Just curious. What do you all do when working a new load?? I know some people don't believe in a ladder test, but I have had good luck with it. I shoot in .3 increments over a chrony to find two or three loads that have consistent velocity and hit consistant on the target. I then load up three five shot groups. In a few words, what is your plan of attack when working a new load. Lets assume you know what powder and bullet you would like to use.
I used to use the chrony in doing load developement. Used to do ladder tests. Used to work up something in .3gr increments. But anymore, I start at min, and load up 6 shots in 1gr increments. Shoot 3 shot groups at 100 and 3 at 200. If I see a pattern, I pick out 2 best loads, and load up 20 of each.
I used to take so much time and pride in working up a load, but now its quick and dirty. I don't know what got into me.
I'm like bigcountry in that I don't spend as much time and attention any more to working up a load. I don't have the desire and time just doesn't permit it.
I start 5 or 10 percent below max and work up in 1 grain increments. Every charge is weighed on a beam scale. When I approach max I might go to .5 grain increments, just depends on how I feel that day. I still pay attention to details like cartridge concentricity, case neck wall thicknessand so forth and I think doing so makes it fairly easy to find agood load as long as you're using a bullet known to be accurate.
I use 1 grain increments with the larger cases and .5gr with the smaller cases.If the load is not consistant when adding or subtracting1 grain I won't use it,as it will likely be very sensitive to changes in temperature as well.
When load developing for my 7mm Rem Mag I started at 50 grains and worked up in 2 grain increments until I had a few flattened primers at 60 grains. Backed it down to 58 again and worked up to 59 grains at .2 grain increments when I started noticing a bigger MOA. I have since stuck with the 58 grains with the 150 Remington Core Lokt bullets that I plink with.....even though I think I might start to load some smaller loads just to see if that will help shrink the .9 MOA that I am getting out of my Vanguard.
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I used to take so much time and pride in working up a load, but now its quick and dirty. I don't know what got into me.
You read my posts and finally got smart!!!!!
It's a lot more fun to go shooting and hunting than reloading all day long.
Ya gotta shoot sometime and if you spend all the time working up loads folks like me get all the good prairie dog shooting!!!!!!
To the original thread.....You might want to work up in 1% increments or thereabouts. Example.....a case holding 100 grains of powder you work up at 1 grain /time.....a 257 roberts holding 50 grains of powder you might want to work up 1/2 grain per time.
If you're starting with 2 1/2 grains bullseye in a 38 special you might want to work up .1 grains per time.
OK?....that way you got more time to shoot dogs and don't take all day screwing around at the shooting range!!!!!
Oh...one more thing.....If you have an Ackley Improved chamber just get an aluminum scoop shovel, fill up the case and go shooting.....no one actually ever measures charges in them things!!!!!
I start at 5 % below book maximum and work up in 1/2 grain increments. When a load starts to show promise I then work with 1/10 th grain increments. Some of my toys are loaded well above what book max says. Reason being, every firearm is an individual. What works in one will not necessarily work in another. A safe load in one can cause death in another. Others are loaded 4 or 5 grains below what book says. Reason being short throat, tight chamber, match chamber or tight bore. Enjoy your reloading, but don't take chances as there is no forgiveness if you go too hot.
I've tested a lot of loads in the past 50+ years. I've learned a few things and because I'm hard headed, I've had to learn some of them twice. I have seen cases over and over where a half grain difference in powder has made a tremendous difference in the results I get on paper both in group size and sometimes in group location. I have also seen that rare rifle that shoots them all into the same place, the groups all run about the same size until you hit the magic load and then a three shot group from a .30-06 can be covered with a dime. But that rifle is even rarer than the do do bird. Or have been for me. When I first started, I'd tried the severals. Several different powders, primers, bullets and cases. Due to the results of my test, it didn't take long until I was down to one make of cases, Winchester. Primers were, and still are, CCI. For a long time the bullet was Sierra, but that is no longer so. I think the Sierra quality has slipped while the other bullet makers have improved their product. Since I'm down to just a few rifles, I shoot Nosler Ballistic Tips in my .22-250 and Nosler Accubond in everything else. Working up new loads has gotten easier since I now use the Hodgdon extruded powder that come closest too filling the case and the other components named. But it is still by the ladder method and in half grain increments. I hope that this is of some help.
0.1 grain for cases like the .223 and smaller; 0.5 grain for cases like the 7X57mm, .270. .30/'06, etc.; and 1 grain for biggies like the .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, etc.
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RE: What size increments do you use??
Been using 1/2 gr. increments for years, and will continue to do so. I tried the 1 gr. inc. deal once, and then went back to the 1/2 gr. loads, and guess what!! A 1/2 gr. inc. load was the one that shot best with consistency. I felt I may be missing something at a full grain increment, and was right. The full grain loads on either side shot fair, but it was that "one in the middle" that I'd been searching for.
Do what you want, and good luck. Just wanted to pass on some of my experience, for what it's worth..................
What size increments do you use??
