Help a Noob

[Noah]

More great info guy.. Thank You, thank you.

Yea like I said I am not real worried about accuracy affects of the OAL, while I am still learning the fundamentals. I just want to be sure I am not going to blow myself up.
Should I just buy a Sierra load book the find out the factory recomended OAL for the GK.... or just load them to the max that will fit in the mag or the max 2.810?

popeye4, I read that article. I think that scale system is a bit out of my leage... Also, It kind of seamed to show the the digital scales aren't that great. I have noticed my lyman des not seem to hold the zero as well as I think it should.

[thomashoward]

quote[Should I just buy a Sierra load book the find out the factory recomended OAL for the GK.... or just load them to the max that will fit in the mag or the max 2.810?]quote

or you could throw darts. I would get a measurement with a comparator so you know what you did. Keep records
when I first started I used a magic marker and seated until there was no lands marks. Thats throwing darts,.... then someone showed me a comparator, now I know exactly my seating depth.
Measuring off the bullet tip is inaccurate

[popeye4]

I'd recommend you follow the manual until you know that you know better.

[Noah]

I'd recommend you follow the manual until you know that you know better.

Thats my problem, as I stated before I am begging to think this Lyman 49th book that I have is not a very good manual. It does not list the GK and I am not even certian if the 168g BTHP they list is the SMK or not. It does not say specifically.

Is there one manual that lists most every bullet or do you have to buy one from each bullet manufacturer? I am figuring that the Sierra book is not going to give me data for other brand bullets if I want to try something else later.

I am going to see if the local sporting goods store has any of those "loadbooks" that oldcodger44 mentioned.

I dont mind buying a few books, I am just a bit frugal when I can be and don't want to buy 5 books if there is a single book that has all of the data in one place.

[ar15barrels]

Is there one manual that lists most every bullet or do you have to buy one from each bullet manufacturer? I am figuring that the Sierra book is not going to give me data for other brand bullets if I want to try something else later.

No manual lists every bullet.
You have to buy the manuals from the specific bullet maker if you want data for every one of their bullets.

[freonr22]

you could call sierra http://sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?s...=ballistictech

[popeye4]

The Sierra book is a good place to start. I think someone also mentioned the "ABCs of Handloading". You can subscribe to "Handloader" magazine, though I read it more for entertainment than to get "solid" reloading technique info.

It is good to get several manuals (definitely get one for the bullet brand you plan to use), if only to see that the powder charge ranges (particularly the max loads) aren't absolute. That's why you have to work your way up. Every gun is different and every gun has a different max load.

If you want an advanced degree, you can pick up Zediker's "Handloading for Competition". It is directed at loading for NRA Highpower competition (I'm sure some of his techniques would make benchresters convulse), but it shows you many more factors of concern than what you'll see in the reloading manuals.

I've been handloading for over thirty years and there is still so much more to learn......

[Noah]

What The Heck????????



OK,

I loaded 2 more rounds of each weight of powder and hit the range this mourning. I had a total of 4 rounds at each powder weight and used the best group of 3 for each load.
I am very confused by my results. I did not get much of a ladder from the ladder meathod. I shot at 200 meters and left my zero where it was from the Prvi Partisan 168g BTHP match ammo I have been shooting and have my scope zeroed with.
First thing I noticed was that all charges hit several inches lower than the factory ammo. All were over 3 inches lower than the factor stuff. I fired 4 rounds of the factory before I started testing and then 4 more after to check that I had not lost the zero on my scope.
The only pressure signs I had was at 44g, 44.3g and 44.6g all had minor fire pin crater. (I noticed all of the factory ammo shows similar signs if not more of a crater affect.)

So, on to my results. I did not get a rise in elevation with each increase in powder. In fact I got the exact opposite for a several steps... next hotter round had more drop???
Anyways I made a spread sheet of the data. Will you all take a look at it and see if any of my results make any sense.

I cannot figure how to get the spreadsheet converted into a picture so I can post it. So there is a text file, or in the zip there is a better looking version saved as a webpage to open in a web browser.

Noah

[ar15barrels]

I am very confused by my results. I did not get much of a ladder from the ladder meathod. I shot at 200 meters

You are way too close to get a conclusive ladder.

[ar15barrels]

I did not get a rise in elevation with each increase in powder. In fact I got the exact opposite for a several steps... next hotter round had more drop???

Those are the ones you shanked.

[Noah]

Thanks Randall,
Is 500 meter enough distance?
also is the difference in my rounds and the Priv stuff mainly a result of my choice in powder? I am reloading the Prvi brass with the same bullet, just different primer & powder. I am surprised to see such a difference in performance.

Noah

[ar15barrels]

I was not happy with my 500yd ladder so I shot another one at 840yds.
That one showed much more conclusive results.
There were 4 rounds within about 3" of elevation while other rounds were showing 2"+ elevation change per 1/10gr of powder.

Here is my 500yd ladder.
I also have a couple rounds that I shanked and they landed out-of-sequence.



For reference, that cardboard is 36" wide.

[Noah]

So how many rounds per powder weight for the ladder? Is the four I did overkill for the data I am looking for?

[ar15barrels]

So how many rounds per powder weight for the ladder? Is the four I did overkill for the data I am looking for?

Only 1 round.
More rounds just clutters the pattern.

[Noah]

OK Thanks.
Any thoughts on why the Prv Partizan match ammo is soooo much hotter than even the hand load?