Hello CGN'ers!
I know that the traditional method to test which load is the most accurate is the good old fashioned way of finding a 100m or 200m range, setting up the sand bags or bench rest rig, and measuring group size.
I've also read elsewhere, however, that some shooters including competitive ones simply chrony their loads and choose the one with the smallest standard deviation in velocity.
I understand that during firing the muzzle will move based on the harmonics of the barrel, and that the purpose of perfecting a load for a specific rifle is to ensure that the muzzle will be in the most predictable and consistent orientation when the bullet actually exits, based on when the bullet exits between "waves" as it were.
It makes sense to me that just measuring velocity and getting the most consistent load might work, because at the very least you're reducing vertical stringing, and hopefully it will also ensure that the muzzle is in the same position for each bullet exit because the bullet takes the same amount of time to travel through the barrel and accelerates in the same way each time. Consistent velocity also indicates consistent burning characteristics of the powder in the chamber from shot to shot.
But... does it actually work? Can you choose a load based on the most consistent velocity with the smallest standard deviation, and trust that it will truly give the smallest groups on paper? I'm asking for two reasons. First, I think for me it would be easier to just go with chrony measurements, given range availability etc, and second I don't perfectly trust my ability to set up a rifle to shoot consistently small enough groups to see differences from load to load yet. That would take practice I suppose, but it seems to me that there is less chance for error in using a good chrony than making sure that human error is removed from the aiming factors to test loads.
Thanks for any input!
Red
I know that the traditional method to test which load is the most accurate is the good old fashioned way of finding a 100m or 200m range, setting up the sand bags or bench rest rig, and measuring group size.
I've also read elsewhere, however, that some shooters including competitive ones simply chrony their loads and choose the one with the smallest standard deviation in velocity.
I understand that during firing the muzzle will move based on the harmonics of the barrel, and that the purpose of perfecting a load for a specific rifle is to ensure that the muzzle will be in the most predictable and consistent orientation when the bullet actually exits, based on when the bullet exits between "waves" as it were.
It makes sense to me that just measuring velocity and getting the most consistent load might work, because at the very least you're reducing vertical stringing, and hopefully it will also ensure that the muzzle is in the same position for each bullet exit because the bullet takes the same amount of time to travel through the barrel and accelerates in the same way each time. Consistent velocity also indicates consistent burning characteristics of the powder in the chamber from shot to shot.
But... does it actually work? Can you choose a load based on the most consistent velocity with the smallest standard deviation, and trust that it will truly give the smallest groups on paper? I'm asking for two reasons. First, I think for me it would be easier to just go with chrony measurements, given range availability etc, and second I don't perfectly trust my ability to set up a rifle to shoot consistently small enough groups to see differences from load to load yet. That would take practice I suppose, but it seems to me that there is less chance for error in using a good chrony than making sure that human error is removed from the aiming factors to test loads.
Thanks for any input!
Red
