Quest for accurate/consistent reloads...HELP!!!

[Welderboy11972]

Hey guys, I've come to pick your brains again. In my quest for the most accurate/consistent reloads I can achieve, I have a slight issue here. I'm looking for advice as to how to fix this.

A shooting buddy talked me in going up to Rayner's Range and shooting in there long range match a few weeks ago, now I'm hooked. I wanted to fine tune my reloads to get the best case/powder/bullet consistency. I cleaned my barrel really good, loaded up some rounds and headed to the range this morning.

Rifle is a 25-06 LR, 26" barrel (all I have to shoot at this point)
Brass is norma ( all trimmed to 2.485. .001 over book and sorted) fl sized in redding dies, with out sizing ball, I neck back up with the Sinclair mandral.
Bullet is 115gr NBT..setted .030 off the lands( all weight sorted and ogive to base sorted)
powder is retumbo.

My 5 fowler shoots (group 1)
This group consisted of brass with fairly loose primer pockets and bullets that fell outside of the weight/measurement standers I've set ( under 115gr/above 115.5gr...under .570"/above .571" base to ogive). Brass is trimmed to 2.485 it has not been neck turned.

Group (1)
58.7grs / .030 off the lands
1..3220
2..3220
3..3212
4..3212
5..3220

For groups 2-4 the only changes that were made is I turned the necks on the brass, driffent powder weights ( 58.5, 58.7, 59) and I used my sorted bullets.

Group (2)
58.5gr....030 off the lands
1..3212
2..3197
3..3182
4..3197
5..3189

Group (3)
58.7gr....030 off the lands. ( same load as my fowlers)
1..3189
2..3205
3..3205
4..3197
5..3197

Group (4)
59gr...030 off the lands
1..3197
2..3197
3..3197
4..3212
5..3220

With all that said..what I see is, I get the best groups with a velocity of 3212-3220. With the only thing I changed between group 1 and group 3, is I turned the necks on the cases and I used more consistent bullets. I know that by turning the necks I changed the neck tension on the bullets. Witch is why I'm probably seeing a difference in the velocitys between 1 and 3. I didn't resize the cases after I turned the necks.

My questions are...
Should I shoot the remaining neck turned cases, tumble, size, and everything will go back to normal? ( group 1&3 match)
Should I just resize the remaining cases?
Should I increase the loads up more (59.5gr/60gr) untill I get the velocity back up to around 3220?
Is it possible the with this bullet/ powder, it's not liking a fowled barrel? (After 10 shots)
Is it possible I've somehow cause neck runout when I turned the necks?

Thanks for any insight you can give me.

For some reason it's not wanting to upload my pics. I'll try to get them up after this post

 

[Welderboy11972]

Well the pics won't up load, so I'll try to describe the groups.

Group 1 (flower)
.564 horizontal/ .141 vertical
Almost a flat horizontal line.
I think this is the best group I've shoot in 2 years...lol

Group 2
.859 horizontal/ 1.133 vertical
Kind of a diagonal line going from 9 o'clock to 12 o'clock

Group 3 ( same load as group one)
.723 horizontal/.461 vertical
All shoots kind of makes a Dimond with 2 touching at the top of the Dimond.

Group 4
.465 horizontal/ 1.83 vertical
All shots kinda make a straight vertical line up.

Will try again to post pics later. Thanks guys

 

[WeiserBucks]

What scale are you using to measure powder ?

 

[Welderboy11972]

Bucks, I use the Lyman scales that came with the Lyman kit.I believe it's the 1500. I have it setting on a level table. I calibrate it everytime I turn it on and after every 5 rounds, I also rezero it everytime I refill the powder pan. Each powder charge is weighted 3 times before I dump it in the case. I have also went as far as weighting primed cases and bullets separate numbering each case and bullet. Then reweight each after the power and bullet was put in the cases, just to kinda double check everything. The funny thing about doing that, is every loaded case was .1gr heavier then it added up to be. I did 20 rounds that way and everyone was .1gr more. I know the Lyman scale are not the best but I'm trying to make do till I get back to work. This oil/gas industry slum is starving a lot of guy out.

 

[WeiserBucks]

The best move in made towards consistency was to stop using electronic scales. A lot of guys have success with them , but I've decided to slow down and use a beam scale exclusively. I'm not sure if that's the answer to your issue, but it has worked for me.

 

[Welderboy11972]

Thanks. I've suspected my scales of lying to me before. Guess I could get a beam scale to recheck my powder charge. I don't mind all the steps of being an anal reloaded, if it gives me 1/4 moa groups. I find reloading to be my escape from the world..lol