Stop loading large batches of ammunition

[Alex Wheeler]

I want to get this out there for those that dont know. Barrels dont have "pet loads". Changes in weather, and wear in the throat keeps the load moving all the time. If you go to the range and find a good load, and come home and load 300 rounds, your going to be stuck shooting a sub par load. This is exaggerated the farther you shoot and also by the quality of your barrel. There are barrels out there that will hold a tune almost all the time, they are a once in a life time barrel, not really worth talking about. To put this into context, if your shooting 3" at 600 yards and you go out of tune and shoot 5" your still going to be ok, on elk even deer if you do everything else right. But if your planning to shoot 1000 for example and your normally shooting 6" but now your 12" plus because your out of tune, your in trouble, even if you call everything else perfect. So obviously the max distance you plan to shoot will determine how well your rifle needs to be tuned. Just know that sporter contour barrels can go out of tune very dramatically at 1k and beyond, as the trajectory really starts to effect them past 800. My advice is to only load the amount of ammo you need for your next range trip or hunt and check your tune often, especially often coming up to a hunt and in as close to the conditions you plan to shoot in as possible.

 

[SteelBanger]

Good post and definitely something to consider. Handgun ammo i mass load but for my rifles I don't load more than 100 at a time. How often are you re-tuning your rifles, and are you shooting new load ladders each time?

 

[Buckreed]

I would also be interested to hear more about your process to retune you rifle.

 

[J E Custom]

I try not to load over 100 rounds and normally load 50 rounds for my hunting rifles. This will give me enough ammo for many years and seems to be plenty. I always expect the POI to change due to conditions, but the group size seems to remain very close. I always check the zero each season and make any changes that are needed no matter how small. The difference is normally my shooting.

For shooting matches I always load enough to handle a match + siter's and practice rounds. Normally when I get to less than 20 rounds of the ammo for one of my hunting rifles, it is time to start working up a new batch. This way I will still have enough to finish a season, but time to work up/test a new batch.

I always shoot with a clean barrel so I don't have to deal with changing barrel performance. I know that some load hundreds of rounds of ammo at one time and over the years it will degrade and change. So Alex advice is good in my opinion.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Korhil78]

I load per outing. Usually around 20-30 rounds per outing. For hunting, I will load up 20 rounds.

 

[stx]

I try not to load over 100 rounds and normally load 50 rounds for my hunting rifles. This will give me enough ammo for many years and seems to be plenty. I always expect the POI to change due to conditions, but the group size seems to remain very close. I always check the zero each season and make any changes that are needed no matter how small. The difference is normally my shooting.

For shooting matches I always load enough to handle a match + siter's and practice rounds. Normally when I get to less than 20 rounds of the ammo for one of my hunting rifles, it is time to start working up a new batch. This way I will still have enough to finish a season, but time to work up/test a new batch.

I always shoot with a clean barrel so I don't have to deal with changing barrel performance. I know that some load hundreds of rounds of ammo at one time and over the years it will degrade and change. So Alex advice is good in my opinion.

J E CUSTOM

This is pretty much what I do, as well....good post!

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I think how much you notice the load change will depend on how good the rifle is shooting. The better it shoots, the more obvious small changes are to see. The tune actually changes constantly throughout the day. and more dramatically the farther the distance. Do not assume your .5 moa 100 yard group is going to shoot .5 moa at 1000yds, that is not how it works. This is why I try to get my rifles tuned as well as I can so that when they do go out of tune a little they are still .5 moa. So far as re-tuning, I just load a small powder charge window and shoot 3 shot groups at 1k in a ladder format. I also check my touch length to the rifling every time I load. The thing with doing this re tune, is that eventually you will get to know your barrel, and you will be able to make a very good call on what to load if you cant get out to check it. Tuning is just like shooting, the more often you do it, the better you get at it. If you dread it, it will be very hard to get good at it, look at it as a learning experience every time, its not something you master.

 

[Wedgy]

Alex, do you ever seat a bullet deeper from the pet load to see how it will perform as the throat wears ? What do you feel is the biggest factor in change, for example temperature ? Thanks for your insight.

 

[FEENIX]

@Alex Wheeler, well said. Once my load development is done, I normally just load 20-30 for the hunting season.

 

[JohnnieB]

Agreed,

I have personally experienced this with several rifles and learned a long time ago to keep loaded what it is that I need. That said, I do have one of those barrels that never changes, its a unicorn, I know. But I will never sell it!

 

[TRG65]

During a normal year with various matches running almost, if not every weekend during the summer (USPSA, 22, PRS), I load the same load until I start seeing random flyers or misses when I know I had a good hold, or I see a change in my drop data. Granted shooting PRS with 2moa or larger targets most times, I don't get the gradual change feedback that those shooting F-class would get, but once I get a load, that load will stay pretty steady until the barrel starts to get to the last few hundred rounds of usable life. I might shoot the same load for 1200-2000 rounds depending on the caliber.

 

[25WSM]

I shoot 1000 yard compatition at Williamsport PA and I do a tune test the day before every match. I load all my ammo at the range. Friday and Saturday evening you will find me loading ammo for the next days relay.
Shep

 

[Bob Wright]

Tagging

 

[Sako284]

Plus one on the tube test before the day of competition in my f class guns. The hunting rifles I usually load in sets of 20-30 and come back a couple days later when I'm doing population management with wild life officials.