Need help reloading

[RidgeTop]

Buy some factory ammo and see how it shoots.

If still not shooting good clean with J-B cleaning paste to make sure the barrel is clean - also do all the std. checks of tight stock, scope screws, check muzzle, for damage etc.

 

[villagelightsmith]

We all have our rituals. I'm still using up my stash of Walt Berger bullets. I use the Vern Juenke machine, though nobody has ever figured out what it measures. And in addition to all the other incantations from the witch doctors who inhabit the accuracy community, I half-seat my bullets, rotate my case 180 degrees, and finish with another stroke of the press to give a full seat and straighten up whatever I imagine might be crooked from the first half-seating.
That, in addition to an embarrassing amount of money spent on custom dies, same-lot Lapua or Norma brass or induction annealed Lake City, using a laboratory analytic scale, a lathe dedicated to neck turning, yadda-yadda-woof!-woof! Of course I raise a wet finger in the air to check the wind. Proven scopes that consistently (always) hold center in actual tests. Always using the optical center of the scope. Using one or two perfect cases (indexed) for the entire afternoon, no caffeine, oh yeah.
All of this, and I can still pull a shot out of the group by X.XX" when the shooter next door lets fly with a high intensity load through a short barrel with a danmed brake on it. At that point I go up to the clubhouse and brew a cup of chamomile tea or lightly sweetened Yerba Matte.
When all else fails, I go home and tell the most beautiful woman in the world that I need another (just one more!) gun. She laughs, I take an action to my smith, and we start all over again.

 

[a_savage02]

We all have our rituals. I'm still using up my stash of Walt Berger bullets. I use the Vern Juenke machine, though nobody has ever figured out what it measures. And in addition to all the other incantations from the witch doctors who inhabit the accuracy community, I half-seat my bullets, rotate my case 180 degrees, and finish with another stroke of the press to give a full seat and straighten up whatever I imagine might be crooked from the first half-seating.
That, in addition to an embarrassing amount of money spent on custom dies, same-lot Lapua or Norma brass or induction annealed Lake City, using a laboratory analytic scale, a lathe dedicated to neck turning, yadda-yadda-woof!-woof! Of course I raise a wet finger in the air to check the wind. Proven scopes that consistently (always) hold center in actual tests. Always using the optical center of the scope. Using one or two perfect cases (indexed) for the entire afternoon, no caffeine, oh yeah.
All of this, and I can still pull a shot out of the group by X.XX" when the shooter next door lets fly with a high intensity load through a short barrel with a danmed brake on it. At that point I go up to the clubhouse and brew a cup of chamomile tea or lightly sweetened Yerba Matte.
When all else fails, I go home and tell the most beautiful woman in the world that I need another (just one more!) gun. She laughs, I take an action to my smith, and we start all over again.

Copy the gun must be the problem guess ill buy another one haha.

 

[nealm66]

We all have our rituals. I'm still using up my stash of Walt Berger bullets. I use the Vern Juenke machine, though nobody has ever figured out what it measures. And in addition to all the other incantations from the witch doctors who inhabit the accuracy community, I half-seat my bullets, rotate my case 180 degrees, and finish with another stroke of the press to give a full seat and straighten up whatever I imagine might be crooked from the first half-seating.
That, in addition to an embarrassing amount of money spent on custom dies, same-lot Lapua or Norma brass or induction annealed Lake City, using a laboratory analytic scale, a lathe dedicated to neck turning, yadda-yadda-woof!-woof! Of course I raise a wet finger in the air to check the wind. Proven scopes that consistently (always) hold center in actual tests. Always using the optical center of the scope. Using one or two perfect cases (indexed) for the entire afternoon, no caffeine, oh yeah.
All of this, and I can still pull a shot out of the group by X.XX" when the shooter next door lets fly with a high intensity load through a short barrel with a danmed brake on it. At that point I go up to the clubhouse and brew a cup of chamomile tea or lightly sweetened Yerba Matte.
When all else fails, I go home and tell the most beautiful woman in the world that I need another (just one more!) gun. She laughs, I take an action to my smith, and we start all over again.

Lol, that's how I feel sometimes. Just did load work up on a 30-378 with a set of rcbs dies that shoots incredible and makes a guy wonder if all the witchcraft is worth it

 

[PatriotHenry]

It's really impossible to say what is causing your inaccuracy issues with so little to go on but it sounds like you have a good understanding of reloading principals.

Maybe it isn't related to the reloads at all. Good accuracy starts with the 3 "B"s. Barrel, bedding, bullets. Try some factory ammo and see how that rifle shoots. If you get the same accuracy, then it's the rifle that needs attention rather than your handloads.

This!

 

[baggy270]

I started reloading probably ten years ago. Not knowing anything about reloading or having anyone to teach me Iv just been doing a lot of research on my own. I took a break for a while do to work and recently got back into it about two years ago. And started doing load development for rifles I own. 6mm creedmoor 6.5 creedmoor Iv built a custom 30-06 that I have had by best results with so far. But I feel like I'm chasing my tail with me 6mm creedmoor and 6.5 creedmoor. Iv had had bad as Es of 130 and sd's in the 50's. Finally thought I found a descent lol in my 6mm creedmoor with sd's of 13 and es of 30. But went and shot some groups and the were 2" plus at 100 yards. With the 6mm creedmoor I was doing load development with a muzzle break on and took it off read that could have caused me accuracy because of barrel harmonics so I put it back on and haven't made it out to the range yet to try the loads again. Any help would be nice do to being a new reloaded. My process is a full length resize and bumping the shoulders back 1-2 thousands using and expander mandrel to set neck tension and for starters I seat the bullets .015 to .020 off the lands depending on mag length and everything.

Taught myself too doing research reading books etc. You'll get there. Remember to only change one thing at a time.

 

[T-Roy.]

I started reloading probably ten years ago. Not knowing anything about reloading or having anyone to teach me Iv just been doing a lot of research on my own. I took a break for a while do to work and recently got back into it about two years ago. And started doing load development for rifles I own. 6mm creedmoor 6.5 creedmoor Iv built a custom 30-06 that I have had by best results with so far. But I feel like I'm chasing my tail with me 6mm creedmoor and 6.5 creedmoor. Iv had had bad as Es of 130 and sd's in the 50's. Finally thought I found a descent lol in my 6mm creedmoor with sd's of 13 and es of 30. But went and shot some groups and the were 2" plus at 100 yards. With the 6mm creedmoor I was doing load development with a muzzle break on and took it off read that could have caused me accuracy because of barrel harmonics so I put it back on and haven't made it out to the range yet to try the loads again. Any help would be nice do to being a new reloaded. My process is a full length resize and bumping the shoulders back 1-2 thousands using and expander mandrel to set neck tension and for starters I seat the bullets .015 to .020 off the lands depending on mag length and everything.

Lots of variables going on here my friend, what are your powder charges? I have always had the lowest ES and tightest groups at or VERY NEAR max load, what kind of shape are the barrels in? Are your actions/recoil lugs bedded? How many brands of powder have you tried? Bullet brands? Could your shooting technique be off? Sounds like you have a solid grasp on reloading principles so stay at it and enjoy the process , you will learn everytime you get out there and shoot…keep us posted

 

[coyotemaster]

The starline is all same lot. The hornady I have about 60 all the same and then 40 all the same.

If you weigh those brass I'm betting the Starline are quite a bit heavier than the Hornady. Star line brass are good quality and pretty uniform case to case but in .223 at least they are heavy and that's going to really skew your result if mixing.

 

[Darrel67505]

Have sighted in (4) 6.5 Creedmoors. Started at 40 gr H4350 and worked up to 41.5 gr behind 140gr Hornady SST or 143gr ELD-X. It was recommended to me and was moa. Haven't tried any all copper yet, sorry. Start with a known good scope

 

[WahooYahoo]

It's really impossible to say what is causing your inaccuracy issues with so little to go on but it sounds like you have a good understanding of reloading principals.

Maybe it isn't related to the reloads at all. Good accuracy starts with the 3 "B"s. Barrel, bedding, bullets. Try some factory ammo and see how that rifle shoots. If you get the same accuracy, then it's the rifle that needs attention rather than your handloads.

That SD and ES is problematic at range, but at 100yds, it's not your problem. Factory loads swing 75+ fps and still print tiny holes. There is likely something else amiss. Check the torque on your scope rings, rail, action screws? If all os good there, adjust your seating depth a 3-5 thou x 3-5 times. To be clear, if you plan to shoot at long ranges, you'll appreciate some tweaking of your powder charge to improve the ES/SD

 

[smokey3]

For the 6mm SMRP I'm using some CCI SRP but they are probably over 15 years old. for the 6.5mm I also use CCI LRP that are also fairly old trying to use all the old stock before using stuff I have acquired in the last two years. I have also used federal match grade magnum primers in the 6.5 when I was using imr 4350. I'm assuming the old primers might have something to do with it in the 6mm Creedmoor but I'm not going to just throw them away with how hard it is to find components now a days.

If the primers have been stored correctly the age should not be an issue, same with properly stored powders. I have components from the eighties that I use for fire forming brass and they shoot as well as the new stuff.

 

[smokey3]

Yeah I think I might be getting obsessed over numbers on my chronograph and haven't even really tried to shoot groups. I Loaded up 20 or so a couple days ago with 45 grs 45.2 and 44.8 and am gonna go and try to just shoot some groups and see what happens. my process for load development so far has been look through hornady and usually the speer apps on my phone and finding max charge rates and for the components I have and usually go half a grain over max and then do a velocity test looking for nodes with usually 2 rounds at each charge weight. So to try and paint a pictures say my max charge weight was 45 in a reloading manual I would start with 45.5 and work my way down in .3 or .4 grain increments for ten or so shots and try to do 2 shots per charge weight for consistency.

In what reloading manual does it state to start .5 grains over max and work down? You are working bass ackwards. That can be very dangerous!

 

[QuietTexan]

He cleared that up on page 3.

We're solidly into the recycling and spitballing phase of the thread now.

 

[257 STW]

He cleared that up on page 3.

We're solidly into the recycling and spitballing phase of the thread now.

And then some. SMH