Dumb question

[Radman]

So, I hadn't thought about this before but I have to now. All of my reloading had come right after sighting rifles in with "box" ammo. Rifle is sighted in, dialed in well and I load from there.

I don't have any box ammo to start with, just the loaded ammo for my other rifle. Do I just start with my hand loads?
I'm sighting in a friend's Cva cascade in 6.5 PRC. My rifle is a custom build from Alamo precision. I have a ton of components and I almost don't know where to start lol. I've got: eld x 143
Berger 140
Berger 156

Hornady and adg brass

VV 565
H1000
4831sc
Rl26

Thoughts?

I always try to sight-in using what I am going to be shooting when it matters.

 

[Mike Matteson]

Try h1000 and n565 first
Id do a lighter charger to fire form and harden your brass
After the first 100 rounds its going to settle down and perform more constantly so I would just play around with seating depths until then. Seeing if you can find a wide node of around .010 where the accuracy isnt affected
After 100 rounds id do a saterlee test and find out where your velocity nodes are
Verify your results
Off you go

I agree with most of what you put down. Fireforming your brass, but need to be sure that the base is against the bolt face. Generally you anneal to soften the brass in the shoulder to top of neck not harden it as reloading does. (that where I don't follow). Load reduction as a starting point. Temperature stability powders. There are powders that are stable. If you are dealing with temps from -0 to +100 need to use a very stable powder. Hodgdon powders like Varget, H4350SC, H4831SC, H1000, and a couple of others. These powder I mention are hard to come by. Plus I have been a day late and a dollar short too in 2 of the powders. I quit using IMR powders in my rifles because of stability.

 

[Mmlreiner]

Well. It does NOT like 56.5 grains of the vv565. Annoyingly I'll have to load lower and work up to 56. Its fairly accurate but I'm getting some pressure signs. Ugh.

 

[Mike Matteson]

That the fun part of reloading. You get to play or figure out what works, for you rifle or others.

 

[Mmlreiner]

It definitely likes the Berger 156's though.

 

[RUFFIAN R - NY]

I only do 5-6 rounds each till I start to zero in on my loads and accuracy

 

[Marky_mark]

I agree with most of what you put down. Fireforming your brass, but need to be sure that the base is against the bolt face. Generally you anneal to soften the brass in the shoulder to top of neck not harden it as reloading does. (that where I don't follow). Load reduction as a starting point. Temperature stability powders. There are powders that are stable. If you are dealing with temps from -0 to +100 need to use a very stable powder. Hodgdon powders like Varget, H4350SC, H4831SC, H1000, and a couple of others. These powder I mention are hard to come by. Plus I have been a day late and a dollar short too in 2 of the powders. I quit using IMR powders in my rifles because of stability.

Im just refering to hardening the case heads. Primer pockets will last longer if the brass is fired at a lighter first load

 

[Mike Matteson]

Im just refering to hardening the case heads. Primer pockets will last longer if the brass is fired at a lighter first load

I agree, but I work on Velocity, and Accuracies so primer pocket will be my problem. From what I have read, there away to fix primer pockets too. I haven't tried that yet. Every time you work that brass in sizing, shooting the brass harden. New cases out of the box I don't anneal until after there first firing. Then every time before anything else.
I know that the H powders are hard to come by. I have gotten H4350 and H4831 in the last year, but still looking Varget and H1000.
Put your name in @ Midway, Midsouth, Brownell, and watch Powder Valley every day, Graf & Son. It's like putting your name in the hat, but it works. Don't back order from different places at the same time, you might items from each at the same time. "wish list" .
With me the new case are a lot of work to start with all the steps I go through.

 

[Marky_mark]

I agree, but I work on Velocity, and Accuracies so primer pocket will be my problem. From what I have read, there away to fix primer pockets too. I haven't tried that yet. Every time you work that brass in sizing, shooting the brass harden. New cases out of the box I don't anneal until after there first firing. Then every time before anything else.
I know that the H powders are hard to come by. I have gotten H4350 and H4831 in the last year, but still looking Varget and H1000.
Put your name in @ Midway, Midsouth, Brownell, and watch Powder Valley every day, Graf & Son. It's like putting your name in the hat, but it works. Don't back order from different places at the same time, you might items from each at the same time. "wish list" .
With me the new case are a lot of work to start with all the steps I go through.

You could shoot them once at a lower velocity node too

 

[Mike Matteson]

I know I can, but that's not in my makeup. When I am reloading I am looking for loads that are in the 3200+fps area. Come across primer this morning. BR-4 & Fed-205's. It kind of looks like some primers are showing up again. No H powders presently. Looking for Fed 210M's, and 2, H type powders. I have missed them in the pass, but that's life. Some day they'll show up.

 

[QuietTexan]

Its fairly accurate but I'm getting some pressure signs. Ugh.

If you want ~+100 FPS call Shawn at DE and get a +P throat added. I'm going to send him a 30 Sherman soon hopefully, try to hit a slightly faster node than I get get from a 28" barrel:

What is a +P Chambering?

Shawn goes over what +P means and how it can help you get more velocity out of your standard chambering.

defensiveedge.net

+P Throating Applications

+P Throating Applications After fielding like a hundred questions about +P throating I decided to sit down and collect up all of our research and prior +P modified rounds. In short the +P modification is a benefit if there is sufficient capacity left in the case at the current load. For example...

defensiveedge.net