ORIGINAL: bigcountry
ORIGINAL: Rifle Loony
RR...
Are you suggesting that OCW means "max charge/max pressure/don't dare to try it any higher"..?
Just trying to cypher your perception, not arguing......
OCW addresses barrel harmonics and the function they have on a measure of "accuracy".
Pressure and velocity are only a result of the entire system in motion, kinda like how gas milage and speed relate to a speed limit sign.
I bought into the whole OCW thing at one time pretty heavy. But I was alway complaining how finicky loads were. I stopped by Melvin Forbes place in WV on my way to Charleston, and that guy was a wealth of knowledge. He showed me how if a barrel is that finicky with 1gr difference, your compensating for other issues with the gun. Anyone that knows his guns NULA, knows he is big on bedding to take out those variations with harmonic nodes.
I've seen where at least one poster here wouldn't give Melvin Forbes the time of day so the value of experience is subjective. I've never seen a NULA not shoot well so there in lies my opinion on Melvin's rifle building know how. Personally I would expect him to know a thing or two on reloading as well...
What you and others are saying about OCW loads being finicky is a little troubling in that myself, and the ones around me, have found that OCW reduces and in some cases nearly negates most"finickyness". I've found, with my/our application of OCW during load work up, that the temperature sensitivity of powders becomes less of an issue. This I know from cold hard data collected across a broad range of seasonal changes, which in my locale can occur all in the same week. It's still May here last I checked,and there's a chance of a snow storm for at least another two or three weeks. Snow in June surprisesfew. A month ago though, it was nearly 80 for a solid week.
The point is, we are no stranger to the effects thatweather may have on a load. I've asafe or twofull of rifles that get shot all year long, be it hunting or just swinging steel, a range trip is merely a walk out the back door.
Inherent accuracy of a good rifle is a given and that of a slouch is what it is. Premium barrels, bedding, floating, trigger work, ect., all add to the value of thesystem, but I've at least one example in my safes where those rules are blown out of the water by what I've personally seen.
I don't buy into the marketing hype over temp insensitive powders as I see no difference beween them and other powders thought to be very sensitive....when shooting OCW loads. The worry, for me at least, simply isn't there.
I choose a powder based onknown attributes and it's potential for a goodload density, as that is a governing factor for a given chambering regarding efficiency, not whether or not it'll be insensitive to weather changes or not.
Probably a good aspect of this discussion to cover would be the individualsdefinition of the "accuracy". During load work up I find that MOST of the "groups" I shoot across a range of powder increases which span
several grainswould meet and likely exceed many folk's"accuracy" standards."Groups" too, fired at 100 yards won't tell anyone as much as groups tested beyond 250 or 300 yards. Once a shooter's accuracy expectations are defined it then becomes easier to compile an R&D system that meets the requirement.