[bratch]

When working a new load how many do you load before heading to the range? Is it different for pistol and rifle?

[Scrat6]

From what I have read, load 5 in each weighted charge. This is if you are searching for "THE LOAD" for your rifle. Make the charges .5 grains apart. After you find out which one of those work go to 5 in .1 grains apart. Then you have "THE LOAD" for your rifle.

I will be the first to say that this is not from experience JUST WHAT I HAVE READ. If I read incorrectly PLEASE let me know. Because I am just starting out in ths also.

Thanx
Scrat

[benedict1]

For handguns I load about a dozen rounds, no more.

[MNgoldenbear]

I usually do 10. Nice round number, nothing special about it. Gives me an idea of performance without going overboard.

I usually don't bother with tweaking the seating depth for my pistols, so there's an extra step I do for rifle/single-shot.

[BobMcG]

It depends, but most of the time when loading for rifles I load five rounds of four or five different powder charges. Depending on the cartridge and powder being used, the loads will usually be one half grain apart for starters.

[CZ223]

my range of choice. I will be damned if I am gonna load batches of 5 or 10, beside being tedious I don't think that one or two groups from any firearm is truly representative of potential. When reloading for rifles that I am already familiar with I load in batches of twenty and in a cartridge like the 223 I start low and work up in .3 grain increments. In the case of the 204 Ruger that I recently acquired I had no experience with the load or the rifle. In that case I first asked questions as to preffered powders, bullets etc. here on THR. Once I had acquired the Bullets and cases I began with a recomended powdr that I had on hand, BLC-2. The Bullets that I bought were 32 grain Sierras and 32 grain Hornady V-max and a 40 grain V-max. I started by filling 30 cases with X grains of BLC-2, then 30 with X.3, then X.6 etc. I then loaded 10 of each bullet over each powder charge. While at the range I would shoot 5 of the sieras with x grains then 5 with the same charge with the v-max. I would then walk out to mark my target and let the rifle cool then reverse the process starting with 5 of the v-max load then the Sierras.

[Art Eatman]

What I've found from a whole bunch of years of working up loads for my rifles: Two or three test loads for a given bullet or a given powder, maybe five rounds each. I've not really found a lot of difference in group size, once I've ever gotten a rifle set up. Mostly I've just found the place where primers start to flatten, right around whatever most books say is the max charge, max pressure.

'06: For just one powder, say 4064, and just one bullet, say a Sierra 150-grain SP, it's hardly worth a trip to the range, I agree. However, what's important is what you learn.

About the only thing that's ever shown up as important is that I gotta pay attention to twist rate for choosing bullet weights, and that harder-jacketed bullets raise pressures a bunch if I just use the "normal" load.

I guess I've been lucky. In eight or ten different cartridges, a change in powder charge increments hasn't affected group size. As near as I can tell, powder selection hasn't mattered.

Dangfino...

Art

[Tbu61]

I've been shooting my own reloads for better than 30 yrs now, so I have things pretty well dialed in...

Despite the experience factor, I usually load 10 or so of a new flavor (or each new flavor) and Color code them carefully with Magic Marker on the Primer while taking careful notes of what I am doing......

I take my selection of Magic markers to the range with me and mark the Targets accordingly with the respective markers AND the loading data for each "experimental round".

This way, if I stumble on a "Magic combination" I have little chance of confusing my results.

Too many times in the past I have relied on my memory to reconstruct OAL's Primer types, exact powder load settings, etc......

Some folks look at me rather Curiously when they see me break out a 3 ring binder at the bench..... I usually satisfy that curiosity when I return to the bench with one hole groups in a carefully annotated target. :eek:

The other "Old Timers" just observe me with a confident smile and their own notebooks :neener:

[Walkalong]

If I am really unsure of the load (dealing in unchartered waters) I will only load 5 to try and not make a special range trip to try them. I'll bring them along on a trip with another agenda.


Generally for pistol I will load enough to shoot some over the chrono with one or two barrel lengths, shoot a couple of 5 shot groups, and some for judgeing recoil against other loads. (30 to 40) I load them up in zip lock baggies with a note with all load data and load # and put them in a Bagmaster ammo bag to take to the range. I record all the results when I get home.

[The Bushmaster]

For handgun, ten round of the same combination and probably 5 different load combinations (50 rounds total). Shot in two 5 round groups. Pick the best combination and go back to the bench and fine tune that load combination. Same thing with rifle except only 3 round groups. All ran over a chronograph.

Hand gun I load in .5 grain incruments and rifle 1.0 grain incruments on the first go-round. After that. Fine tune by half of the above.

If I can't find a good combination I change one of the components and start over. No problem...Range in back yard...:D

[Walkalong]

No problem...Range in back yard...


Awesome. When I retire ...Where are you in MO::)
Any houses for sale there:rolleyes:

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I follow a pattern very similar to Tbu61. I have a load notebook. I load 10 rounds of each powder load with same bullet and keep them separated in ziploc baggies with a label on the bag with load information.

Before I head out to the range, I write the load information on the target for that load. I'm careful to match targets to load while at the range.

I also denote conditions at the range the day I'm shooting, along with any wind and other shooter's dope in a standard high power shooter's dope book if I'm shooting rifle.

As far as loads go, I follow the .5 grain steps for load pattern and typically I've been able to find a place somehwhere near the middle of the load range where my groups tighten up. Not always though. Occasionally it's a little lower or higher, depending on the bullet and rifle.

[Eagle103]

I too have my back yard for a range so that may make a difference but to me it depends on where you're at in the load development. If I'm trying a new powder and/or bullet weight I only load up three to run over the chronograph. I started with ten but found that when velocities may be very poor or accuracy may not be good it's best not to have too many loaded up. If a load looks promising then I'll make up five or ten for further testing.

[Ndenway]

with pistol rounds I normally only load a mags or cylinders worth,

with rifle I load 20 of each charge to be tested, since they are being tested for function and chrono'd

[Texas_XD]

Just getting started, but am keeping a load book myself from the get-go. Got a sweet one from a guy on ebay and it looks like a nice set-up, lots of info space. I was told to go with the 6 rd per load for rifle based on 2-3rd groups, cleaning between each set. Has been working for me so far for rifle but haven't started pistol reloads yet. Got the powder dialed in pretty much, next I'll play with C.O.L. to get the last lil' bit.

[GRIZ22]

I generally load 10 of each but there are many exceptions. If I'm checking a load for a M1 I load 8 as that is what a clip holds. 7 or 8 for 45 ACP. If I'm using a 6 shot revolver I mark off one chamber not to use (felt tip works fine). I always use a chronograph when testing loads since I got one. Sometimes shooting test groups can be misleading (was that me or the load?). A chrongraph starts at about 60 bucks and takes a lot of guess work out of developing loads.

[Shoney]

After 46 years of loading:

rifle - at 100 yards - starting loads a little above min, in 5 shot groups, then next 5 with 0.5 gr increments until max or pressure sings show. I shoot each load at it's own well marked target. Tweek up and down from most accurate loads. I've had a few rifles that achieved best accuracy above max without pressure signs, while most had best accuracy in middle loads to just shy of max.

pistol revolver - distance of test varied with weapon - start at min, 5 shot groups, increase by 0.5 gr, never exceed max. Tweek up and down from most accurate loads.

auto pistols - 25 yards - start at min, 20 each load (fired at same well marked target in four - 5 shot vollies), Increment depends on powder weight, since some cartridges have only 2 grain difference between min/max. The magazines are loaded with 6 shots, the first round is either a factory load or well proven load which is not fired at test load target. This is done to to insure that all test rounds are chammered with the same force/manner.

Rifle cartridge loading yielded the widest range of results. Some bullets had less than 0.5 inch varience with load increments, while others varied 5 inches. In some rifles which normally had sub moa, barnes bullets did not group less than 3 to 5 inches, unless they were virtually at or into the lands.