Load development process
#9
(05-01-2024, 11:57 AM)alwie Wrote: Im fairly new to reloading and would like to understand the different approaches reloaders used to develop their loads. Please share your load development process?
I suppose I'm the dinosaur in the group. I start by looking for a powder that will provide 100% case fill, (or as close as I can get), without going over max pressure for the projectile I want to use. Then I look at the bullet to lands using a comparator and try for .010 off the lands, or as close as I can get with the rifle/magazine involved. I'll shoot a pressure ladder starting at the bottom and going up .5 grains until a grain below max, (knowing I can stop if velocities show I'm nearing max). This provides baseline data to compare to load manual values and what QuickLoads says.  If velocities are close to what I expect, I'll finish the pressure ladder up to the max load, or until the velocity that the max load should produce.  Then I look at the SDs and the groups to see if anything stands out as better. If I find a node, I'll repeat that load, drop down 1 grain and do a ladder up past that node in .1 grain increments. I pick the best results from that and then do a COAL ladder working down .005 in OAL at a time. This method has worked for me for many years, in a dozen rifles ranging for .223 to 28 Nosler. It does use components and I'm interested in the OBT method as a way to save components, and barrel life, finding a load. Particularly in the 6ARC as this barrel and both the 105 Scenars and the 109 Bergers are not giving me a decisive node with the pressure ladder method so far.  I have 65 rounds down the tube and so far most of it shoots consistently well. If I overlay the targets, all of the impacts for for all of the loads with both bullets used over Varget stay within 2" at 200 yards, with the last 6 groups shot all being 1-1/2 with four shots under 3/4" and one flyer. Thats both the Lapua 105at 2.240 COAL, (everything shot since I started using the Wilson seating die), and all of the Berger 109 seated at 2.3. Right now my concern is why that consistent 1 flyer out of every group of 5 shots?
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Messages In This Thread
Load development process - by alwie - 05-01-2024, 11:57 AM
RE: Load development process - by grayfox - 05-01-2024, 02:20 PM
RE: Load development process - by alwie - 05-02-2024, 12:00 AM
RE: Load development process - by Diesel Pro - 05-01-2024, 02:53 PM
RE: Load development process - by grayfox - 05-02-2024, 08:11 AM
RE: Load development process - by alwie - 05-03-2024, 01:38 AM
RE: Load development process - by grayfox - 05-03-2024, 10:04 AM
RE: Load development process - by grayfox - 05-03-2024, 10:25 AM
RE: Load development process - by BD1 - 05-03-2024, 10:49 AM
RE: Load development process - by trianglevelvet - 05-14-2024, 07:16 AM

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