Precision reloading steps

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Pcaps

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Just curious as to what’s everyone’s process and steps for reloading precision ammo. Looking to make my process more efficient with more accurate ammo.
 
Tokay444 said:
What is YOUR process, and how accurate is your ammo, and what is your accuracy expectation for MORE accurate ammo, and can you shoot the difference?
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I agree, if you cannot "shoot the difference" at 300 meters between throwing charges on a good measure and weighing each charge on a 10-10 beam scale using standard RCBS or Lee dies with a economy priced press , spending something upwards TO $2,000.00 on an intelledropper and a lab scale, $400 on competition dies, and $400 or so a more expansive press will not increase your accuracy.
This is if you are using quality brass and bullets and measuring tools like a good vernier caliper
However I have been told I am wrong by those that have done that , (spent the money but don't shoot any more accurately)
My experiments at various distances out to 800 meters proved otherwise.....
Cat
 
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Pcaps said:
Just curious as to what’s everyone’s process and steps for reloading precision ammo. Looking to make my process more efficient with more accurate ammo.
Click to expand...
Basic reloading fundamentals is precision, compared to factory ammuniltion. I reload for hunting purposes only and my goal is to achieve 1/2" or less, three shot groups. Many times my rifles have achieved happy medium of 1/2" groups with ultra velocity. The goals that I pursue is to keep my reloading components consistant, in size and weight, to .002" and to the last kernel of gun powder.

For accuracy and hunting, I always use Nosler bullets, the accubonds and ballistic tips. I always use "one" bullet, one brand of case, primer and work around it with two or three different gunpowders.

Personally, I love reloading, been doing it hence 1982. When a hobby is loved, it doesn't feel like work, there is always a smile on my face doing so, still after 44 years. When shooting at the range, there is "reward." When hunting and killing an animal, there is "great reward" for confidence and greatfulness for these two magnificent pursuits.
 
track said:
Basic reloading fundamentals is precision, compared to factory ammuniltion. I reload for hunting purposes only and my goal is to achieve 1/2" or less, three shot groups. Many times my rifles have achieved happy medium of 1/2" groups with ultra velocity. The goals that I pursue is to keep my reloading components consistant, in size and weight, to .002" and to the last kernel of gun powder.

For accuracy and hunting, I always use Nosler bullets, the accubonds and ballistic tips. I always use "one" bullet, one brand of case, primer and work around it with two or three different gunpowders.

Personally, I love reloading, been doing it hence 1982. When a hobby is loved, it doesn't feel like work, there is always a smile on my face doing so, still after 44 years. When shooting at the range, there is "reward." When hunting and killing an animal, there is "great reward" for confidence and greatfulness for these two magnificent pursuits.
Click to expand...

This is EXACTLY what I do. I'm a new to reloading but have adopted this philosophy as well. .5 MOA and maintain continuity - same same same. And I'm with Colonel Townsend - "Only accurate rifles are interesting"
 
Tokay444 said:
What is YOUR process, and how accurate is your ammo, and what is your accuracy expectation for MORE accurate ammo, and can you shoot the difference?
Click to expand...
My process is first decapping, dry tumble brass, anneal, clean primer pockets and case necks, dry neck lube on inside of neck then put threw expander mandrel, full length resize brass, prime, loads charges with AutoTrickler and seat. I clean and wipe down brass through out processes.
 
Pcaps said:
My process is first decapping, dry tumble brass, anneal, clean primer pockets and case necks, dry neck lube on inside of neck then put threw expander mandrel, full length resize brass, prime, loads charges with AutoTrickler and seat. I clean and wipe down brass through out processes.
Click to expand...
After I seat my bullet, I turn the cartridge 180 degrees and seat the bullet again. I guess it's an old trick, taught to me by an elder person.
 
I find it easier to start at the beginning these days. It wasn’t always that way.

Pick a bullet, by intended use. Whatever you value, high BC, preferred terminal performance, whatever. That may pick your barrel.

Pick a velocity range, that will narrow down your cartridge choices, and your powder choices.

Determine whether you can reach the lands with that bullet and that cartridge and still fit in the magazine in the rifle that you may not even own yet. If it isn’t going to do that reconsider your choice of cartridge, rifle/mag box, or perhaps reamer. This is a great time to change your plan because you haven’t spent any money yet.

Now that you have a plan, one that involved dealing yourself 3 aces right off the bat it gets a lot easier.

Pick some good brass, we all know what the good stuff is. Since your bullet, velocity tange cartridge is already picked the powders pretty much pick themselves.

Load development can be very simple at times. Start at the bottom and go up a grain at a time one cartridge at each level. Shoot them all at the same target watching your chronograph and whatever pressure signs you know and love. Alternately you could pretend you’re doing a ladder test, or rough zeroing, or pretending to do a barrel break in. This is only limited by your imagination. The real goal is finding pressure and velocity. If its too hot, back off til it isn’t. If you’re not getting your velocities, quit and change powders.
When you’ve established a solid safe working maximum for your rifle, load 10, go out to 500-600 yards and find out whether you have a load or not. You likely do, and you already know the velocity and have a rough zeroed rifle with a bullet that does what you want when it gets there. If the load shows promise you can quit or play with seating depths, or work down your loads. Way cheaper than working up, where you shoot a lot of groups of loads that you wouldn’t want anyway. You’re never going to fine tune a crap load into something awesome, and if you hate the velocity who cares if it shoots? If it doesn’t look promising consider changing bullets. You already have a pretty good lock on maximum powder charges, so you don’t have to start in the basement on your pressure/velocity loads.

Alternately there’s picking your cartridge and rifle without thought, and throwing everything in the gun-shop at it. I used to do that.
 
Thanks dogleg , I’ll keep that in mind for picking my next rifle but for the ones I already have I shall try your load development method, makes sense (and dollars) as ya I have definitely chased a lot of groups instead of velocity thus far as I’m still learning and only stuck my head down a couple of the many reloading rabbit holes to get lost in heheh
I finally have access to a garmin so now I can actually see what’s happening instead of just looking at the pretty shapes haha

Edit: some days it looks like I’m patterning a shotgun on those targets…but no more ha!
 
For what it's worth, here are my steps (seem to get pretty consistent velocities):

1 - De-prime
2 - Wet tumble (Dawn + Lemi Shine) and dry out in one of those dehydrator gizmos
3 - Anneal (AMP annealer)
4 - Resize with full-length die (I like dies which have built-in expanding mandrels). I generally use Imperial sizing wax and use a q-tip to give the inside neck a quick swab.
5 - Trim using Henderson trimmer (which gives them a uniform chamfer even if it doesn't take much off the top)
6 - Re-clean in corn-cob media (gets the lube off and Forster claims the corn-media helps with seating) and blow out with compressed air
7 - Prime
8 - Load powder (use Autotrickler - another cool gizmo)
9 - Seat bullets using Wilson in-line seater die and arbor press (based on lands measurement for bullet taken with Hornady modified case made for particular rifle - you can get a kit from Creedmoor Sports that lets you make them out of fired brass, which is handy).

If I have the time, I might also clean out/uniform the primer pockets after I de-prime (K+M makes good tools for this).

The real trick, of course, is consistency in whatever you do and measure, measure, measure!

Voila!
 
Pcaps said:
My process is first decapping, dry tumble brass, anneal, clean primer pockets and case necks, dry neck lube on inside of neck then put threw expander mandrel, full length resize brass, prime, loads charges with AutoTrickler and seat. I clean and wipe down brass through out processes.
Click to expand...
You mandrel before sizing? Also, you missed the remainder of the questions.
 
My general steps are ( after initial new brass set up)
1: clean the fired brass- I rarely tumble
2: resize
3: check trim
4: lube and resize
5: prime and brush necks inside
6: throw and/ or weigh the powder charge on a Harrel measure and/ or beam scale
7: seat the bullets long
8: bullets are seated to proper length on the ogive the morning of the match.
Cat
 
Dogleg said:
Now that you have a plan, one that involved dealing yourself 3 aces right off the bat it gets a lot easier.

Pick some good brass, we all know what the good stuff is. Since your bullet, velocity tange cartridge is already picked the powders pretty much pick themselves.

Load development can be very simple at times. Start at the bottom and go up a grain at a time one cartridge at each level. Shoot them all at the same target watching your chronograph and whatever pressure signs you know and love. Alternately you could pretend you’re doing a ladder test, or rough zeroing, or pretending to do a barrel break in. This is only limited by your imagination. The real goal is finding pressure and velocity. If its too hot, back off til it isn’t. If you’re not getting your velocities, quit and change powders.
When you’ve established a solid safe working maximum for your rifle, load 10, go out to 500-600 yards and find out whether you have a load or not. You likely do, and you already know the velocity and have a rough zeroed rifle with a bullet that does what you want when it gets there. If the load shows promise you can quit or play with seating depths, or work down your loads. Way cheaper than working up, where you shoot a lot of groups of loads that you wouldn’t want anyway. You’re never going to fine tune a crap load into something awesome, and if you hate the velocity who cares if it shoots? If it doesn’t look promising consider changing bullets. You already have a pretty good lock on maximum powder charges, so you don’t have to start in the basement on your pressure/velocity loads.
Click to expand...
That’s pretty much how I do it too, seems to work ok most of the time hahaha
 
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