What to do when you are in the spot with your recipe???

Mobeasto

Regular
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Hi guys newbie to reloading and just shoot my first batch of reload a few days ago.. I found that by exemple 58gr of powder was the most accurate load... SO I know that we can do some Fine tuning by adding .1 grain or susbtract .1 grain on this But where to start and where to Stop I mean do I have to start at 57.5gr going up until 58.5 gr... Doing 3 or 4 of each It Does a whole Bunch of bullet and powder just to tune a recipe...And using bullets like TSX It make a Bunch of $$ too..

What are you doing guys to fine tune your recipe..

For hunting can we only neck size or we should full size everytime ??
 
SO many ways to increase accuracy, and the sky is definitely the limit... just look at what some of the benchresters do to tune up for a big match!

For the neck sizing/FL resizing debate - neck sizing only is great if you only intend to use that brass in ONE rifle, since it fireforms to the chamber when fired. If you don't full-length resize, it doesn't return to SAAMI specs necessarily, and may be 'sticky' in other guns. YMMV with either method, so do what you feel is best for you.

As for the accuracy issue, there's really no way to avoid shooting a bunch of test batches to tune up an OPTIMAL loading... the question is: "where are you willing to stop and say 'enough is enough'"? If you're satisfied with 1/2MOA out of a match-grade rifle, then you may get there easily... if you're not satisfied 'til that ol' Mauser 98k shoots 3/4MOA, you might have some work (depending on the condition of chamber and bore) ahead of you... if it's even achievable.

One thing you may want to check out is neck turning your brass - consistent neck thickness is one of the first things benchresters look at when a batch of brass gives less than ideal results. In fact, some neck turn right off the bat (or at least measure to make sure).

I think you'd be surprised what neck-turning might do for your already-developed load. It's sure a good start, and you can get an RCBS neck-turning jig with several pilots (it's hand-powered, so that's nice) for pretty cheap.

-M
 
What rifle are you using; what bullet, powder, primer combination and how is the accuracy? How did you ascertain that the load was the most accurate? It is hard to answer your question without more information. Personally, I haven't been in a situation where I would refine by steps as small as 0.1 grain in either my target or hunting rifles. fred
 
You're loading for a .30-06 hunting rifle, right?

If that's the case, I'd just stick with your 58 grain load. You'll never notice the difference that a few tenths of an inch of accuracy will make in any hunting situation, even way out there.

If you really feel the need to experiment further, you can try increasing or decreasing by 2/10 of a grain each way until you reach 57.6 or 58.4. You could shoot groups of 3 with each of these loads. However, don't kid yourself: this activity will be little more than playing on your part because a hunting rifle with hunting loads (especially in a cartridge like a .30-06 that takes up to 60+ grains of powder) is unlikely to be that sensitive to slight variations in loading.

Let me tell you something: I've worked out an awesome load with a 168-grain TSX in my .30-06. I did it by .5 grain increments. In a hunting rifle, I couldn't care less for 63.7 grains or 62.2, for example. My load, set at exactly 64 grains of N560, gives me 1/2 m.o.a. and it absolutely hammered a large mule deer at 300 yards with one shot. I doubt that finessing this load further would make any real-world improvement. In fact, I know it wouldn't. I found that 63.5 gave essentially identical performance.

For hunting loads, keep it simple. Full length size your cases, or at least back your die off so it is partially sized. Choose a load that seems to work well, and stick with it. Try it a few times to see if it works consistently on different days. If it does, and it gives you anything approaching 1 inch for three shots at 100 yards, you are done. You should spend the rest of your time practicing.

The next thing I would do is find a cheaper 165-grain bullet and work up a load that shoots to a similar place on the target. (In my rifle, I've found that the 165-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip shoots to the same point of impact as the 168 TSX with the same charge of powder) I'd then leave the scope set where you want it for the TSX and load up a bunch of the cheaper loads for practice.

You should practice shooting in all positions, including sitting and prone. If your range has a steel gong, try to shoot it offhand. This is where you will really get familiar with your rifle and get ready to make a good shot in a hunting situation.

Remember: after you've got the load worked out for your rifle, the real work of shooting and practicing begins.
 
If it's for hunting, how accurate do you need exactly? If you're comfortable you can make an ethical shot from a reasonable distance, I'd say you have your hunting load. If you want to shoot more for practice, load up some less expensive bullets, and practice to your hearts content. Then just resight in before you take out your hunting load. A deer will hardly care if you are shooting 1.5 inch groups or 1/8th inch groups.
 
First, I try to isolate which bullet shoots best, I try as many as i can....I settle on one and then try diff. powder/powder charges and settle on one, then i try diff seating depths....I work on only one variable at a time, however with cast bullets I have certain powders that work better then others regularly, and can usually select the right bullet by measurement and chamber/leade dimensions vs bore dimensions.
 
I'm using P-17 recipe with 64 gr of Vithavuori powder and 168 gr TSX... Working it up from 58 gr.. found that the sweet spot was actually at 63 Gr. shooting 1 inch group. My rifle is A Tikka T3 Stainless 30-06. But to answer you guys I'm satisfied with 1'' group because With commercial load I've seen worse to about 2 or 3 inch group.. But I always want more.. Maybe I can do 1/2 '' group with the same combo.. but will it be 62.8 gr or 62.5gr I don't Know this is why I asked you.. By how many gr.. should I go up or down.. Neck sizing or not..

All thanks for your answer guys I really appreciate..

David
 
When you get down to 1 moa or less, shooting skill generally becomes the limiting factor - ie the rifle is more accurate than the shooter. You can waste a lot of ammo finding this out.. Also, as above, 0.1 grain steps are too fine for a hunting rifle. You could range the load in using 0.5 gr steps, then fine tune if desired.
As above, for a hunting rifle, you can partially resize the cases - this approximates neck sizing and insures the round will chamber.
 
Back
Top Bottom