I believe the smith is using a standard Sami spec reamer
New to long range shooting. 300 prc
- Thread starter 68birdra1
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nealm66
Well-Known Member
I think the 300 prc shines a little more with the heavier bullets if you can stomach the recoil. I suspect with those bullet choices at your elevation it's going to be hard to beat h1000
nealm66
Well-Known Member
Maybe reloader26
nealm66
Well-Known Member
For plinking steel I wouldn't push the pressure, seems to work better down a ways
Maybe when this crisis slows down I might be able to find some
More experienced guys will chime in.... here's my 2 cents.
TAKE YOUR TIME AND DON'T SHOOT A HOT BARREL!!!
Start .001-.002 off the lands. [Then the only way to go is further off the lands].
Work up a ladder until you find pressure [less than 10 shots.. say 75-85 gr in one grain increments]. You'll get a light ejector mark, followed by bright ejector mark, followed by stiff bolt lift. Recognize these signs. I try not to go to stiff bolt lift. I find faint ejector mark and I'll usually go my next higher load to confirm that it is a brighter ejector mark. Now you know your max load for YOUR action.
Now review your ladder test. Let's say you ran your test from 75-85 gr for ten shots and got faint ejector mark at 83, bright ejector mark at 84 [should stop here], and stiff bolt lift at 85.
You now know you cannot load past 83...i wouldn't go higher than 82 but others do...
Then i would load up 3 each at 78, 79, 80, 81, 82. Now plot these on a graph to look for flat spots. You want low ES and a wide flat spot to equal a forgiving load.
You have also just shot five 3-shot groups, so review these sizes but do not anchor yourself to them... call a bad shot when you know it is bad.
You have shot 25 shots and you should now know where your pressure max load is, your velocity nodes are, and your relative accuracy nodes.
Keep all your brass on the same firing. Don't mix 1x and 3x fired brass. Everytime you start on the next firing you need to verify your speed. You want consistent speed and sometimes your charge weight will vary slightly. The biggest difference is new unfired brass to that next firing.
Only thing else to do is seating depth. There is a sticky about seating depth tests specifically with berger bullets I'll let you read.
Post pics of your process and ask questions along the way. Guys on this site are awesome.
TAKE YOUR TIME AND DON'T SHOOT A HOT BARREL!!!
Start .001-.002 off the lands. [Then the only way to go is further off the lands].
Work up a ladder until you find pressure [less than 10 shots.. say 75-85 gr in one grain increments]. You'll get a light ejector mark, followed by bright ejector mark, followed by stiff bolt lift. Recognize these signs. I try not to go to stiff bolt lift. I find faint ejector mark and I'll usually go my next higher load to confirm that it is a brighter ejector mark. Now you know your max load for YOUR action.
Now review your ladder test. Let's say you ran your test from 75-85 gr for ten shots and got faint ejector mark at 83, bright ejector mark at 84 [should stop here], and stiff bolt lift at 85.
You now know you cannot load past 83...i wouldn't go higher than 82 but others do...
Then i would load up 3 each at 78, 79, 80, 81, 82. Now plot these on a graph to look for flat spots. You want low ES and a wide flat spot to equal a forgiving load.
You have also just shot five 3-shot groups, so review these sizes but do not anchor yourself to them... call a bad shot when you know it is bad.
You have shot 25 shots and you should now know where your pressure max load is, your velocity nodes are, and your relative accuracy nodes.
Keep all your brass on the same firing. Don't mix 1x and 3x fired brass. Everytime you start on the next firing you need to verify your speed. You want consistent speed and sometimes your charge weight will vary slightly. The biggest difference is new unfired brass to that next firing.
Only thing else to do is seating depth. There is a sticky about seating depth tests specifically with berger bullets I'll let you read.
Post pics of your process and ask questions along the way. Guys on this site are awesome.
H1000 is a good powder.. possibly get a little more speed with RL26 and N570 but not enough to not use your H1000 which is a great consistent powder.
KSB209
Well-Known Member
I have so much to learn about loading it's crazy! I just started collecting material and every time I read a thread like this makes me think I am getting in way over my head. I'm glad many of you hear are sharing your knowledge. Helps a lot of guys like me want to learn.
nealm66
Well-Known Member
I think if you're just learning to reload, I would start with recommended coal from a manual for given bullet and start with a softer brass to show pressure signs a little easier but that's old school
nealm66
Well-Known Member
In this ammo shortage it would save a lot if you have a good chronograph.
Chrono is a must. Find a buddy with a labradar if you can.
nealm66
Well-Known Member
Probably a really good idea to spit some factory ammo out first . I think I have some Hornady remnants left I could give. Not positive though
I do have an old chrony. I think my friend has a v3 but I'll look into the labradar
MSURunner
Well-Known Member
What part of MT? I've got a LabRadar if you're near Billings. I could also walk you through my load development process. Shoot me a PM some time if you want to discuss.
