Fire-forming or wasting components?
- Thread starter HappyGVM
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josh_127
Well-Known Member
When I'm breaking in a barrel I usually pick a middle of the road load to fire form brass and at the same time I'm finding bullet seating depths for accuracy. If its a barrel already broke in I use my wife old coffee grounds and what crappy primers I have ,can find at gun shows to fire form the brass so I don't burn the barrel more..
HappyGVM
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys
Sdvldog1371
Well-Known Member
I prefer to have everything at least 1x fired. I will use whatever powder I don't have much use for, the bottom of the barrel primers I have on hand, and factory second/ blem bullets for the first firing. Then, on the second I will load say 25 with a powder I know works well in the cartridge at a charge I know is safe, but close-ish to book max. Think Hornady book max in the red box, I go back 1 box, Or Nosler book, middle charge weight. I load my bullet to either magazine length or overall to touching lands... if the overall fits in a magazine. Then I set my scope to have a minute or minute and a half windage, shoot 2 well aimed shots at a small point and observe. I want 2 shots overlapping, if they're touching I go .003 to either side of that length, shoot 2 shots and see if the group grows or shrinks. If they're nowhere near touching, I push the bullet in .006 and shoot 2 shots. I do this until I have 2 shots overlapping, or 2 shots making 1 hole. I will load a 3rd to that length and shoot. If it is a small group, I will load 5 more and carefully shoot them. If it hold together and is a small group, I use that as my preliminary seating depth.
Then I will run a powder charge ladder of 1 shot each starting .5gr below the initial starting point and going in .3 gr incriments for 10 shots. The goal is to find pressure. If it is a hot day and I find pressure. I try to find a load at least .2gr below, usually running 1.2 gr below max, 5 shot groups, .2gr apart. I can usually get a pretty decent load in here. Most of the time the seating depth doesn't require change, sometimes it require a tiny change. Anyway, thats my bassAkqards way of doing hunting ammo...I frequently can get sub 8fps SD over 20 shots in most cartridges this way, sometimes I get sub 8fps SD over a 100 or more shots. I stopped caring about super tiny SD and ES that were only shot over 3, 5 or 10 shots for instagram bragging rights. I found most of the guys I talk to think their stuff is frog anus tight, then see them at the range saying their same lot of ammo is all over with velocities and the gun must be the issue...LARGE data sets gents, nobody cares about your 2fps SD and 4fps ES if it cant be repeated consistently over time.
Then I will run a powder charge ladder of 1 shot each starting .5gr below the initial starting point and going in .3 gr incriments for 10 shots. The goal is to find pressure. If it is a hot day and I find pressure. I try to find a load at least .2gr below, usually running 1.2 gr below max, 5 shot groups, .2gr apart. I can usually get a pretty decent load in here. Most of the time the seating depth doesn't require change, sometimes it require a tiny change. Anyway, thats my bassAkqards way of doing hunting ammo...I frequently can get sub 8fps SD over 20 shots in most cartridges this way, sometimes I get sub 8fps SD over a 100 or more shots. I stopped caring about super tiny SD and ES that were only shot over 3, 5 or 10 shots for instagram bragging rights. I found most of the guys I talk to think their stuff is frog anus tight, then see them at the range saying their same lot of ammo is all over with velocities and the gun must be the issue...LARGE data sets gents, nobody cares about your 2fps SD and 4fps ES if it cant be repeated consistently over time.
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