How long between shots?

[upacreek]

I am curious when shooting for load development how long between shots? Cool barrel after each shot? Shoot 3 then cool? What's best?

 

[gohring3006]

I shoot three then let it cool but its personal preference I have found if you are consistent in shooting that your loads will also be consistent. If I shoot 3 and let it cool if I find a accurate load then it will be "the load" if I shoot 1 and let it cool. Just the 3 shot may or may not be as tight as groups but it will be the best in the development. In a nut shell the best load will be found thru consistency......

 

[Unofficial Gun Addict (UGA)]

Heya... It totally depends on how you are going to shoot it once done with load development. I like to test 2 shots, back to back, because I use my guns for hunting and I like to have the possibility of a quick follow up shot if needed.

 

[FearNoWind]

On calibers 6mm and under I shoot five, cool, clean, and then run another five. Repeating that process until all my test loads are recorded. I discount the first shot in every sequence, relying on the final four shots in the string for input data.
On heavier calibers I fire a fouler, then three round strings. I pause to cool and clean after every three rounds and include all three rounds in the data for analysis. When I find a promising load I go to the five shot test sequence to see how it works.
"Cool" typically equals ten to fifteen minutes in the shade.

 

[upacreek]

Thanks guys. I had 30 rounds loaded up in 3 round groups. Due to the 20 minutes between groups to cool i only got 18 rounds down range before my chrony quit due to light. Is it normal to clean between groups? It makes sense, but i was worried about lubing up the barrel so often. Was wooried it would throw off several rounds behind it. I will try this next time.

 

[Kennibear]

I attach a K type thermocouple to the chamber area of the barrel and read the temp from a Wavetek meter set up on the bench. After each shot I stuff a hose from a small three stage fan I made from scrapped 80mm computer fans and a Gel 12 volt alarm/UPS power supply battery.

You can watch the temp drop from the air pushing down the barrel and I shoot when it gets back to 100 F. There is a big difference in temperature climb directly proportional to amount of powder burned and the weight of the barrel. A 30-06 firing 57gr of powder down a heavy target barrel doesn't heat up as fast as a hunting weight tube scorched by 80+ grains of powder from a magnum cartridge.

Cleaning is really an individual thing to each barrel. Some need to be cleaned often and some seem to shoot well even after 100+ rounds are fired. Just what I do.....

KB

 

[djtjr]

On calibers 6mm and under I shoot five, cool, clean, and then run another five. Repeating that process until all my test loads are recorded. I discount the first shot in every sequence, relying on the final four shots in the string for input data.
On heavier calibers I fire a fouler, then three round strings. I pause to cool and clean after every three rounds and include all three rounds in the data for analysis. When I find a promising load I go to the five shot test sequence to see how it works.
"Cool" typically equals ten to fifteen minutes in the shade.

Cleaning is fine if you choose to do so but IMHO I would be firing spoilers at least one or two after cleaning. Some of my guns shoot great first shot after cleaning others need a shot or two to foul the barrel before they settle in. If your gun is the latter you may miss a great node/load because the gun needs those shots to settle.

For me the amount of shots it takes for my guns to tell me they need cleaning is way more than virtually any load development session so I don't clean till I am done OR till I change components if I am trying different bullets or powders etc...

 

[AZShooter]

I like to shoot two from magnum cases and then cool for around 20 seconds....but I use CO2.
I can shoot 10 from my 30 BR and it only gets warm. Depends on the cartridge.