I am very new to this reloading process. Once you have created your round and are ready to test its accuracy, velocity etc. How do you fire it? Do you have a rest that you "lock" it into and fire at a target and where they hit is where they hit? Do you "lock" it in and then adjust the gun rest to hit the center based on aim? Do you take the gun and fire it as you would for training, meaning you actually pick a target and aim your shots at it? This might seem a like an odd question, sorry if it has been addressed here before but I have not seen it. So far in reading this forum I have learned a great deal, thanks all.

I shoot handloads for testing just like any other ammo. Rifle rounds are from a bench, bipod up front and bag in the rear typically. Handgun rounds are shot standing unsupported, I'm a steady enough shot to know if accuracy is acceptable or not. The only exception for handguns would be testing something specifically for accuracy, say comparing a few different long range 44 magnum loads. Then I will use a bag as a rest on a table to shoot some groups.

Also, typically I take my chrony with me to the range when testing completely new loads. First five rounds get shot over the chrony for velocity measurement. Then I go to shooting at targets.

How you test a handload really depends on what you are trying to do with the load, and what cartridge it is. Working toward maximum on a rifle round, it will be a slow process. Shoot one round, record the velocity, check the case and primer for pressure signs, repeat until you have a group to record, etc. On the other hand, if I am working out a new plinking load for a handgun, my requirements for testing will be much less stringent.

You don't mention rifle or handgun. You'll find most people will fire handgun rounds off some type of improvised rest, sandbags, shooting bag etc. Not very scientific. Rifle shooters usually own some type of purpose built rest to fire from. No hard and fast rules there. Few handgun shooters own ransom rests which are pretty much considered the gold standard for testing handgun ammo. Testing with a chrono is a good idea but gets left out often because is can be a bit of a pain to set up. A lot of people just take their reloads and shoot them as they would store bought ammo and do no real testing at all. It's up to you, just be aware of signs of pressure problems.

Well first off I don't decide on the load the gun does that for me. I decide on what bullet I want to use and then try several different powders/primer combinations. The tightest groups then get shot over the chronograph and the best velocity or accuracy wins and that becomes my load for that bullet. Now as for how they are shot, the rifles are locked into my lead sled and pistols are shot off a rest. That is only for load development, all practice takes place from practical positions. Standing offhand, seated, kneeling, etc. I try to make my practice as much like I am likely to encounter in the field. As far as zeroing the scope or open sights I wait until I decide on the load then make adjustments.

Excellent question. I also am interested in what methods others have.
I myself have no real formal handgun testing other than using a chronograph to see if I am close to what the books say. I look for consistency in the loads(velocity and standard deviation)

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Still Running Against the Wind

sorry for not explaining the weapons. My primary is a S&W M&P 45 ACP. My wife's is a Ruger 9mm. How important is the Chrony? I have only the basics for reloading and that is not one of the items. I have been looking at the fired brass and how far they have been thrown from the pistol. The main reason I was asking about how the round is fired, is due to my thinking that if I am accurate with it the way I fire then it is a "good" load. However I was not sure if that was the "right" way to determine a "good" load. Thanks for the replies.

A "good load" means different things to different people. In your case, since you are loading two very common pistol cartridges, I don't think you need the chrony. I would simply evaluate your loads based on proper cycling of the gun, recoil, cleanliness, and economy. If your loads give you everything you need in your pistols, then no need to shoot more rounds testing.

You could still shoot some 25 yard groups with your loads to gauge accuracy, but even then, do you ever shoot your pistols to 25 yards? If you are just loading for practice ammo at standard defensive ranges, accuracy to me would be second or third on the list behind proper cycling of the gun and desired recoil level.

The first thing for me is accuracy. But I always take a load with me I know shoots very good and use that as a benchmark. I have chased my tail more than once because I was just having an off day.

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AM-Tracks 66-69

I shoot from a rest to test accuracy. I test new loads first at 50 feet, then move to 25 and 50 yards, if that is applicable. I use a bullseye target. If you have used your gun for a while with other loads, you will usually be on the paper target at 50 ft. Do not worry about being perfectly sighted in. You do not need to sight perfectly in until you find a load that you will use for a while. If you are on the paper, shoot some five-shot groups and measure the spread of the widest shots. You do not need a mechanical rest. A rest I like consists of three 25-lb shot bags filled with sand and stacked like a pyramid. I rest the barrel on the top bag and press the front of the frame firmly into it. One must not allow the bench or any part of the rest to touch the bottom of the grip frame. Use a firm two-hand hold, and with a little practice you will shoot groups well enough to test different loads. I feel I need to shoot at least five, 5-shot groups with each load in order to compare accuracy results. The more groups you can shoot, the more reliable your conclusions will be. It is a matter of statistics, that is, making sure your results are real and not due to chance or some quirk of your gun or shooting method.

Inexpensive pistol rests are available. I have used the Caldwell "Pistolero" and it is OK, but lighter and less convenient than the three sandbags, IMO. When you find a load that groups well then adjust your sights for the sight picture you want.

Well, for plinking loads I shoot them over the chrono for 12 shots, then off-hand for grouping at 25 yards. This method is for my .44 Special, .45 Colt, 32-20 loads.

For accuracy/target loads I shoot 12 over the chrono off-hand to read the speed and "feel" the load. Then I chuck the gun in the Ransom rest, adjust it to my aim point and shoot 12 rounds for group at 50 yards. Myy last 9mm loads I tested were 5 loads of increasing charge and the final load tested right at 1100 FPS. When I went to the Ransom, that load was shooting an x-ring group on the B-27. Needless to say an ammo testing day is a long day.

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Non illegitimae carborundum

A Chrony is not all that important, you do not need one but may want one sometime down the road.

I think it's safe to say if you are following the manual, or powder company's "recipe" exactly, you will have a "good" load.

There are so many powders and bullets it kinda hard to be exactly the same. For instance if you follow Speers manual you may not be using their exact bullet but one of the same weight a shape will be OK. For the 45 ACP a 230 gr FMJ are all pretty darn the same. Same with 9mm. Lead bullets can be different.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Rule #1: You are shooting because it is fun and you are with your wife.

Rule #2: Don't forget Rule #1.

When the fun "wears off", then worry about accuracy, group size, different powder, different bullets. All of this assumes you are following basic firearm's safety rules and good marksmanship practices. If it ain't fun, its work.

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S&WHF 366

Take some tennis balls with you to the range and throw them at the berm at 25 yards. If you can hit them 9 out of 10 times, you are good to go!

All kidding aside, I shoot close range competition. I shoot from a bag @ 10 yards for my first test of accuracy. If they won't stay in one big hole there, then no sense moving out. Only problem is, all of the loads I have loaded, ever, will group better than I can shoot, and, some say I am a good shot.

One thing to remember, if it is shot from a combat handgun, like the ones you describe, and you can hit a tennis ball @ 25 yards consistently, what more could it matter? Not only that but, reactive targets make shooting really fun!

Stick with book loads if you don't have a chronograph. Follow the recipe exactly, especially the OAL.

When you get really good, you can switch to golf balls. With a 45 they will really move around though and then you gotta go get them from the back side of the berm. Tennis balls stay on your side, usually!


FWIW

I test for serious accuracy from a padded bench rest. I use a 4x6 or 6x6 w/ an old towel stapled to it & a shot bagd of sand on top. Rest your wrists over the bag & let the gun free recoil. Yes a specific aiming point is good if you want good groups. Aim small miss small, so nothing bigger than a 1" paster @ 50ft for service guns & 75ft for revolvers.

I Test my reloads holding the gun free hand at 25 and 50 feet. I also test them through a chronograph. Since I do not CARRY reloaded ammo, (I use Buffalo Bore Ammo for S/D) I like my loads to be accurate and so I need to test them in a real target shooting scenario, not in a bench rest. I also like to know what the velocity is just so I can extrapolate if I need to increase or decrease the velocities. The loads I make up for target shooting are usually slightly more mild than standard factory loadings. No need to beat up the brass, the gun or my self to punch holes in paper.

The ONLY time I use a bench rest is when I am sighting in a rifle with a scope.

Chief38

I test all my new handgun loads offhand out to 25 yards. Most of my handgun loads are deadly serious and I expect that they will perform when my life is on the line, for whatever reason. Reliability is always the most important consideration for me. When given a choice, I will always choose to carry a revolver. I tend to load heavy bullets and I need to be sure that the bullets will not jump the crimp under recoil. I do this by keeping the same four loaded rounds in the cylinder and changing out only the two fired cases repeatedly to see just how the loaded rounds hold up under recoil. All my loads will easily hit a man size vital zone at 25 yards but some bullets shoot a bit higher or lower and occasionally a load will be off for windage. You need to know where the bullet will hit relative to your sight picture. How easily the cases extract is another important consideration. If I'm taking the load into the field I will test it at 50 yards shooting offhand and from rollover prone. I never use a rest unless I'm shooting at 100 yards and that's usually just to find out how much front sight to hold up.

When loading for a semiauto you want to make sure that the bullet is not being seated deeper into the case when it slams against the feed ramp. This can be disastrous with certain cartridges like the .40 S&W and it has happened to me with a bad sizing die.

Be absolutely sure that your ammo will function properly in your handgun BEFORE you load up 500 or 1000. Just yesterday I loaded eight rounds of oddball 158 gr. LRN for my 627 in Magnum brass. I was shocked to find that the cartridges are too long and the cylinder would not close. Good thing I loaded only eight and not 1000, but I really should've checked after the first one.

Dave Sinko

Load 1 round for functionality check and fire, if all is well then load and fire a 5 shot group. If all is good reloading in mass begins, if not try a different powder charge and repeat.

Doesn't every one go to the range with a press, prepped brass, powder and powder scale? You are going to take fire arm and bullets anyway -- just bring the reloading basics and a C-clamp.

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S&WHF 366

I am a real novice in this area. I have developed plinking defense and hunting loads but as for testing I do not have a set procedure. I am not a good shot with a handgun but I have improved through the years. I have found that making consistent ammo is very important in developing rounds for handguns. Not to say that is not key with rifles but with handgun rounds, if you are trying to get consistent and tight groups, I find there are more ways to be inconsistent with handgun rounds. Simple and proven and old standard loadings, rarely disappoint.