I will usually start off similar to what your doing, in that I will find the bullet I want to use. Then I will search over loads until I determine about what powders are going to seeming work the best for my intended velocity window.
Once I have a couple or three powders, I will set up a dummy round, or rounds, and test for function in the rifle I am loading for. I have in the past found that when loading some bullets they work just fine when sitting at the bench slow firing them one at a time. However the same great feeding bullets will jam like crazy when your in a rushed second shot or follow up shot situation. So I will take a couple and load them in the magazine then I will set the muzzle down pretty hard on top of one of my leather boot uppers to simulate recoil, then I will run them through as fast as I can.
Sometimes the tips will hang up in the tiny gap between the action and the magazine. Usually it is with the plastic tipped bullets but not always as I have had some tight tipped HP's like the Barnes or Berger do it as well.
Once I finish up with that I will take 20 cases to the range with me along with my powder measure, dies, and what not and start low and work up. At this point I am not really looking for top accuracy so to speak, but more at how the powder(s) are going to work up through the data from low to high.
Once I have found that I can either get top end if I want or not, I will then concentrate on accuracy. Usually I will back off the top end load a full grain. This eliminates any issues I might run into with the changing temperatures we get suck a big spread on. I hate when I have a great load at 70 degrees but at 85-90 it is flattening primers, and I have seen that more than once.
Once I have everything I like as far as the powder charge, and somewhat of a group, I will then start to adjust the seating depth in around .005" increments. I have found that, just like with most powders, there are usually two areas the rifle will like the bullets at. I don't mind shorter to an extent, but I don't want too much of the bullet shoved off into the case either. I usually go about half of the bearing surface or so, and if I haven't seen any thing I am crazy about I might try another primer or simply swap out powders, and start over.
It might sound like a lot of work, but when I am done I have a load that is as accurate as I can get it, and will usually hold that same accuracy all year long no matter the temp spreads.
0 comments:
Post a Comment