Originally Posted by
Double Droptine
I still don't understand the full importance of a chronograph IF I am careful and I keep consistent with my other aspects of reloading.
Maybe a better question would be, "How do I make sure that the care and consistency I strive toward in my reloading practices are effective?"
For most of us, we measure that effectiveness in group sizes. Unfortunately, and as I've stated previously, there are other influences on group size besides just your ammuntion. The only way you can isolate out variances caused by ammunition is with a chronograph. How are you ensuring you're isolating out or mitigating those other, non-ammunition-related sources of variance?
Without a chronograph, there's a fairly high probability that you'll end up adjusting the load when the problem might be in your sight picture, stock weld, or something else.
Originally Posted by
Double Droptine
If I trickle charge every load and if my brass, primers, etc are consistent shouldn't the veolcity be roughly the same and therefore not need a chronograph?
You'll probably find less shot-to-shot variance than if you don't, but you're only able to assume to what degree they have any impact on group sizes. I did all of those things at one point and still found variances above what cheap factory loads performed at.
Originally Posted by
Double Droptine
I was also considering picking up a concentricity tool but wonder about the importance of that.
I paid more for my concentricity gauge than I did for my chronograph. Concentricity is important when you're shooting at extreme ranges or target shooting, but it's a minute detail if all you're doing is hunting at less than 400 yards.
Originally Posted by
Double Droptine
I understand how important the chronograph and the concentricity tools plus the Lapua brass and the match grade primers, etc. are if I'm shooting for competition or want 1/2" groups at mega yardages but are they really needed for developing a good hunting load to put that bullet in an elk's boiler room at 350 yards.
Just for the record, my brass is either plain old Winchester or Remington. On one hand, I'm getting more performance out of those than I'd probably gain in the extra expense of Lapua or Nosler brass. I get 1/2" groups at 200 yards (1/4" at 100) because my ammunition is rock-solid consistent. If I miss, it's not because of my ammunition or my rifle.
When I started reloading 30-some years ago, there really wasn't any "premium" ammunition available from the factories. Hornady (Frontier) was possibly the one exception. Realistically, if all one desires is to shoot premium bullets today, you have far more factory offerings than reloading makes economically feasible. You can buy quite a few boxes of premium factory loads with what you'll spend on a good press, scale, powder measure, trickler, manuals, dies, etc. - and that's just to get started.
I managed to kill game cleanly with my poorer reloading attempts for 15-or-so years, do you need 1/2" groups? Certainly not. It's entirely the perogative of each shooter. Myself - if I'm investing time and resources on reloading that I could be spending on my family or other pursuits instead, I'm making it count for everything I can.