This is kind of off topic and I haven't found anything conclusive. But what would the best weather to develop a load, I've seen people's opinions that warm weather is better due to pressures, but as this is a hunting rifle and our deer season in PA starts in December, I was assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that I should work up loads in cold weather.
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Engineering101
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TK 1985
You assumed correctly that it is best to develop loads in the same temps at which they will be used. That is why I do my load development this time of year for hunting loads but not for prairie dog loads.
You assumed correctly that it is best to develop loads in the same temps at which they will be used. That is why I do my load development this time of year for hunting loads but not for prairie dog loads.
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
That is a good reason to use a powder that is insensitive to temp swings, but what I do is try to develop the load I am going to hunt with in a similar temperature. This can not always be done, but at least test it before you go hunting to see if there are major changes. In general, higher temperatures increase pressure (velocity). One thing you don't want to do is create a max load in cold weather and then try to shoot it in hot weather. Again, if you use powders like "Hodgdons Extreme", you can reduce this problem considerably over some other powders. If your shots are close, for the most part, minor changes in velocity are not a problem. I hope this helps......Rich
