Sky,
Outstanding results!! That's the prime purpose behind this purchase..well, that and I need to check into a clinic to get through the DT's if I don't buy a new firearm at least once a year, lol. Really though...I want a tack driver bolt gun to build for so I can develop a load that does THAT!! I only hope I can achieve a similar result in my work ups. What rifle and what rifling did you fire those groups through? I only have one bolt gun in the safe as it is, and old Enfield .303 that went through a poor sporterizing/cut down job at the hands of the previous owner. I picked it up for next to nothing with an old Lyman American peg scope. The stock is awful but the action is sound, it groups OK considering it only has two lands 180deg apart for rifling..probably 2-3 MOA. I grab it when I'm going somewhere I don't want to take anything else...lol.
Null,
You outlined my plan almost to the "T". Thanks for the run down...allows me to confirm my reasoning. I will probably have a box or so of factory loads to establish a benchmark as you suggest but mostly prefer to roll my own. Not that I'm any better at building ammo than the big boys, I just enjoy the hell out of the whole process. Typically when I'm doing work ups I'll build in 5 charge levels depending on the difference between starting and NE. I have gone 6 on occasion when dead reasoning said the steps were to big and the magic number might lay between the 5. I usually build 10 rounds in each stage, fire two 5 shot groups, and take the best one of the two as the representative performance for that step. My thought is 5 rounds gets me away from simply "getting lucky" and two groups rescues me from myself if I happen to pull one due to going cross eyed staring in the scope too long, getting excited and rushing the result because my group is shaping up good and firing on a hot barrel, of course all my trigger presses are rock solid so I would never flinch and pull one...
I usually take me some time to meter through the 50 round in a given work up allowing a minute or two between shots so I figured maybe I might burn the candle at both ends and do a littlle combo of load research and barrel break in if I had some handloads worked up for her arrival.
Unfortunately though...the folks at Dick's F'd me! I called them as soon as they openned to get a price on the model in my OP. They quoted me a number AND an avaiblility of about a week. I show up to buy the thing and get it on order and now they can't find it in their catalogue. I went through the whole song and dance with the counter rep...who left out that he was the same guy I talked to in the morning. Then I asked for the manager and the counter guy disappeared, the manager is the one who told me I had talked to that guy earlier. Now they're saying they don't know what he was looking at or where he got the price from and that they can't even get a laminated Tikka to sell or order. I can't find any Tikka laminates in the US anywhere and Beretta doesn't list them on the BerettaUSA site...so I'm guessing they don't import that model anymore. I'm going to contact Beretta tomorrow morning but it sure looks like I'm back rifle shopping after thinking I had my mind made up.
Looks like the general consensus is for RCBS so far. I use RCBS for 9mm and 10mm and while they tend to sink pretty low in my LNL bushings they're not as bad as the Lee's. I thought I would hear more about the Lee Collet though...I have seen many reloaders sing it's praises in other calbers. For economy's sake I guess an RCBS 2 die set if I can use the FL sizer to neck size only as well. What grade dies would you recommend with hopes of working up a group like Sky's? The competition series are very pricey and I'm not sure I'd notice the difference between the micrometer adjustable seating die and a seating die I set with a separate micrometer?
Thanks folks...
-BunnMan