Being new to reloading, I'm wondering if what I am seeing is "normal". I settled on a combination to try for my .30-06 of Lake City Match brass, Gold Medal 210 primers, Hornady ELD-Match 225, and RL-22. I did a test with charge weights from 52.0 gr to 56.5 gr in 0.5 gr increments. Loaded three of each. Test conducted at 100 yards off a bench with bipod and sqeezebag. All but two were under MOA, but two groups in particular caught my eye. The first good group was just a touch over a quarter inch with a charge of 53 gr. The second was just under 3/8" with a charge weight of 55.5 gr. My question is, when testing a range of charge weights is it normal to have two "nodes" where the grouping is good?
I'm a fairly experienced shooter, but when it comes to reloading, I'm at "FNG" level.
Second (55.5gr) group.
Yep! Watch this to get more into on what to do next.
Thanks for the link! Looks like my next step is going to be loading a batch of rounds spanning 55.1-56 gr and see if I can find a "sweet spot". The 53 gr group was too slow (2438fps). 55.5 gr got me 2575fps and my desired minimum velocity was 2500 fps, which I achieved at 54.5 gr. I hit 2600 with 56 gr, and primers started swelling a tad (not flattening, but filling the pocket more) at 56.5 with only a 15fps gain. Can't go any higher because I can't fit any more in the case.
Fun, isn't it? I've been putzing around for just about a year on a load for my 308. I have two that seem to be OK, which was my goal.
Of course, now that I'm close to being set, I'm going to buy a 6.5 CM in a month or so and start all over!
ladder test and seating depth test
Recommended reading for the new reloader. Very interesting and will save you time and money.
1. http://www.ocwreloading.com/home.html
2. http://www.the-long-family.com/shock%20wave%20theory%20summary%20explanation.pdf
3. http://2poqx8tjzgi65olp24je4x4n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/secrets-of-the-houston-warehouse-by-dave-scott-precision-shooting-magazine-special-edition-1-1993.pdf
Thanks for the links! I had read the Houston warehouse article a couple years ago and couldn't find it again. Saving it this time.
Today I got to do some shooting and more load development. This time I was trying out the same 225 ELD-Match pills but this time pushing them with Hodgdon Superformance. I tried charge weights from 50.5-55gr in 1/2gr increments. I loaded 5 of each. Fired one of each with the Magnetospeed attached to get an idea of velocity (definite POI shift with it on). The remaining 4 of each charge weight were fired as groups. Each charge weight was fired at it's own target. 53.5-55gr proved to be interesting. 15/16 rounds landed in a group just under an inch. The one outside the group was a called flier. Even more interesting was that I got better velocity than with RL22. 55gr netted 2638fps, with more room in the case and no pressure signs. Hornady lists 54.8gr as the max load, so I'm not going to push it. It was VERY windy, and I'm rusty, so I'm hoping I can get better than this.
Also, I was shooting at Frontline Defense in Warrenton, NC. Nice place. The PRS Club Finale was going on today, so I got to learn a bit by watching. Got to talk to a few folks and learn a bit more too.
https://youtu.be/ACyfeeBHVOA
This will give you a good place to work from, and save you some time and component cost. Good luck.
That's pretty cool. Means I can do load development in my back yard. Only have about 50 yards but at least I can start the process without driving to the range. I have two other powders to try. H4831SC and IMR4955. It stands to reason that if your projectiles are leaving the bore within 5fps of each other, the groups should follow. I just got a smokin' deal on some Norma brass. Mid-South had it on sale for $56/100 so I bought what they had left, which was only 200. Hopefully that will be enough to get me started in PRS matches.
Tried H4831SC today using the technique in redleg's link. I fired 20 rounds from 54.7 grains to 57.5 grains pushing 220gr Lapua Scenar-L bullets. The results were interesting. Two "flat spots". One around 2455fps centered at 55.4grs, and another at 2520fps centered at 56.8grs. I was shooting at 65yards (farthest I can shoot in the back yard) and all but one round (I flinched) out of 20 went into a 5/8" group. I know that's too close for good accuracy data, but it looks promising so far. I think I'm going to load a few dozen at 56.8grs and see how they go at distance.
Good deal, I'm interested in seeing how they group for you.
I'll post it here when I get to shoot at distance. In the meantime, I graphed the ladder test. Makes it easier to see the nodes as "plateaus".