[BigBlack]

My First Ever HandLoads!

Please be gentle. This is a Remington 700 ADL 22” 243 with regular barrel completely stock. No trigger work, no bedding, no nothing. I have been shooting the Wal-Mart Federal Blue Box ammo and included 5 rounds in the round robin test for reference and support my excitement about reloading.

Take a look and tell me what you think I should work around. The sixth group count left to right top to bottom was really good until I had the flyer on my 4th round of round robin.

Thanks, the squares are not quite an inch. They measure about 3/4” x 3/4” All are 5 shot groups. #2 had one that looks like one hole but is actually 2. POA the same on each group. Not interested in bullseye yet just trying to find the magic powder charge.

I did not sort my brass, but I did use the same headstamped brass.

Here was my procedure.

1. Cleaned rifle before going to range
2. At range fired 6 shots at another target to confirm scope on paper and to foul the barrel
3. Even round robin batches I went from 1 to 8, on odd turns I went from 8 to 1.
4. I let barrel cool between every three shots.

#6 was the bomb until round #4 when it threw the one high.

[ReloaderFred]

I think I would take the load with the flyer (#6) and experiment with the seating depth of the bullets and see if that tightens it up at all. Some rifles like more distance between the leade and the bullet than others, and vice versa.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Virginian]

Unless you called the flyer in group 6, it is part of the inherrent accuracy equation. So, if not, #1 is the best group, and it is a good group in any event. Do you have velocities? From best group start going both ways in 0.1 gr. increments and then worry about seating depth. I like your powder and bullet.

[BigBlack]

My next load sets will be

36.7
37.0
37.3

and

39.2
39.5 (see if I have another stray)
39.8

What do you guys think

One other thing the published min is 37.0 grs. Do you think 36.7grs will be okay?

[USSR]

So, BigBlack, what velocities are you getting, and what kind of ES and SD numbers with those loads?

Don