I'll second that. Improvement is the goal, after all. One hole groups from the bench....especially from a hunting rifle.... are a great confidence booster, when in the field. If, at the end this stage of experimentation it turns out to be only as you say, a paper punching load, the learning experience is still worthy of a page in your book. Good luck.
 
Start adjusting seating depth with your "best" load.

Then your NEXT step should be to develop a load that will actually use the ballistic potential of the cartridge by using a 165-180 grain bullet.
 
The first thing to learn when developing loads is that when a bullet shoots that bad right off the bat you don't tweak the load. You abandon it, and get as far away from it as you can. Don't take it personal, don't waste gunpowder, don't view it as a challenge and don't think that there's got to be something wrong with what you're doing. Your barrel doesn't like that bullet. Start again and you will likely find something that wants to shoot right off the bat. Then tweak that combination. Resist the urge to polish a turd. Its hard to find a combination that shoots 3 inches. Its harder to make a 3" shooter into what you want.
 
Don't get all tied up in load development unless a lot of other factors are mastered beforehand. Groups of 1 inch are not that hard to achieve with a generally good outfit. Groups under an inch require a lot of things to work at their best, everything from trigger pull to cheek rest/posture to scope parallax (even the best scopes can have a small amount) to bench sturdiness to wind/heat distortion to barrel weight to action bedding, all of the above must first be consistent and at optimum performance or the ammunition testing will be an expensive exercise in futility.

Of course we all strive for better groups but the OP's rifle, shooting 130 gr bullets into 1 inch groups would have my confidence for deer or coyotes any day
 
It's not tenths of a grain either side of the best load. It's tenth's from the previous load to whatever gave you the .91".
Personally, I'd just load more of that, confirm the group(consistency is far more important than the actual group size) and sight in. Then practice shooting, off hand, at 100 yards, at a 9" pie plate, until I can hit it every time.
It's a hunting rifle. Not a BR rifle.
 
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