Do you use your hand loads to get on paper?

[Philward]

10 handloads should be cheaper than any box of ammo you buy

 

[MTBMaine]

Depends, every situation is different for me. We have two local ranges, at one it's very easy to spot your own hits due to the angle and soil type of the berm, even starting at 100yards. Just takes a few shots to get on paper. The other range, be prepared to use some rounds.

 

[nkyshooter]

I've used the "eyeball" boresight method for years to get on paper at 25 then step to 50 and then 100 then groups to tweak ... it has been very effective.

You can do this at the same time as working up a load and chrony the rounds ... if you already have your load developed and know your muzzle velocity etc, you can take the 1st 2 shots (25 and 50) with "whatever" but your 3rd shot (1st at 100) needs to be what you'll be zeroing with.

Having said I've used the "eyeball" method ... just yesterday, for the first time, I used my son-in-law's laser boresighter (<$50 item) that you just insert into the muzzle end of the bore and I adjusted the scope to be on the laser at 15 yards in my basement. We shot 1 at 25 and adjusted. We chose to shoot another at 25 to verify the adjustment, then shot 1 at 100 (shot #3) and adjusted. Shot #4 was so close we shot 3 more to group. from there we adjusted up .1mil and literally hit every single thing we aimed at the rest of the day dialing, etc ... granted we were not shooting at 500 yards but we were hitting 1" targets beyond 200 literally with zero misses.

So - my vote? ... if you already have some "unwanted" ammo to get rid of, use them for shots #1 and #2 - but then you need to be on and using the ammo you'll be relying on when you need to connect downrange. If you DON'T have any "unwanted" ammo to get rid of, use your "good loads" as it just isn't worth it for the 2-3 shots it should take to get to a very close zero.

 

[Fedwell]

I know this is a bit off the subject but i am intrested in buying HAMMER Bullets since they are readily available. My problem is finding Load Data
for Hammers. Can anyone help me out?

 

[LVJ76]

I sight in with the handload I am about to shoot, I've seen bullets impact 6 to 8 inches away from a different one, many bullets have different POI from each other. Example, in my 7mm-08 if I sight in with the 139gr SST, the 120gr Ballistic Tip will impact 7" to the left and 1" below.

Therefore I sight in with the bullet I will be shooting at that time.

Stay safe

 

[memtb]

I know this is a bit off the subject but i am intrested in buying HAMMER Bullets since they are readily available. My problem is finding Load Data
for Hammers. Can anyone help me out?

Go to their forum.....lots of info from the people using them. Or, contact Steve directly! memtb

 

[Varmint Hunter]

A buddy of mine is a range officer and occasionally gets overwhelmed by first-time shooters who arrive just before the whitetail season. Some of them exhaust all their ammo before asking for help getting on paper. Many of these shooters are on the 200yd line which has a high dirt berm for a backstop.

Here's what we do:
We have a hunk of white styrofoam in the middle of the embankment which we tell them to shoot at. Bullet impacts are easy to see as the dirt kicks up. You would be surprised to see how many feet the impacts are off. It's easy for us to spin the turrets and get the next shot much closer. They usually get on paper in 5-6 rounds.

 

[loaders_loft]

I bore sight on an orange 5 diamonds target looking down the barrel and I'm typically zeroed in 3 or 4 shots. Just get the bore and breach concentric and centered on the diamond, then zero the scope on the diamond. Btw my reloads are still cheaper than factory ammo. If you use different ammo the POI will change anyway and it will still take a few shots to zero so why bother

 

[TRexF16]

I always do bore sighting using the "bolt pulled" method, but as I am a "cheap scape" .....I always make my initial shots at 100 yards using a 11x17" target paper, and never have an issue with missed shots! It's a very accurate method, with smaller bore rifles, a bit more difficult when the bore gets larger than 3/8". If you're concerned with missing at 100 with the initial shot.....place a large piece of freezer paper behind your target. That should capture any errant shots.

The only time I've gone less than 100, is when I'm shooting a lever action, and the bolt is somewhat difficult or impractical to remove. Recently, I did just that at 50 yards. Almost missed my freezer paper.....probably should have started @ 25 yards! memtb

Thanks memtb, for saving me typing as this is EXACTLY what I do. For any that doubt their ability to get on paper via a 100 yard "compare the bore picture to scope picture" method, feel free to back up to 25 or 50, as has been suggested. But, I am rarely more than 6" from POI at 100 yards when I just do it there, with a very steady bench rest. I'm usually closer to 3" or less.
I do this because it is the most economical way to get sighted in with a new rifle, (especially if I've mounted a known-good scope on it) as I am combining load development with sighting in. When the first round lands, for example 5" low and 2" right, I shoot the other rounds in that loading step, record the velocity, make the estimated scope adjustment, shoot the next rounds in the work-up step, record the velocity, fine tune the sight-in, shoot the next step...etc.
If it's a known rifle with a load already worked up, and just a new scope installed, well, THEN, I might use some cheap bullets for the first 4-5 rounds, but from then it's sight in with the known hunting load, and confirm the scope is good (They are not all good - be prepared for this. That's one good reason to use a KNOWN good load to sight in a new scope.)
BTW, I have found, in the rifles I have tried them in, that Speer HotCors are a good analog to the corresponding Nosler partitions in the "cheap bullets" department. That might not be true for all calibers and weights but the ones I have tried have been good. Just about the same velocity and POI for a given powder charge between the two. There are probably other good cheap stand-ins for other more expensive bullets, but I don't know them.

Regards,
Rex

 

[DartonJager]

I use my hand loads. If you have a good system you should be on paper in less than 5 rounds. I don't buy 50, 100, 250 etc of ANYTHING as it applies to reloading. In times of plenty it's 1k minimum bullets and 5k minimum primers, 200 if rifle and-1k HG or 223 brass and once I find a powder I like it's 5-8lbs minimum. I have at worst lost 5%-10% on re-selling bullets never have lost a penny on the very little powder I have ever re-sold have never even considered re-selling primers or brass.
And I am not hording at all rather long long ago I sat down and figured out my average of how much first myself and now including my sons shoot per firearm and caliber a year and bought accordingly and as there is essentially no shelf life on reloading components It is only wise and prudent to stock up in preparation for the when the inevitable times of famine replace times of plenty.
Jacob of the bible taught such a lesson to the Pharos of Egypt and it was not lost on me.

 

[Old man 257]

Larry pottefield has a real good Video on how to sight in your rifle with a few as three Rounds

 

[nakneker]

I use the same loads I plan using in the rifle for hunting or whatever. If you bore sight the rifle you should be able to get pretty close at a 100. It shouldn't take too many shots to be sighted in. I just pull the bolt and use the bore, usually gets me with 6 inches or so at a 100. Easy to do.

 

[MTBMaine]

A more skilled shooter than myself once told me that not all copper jackets are created equal, if you foul your rifle with a certain bullet, it may skew your results with another round... maybe that's splitting to many hairs?

 

[Pro2A]

I'm developing loads for my 7 mag, and I just mounted a new optic on it, so she needs to be sighted in. I'm using Nosler LR Accubonds and would prefer not to have to use them to sight in. Do I hunt down some inexpensive 7mm pills and work up a few rounds for getting on paper after bore-sighting? Do you all use hand loads for sighting in'or have another system?

In today's retail ammo environment, use any thing that goes bang to get on paper.