midwesthunter
Well-Known Member
How do u test ur rifle/load for acuracy? Do u clean barrel between shooting groups? If so do you fire a first shot to dirty the barrel? Do u wait set time between each shot?
How do u test for an accurate load?
- Thread starter midwesthunter
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Have you ever heard of a ladder test? What caliber are you testing?
First sight your rifle in which will give you some fouling shots before the test. gun)
If you are reloading a medium to large capacity case like a .308 or .300 mag make your powder charge start at minimum and add .2 tenths up to maximum load. Either shoot at 100 yards or 200 yards. Remember to always aim at the EXACT place for all of the shots. Somewhere between the minimum and maximum you will have 3 or 4 shots be very close to each other. This should give you a close optimum powder charge for accuracy.
joseph
First sight your rifle in which will give you some fouling shots before the test. gun)
If you are reloading a medium to large capacity case like a .308 or .300 mag make your powder charge start at minimum and add .2 tenths up to maximum load. Either shoot at 100 yards or 200 yards. Remember to always aim at the EXACT place for all of the shots. Somewhere between the minimum and maximum you will have 3 or 4 shots be very close to each other. This should give you a close optimum powder charge for accuracy.
joseph
midwesthunter
Well-Known Member
Yes I know what a ladder test is. I am just curious on some others views on cleaning between groups as u build up a load
Greywolf18
Well-Known Member
After ladder test I load up 4 rounds in incrimenting weights. I shoot 1 fouler at a different target and then 3 shot group....clean, let barrel cool, and repeat....right or wrong that's how I did it....thenagain I just started reloading last year lol
ICANHITHIMMAN
Well-Known Member
I dont do a load work up until I brake in my barrel. Then depending on the bullet im going to shoot and what I want to do with the load I work from there.
I do a ladder most of the time I dont clean between shots beacuse im just looking at the group's. I do the ladder in whole grain increments 34 35 36 etc until i get to the books max load.
I take the best group and do tenth grain groups + or -
Then I do seating depth if im still not happy.
Unless its BERGERS then I start a few grain's below max work up to max if there are no pressure signs i go right into a 24 round seating depth test. The Berger is so easy to tune every time I am having issues with the AMAX lol
I do a ladder most of the time I dont clean between shots beacuse im just looking at the group's. I do the ladder in whole grain increments 34 35 36 etc until i get to the books max load.
I take the best group and do tenth grain groups + or -
Then I do seating depth if im still not happy.
Unless its BERGERS then I start a few grain's below max work up to max if there are no pressure signs i go right into a 24 round seating depth test. The Berger is so easy to tune every time I am having issues with the AMAX lol
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
I do not clean between groups because there should be no need to. It usually takes at least one fowler after cleaning to settle down a bullet and sometimes more. In my factory barrels it usually takes abot 3-4 fouler to settle down a barrela nd then they are good for 50- 70 rounds before they need another cleaning.
-Mark
-Mark
Last edited:
liltank
Well-Known Member
I use to follow the theory that a clean bore is an accurate bore. Lately every thing I put together produces good results. I will clean my rifle before I go to the range and just starting shooting groups. Fouler shots aren't necessary in my opinion after experiencing same accuracy with or without a fouler. Each barrel is different, but consistency in regiment helps to produce consistent results. The bigger factor is allowing your barrel to stay at a consistent as close to a consistent temperature from shot to shot.
Tank
Tank
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
Foulers may not be necessary in all rifles, but they are in mine. There is a big difference in POI with my first shots after leaning. If your rifle shoots the same with a clean bore as a fouled one, that's great but I think it's rarely the case. I would hate to see someone think a good load was a bad load just because the rifle was settling down. Yes, temperature is important. I let my rifle to cool to ambient temp between shots.
-Mark
Last edited:
Autorotate19
Well-Known Member
Every rifle I own needs 2-3 fowlers. Poi is close on the first shot but it always shifts.
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
I agree with Mark and would like to add that OVER cleaning will just help to wear out your barrel faster for two reasons: (1) you can cause wear by the cleaning process itself especially at the muzzle if you aren't careful. (2)having to shoot extra fouling shots every time simply causes extra wear for shots that are not meaningful. Good shooting
...Richbozo699
Active Member
I think all gun are different,some dont like over 10 or 15 rounds through them or they start to open up,others take that many to settel down.I think for the norm. most will settel down with a couple of fowlers.Best of luck!!
Wayne.
Wayne.
MId west,
I like to clean between powders during load work.
As far as waiting between shot. The group needs to be fired in the same wind conditions, from first shot to the last. Before I started shoot benchrest, and see guys shooting over wind flags. I don't know how a slight breese could open up a group at 100 yds. I know for sure in the past, that I have fired groups, thinking that they were not that good, the wind just opened the group enough to make it bad. you need to see a field if wind flags set up on a range, to see how much the wind blows.
For 600 and 1000yds benchrest, we fire sighter to zero and to dope the wind, and then try to fire all record round under the same condition. If it changes you are screwed, because you can't fire sighter, after you go to your record rounds.
Over long range the wind comes in all directions and speed, very hard to learn.
Just a few strips of survey ribbon work great.
Mark Schronce
I like to clean between powders during load work.
As far as waiting between shot. The group needs to be fired in the same wind conditions, from first shot to the last. Before I started shoot benchrest, and see guys shooting over wind flags. I don't know how a slight breese could open up a group at 100 yds. I know for sure in the past, that I have fired groups, thinking that they were not that good, the wind just opened the group enough to make it bad. you need to see a field if wind flags set up on a range, to see how much the wind blows.
For 600 and 1000yds benchrest, we fire sighter to zero and to dope the wind, and then try to fire all record round under the same condition. If it changes you are screwed, because you can't fire sighter, after you go to your record rounds.
Over long range the wind comes in all directions and speed, very hard to learn.
Just a few strips of survey ribbon work great.
Mark Schronce
there is an atypical way to do it, but it appears no one does it a one way.. (different equipment)
long story, clean before each 'range session', not ea shot. Cool barrel between each shot. 5-shot group, smallest groups you can possibly physically do. Practice, be patient, do not let bbl heat up. On a 30 shot string, the 3rd thru 25th will give you the best 'picture' of accuracy. (imo). assuming you are doing your best. The key is the cold bore shot.
long story, clean before each 'range session', not ea shot. Cool barrel between each shot. 5-shot group, smallest groups you can possibly physically do. Practice, be patient, do not let bbl heat up. On a 30 shot string, the 3rd thru 25th will give you the best 'picture' of accuracy. (imo). assuming you are doing your best. The key is the cold bore shot.
I've never worried about barrels heating up and changing point of impact along the way. If this happens, the barrel's got problems. It's not stress relieved properly or put in a receiver that's not had its face squared with barrel tenon axis.
If a few fouling shots are needed, then the barrel's got a rough bore surface and has to have some bullet jacket material scraped off a few bullets before no jacket scraping happens.
If one shoots several groups and they're not within 10% of each other for size, one's not shooting enough shots per group. Groups with less than 15 shots are meaningless if you want to know what the accuracy is you can count on most of the time.
If a few fouling shots are needed, then the barrel's got a rough bore surface and has to have some bullet jacket material scraped off a few bullets before no jacket scraping happens.
If one shoots several groups and they're not within 10% of each other for size, one's not shooting enough shots per group. Groups with less than 15 shots are meaningless if you want to know what the accuracy is you can count on most of the time.
