Nature Boy
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How long does load development take you?
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JFrank
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I can’t remember if you went with the Fed 205 or the br 4
Nature Boy
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cougar1717
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It is all fine and dandy until you get a challenging gun. Those with low round counts have probably already refined components and are just tuning with OAL and charge weight.
If you have to start from scratch, or have a non-typical bullet type/weight, or have additional constraints (like functioning a semi auto or keeping the load subsonic), or a never-ending chase for those last thousandths - then load development can take a lot more than 100 rounds.
The worst case I have had so far was a 16" 308 carbine. I started off with good intentions, but it took a lot more time than I thought. Long story short, it has taken 3 powders, 4 bullets, and an adjustable gas block to go from approximately 3+ moa to 1.5-1.75 moa (which I will gladly take for this particular rifle). In this case, the semi-auto action caused me the most problems. I could get it to shoot 1.25 moa at the cost of a small percentage of blown primers and a large percentage of one time use brass. I could get it to shoot just over 1moa with light for caliber bullets at the cost of loosening up the carrier key (it was "properly" staked and torqued, but loose, not off). I'm over 300 rounds in, but have not YET found that perfect load (and I have replicated others pet loads) that gives excellent accuracy, cycles, doesn't loosen up primer pockets, and uses a gas block setting that also cycles typical factory ammo. All that to say, there are some guns that are almost effortless and some guns that take more when working up a load.
If you have to start from scratch, or have a non-typical bullet type/weight, or have additional constraints (like functioning a semi auto or keeping the load subsonic), or a never-ending chase for those last thousandths - then load development can take a lot more than 100 rounds.
The worst case I have had so far was a 16" 308 carbine. I started off with good intentions, but it took a lot more time than I thought. Long story short, it has taken 3 powders, 4 bullets, and an adjustable gas block to go from approximately 3+ moa to 1.5-1.75 moa (which I will gladly take for this particular rifle). In this case, the semi-auto action caused me the most problems. I could get it to shoot 1.25 moa at the cost of a small percentage of blown primers and a large percentage of one time use brass. I could get it to shoot just over 1moa with light for caliber bullets at the cost of loosening up the carrier key (it was "properly" staked and torqued, but loose, not off). I'm over 300 rounds in, but have not YET found that perfect load (and I have replicated others pet loads) that gives excellent accuracy, cycles, doesn't loosen up primer pockets, and uses a gas block setting that also cycles typical factory ammo. All that to say, there are some guns that are almost effortless and some guns that take more when working up a load.
FROGO207
Member
I am extremely happy with a load that tunes in within a box (100) of projectiles. My experience seems to be both the dirt cheap and ultra expensive seem to be the ones that cause me heartburn and hair loss finding a good load.YMMV
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