Improving Accuracy

[xzw151]

What is, in your opinion, the single most important aspect to reloading accurate ammunition. Case length, uniform powder charge, bullet seating, crimps, using match bullets, neck sizing, weighing individual cases and primers?

[swerv512]

there is no single aspect. it's like asking which one tire to inflate on your car. you'll need air in all four tires just like you'll need good consistent and repeatable data fraom case length, cartridge headspace, powder charge, primer seating, bullet seating depth, bullet concentricity, etc. just choose one variable at a time so you can gauge your progress.

[polygunner]

IMHO case prep is the most important.
1.case
2.primer
3.bullet
4.powder
Consistency is critical in all aspects.
pg

[Jonathan Doe]

The bullet seating depth plays a big role on accuracy, also.

[ocabj]

swerv512 is correct.

But to achieve accuracy, I would approach it in the following order:

1. Use a good gun (i.e. quality barrel, free floated)
2. Use good components (i.e. good brass, good primers, match bullets).
3. Be consistent with your components (i.e. powder charge as consistent as possible, trim cases as consistent as possible)
4. Tweak the components as necessary (i.e adjust seating depth, neck tension as appropriate)

[30Cal]

Assuming a tight weapons and you're not using random components from mixed mfr's;

1. bullet choice
2. bullet choice
3. powder & charge

[Beelzy]

What is, in your opinion, the single most important aspect to reloading accurate ammunition. Case length, uniform powder charge, bullet seating, crimps, using match bullets, neck sizing, weighing individual cases and primers?

All of the above.

If I had to pick one thing, it would be case length. Nothing works well if all
the bullets are seated to various depths.

[rabagley]

It's a classic case of "many craftsman can build a barn, and one jackass with a dozer can knock it down"

You have to have all of the various aspects of the assembled round consistent. Any one of them can cause a loss of consistency and consequential loss of accuracy.

[J-cat]

The single most important thing is voodoo. There are some combinations that work very, very well for unknown reasons. It don't matter if your OAL is a bit off or you over or undercharge the case by half a grain.

For example, I have a 9mm Beretta load that shoots the same nice tight group in the same spot on the tatget no matter if the powder charge is 3.7, 8,9,4.0,1 or 4.2 grains. Why does this load work so well? I dunno.

If you were to pick a book load at random, and load five perfectly similar rounds, they would not necessarily print a tight group. Consistency is not the key. Voodoo is the key. Consistency helps, but does not mean squat if your gun does not like the combination of components.

[jwest]

Don't forget to keep your barrel clean - fouling, especially copper fouling, impacts accuracy as well.

[tdc57]

For what it worth..

I was told it's:
Practice
Practice
Practice..

Our guns can shoot far better then we can, so the more you practice the tighter grouping you'll get..

[freakshow10mm]

Accuracy is the product of uniformity.