At what point are you done with load development?

[johnrmorgan]

I never quit. When I get a bullet/rifle combo as good as I can get it, I buy some different bullets and start fresh. When I get bored with a rifle, I put it away for awhile and get out a different one to tinker with, or sometimes buy a new one. It's an obsession .

 

[drdool]

On factory rifles goal is .50 or less on a good day and up to .75 on an off day. On customs it is .50 and less always.
Components today are just too good to not have that as a reasonable goal in my mind. Also realizing that some days it's the nut behind the gun but once I get there and get acceptable es and velocity I force my self to stop! From there get enough of the same lots, load up enough to last as long as needed and then a few more while dies are set properly and call it good. Go do something else or go get another one to work with. 20 yrs ago would drive myself crazy with exactly what you mentioned in the op chasing that last .25 but from experience a .50 rig on a good day will usually produce a "ragged hole".

 

[UtahAmmoCan]

For hunting, you are close enough. Take what you have and work on the greatest variable of all, yourself. Shoot, shoot and shoot some more. Work on what you need to do to take advantage of the effort you've put into your rifle, especially by simulating the situations you find in the field. And then buy or build a new rifle and start over.

 

[Duhawk]

Got a 6.5-06AI last spring, so load development was a must from the start. Get a load where it shoots bug-holes at 100, yet the ES is double digit so it seems I'm constantly chasing numbers. Play with neck tension, etc., different bullets and powder...it never stops for me.
My 7mag isn't a problem....shoots .68 @100 and an ES of 5 using 168 Bergers and Retumbo. I'd shoot it more if I could deal with the recoil better.

 

[parshal]

Once I get it, I will make an effort to acquire sufficient components to last the expected barrel life.

That's what I do with my hunting rifles, too. I usually buy 600 bullets which should be a lifetime supply for hunting.

 

[Buck Buster]

Depends on your rifles purpose and expected range. Short range (up to 400) hunting rifles 3/4-1 MOA can do it. Past that .5-.75 MOA depending on barrel and work done.

1K competition, .2 or less at shorter distances and no more than 4-5 inches at 1000, otherwise you are not competitive.

Need to understand there is a point of diminishing returns where all you are doing is burning money, bullets and barrels.

Set your goals of expectations and when you hit them, leave it alone.

I agree and this is pretty much what I try to do ! I don't shoot competition, so if it's shooting under MOA I am happy ! Under 10" groups at 1000 yards for hunting I will settle for, but my 308 Norma shoots better than that, averages between .50 and .75 MOA I just resighted it in this year at 300 yards and the last 2 shots after my last adjustment were 3/8 " center to center ! I left it there !

 

[Roughwater]

When a person is engrossed in getting more accuracy you tend to learn a lot more about what works and what don't and learn to reload better. But in some cases you may also relearn what you learned years ago. Even if that lesson is just KIS (Keep it simple). But I don't compete either, just hunt. If I competed I know I would always be looking at ways to get the tinyest bit more accuracy. Normally I'm content with under 1 MOA. When I get there that's my hunting load. Though I may revisit it later if I go to a different bullet of course.

With my last rifle I got better than the accuracy I wanted with a new rifle right off the bat, right out of the box at about .5moa with my starting load. I did cheat a bit by asking what another shooter with the same caliber rifle used. I think in part the accuracy had a lot to do with the bullet (hammer) as much as the rifle. But someone with the same caliber (different brand) got a good deal more velocity that my gun could with the same load so I spent a lot of uselss time, and overworked brass trying to come near matching his velocity. Now I am regrouping and just hoping I can get back to the same accuracy with a lower pressure load so my brass which I think is made of gold (for what it costs) will last me a while.

 

[jasonco]

I guess it would depend on the intended use for the rifle. If it's a hunting gun I would have a velocity I was looking for and accuracy I was looking for. If the two came together I would verify my dope and put it away. Should be good for years.
At that point pull out a trainer/target gun and shoot for skills. The main reason I chose to to go into switch barrel rifles is so the shooting platform would feel the same but I could change to a different barrel and save the hunting barrel.
I bought a 6.5 Creedmoor to experiment with loads. I choose a bullet and a powder to see if it will shoot. After getting the combo to shoot I choose another and on and on. That's my take on it. Have fun

Excellent point. I also have have "trainer/test rifles", that I put together for the purpose, mostly, to test load combinations. Now, they're not off the shelf kick-around rifles either, just as accurate, with a bit more mileage.

 

[Blackwater Red]

Call me a nerd. I look at the powder that will give me as close to 100% case capacity, giving the most velocity with the bullet I want to use. I then start on the starting load recommended by loading manuals, then follow the OCW method described by Dan Newberry. I love bugholes, so I try to tune the load for the accuracy nodes for the barrel, then I accept the load that gives me the most consistent point of impact. If I do any further tuning, it will be with seating depth.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

I have asked myself numerous times over the last few months...when is this good enough, just as you have. I have a few different perspectives, but all come down to the same decision drivers. 1. Either establish your expectations ahead of time (1moa, 1/2 MOA, or 1/4 MOA, or best it can be, or whatever), and those expectations should be aligned with what 'should be' possible. Examples for me are: Factory Rem 700, with sporter barrel, in replacement stock, with replacement trigger, I set my expectations at 3/4 MOA. When I got there, I realized that every load I tried was sub 1MOA, and 2/3 of them were sub 3/4 MOA. In that instance I told myself that if 8 different loads are sub 3/4" surely there is more potential with this rifle. So I picked a load that was in the velocity flat spot, and I loaded to 4 different seating depths, with only 5 rounds of each. I told myself before I ever left for the range that whichever one is best, is going to be the final load, period. The best one was sub 1/2", and I am done with it. So, I never tried any different primers because the first one I tried got me into the 'zone of acceptance', I never tried any other bullets, because this is a hunting gun, and the ones that I wanted to use were within the 'zone of acceptance'. I don't intend on changing/improving anything unless the components that I am using become unavailable, or if my intended use changes.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have a 300 Win Mag that I built strictly for the purpose of shooting at crazy long distances. I have established that I have to be sub 1/2" with the lowest possible ESs, and the highest velocity powder/primer combination. So I worked the load until I got there , and then I messed with seating depth, and called it good.

To the point that someone else made about shooting out a barrel looking for a load, I think that shooting out a barrel looking for a load, is only a problem if the goal is to be done with load development. While that sounds crazy, part of the fun of this hobby could just be developing loads, and trying different things, and increasing your understanding of the whole cause and effect aspect of reloading/shooting/rifle building. There is nothing wrong with tinkering around, if done safely. We have all benefited from someone that tried something that was unconventional, and got good results, and then told people about it. Just my .02!

 

[del2les]

Spent many years shooting comp in NM, BR, prone, etc, and we all chased those smallest of holes, and that habit transferred to big game hunting. After many years, I settled on 1/2 moa for game rifles, but the varmint rigs must shoot tighter 1/4 to 3/8 with most shooting 1's and 2's.

In the field, a bug hole rifle means little if the shooter does not have the practice and skill in field position technique to take advantage of his equipment and turns a .2 rifle into a 2 MOA at best.

 

[raider1v1]

Just one hole at 100yds is good enough for me. I usually have more than one thing I'm developing and that's the limit of my shooting ability.

 

[Old Rooster]

Like every one else when I shoot a repeatable group I like I stop in load development and start shooting close to that group out to farther distances.
Old Rooster

 

[skipglo]

Anyone else have a hard time setting a rifle to the side and saying you're "done" with load development for it? Early on I was happy getting a box of 100 bullets and getting them to shoot MOA or better. I think I had lower expectations at that time and now seem to be on the extreme other end with very high expectations. More and more I find myself unable to stop tinkering with things in the never ending search of that undefined "perfect" combo. I can't be the only one with this affliction.haha

I'm sure you can all relate and also have countless test loads worked up that are at or below MOA. However, I am not happy with my results unless I'm half-MOA or better. ...and then when I do manage to get a rifle to shoot half-MOA, it's either not repeatable or this devil on my shoulder tells me to tweak the seating depth further, try a crimp, don't crimp, crimp more/less, try a different primer or brand of brass, tighten/loosen the action screws, maybe it'll like a different weight/profile bullet better, and on and on the cycle seems to go.

I'm not a PRS shooter and the main goal of my load development is for hunting purposes. I obviously don't need to be going this far down the rabbit hole.lol For those of you perfectionists out there, at what point do you call it good enough or feel happy with your results?

I'm totally with Elkeater! You aren't pulling .5 MOA without benching, or at the very least an extremely comfortable prone set-up and taking all the time in the world to pull the trigger! Try new challenges to make yourself a better Hunter. Try freehand out to two hundred. Tell me now if your .5 group is there! If you can be within 6 inches you should be impressed all to hell. Now shoot off one knee, use a fence post, rest against a tree. The challenge should be geared to hunting. Not looking to kill the paper with .25 group of 5 shots.