Help a Newbi understand what 'Working up a load' means

[dbarnhart]

I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question. Some background:

I'm mostly a 'reload to keep the cost down' person. Many years ago I reloaded 45 ACP: 230gr FMJ-RN, 5.5 gr Unique, CCI Large Pistol Primers. I have no idea if that recipe is good or bad or better or worse than any other. I tried it. My gun liked it, and I never changed it. I reloaded (and shot) a few thousand rounds of it before circumstances required me to put it all away for a few years.

So now - a couple dozen years later - I have a grown son (23) who has discovered shooting and has reintroduced me to a hobby I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed. I now shoot 45 ACP and 223.

I'm just a plinker (making holes in paper) and again my goal is to keep the cost reasonable. I've acquired a Rock Crusher press (same as I had years ago) and all the associated equipment.

So far, my 'working up a load' for the 223 has been to start at the minimum load and work up to the point where feeding/ejection problems go away. That is where I'm at now (55gr FMJ-BT, 26.0 grains Winchester 748, Winchester small rifle primers).

So my question is, where should I be going from here? and how should I go about it?

 

[BADUNAME37]

I typically choose several different bullets (pills) that I think I would like to work with. Make sure whatever you get is something that you can still acquire (don't work a load using an obsolete component for obvious reasons).

I try the various bullets going by about three to eight sources of medium loads - all using the same brass, primers and powder at this point. The first loads I load are only two or three of each different bullet. You can use one powder or try others. I find it easiest to work with only one powder at a time.

Basically, you want a 100 yard range with a good, sturdy bench and good, sturdy bags to shoot off of. Everything you do, from the loads to the shooting to the placing of the shot brass casings back into the container, all of it should be well-marked so when you get home you can study your targets, study your empty cases looking for signs of excessive pressure, make any notations if there was a slight cross-breeze, etc. I try to only shoot loads I am working up on perfectly calm days, and preferably when I am the only one at the range. Take time between shots for the barrel to cool.

Some folks clean their barrel after each string of shots. I typically only start out with a really clean barrel, unless it is to the point where I am comparing two nearly-identical tack-driving loads!

What you are going for is accuracy, even if they are a bit calm. I find, better to be real accurate and perhaps a bit calmer than factory loads than to be all over the paper and off the paper with wild loads.

You might find one bullet (or more) that shoot particularly well out of your gun! Those are the pills that you will most likely want to experiment with. Try the recommended powders, try regular primers, magnum primers, etc. The more times you go to shoot, the more you are comparing this to that, types of powder, which powder seems to pull the tightest group. Once you find that out, experiment then with differing weights of powder. Depending on the size of the charge to begin with, that will be how you determine how much to step up. Mark everything. Place the cartridges in the box with each row 1-10 marked well and make sure no matter what you do, no one or no pets will knock over your different loads! It is extremely important to keep notes on everything at this point and make sure EVERYTHING is well-marked so there is no confusion when you are at the range!

I have spent literally weeks working up loads. Sometimes you are lucky and the first or second load you try is a tack driver! If you are nearly hitting the same hole with every shot, you aren't going to do any better than that! Consider that to be your load and make sure you have EVERYTHING WRITTEN DOWN!

The main thing I find, for myself is that I have to be in the mood to do it. I don't want to have anything else on my mind. If you are in the process of getting married, buying a new house or a new car, then working up the loads is not going to be your first priority. Make sure you are calm, methodical and in the mood to be doing this. If you aren't in the mood today to sit at the bench, there is always another time. I find for me it is best if I am not hurried at all during any phase of working up loads. You also want your head screwed on straight. I would not go reload while intoxicated, for example (been nearly 30 years since I drank anyway!).

Right off, it is not necessary as you are looking for tight groups, however you may want to consider a chronagraph (or borrow a buddy's). Once you have "THE LOAD", Chronograph it so you know just what your trajectory is!

You may have two different bullets that shoot equally as well! That is all the better as you have some variety! If they both also have the same point of impact (which is kind of unlikely), that would even be better still!

I hope you can understand what it was I was trying to convey.
Blessings to you and your working up that load!

 

[gamestalker]

First off, I thought friendly don't fire, has the right idea. Keeping good records and paying attention what your groups and brass are doing during the work up process, will enable you to identify when you've reached a working combination.
But depending on how much you remember from your past hand loading years, I would also decide what bullet seating procedure you want to work with. In this respect, I'm refering to where you want the bullet regarding to olgive loadtion to the lands. If you can get up and close to the lands without touching them, it should help accurize your loads. Getting close to the lands can help to reduce some harmonic distortion caused by bullet jump. There is so much more involved regarding harmonic distortion beyond just seating depth, and I don't really want to cloud your thoughts with all of this, and won't. So for now just try getting close to the lands.

 

[Old krow]

So my question is, where should I be going from here? and how should I go about it?

Start at the minimum and work up the slowly while keeping an eye on signs of over pressure. Then it's just a matter of using what works the best for you in terms of recoil and accuracy. I'd go for the most accurate load that I could.

Here's an interesting article on Incremental Load Development. I've seen it discussed on THR, but I couldn't find the thread. I like it for rifle cartridges

It is extremely important to keep notes on everything at this point and make sure EVERYTHING is well-marked so there is no confusion when you are at the range!

I try to keep up with my spent rounds to look for signs of over pressure. If I run out of boxes (sometimes I do) I put labels on ziplocks and use them. I try to keep everything separate.

On handguns, I foul the barrel, then shoot a group of factory ammo, or a load that is proven accurate for me. Some days I shoot pretty well, some days I don't. It's a way to make it all relative for me.

 

[Hondo 60]

Friendly, Don't Fire! has it a bit more involved than what I do.
Then again, I'm working with hand guns & just wanna be able to hit a bullseye now & then.

I'm not using this for hunting, so if I miss, it doesn't matter.
My family won't go hungry & I don't have to listen to all the ribbing at deer camp.

Having said all that, I like the ideas that've been put here so far.

Good luck & stay safe!

 

[j2crows]

All excellent ideas! We are all different As for me...I never drink anything with caffeine before I'm shooting for a group. It gives me the shakes.

 

[Walkalong]

Many years ago I reloaded 45 ACP: 230gr FMJ-RN, 5.5 gr Unique, CCI Large Pistol Primers. I have no idea if that recipe is good or bad or better or worse than any other. I tried it. My gun liked it, and I never changed it.

To be honest, a lot of people did just that. They bought some components, threw together a load that made sense, especially back in the day when powder choices were much more limited, shot it, and if it shot well, they called it good, and blissfully shot that load for years.

I tried 5.0 Grs of W-231 with lead bullets in .45 and it shot great. I tried all the way to 5.5 Grs of W-231, and they all shot great. I proceeded to shoot 5.0 or 5.5 Grs of W-231 with whatever cast bullet was the cheapest at the gun show and did that for a number of years. Happy as I could be. Same thing for .38 SPl. I had gotten a deal on a bag (Yes, a bag) of 700X and it shot great in .38 Spl and later .44 Spl. So guess what? Yep, I shot 700X in those two for many years.

Fast forward 15/20 years. There were many more powders to choose from. I had more income to try different things and not always have to catch sales/closeouts/free wheel weights etc, so, I started trying all kinds of powders and bullets.

A couple dozen pistol powders, and hundreds of loads later, I have more loads that shoot great, and I have my favorites, but I don't have any more fun than I did back in the day when this kid drug his cheap reloads out to the gravel pit and shot the afternoon away.

Same for rifle. All accounts said H335 would shoot great in .222, .222 Mag, .223, so I bought some. My Sako .222 Mag loved it and Hornady 50 or 55 Gr soft points, so that is what I shot for years, and still do, along with V-Max's these days.

So, working up a load. For rifle you pick a powder and a bullet, start low and work up testing different charge weights. You will one more than one sweet spot as you work up to max. Pick a power level from those sweet spots and go for it. If that bullet doesn't shoot well, try another. Your gun will like one if it is going to shoot at all.

Basically the same for pistols.

My .223 plinking/blasting load? Cheap surplus powder and cheap 55 Gr FMJ bullets. No need to test yourself to death, cause those 55 Gr FMJ's don't shoot well anyway.

Kind of long winded, but the moral of the story is you can pick some reasonable components, try them, and if they shoot well enough to suit you, quit and load up. Or, you can test yourself to death and wear out your barrels looking for the perfect load. Set a reasonable goal accuracy wise, and stop when you reach it for that gun/caliber.

 

[LiveLife]

So, working up a load. For rifle you pick a powder and a bullet, start low and work up testing different charge weights. You will one more than one sweet spot as you work up to max. Pick a power level from those sweet spots and go for it. If that bullet doesn't shoot well, try another. Your gun will like one if it is going to shoot at all.

+1. I am currently working up .223 and .308 using several different powders/bullet weights and going from start to near max in 1 gr increment in powder charge. Before reloading, I shot several different factory loads at different bullet weights and there were measurable variations in shot group accuracy. Also, your barrel twist rate/length will affect how it will shoot different weight/charge bullets - so, I would recommend you do the full sweep from start to near max, just in case your "sweet spot" is different than rifle/barrel used for the published/posted load.

Basically the same for pistols.

I load for several different pistols for each caliber and noticed that some pistols prefer certain charge/OAL over another in regards to reliable cycling and accuracy (different pistols come with different rate recoil springs). I work up pistol loads in .1 -.2 gr increments in powder charge.

So when someone posts a super-duper accurate load (like 45ACP 200 gr LSWC with 5.0 gr of W231/HP38), it may not always duplicate in YOUR pistol - for some pistols, 5.2 gr works better and 5.5 gr for another. I always recommend new reloaders at least do a full sweep of start to near max once to satisfy the curiosity.

Some will frown at this, but I even dip .2-.3 gr below start charge "just in case" to identify light yet accurate loads like 40S&W 180 gr TCFP with 3.8 gr of W231/HP38 (This is below published start charge and the usual THR disclaimer applies here).

 

[animator]

My method has been similar to what has been discussed. I pick a rifle I want to develop a load for, and spend a bit of time researching what others have done. I understand someone else's "pet load" might not work well with mine, but I at least like to try it out, assuming it is going in a similar rifle and is a safe load (verified by crosschecking manuals). For example, I've read of several success stories with a 55gr bullet, using 24.0gr H335 in a 16" AR rifle with 1:9 twist. I tried the same combo, and shot sub-moa with it without "working up" to that load. Will I test this load further? Sure. But it was a good solid starting point for that rifle/bullet/powder combo, and produced similar results.


Once the rifle has been determined, I choose a powder. Often that choice is based on what others have had success with, or that produces a burn rate ideal for my barrel/bullet combo.


After determining the powder, I choose a bullet. Choices here tend to vary quite a bit, going from what weight I want to try, or what happens to be a good deal at the moment. For instance, I found a sale on 180gr bullets for a .308. Decided to try them, and have since worked up a sub-moa load for that bullet with a specific rifle, using the +.3gr increment method using a variety of powders. 44gr Varget seemed to be the sweet spot for that load/rifle when compared with other powders.


Once rifle, bullet, powder and primer have been determined, I adjust powder in .1 or .3 grain increments, loading generally 5 rounds of each. I like to mark the cases with a sharpie, since it won't rub off easy, but cleans off during tumbling after being fired. I record the results, often with a camera I take to the range. I also keep a log of what each load does, and note how the rifle handled it.


I only change one component at a time when "working up a load". It is very important that you only change one variable at a time. I've had two identical loads using 2 different primers created two widely-varying results. I also document everything possible about the load. But to sum it up, working up a load is nothing more than trail and error, and always asking yourself "what if..." within safe reason.

 

[bloominonion]

I noticed everyone says to keep the rounds separate, but instead of storing them separately, put a series of marks with a sharpie to indicate load level. I usually make the marks along the side of the case.

For example,
l = 40.0 gn
ll = 40.5 gn
lll = 41.0 gn
(assuming you are using 0.5 gn increments)

This way you can keep all of your loads in one or two boxes pretty easily (depending on the number of rounds you intend to shoot). Otherwise use baggies.