Next time take more than a single shot. (great looking group!)After the 1st seating depth test this morning, I called it good....Ryan Pierce makes a mean rifle.
I've used quite a few optical chronographs with as you suspect, inconsistent results. Then I moved to a Magnetospeed and found that many of the loads I had developed were much tighter than my optical chronographs led me to believe. But the magnetospeed was inefficient in that I had to develop for accuracy independent of gathering data due to barrel harmonics influenced by the magnetospeed hanging there. Then I got a prototype Lab Radar on the first test run of production and still have it now and it is the most useful piece of shooting gear I own. Many loads that my optical based chronographs indicated were two digit SDs are now low single digit SDs, like 4 fps or so.Oh definitely. But these days I'm trying to restrain from that. I've shot out at least 3/4 of a barrel's life on multiple rifles, just trying to tweak my load and to get a super low SD. Now I have to get new barrels and start the process over. So now I'm trying to be more efficient. Choose the bullet I want to shot and stick with it, search the internet for known good loads to pick powder, choose my charge weight in 2 sessions for that given bullet, then on to seating depthfor 1 session, and done.
What I think could be helpful is a lab radar. I'm not sure since I haven't used one, but I feel my chrony is inconsistent under different lighting situations.
Next time take more than a single shot. (great looking group!)
Oh definitely. But these days I'm trying to restrain from that. I've shot out at least 3/4 of a barrel's life on multiple rifles, just trying to tweak my load and to get a super low SD. Now I have to get new barrels and start the process over. So now I'm trying to be more efficient. Choose the bullet I want to shot and stick with it, search the internet for known good loads to pick powder, choose my charge weight in 2 sessions for that given bullet, then on to seating depthfor 1 session, and done.
What I think could be helpful is a lab radar. I'm not sure since I haven't used one, but I feel my chrony is inconsistent under different lighting situations.
The difference between a Shooting Chrony and the LabRadar or Magneto Speed is light years!Lab Radar really improved my chrono sessions..easy set up with ability to set bullet weight, diameter, distance you want to get a reading with great accuracy. I like the MV reading and the 100 yd setting since they each have value to reload hunters. Most reload tables in reload books list the expected velocity for given powder loads and bullet which is usually a MV velocity. Important to know how you compare to book values for safe reloading and a hunter likes to know how much velocity he has at 100 yds for a given bullet and powder since it will show how much velocity loss over a given distance. This can also be compared against tables in some reload books to see if you are in the ballpark of expected values for a specific range usually out to 500 yds or more. Lab Radar enhanced my reload skills, expertise as a hunter vs what I was capable of with my beta chrony set up. I used the beta chronies for years and finally took the leap to Lab Radar. Very rewarding once I was comfortable with its capabilities. Learned it on my own, instructions very good. Also some good videos out there. Most reloaders will agree if you reload you need a chronograph to log your loads and measure performance. Lab Radar does this and more with many useful features.