How do you do it?

Kentucky

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Dec 19, 2014
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101
I started reloading about 30 years ago. I had a friend that was a competitive shooter and he simply gave me his recipe for my .223 and that's all I've ever used for that rifle. I used factory bullets for my deer rifle since I shot it very little. As the years went on ( faster than a greased rabbit) I have started reloading more and more. As far as I know, there are five factors to take into account for the best load for an individual rifle. Primer, seating depth, powder type, powder charge, and bullet weight. NOW my quandary. If I use x brand powder with x brand bullet with x seating depth etc and get a .75 group, how do I get to a .25 group. If I change powder do I have to change seating depth? Primer? Naturally the charge would change. How far and how many bottles of powder do I have to buy and let sit on my bench. How many boxes of primers. It seems endless to me.
 
youtube OCW reloading method.
After you have a desired charge that shows low sd and es do a ladder test for 110-12 different seating depths. Once you have the area they want to shoot do another every .002 through those nodes. If you es and sd stayed you now will have a load that will be less sensitive to changing weather. It will still need tweaking at the extremes but should shoot most days well
 
NOW my quandary. If I use x brand powder with x brand bullet with x seating depth etc and get a .75 group, how do I get to a .25 group.

Besides your five factors which you listed, there are also variables such as the barrel, the trigger, the bedding, harmonics of the entire system and the fact that not every barrel OR SHOOTER is capable of producing .25 groups. There is no such guarantee.

Reloading manuals and posters on forums often suggest the accuracy loads which work with various components in their rifles. These loads might work for you or they might not. There are also a couple of 'load ladder' procedures to use when trying to narrow down the load to make smaller groups. But nothing is cast in stone or guaranteed to provide you with '.25 groups'. Each barrel, each rifle and each shooter if a completely different variable unto itself. But you can learn use and apply the procedures which might supply you with the best accuracy possible out of your factors.
 
Brass prep is a pretty important part of achieving your rifles full potential. There are probably more 1/4" rifles out there than there are 1/4" shooters. I can get a couple to consistently shoot sub 1/2 moa, but I don't have anything I can call a 1/4" rifle. This probably has more to do with me than the gun.
 
I try too chose powders that have a broad min and max weights, offer most velocity with lowest pressures and good temp sensitivity
 
I start with powder that has a broad weight to velocity ratio per published reloading data. Select primers and seating depth per the same published reloading data for the bullet I want to use. Reload 5 rounds starting at the mid / lower range of powder weight per the data and load three more 5 round groups increasing the powder charge 1/2 grain increments. Load each of these 20 rounds with the same primer and seating depth. If any of these groups show a i.e. .75" group (say a load with 30.5 grains). Then I start over reloading the rounds with the same primers and seating depth but now load the powder to .1 grain increments starting .1 grains below the selected charge and increase .1 grains for each 5 round group. (i.e. say 30.5 shot best group, so load each 5 rounds as follows: 30.5, 30.5, 30.6, 30.7). The only thing that changes is the powder charge. Find the best group with these loads, then if not satisfied with the groups. Then leave the powder charge at the best group and change the seating depth and so on.
 
Brass prep is a pretty important part of achieving your rifles full potential. There are probably more 1/4" rifles out there than there are 1/4" shooters. I can get a couple to consistently shoot sub 1/2 moa, but I don't have anything I can call a 1/4" rifle. This probably has more to do with me than the gun.
I've always said that I probably have more rifle than I am a shooter. Nerves get me on that last shot and for some reason that is always my flier
 
I start with powder that has a broad weight to velocity ratio per published reloading data. Select primers and seating depth per the same published reloading data for the bullet I want to use. Reload 5 rounds starting at the mid / lower range of powder weight per the data and load three more 5 round groups increasing the powder charge 1/2 grain increments. Load each of these 20 rounds with the same primer and seating depth. If any of these groups show a i.e. .75" group (say a load with 30.5 grains). Then I start over reloading the rounds with the same primers and seating depth but now load the powder to .1 grain increments starting .1 grains below the selected charge and increase .1 grains for each 5 round group. (i.e. say 30.5 shot best group, so load each 5 rounds as follows: 30.5, 30.5, 30.6, 30.7). The only thing that changes is the powder charge. Find the best group with these loads, then if not satisfied with the groups. Then leave the powder charge at the best group and change the seating depth and so on.
Wow! I think I probably need to work more on shooting skills than reloading skills. For the most part I did what you mentioned and did get my groups WAY down. Thanks for your input. I didn't go up or down by 1/2 grain incramemts though. My hat is off to you for your dedication.
 
Brass prep is a pretty important part of achieving your rifles full potential. There are probably more 1/4" rifles out there than there are 1/4" shooters. I can get a couple to consistently shoot sub 1/2 moa, but I don't have anything I can call a 1/4" rifle. This probably has more to do with me than the gun.
I do believe that I need to spend more time on brass prep. I get lazy, especially if I'm out of rounds and want to get some loaded. Thank you for your input. This sight is great and there does not appear to be any smart "donkeys " that want to run a man down for his ignorance.
 
After all of the brass prep, powder, bullet seating depth, etc. is done and I have the load. The thing that helps me the most to shrink 3/4" to groups to 1/4" groups is a bigger scope. I can shoot much smaller groups with a x32 scope at 100 yards.
I use Shoot n see targets. I am a big believer in "aim small miss small". I found some 1/4 in stick on dots on the internet. I stick these on the target at 3,6,and 9 o'clock. Aiming at a 1/4 inch target is for me a lot better group.
 
I started reloading about 30 years ago. I had a friend that was a competitive shooter and he simply gave me his recipe for my .223 and that's all I've ever used for that rifle. I used factory bullets for my deer rifle since I shot it very little. As the years went on ( faster than a greased rabbit) I have started reloading more and more. As far as I know, there are five factors to take into account for the best load for an individual rifle. Primer, seating depth, powder type, powder charge, and bullet weight. NOW my quandary. If I use x brand powder with x brand bullet with x seating depth etc and get a .75 group, how do I get to a .25 group. If I change powder do I have to change seating depth? Primer? Naturally the charge would change. How far and how many bottles of powder do I have to buy and let sit on my bench. How many boxes of primers. It seems endless to me.
It's going to vary a lot depending on what bullet you use but for me once I get a sub MOA load loading everything to magazine length I start then tweaking the load in small increments to get the best groups I can with that combo.

I then, and only then start tweaking seating depth.

If you are loading VLD's they are much more sensitive to seating depth than other hunting bullets simply because of how they engage the lands.
 
morning, once the load, bullet seat depth, brass prep and bullet length
r accomplished, the mental prep, attitude, seating comfortably,
recoil and very important is type of optics r used. a shooter should b
able to shoot good groups. practice is very very important.justme gbot tum
 
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