Techniques on building up a succsessful load...

[dancinzen]

Hello again, I have been asking alot of reloading questions and I want to say thank you for your patients and info. My next question is the concern of building up a load. I am only about to start reloading 223 for now and within a few months after 9mm... And I have all hornady bullets and I bought the hornady reloading book. So my concern is without the machine that measures speed of the bullet, how do I build up a bullet, and what am I looking for on building up a round? Why would I want to max out the load?

[joelogic]

Well, I believe its all about use. People talk about FPS if they are going for distance. I am concerned with recoil and group size for 3 gun. So I tailor my load for a tight group and fast follow up shots at distances less than 75ds. Max load wears out brass faster. I load .223 with bullets with a cannalure so I dont worry about OAL, but I load 10 rounds at the starting weight and then 10 rds at every .5gr interval until I reach the max and then compare group sizes.

[tamalpias]

Reading the thread title I was about to suggest building up your tolerance by eating more and more beans.

But since this is reloading what is it you want to achieve? Accuracy? If that is the case start at the minimum recommended charge and build up .5 gr in batches of 10 (2x five shot groups) or if you are cheap 6 rounds of each charge to make 2x three shot groups till you get to max loads. Start shooting the rounds off in batches while in between groups clean your barrel out to get as exact conditions as you can. Then work your way up the charges you build until you see a load that gives you the most accuracy while also checking for high pressure signs.

[dancinzen]

What am I looking for with high pressure signs? What tells me that a load is too powerful?

[Mikeb]

Working up a load is fun. Make 10 each at the start load then 10 more at each .5 grain increase. Go to the range and observe the results. Shoot carefully and slowly two five shot groups at each loading. Inspect the groups. with any luck you will see the group size decrease until it starts to increase. Don't go above the max load. Look at your brass for preassure signs, ie flattened primers and difficult extraction. If you have a micrometer measure and compare the head ( the end the primer goes in. Cronographing the speed is good but a bit advanced. Go home look at your data and narrow down to the most accurate (smallest group) rounds. Now go back and do it all over again starting below your best group load and work up at 0.1 grain increments.
Enjoy the work ...it's fun
Mike

[kmca]

Working up a load is fun. Make 10 each at the start load then 10 more at each .5 grain increase. Go to the range and observe the results. Shoot carefully and slowly two five shot groups at each loading. Inspect the groups. with any luck you will see the group size decrease until it starts to increase. Don't go above the max load. Look at your brass for preassure signs, ie flattened primers and difficult extraction. If you have a micrometer measure and compare the head ( the end the primer goes in. Cronographing the speed is good but a bit advanced. Go home look at your data and narrow down to the most accurate (smallest group) rounds. Now go back and do it all over again starting below your best group load and work up at 0.1 grain increments.
Enjoy the work ...it's fun
Mike

I don't like working up a load . I guess it depends on what you're looking for. You should mention to get the maximum accuracy from a rifle, you should do the load workup with different powders, powder weights, primers and bullets. You could wear out a barrel looking for the best load

[dancinzen]

Wow... Sounds fun and thanks... Any other obvious signs that your load is to high? I am just concerned in blowing myself or my gun up...

[joelogic]

Google "flattening a primer". If primer flattens high pressure. If primer blows out too much pressure.

[tamalpias]

Wow... Sounds fun and thanks... Any other obvious signs that your load is to high? I am just concerned in blowing myself or my gun up...

We live in such a high lawsuit society that alot of the current published data that are new in current books are so tame that unless you are shooting vintage rifles almost every max load you see really is ok for almost every modern rifle. I borrowed my friend's hodgdon's reloading manual published in the 60's/70's and the max load for a 7mm rem mag is listed at 7 grains higher than the max load on the new Hornady book.

Having said all that google high pressure signs for visual details.

Good luck!

[Soldier415]

Pineapple juice...

[radio2]

Read this http://stevespages.com/diagnosingproblems.html

[xrMike]

Max load wears out brass faster.

Barrels too. And if you're only shooting at paper, 100 to 300 yards, there's not much need for max loads.

[dancinzen]

I love pinnapple juice! Lol... Thanks everyone...

[Ugly Dwarf]

If you're looking to tune the load to your rifle without going the 10 of each loading route (at technique I've used successfully many times I might add), check out the concepts explained here ===> http://www.desertsharpshooters.com/m...incredload.pdf

Or Here ===> http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/

These two systems "should" get you into the right range for a bullet, powder, case, primer combo with about 20-25 shots.

I've only used the OCW system with any success, but I don't have easy access to a 200 yard range like the ILD method needs (or at least works best with).

Good luck.

Dwarf

[sbchero]

very interesting, i might try one of those methods for my new .308