Couple of thoughts. First off SD and ES are figures. These are supposed to mean a load should be better or worse. With a bit of loading under my belt I can say that if shooting 600 yards or less, worry totally about the results on the target. If going on towards 1000 you need to pay a bit of attention to those 2 factors. But don't let them rule it all. The problem is I have seen many loads with mediocre figures consistently(IE the life of the barrel) shoot tiny groups vs the single digit figures that might shoot moa.

Brief Audette. TEst at 200 or 300 with scope on calm day. Loading 1 round each in increasing charge weights till you hit max( I use the charge breaks normally as 10% of capacity IE about 25 grains on 223 so I go .3 grain increments. Foul the barrel, zero the gun. Then shoot #1 and look at it and map it on another target. Keep shooting till you get to max.

You are looking to see where the groups cluster at. You'll see 3-5 in a cluster, even with increasing powder and MV. Then the next .3 increase will jump up quite a bit and often off to the side. You'll run into a few random shots like that going up and then hit another cluster. You are looking for the highest MV cluster. Then you start by loading 3 round groups there. You are searching for the node or sweet spot in barrel vibrations. These spots will allow charges to increase, and MV and yet will consistenly group in the same cluster.

This has a big plus as if you hopefully take the middle charge weight of a cluster, then you can miss the exact powder charge a few tenths or allow the temps to rise or fall and still be assured you'll be close to the center. If not in it.

What I meant about taking a tight .2 inch group between 2 groups that were moa, was that you could be (it'll make more sense when you see how a target plots out) in a bad node area. Such that only 3 tenths variation or a temperature swing takes you back out to the land of MOA or worse.

Once you've seen it, its quick and makes total sense. Example wise i'd shoot and then say my top cluster is 5 shots. 25.0,25.2,25.4,25.6,25.8. I'd take that and load 3. Shoot each group and record its impact or just measure and paste over(clean target to start with so that you can compare and measure the composite on the back). Lets assume that 25.0 kinda falls a bit short this time and 25.8 is ok but not super. But .2,.4 and .6 still are in the middle. Then load 5 shot groups and repeat. Same results. Now go load 10 shot groups of the same. Bet the results are similar(they may shift up or down one increment which is normal but I tend to keep leaning to the middle charge as long as all else is ok-- IE Imight even take the middle one is .3 with a .2 on one side and .3 on the other as its more in the middle and doesn't suffer much accuracy wise but gives a better leeway). And if the results are similar then pick something in the middle and load and shoot. If you don't trust it still the first time, then load something like a few of each and don't mark the cases and just shoot them random. It may not be the .2 group but you can bet it won't be the MOA group.

I have used it for years. It takes me about 30 rounds to convince myself of a new load in a new match barrel. I am lucky that my parameters are much smaller since I shoot the same tubes over and over. So I know that I can start with about 7 rounds, go back and fire a few 3 shot groups and then fire a 10 shot group in the middle and be done.

Hope thats a quick run down but hope you can understand. I'm so guilty of typing in a hurry and knowing what I am talking about yet not being totally clear when I 'm done. Unless I type a 4 page diatribe...

Let me know.

Jeff