Common sense reloading ...

[Hydra6]

I hear this from many top PRS shooters when I started PRS and as I continue down the path. Great components, great barrel, consistent powder charges.

I shoot 6 Dasher now - Berger 105 Hybrids, Alpha 6 Dasher brass, Varget powder, CCI450s. RCBS digital powder drop. When I shot 6BR - Berger 105 Hybrids, Lapua 6BR brass, Varget powder, CCI450s. I tumble clean brass in rice, anneal, chamfer in/out case neck then load.

I set aside 2000 of the Berger 105s per barrel, when that 2000 is consumed time to take hard look at that barrel as barrel probably consumed or near consumption.

 

[Calvin45]

I don't like the "buy the best components out there" mentality. What is the point of all these tools we have if not to shape cheaper components into better quality components, make a cheap average rifle shoot better than it's pedigree says it should?

I agree sir. That being said I do like the good stuff too. But with basic handloading knowledge it's also been very satisfying to see what "budget rifles", Winchester/Remington/federal brass, and hornady, Speer, and PPU bullets are really capable of doing

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

I personally like to take some the guess work out of the equation. I understand and admire those that like to experiment and take something that is not known for great performance and improve it. I appreciate candid explanations on the fundamentals of load development. It doesn't have to be hard to make it worthwhile.

Agreed! In reading the other current thread re recruiting new reloaders, it occurred to me that the reason many people who watch some reloading to see if they want to get involved don't do so may be because the would be mentor makes it look too hard, and emphasizes the need to buy the best quality equipment. Mentors: follow the KISS principle and let folks ease into the hobby for reasonable expense.

 

[hunter0528]

Good quality Primers, to start the whole process.

 

[Calvin45]

Good quality Primers, to start the whole process.

More like "primers, if you can find them"

 

[keen.on.it]

Agreed! In reading the other current thread re recruiting new reloaders, it occurred to me that the reason many people who watch some reloading to see if they want to get involved don't do so may be because the would be mentor makes it look too hard, and emphasizes the need to buy the best quality equipment. Mentors: follow the KISS principle and let folks ease into the hobby for reasonable expense.

I can confirm this, I just loaded and shot my first ammo yesterday, and without having a mentor that I could personally call or text to ask questions it was YouTube and forums to have my questions answered, and sometimes half answered as I was just reading the forums until yesterday. There are so many different opinions/perspectives and processes/techniques that every reloader uses and swears by that it can be overwhelming trying to sort through and understand what is really necessary. After watching a couple of videos with Cortina it really put my mind at ease that it really didn't need to be as complicated as a lot of folks make it out to be. And with no expectations at all going in after only inspecting, neck sizing and loading new winchester brass, and printing the smallest group my current rifle has ever printed, it instantly confirmed that.

 

[dstancu]

2 things I don't agree with:
1. The implication that all there is to reloading is cutting checks for Lapua brass and Berger bullets.
2. He boils it down to 3 things with 1 being harmonics, but none of powder development for low ES, full seating testing, or consistent BC approach 'harmonics'.

I get what he's saying in that seating is the biggest (coarse) adjustment to precision, and barring actual barrel tuning, low ES is desirable.
Also, if you have a good barrel, and get anywhere near a tune, along with optimal seating, then 1/2moa is likely.
Most people, including competitors (outside of IBS BR) are good with 1/2moa.
Doesn't seem like the title of his video should include the term precision, which may be taken as advanced, while he is barely talking about basic reloading.

Consistent BC?
You don't get that with the simple buying of Berger bullets. Look at them on a shelf sometime. Notice each box has a BC declared.
You know they don't measure every bullet. It is an average for some in lot. It is also VERY 'complicated' to measure BC.
That said, I love Berger bullets and have no problem with them personally.
But for a general claim that simply buying a brand get's you consistent BC, then I would expect you to be sitting on a huge lot of Clinch River or maybe a special run of BIB bullets.
Outside of qualifying every attribute contributing to BC, on every single bullet, you could tip or point off qualified ogive radius for each. That would help, but that is still more complicated than buying boxes of Bergers.

Of course, it's your right to agree/disagree (that's what we're fighting for, freedom of thought and expression), but one cannot go wrong (if their finances permit) using tested and true top components (not just Berger, Lapua, Brux - Erick mentioned that there are more top manufacturers out there). If one has the time and passion to tinker x-times more time with "not-so-top" quality manufacturers (or they don't have the necessary funds), that's OK too. But I agree with Erick's point to cut to the chase, if at all possible.
On the second point, it seems you are missing on the fact that the three categories actually encompass pretty much all individual actions that make a difference in the real world. These categories are designed to help one understand "how things work" and how different single actions are related. For instance, "Combustion" includes everything that contributes to how the bullet gets out of the case and into the bore (choice of primer and its seating depth, case choice and internal capacity versus chamber dimensions, powder choice, powder weight, temperature stability, bullet depth seathing). Interestingly, bullet seating affects both the "Combustion" category, but also internal ballistics, which he brings into the barrel "Harmonics" category, and that is just an example that shows that Erik's model is only meant to aide our understanding, not an exhaustive dogma.
The most important point in Erik's post is to eliminate (or at least give lesser importance) to activities/operations that bring little to no discernible improvement on the target for most of us (flash hole deburing, neck turning/concentricity, etc.) - on that one, I could not agree more. Handloading is already complex, and we don't need to over-complicate it.

 

[Mikecr]

And with no expectations at all going in after only inspecting, neck sizing and loading new winchester brass, and printing the smallest group my current rifle has ever printed, it instantly confirmed that.

Be sure to confirm as well that it was fleeting..
Well, unless you intend to use ONLY new brass in your barrel.

 

[Bob Wright]

Of course, it's your right to agree/disagree (that's what we're fighting for, freedom of thought and expression), but one cannot go wrong (if their finances permit) using tested and true top components (not just Berger, Lapua, Brux - Erick mentioned that there are more top manufacturers out there). If one has the time and passion to tinker x-times more time with "not-so-top" quality manufacturers (or they don't have the necessary funds), that's OK too. But I agree with Erick's point to cut to the chase, if at all possible.
On the second point, it seems you are missing on the fact that the three categories actually encompass pretty much all individual actions that make a difference in the real world. These categories are designed to help one understand "how things work" and how different single actions are related. For instance, "Combustion" includes everything that contributes to how the bullet gets out of the case and into the bore (choice of primer and its seating depth, case choice and internal capacity versus chamber dimensions, powder choice, powder weight, temperature stability, bullet depth seathing). Interestingly, bullet seating affects both the "Combustion" category, but also internal ballistics, which he brings into the barrel "Harmonics" category, and that is just an example that shows that Erik's model is only meant to aide our understanding, not an exhaustive dogma.
The most important point in Erik's post is to eliminate (or at least give lesser importance) to activities/operations that bring little to no discernible improvement on the target for most of us (flash hole deburing, neck turning/concentricity, etc.) - on that one, I could not agree more. Handloading is already complex, and we don't need to over-complicate it.

Exactly. Eric just tried in this video, to break down reloading into basic principles. It helps to keep us from bouncing around and fixing stuff that doesn't need fixing.

 

[Mark37082]

Keen,on.it - since you are new to reloading and new on this forum, I highly recommend you keep it as simple and consistent as possible. Introducing highly specialized procedures will only frustrate you at this stage. Some like to make it sound like hand loading should only be done by engineers and machinists. Understanding the critical fundamentals is imperative to safely producing better ammo than you can by on the shelf. This supposed to fun, so enjoy it.

 

[Rosebud]

What I tell new loaders is to follow the book specs to begin with. Especially if your shooting a factory rifle. They are made to shoot factory ammo. But you have control over the powder and primers. Load to magazine length, or book specs. Nothing fancy to start with. It's the second firing and once fired brass prep that fouls up most new loaders. Not knowing how to anneal properly and case trimming. But you can make excellent hunting ammo the very first try if just follow the book.