Precision reloading process

[coyotelite]

Looking for input on what steps I should add to improve accuracy through reloading. My factory winchester in 300 wby shoots 3/4-1 MOA all day with 210 berger vld's but I'm sure it will do better. My reloading process is as follows.

Resize with Rcbs FL die set
Check length and trim is needed
Prime with federal 215's
80.5 grains of H-1000 weighing with a beam scale
Seat bullet and that's it.

I tumble the brass after 3 firings.

Are there any other "essential" steps I'm overlooking that will likely improve accuracy?

 

[Unofficial Gun Addict (UGA)]

Looking for input on what steps I should add to improve accuracy through reloading. My factory winchester in 300 wby shoots 3/4-1 MOA all day with 210 berger vld's but I'm sure it will do better. My reloading process is as follows.

Resize with Rcbs FL die set
Check length and trim is needed
Prime with federal 215's
80.5 grains of H-1000 weighing with a beam scale
Seat bullet and that's it.

I tumble the brass after 3 firings.

Are there any other "essential" steps I'm overlooking that will likely improve accuracy?

I find that neck sizing with lee collet dies rather than fl sizing improves my groups. I only Fl size when the bolt tells me that my cases are getting too tight. Also, after trimming, I chamfer and Vld debur the mouth.... And then hit the mouth with some fine or super fine steel wool stuffed in a 1/2 drill bit that I chuck up to my drill. Smooths away any rough edges on the mouth inside and out.

I only neck turn my 308 rounds which helps some... But I think the forster ultra seating die paired with the lee collet dies (recommended to me by some old time reloaders) is the one thing that has tightened my groups the most overall. Was tentative with my first purchase of the forster due to the cost, but didn't hesistate to lay down the money next time. The Lee collet dies are a steal and still amaze me that I wasted good money on other more expensive dies.

Good luck and I'm sure others will have some good experience to share. Might have to wait a bit... as hunting season is getting into full swing (I'm leaving tomorrow), but I'm sure you'll get some good pointers. That's how I improved my groups.... Advice from posts just like yours.

 

[Bill Johnson]

What do your groups look like? Pictures of, say, four 5-shot groups will tell alot about whats possibly going on.

As part of the process of precision loading, I size all brass, trim to length, neck turn just to remove the high spots which generally results in neck wall thickness about 0.012". Uniform primer pockets and deburr inside primer hole.

Now, weigh cases (which is pointless until they all have the same exterior dimensions) and segregate into batches with cases within +/- 1% weight which tends to equalize case capacity.

VLDs are sensitive to jump-to-land distance. Have you varied it IAW Bergers recommendations?

Check concentricity of loaded rounds. More than .002 is no good.

Other than that, you could have rifle issues such as bedding. Factory rifles are very good but far from perfect. There's no point in ammo capable of 1/2 MOA in a 1 MOA rifle. That's where the pictures might help.

 

[dkhunt14]

Try setting up your full length die to only bump .002. That's what the benchresters do. Try annealing because it makes bullet releases more consistent. Annealing really helps at long range. I full length size and can get good groups at 1000. If you don't have to bump every time you are not shooting it to potential. Powders burn better when near max. That might be all your going to get out of a factory rifle in 300 Weatherby. I like my guns bedded with aluminum pillars and Devcon steel bed. When I used the 300 Weatherby case at 1000 yard BR I used 4831 SC. I use mostly Berger VLD's for my match shooting and they like it seating in the rifling 10 thousandths. Matt

 

[FearNoWind]

Resize with Rcbs FL die set

Get rid of the neck sizing button. Neck size using a Redding bushing die

Prime with federal 215's

Try CCI 2BR primers.

Use a neck sizing mandrel to uniform the neck after preliminary sizing
Turn the necks to uniform the neck thickness
Try seating depths longer and shorter in .003 increments
Tumble and clean primer pockets every firing
Anneal necks every third firing gun)

 

[bill123]

All great info so far. The most complete references are Zediker's book Handloading For Competition and German Salazar's blog: The Rifleman's Journal: Articles Index