What does load development look like for you?

[RHC]

Mine:

I start out with finding three powders that fill up the case the most and work up a max load for the gun with the hottest primer available for each of the three powders. Then I find which powder has the lowest ES.

Next, I go 10% below the established maximum with the powder that had the lowest ES. I start with one grain increments. Something like this:

44-45-46-47-48

I come home and clean the barrel good. Then load up 5 for each one grain increment. Go to the range and see which one shoots the best. Let's say 45 shot the best. Now I do a 1/2 a grain above and below. Like this loading 5 for each half grain increments:

44.5-45-45.5

So lets say that the 45.5 did the best out of those 3. Now I look back to the one grain increment results. It tells me that 45 and 46 grains shot the best out of the one grain increment. 45 was smaller than 46, so what I will do is go in 1/10th increments above and below 45.5; something like this:

45.3-45.3-45.5-45.6-45.7

Now I will come back and clean the barrel good. Next I start messing with primers. At least 4-5 bare minimum. So lets say 45.6 did the best for powder charge, now time to try different primers:

CCI 200
CCI BR-2
CCI No. 34
CCI 250
Fed. 210
Fed. 210M
Fed 215
Fed 215M
Remington 9.5
Remington 9.5 Magnum
Winchester WLR
Winchester WLRM

Clean the barrel really well and find that Fed 215M shot the best. Now I mess with seating depth:

0.000" Jump
0.005" Jump
0.010" Jump
0.015" Jump
0.020" Jump
0.025" Jump
0.030"Jump

Let's say 0.015" did the best. Now mess with neck tension.

0.002"
0.004"
0.006"
0.008"
0.010"

0.006" did the best. That's how I establish me load. Would look something like this.

.260 Remington
R-P Brass
Berger 140 Hunting VLD
45.6 grains Varget
Fed. 215M
3.125"-0.015" Jump
0.006" NT

What is your process in load development?

 

[Barrelnut]

Sounds like a sane process. How is it working for you?

I have been doing the ladder test lately and think it worked pretty good for me with my last load work up.

 

[RT2506]

I do things a bit more simple and a lot less costly. Simple, I go to the Sierra loading manual and find the caliber and then look at the bullet weight I want then check their suggested accuracy load and hunting load. I take the same loads and drop one grain and work up with 3 rounds at half grain at a time loads checking for pressure and accuracy. I also start with my seating depth at 10 thousands off the lands. Once I find the most accurate of these loads I tinker with the seating depth to see if things get better. If I can't get groups as tight as I want I will do things again with a different primer. Usually the powder loads given by Sierra are right on the money with the exception of seating depth.
I also do a full prep on all my cases and will shoot a starting load with what ever powder I have the most of and bullets that I have the most of to fire form all my cases and then part size them in a FL die. I learned a long time ago to not use virgin cases working with a Rem 700 in 7 Rem mag. I was about to GIVE the rifle away because it would not shoot ANYTHING under 1 1/2" at 100 yards. I was using virgin cases all the time going through 100 cases. Then I FL sized some of the cases and tried the best load I had found for it and it put 5 shots in the same hole. I then proceeded to find that with a case that had been fired and FL sized would shoot bug holes with just about any bullet with a case full of AA3100 or H4831. Just a few things I have learned in the past 34 years of hand loading.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

I typically experience the worst accuracy with virgin brass as well. I will typically use the same 10 or 20 pieces of brass for load work up.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Sounds a bit time-consuming, expensive, and wasteful to me...

I pick a powder, bullet, & primer...Then I ladder test till I either reach pressure signs and it doesn't like any of the loads (in which case I swap bullets or powder and try again), or till it shoots a good 5-shot group I'm happy with. Then I call it a day.

 

[CB11WYO]

Sounds a bit time-consuming, expensive, and wasteful to me...

I pick a powder, bullet, & primer...Then I ladder test till I either reach pressure signs and it doesn't like any of the loads (in which case I swap bullets or powder and try again), or till it shoots a good 5-shot group I'm happy with. Then I call it a day.

+1

Same here...

 

[RHC]

Sounds like a sane process. How is it working for you?

I have been doing the ladder test lately and think it worked pretty good for me with my last load work up.

The process works well for me. I do realize it's a sane process but I'm just anal like that. I did this with my TC Venture in 6.5-284 Norma. The load that I'm running right now in it puts 5 just barely kissing at 300 (about 3/4"-1").

 

[MudRunner2005]

I'm not gonna say I've never done the same process as you, because with my wildcat calibers I have to since load data is scarce and individualized by each gun. So, I have done that with both my .30-06 AI and .25-06 AI. Finding the pressure signs, then starting loads about 1.2-2.0 grains lighter working up in .5 grain incriments.

Example, my .30-06 AI...I don't feel comfortable really going more than 62gr of 7828 SSC, because that's a 103% load already, but it showed the same very slight pressure signs between 61, 61.5, and 62. So, I'll call 62 my max, then make my notes to max @ 62. Then work backwards 62.0, 61.5, 61.0, 60.5, 60.0 and then I'll start with the 60.0 load and shoot my groups up to the 62.0 load and see which one yields the best starting point. Then say it shoots best from 61.5-62.0. Then I load up 61.6, 61.7, 61.8, 61.9, 62.0 and shoot those to see which yields the best groups for my final node. Whichever one does the best, is my new go-to load.

My process is not far off from yours, but I definitely don't go through testing different powders, primers, and all that stuff. I pick a powder and I always shoot Federal primers, unless I'm fire-forming brass, which I will then shoot some cheap CCI 200 primers so I don't waste my good Federal 210M's that are now hard to come by. The only time I swap powders is if no matter what I do, I can't get it to shoot even during ladder testing. Then I'll swap powders and try again.

 

[Bearwyo]

Do you have a job?
Reloading books come in handy I find a few powders that nearly fill the case. Then I load up sets of five varying seating depth 5 to 10 thousandths. Shoot five shot groups starting each set with a cold and clean bore.

 

[4xforfun]

NO.NO...NO....

If you switch primers, you need to start over. Never just willy nilly change primers. PLEASE THINK SAFETY!! lightbulb

As far as the OQ.... As was stated by other posters...do some research....ask some questions. Whenever I start with an unknown (to me) caliber...say a Dasher, 300 WSM, 6-6.5-47L, ect.... I always do some research. What are the BR guys doing. What is the go to powder for most shooters. What are they using for primers...brass, ect..... Generally..usually, they are shooting match type bullets. Lots of LR hunters on this sight do also. But, If the consensis is to shoot abc powder with xxx grain bullets, you should be able to work up a load with different types of bullets (of the same weight class) and get good results.

I was new to the above calibers listed a few years ago. I did my research, which for me is easy, since I compete in 1000 yard BR...I just asked around. Got some advice form some of the best shooters on the planet.

So, pick your components (powder, brass, primers, bullets) and stick with them untill you are satisfied or suicidal!! I have gone the rout of testing 5 differant bullets with four different powders. Shooting is fun to me, but NOT THAT FUN!!!

After I pick my components I start my load development testing powder charges.....I do a TRUE ladder test. I am reading about people shooting "ladder tests" and measuring groups. THERE ARE NO GROUPS IN A LADDER TEST. You are shootin only one shot per powder charge and looking for clusters where differant powder charges plant bullets in the same place on target..

After I find the powder charge I adjust my neck tension...simply shoot one three shot group per change.

Then I work on seating depth. I always start 10 or 20 thou INTO the lands ( this is where I start right from the beginning on load development) and work my way away from the lands. I NEVER try .000, or 'just kissing the lands" because of the runout in the bullets. I skip from -.010 to +.010. Again, just shoot one 3 shot group per seating depth. You will know right away. I start into the lands so I don't worry about PSI spikes caused by bullet jam....I already know that the load is safe. Increasing "jump" decreases PSI.

Oh, and shoot all of your load development at least 300 yards. I do mine at either 750 or 1000. What you are tuning out of your loads is VERTICLE...and the further you shoot, the more apparant the verticle is on target.

If at this point you are thinking suicide, switch primers and START OVER...kind of. A little secret....once you find the neck tension your gun likes thats it....don't change it.it will ALWAYS like it. Same with bullit jam (considering you don't change bullits) ....It will always be same no mater what else you change. Simply run another ladder test...you have already done the rest.

This is my method for both hunting and compitition guns and has worked for me for many years with great sucess.

Good luck,
Tod

 

[Canadian Bushman]

A little secret....once you find the neck tension your gun likes thats it....don't change it.it will ALWAYS like it. Same with bullit jam (considering you don't change bullits) ....It will always be same no mater what else you change. Simply run another ladder test...you have already done the rest.

Why do you think that is?

 

[bill123]

Tod, If you are changing primers how much do you reduce your powder charge by?

 

[4xforfun]

Tod, If you are changing primers how much do you reduce your powder charge by?

I guess that depends. First off, during initial load development I ALWAYS take powder charges to the "red line" so I know exactly where it is and how things reaact getting there. Now my load for one of my 300 WBY comp tubes was 74 grains of RL-25 and 210 VLD's. I had loaded that tube from 71 up to 84 grains, so if I were to change primers on that load I really wouldn't be concerned about safety. I would just try and find that "node" again. A chronograph is a BIG help here. On the other hand, most of my other tubes are loaded at the top node I could get to, or..near the "red line". On those I would go down 10 % and try and find that upper node.

Now, if you are changing primers, you are doing it for a BIG reason, so maybe the speed on your old best node is not actually the accuracy node..that is why I say...start over. You have already done most of the work......seating depth, neck tension, and a reasonable Idea on the best speed. I would simply do another ladder test....x number of powder charges...one shot per charge, and find the "clusters" where 3 or so powder charges are in a "group". That will narrow down the number of groups you need to shoot. Just work up loads in that narrow window where they clustered together.

Good luck,
Tod

 

[woods]

After I pick my components I start my load development testing powder charges.....I do a TRUE ladder test. I am reading about people shooting "ladder tests" and measuring groups. THERE ARE NO GROUPS IN A LADDER TEST. You are shootin only one shot per powder charge and looking for clusters where differant powder charges plant bullets in the same place on target..

This is true

I do a ladder test (one shot per powder charge) at 300 yds to find a safe max charge at a velocity I am happy with (hunting loads at hunting velocities)

not necessarily looking for an accuracy node since to verify I believe you would need to do the same thing 3 times to verify, just safe max and velocity.

Then I do a seating depth test starting at least .015" off the lands (hunting loads best not jammed) and proceed away from the lands in .015" increments. Looking for an acceptable group with low extreme spread and low standard deviation

and there is my load at .060" off. Velocity will decrease (in this example) approx. 10 fps per every .015" deeper seating and that is equivalent to approx. .2 gr powder. So (again in this example) going from .015" off to .090" off the velocity decreased 53 fps which would be equivalent to 1.0 gr powder.

What you are doing is timing the bullet exit from the muzzle and, with the low ES & SD, looking for a consistent performer at distance.

I always set my bullet grip at .003" since IMO brass reaches a certain elastic limit at .002" and a smaller ID will not increase bullet grip and only leads to more seating pressure which can put a hex on concentricity. At .003" I insure that all necks have reached the elastic limit and will have a true bullet grip of .002"