How to find your most accurate load FAST.

[royinidaho]

Yes, but you have a chicken and the egg situation here. I don't care a bit if I can drop the first round of the day into a certain spot at 500yds (or any given yardage). The first shot is terribly important, but so are the following rounds.
I want the first ten shots hitting that spot so I have reasonable confidence in a follow up shot should said critter decide to run and I have to feed him more lead for breakfast. It's happened to me more than once where a 1 pill diet isn't enough and as such a rifle only capable of 1 good shot is simply a crow bar to me.

It is a must, at least for me that the first cold bore shot and all subsequent shots are in a group at the size me and the rifle are capable of. From day to day and place to place. And the group is the same place on the target.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

It is a must, at least for me that the first cold bore shot and all subsequent shots are in a group at the size me and the rifle are capable of. From day to day and place to place. And the group is the same place on the target.

I belive we are on the same page here.... I hate a flaky rifle.... it isn't worth its weight in sawdust.

 

[Mikecr]

As a groundhog hunter, I hate missing first/only shots.
And being distant to the best barrel fitters, I really hate taking guns out of service, to get excellent barrels replaced, causing me to start all over with them, -because I ****ed em away on group shooting at a range.

Test your best grouping gun for accuracy, and also consider your most accurate gun for grouping, and you should recognize that there is a difference.
I'll throw out an example:
Tubb2000, 6XC, groups(of any number) 3/8moa to 300yds easy.
Yet, the most inaccurate gun I've owned..
The first shot with any 10mins of cooling was a flyer, various directions, always. Then any followup shooting would produce a nice ragged hole. I guess that's what makes all the competitors so happy with these guns(~20sht grouping or whatever).
Let's just say I wasn't impressed with this performance & sold it off.

I have cheaper guns that are very accurate. Only ~1/2moa grouping, but more accurate, which means more useful in the field. Anyone would be a fool to burn one out with a bunch of useless group shooting. I don't group shoot on game. I shoot within my capability.

 

[woods]

The 1 load at each powder charge weight is a great way to determine what powder charge will produce the velocity that you want and is a safe load in your rifle

After that shoot groups at varying seating depths to find out what seating depth will give you the best Extreme Spread and Standard Deviation

Loads with the smallest ES and SD will yield the most consistant performance (IMO)

 

[OKIE2]

All it takes is a seating adjustment to screw up that plan, and if you don't have best seating, you probably don't have your best load either. What you might have is best for chosen seating only. There is also the formed status of your brass. If cases aren't fully formed and sized to stable, load development isn't done -until this is met and shooting best with it.

I always start with bullet touching the lands.

 

[OKIE2]

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