I would say very few people actually test but many regurgitate what they have read.
Keeping it simple with reloading
- Thread starter Alex Wheeler
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
I would say very few people actually test but many regurgitate what they have read.
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
Depends. If things are going well with the tuning process then its towards the end. If the guns fighting you it might be because of the neck tension and Id do it right away.
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
Steve,
With tuning you need to get a handle on what to do next based on the target. If things are looking like they should, powder, seating, primer, nt. But you need to know when the harmonics are wrong, and your wasting your time. Sometimes you need to jump right to nt or primers to try and fix things and give up on the powder if you cant. No amount of tuning will make a barrel shoot a powder it doesnt like.
Donneric
Well-Known Member
Alex what do the numbers 0.7,1.4,1.6 and 2.0 mean?
Those velocity spreads are so close.
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
Thats the interference fit or what we call "neck tension"
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
No, just different bushings. While bushing are sold in .001" increments thats not how they actually size. Even if you buy 3 from the same manufacturer they will size different. They also have taper so flipping them over can change how much they size. Those numbers are actual before and after neck diameter before and after seating the bullet. Thats a good question and brings up a good point. Dont trust the number on the bushing.
Wedgy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2013
- Messages
- 3,276
LOL Yes I found that out messing around with a 0.290 pin gauge and two of the "same" bushings, one fit and one didn't.
Are you honing bushings to your own specs ?
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
Sometimes I bore them.
Very interesting thread. Thank you everyone for sharing.
One question. Why is powder charge weight so critical if ES isn't?
0.1 grain of powder makes about 9fps difference in a 220 Swift with 40 gr bullets. That's the extreme.
In 6.5 mm with 150 gr bullets it's about 5 fps per 0.1 gr.
This makes me realize I need to bear down on getting charge weight close. However, digital scales can drift and that makes me nervous about throwing a dangerous charge. And spending $1,000 for a powder scale is a bit much for many. My balance beam type isn't very accurate, but it will keep me out of danger, I think.
One question. Why is powder charge weight so critical if ES isn't?
0.1 grain of powder makes about 9fps difference in a 220 Swift with 40 gr bullets. That's the extreme.
In 6.5 mm with 150 gr bullets it's about 5 fps per 0.1 gr.
This makes me realize I need to bear down on getting charge weight close. However, digital scales can drift and that makes me nervous about throwing a dangerous charge. And spending $1,000 for a powder scale is a bit much for many. My balance beam type isn't very accurate, but it will keep me out of danger, I think.
Last edited:
Imo your better off with a beam than a cheap digital strain gauge. The drift on these can be terrible. Many people dont see it because they leave the pan on the scale between loads. The scales have programming that keeps them reading zero. If you remove the pan and watch the negative tare weight you will see it. This is also why they dont respond well to trickling.
I've struggled with beam and cheaper electronic scales for way too long. There is a sale on A&D FX 120i scales going on in July at Old Will Knot. $581 is still pricey, but made it worth it to me.
What are you using for a trickler?
