reloading techniques for accuracy

what reloading techniques yield small groups on the target?

or phrased another way

attention to which details - really count - when the goal is accuracy - even if it is a small detail -- and even if it is only a small reduction in dispersion

or phrased even another way - what are the attention to detail practices that Bullseye competitors use when handloading, but would also include consideration of revolvers

I'd like the focus of this discussion on just handguns because long guns will bring many more factors into the mix. (save that for Reloading 102)

Consistency above all else.

There's really no one answer as it largely depends on caliber, type bullet, etc. Some powders are more accurate with certain bullet weights over others, some loads tend to be more accurate with certain primers. It's all about the experimentation to develop an accurate load, part of the enjoyment of reloading.

Consistency in the brass cases and prep areas.

mtgianni is correct, consistency is the key. I did a test many years ago. It was with a Mod 19-3, 6". Common practice is to never pay any attention to the brass length or head stamp, and it always shot O.K. (50' groups around 1 1/2 to 2") So one day I sorted the brass by headstamp, trimmed it all to exactly the same length (minimum trim length) and hand weighed all the powder charges one at a time. Made sure the roll crimp was just the same in all rounds by rotating the case in the shell holder and re-seating the bullet at several points. In prep work I had de-burred the flash holes, and uniformed the primer pockets. Using a Ransom rest I shot several groups at 50 ft, and all of them measured around a 1/2" center to center. The one single thing that I believe helped the most is the exact trim length of the case, which will result in the most consistent crimp. I always "prep" my brass when it is new, uniform primer pockets and de-burr flash holes, it only has to be done one time.

For me it is good brass and placement of the bullet.........
Primer pressure and powder weight if a single stage loader.....

Even with good reloads it still comes down to 95% grip, trigger, breathing and mental state as the main accuracy killers.

In long range rifle, and I assume in all other ammo. It starts with the brass, if your brass is junk, mismatched and has different lengths your groups will show it. In the old silhouette competitions, the 44 mag brass was a well treated as any 1000 yard match brass is today. Ivan

Trigger control and front sight in focus. If you can't do those, ammo doesn't matter.

I shoot a lot of bullseye matches and frankly, I shoot mixed brass and have never cleaned primer pockets or trimmed brass. I load on an SDB. The only thing I do for accuracy of my 50 yard loads is to make sure those bullets don't have any dings on the edge of the base and I don't use bevel based bullets. Don't weigh bullets, either. At ranges 25 yards and less, you can load rocks and still get 3" groups if you can remember trigger control and your front sight.

i have been loading from the time i was 10 years old, almost 56 now. on handgun i use mixed brass, never trim and never clean a primer pocket. i never weigh each charge, i throw the charges with one of my belding & mulls. the consistency of the powder charge in my world is controlled by volume not weight. sure i weigh out the charge i want first then set the measure. the thing that matters least is the brand of primer, there aint a dimes worth of difference in good primers. what matters most in the accuracy of the components is the projectile. but what matters most all around is what chuckS1 said,Trigger control and front sight in focus.

All depends on your definition of small groups and how far on scale do you want to go. Are you going to use a ransom rest to reduce the shooter variable for the sake of testing. Or mount an optical sight?

For sake of this conversation-lets take the .45 acp.

Slug your bore to determine the ideal bullet diameter.

do you want to shoot jacketed bullets or cast? Jacketed match bullets from Sierra will be far more consistent that cast bullets. Cast bullets from most manufacturers can shoot better than we can hold. Oregon trail Laser Cast are prime examples.

Select quality brass such as starline to start your testing. Use Federal Match grade primers. Pick three powders such as WST, VV320, and 231. Work up loads from minimum towards max slowly in half grain increments. As your target provides feedback the split the increments down to one tenth of grain. Now you can start experimenting with seating depth for the gun you are using.

If you really want to have fun, try several brands of primers to see if one brand groups better than the other.

When you are done you are now hooked for life. Your reloads will out shoot the junk they sell at walmart and you can brag to your friends.

Accuracy is a function of consistency. You want to eliminate as many variables in your components to find what one individual guns likes best.

Everyone has an opinion on Equipment here's mine.

Forster Coax Press, Redding dies with the competition seater, Rcbs hand tool for priming, rcbs chargemaster scale and powder dispenser..

After that hire a shooting coach and see what a difference it makes.

thanks all for replies

how about??
new brass
inside case brushing - for consistent friction between the bullet bearing surfaces and case
measuring diameter of bullet for 0.001" over bore diameter for lead
weighing bullets
highest velocity to pressure ratio
load density (in case)
subsonic velocities

Sort brass
Buy quality bullets
Quality seating dies

No need to brush necks or sort bullets by weight unless they are way off. Load density can be an issue in the .357 with light bullets. Often you can feel the difference in recoil between shots when the powder is forward or back. Trail Boss does real well for target loads with lead bullets. For subsonic loads swaged lead bullets are generally better than cast.
Subsonic is nice because they are more pleasant to shoot leading to less flinching, but I see no correlation between velocity and pure accuracy. Heavy magnum loads are generally as accurate as target wadcutter loads in magnum revolvers.
If you want serious accuracy from a 9mm, bullet alignment is critical. Hollowpoints tend to shoot straighter than FJMs. Hornady XTP and HAP bullets are among the best for 9mm.

I don't know if powder volume has a bearing on accuracy.............?

I get good accuracy in my 686 6" with a 125 Jhp with just 8grs of w231 and also 16.5 grs of 2400.

Then again some guns get good groups at low vel and high vel loads with the same or different powders..........Sort of drives me nuts figuring which load to use !!

I agree with olskool. 45 years of reloading.

agree in theory with the details expressed by those very experience reloaders as posted above....

and I too have over 30 years experience, including the kind of compulsive details needed in IHMSA 200 yard competition back when I could actually see that far....

had side-by-side comparison of my own loads using both tightly controlled components vs 'within spec' otherwise unfussy loads, and side-by-side with a TA ultra precision bench rest rifle shooter who was trying to demonstrate his tricks as applied to off hand pistol loads.

My buddy went so far as to do case volume/weighed water capacity along with alignment of the head stamps in both sizing and seating operations, on a high grade single stage set up, compared to the random blessings of a Dillon 650.

Observations:
1) Buddy could shoot HIS loads in HIS hand guns accurately out to 50' from standing position.

2) Buddy could get excellent accuracy out to 100 yards from bench rest with his loads.

3) My own 'accuracy' loads were not as accurate on average as his.
This composite difference was less than 1/2 diameter of whatever caliber we were using for that particular test.

4) My own 'non-accurate' range fodder loads, built only to the SPEC standards, out to 50', were virtually identical accuracy to my 'accurate' loads.

What I concluded after thousands of rounds at a series of multi-caliber trials, was this:

For MY use in MY guns, the extra dithering to make 'accurate' loads was not necessary, as the largest variant in the process, was my own performance variability. Some days I manage to shoot better than others.

For my use, if I can manage consistent hits on 4-6" plates out to 50' range, that's all I need.

While at one point, I managed to build 150gr 308 full length XP100 loads that would put FIVE into a thumbnail size at 100 yards with iron sights, cumulative physical issues and geezer vision has demoted standard competition bulls eye targets at 50' being immaterial.

The pleasures of reloading remain very satisfying. My goals have gradually changed. No matter 'how accurate' any particular load may theoretically be, a more practical reality is 'how accurate' my own performance may be on any given day.

To each their own. Attention to basics in reloading is essential. What those detail perimeters really may be, remain debatable.

All excellent technical advice above, consistency is key, and I'll add compatibility to the mix. Some calibers are inherently accurate, .38 Special, .44 Special and .45 ACP come to mind. In my experience, these tend to be more tolerant to different powders and bullet shape/sizes and still shoot darn good. Some of the more difficult calibers, such as 9MM and .380, take a lot of test combinations, trial and error to find 'the load.' Here's where the compatibility to the gun and the shooter really come into play. For instance I have multiple 9MM's, and over the years have developed different loads (powder, amount, bearing surface, FPS, size, style, etc.) for each gun. All use 124 grain lead, and all of them will go bang in each of the guns, but I do find a big difference in accuracy, recoil characteristics, and functioning when they are 'tuned' to the particular gun. Thus, I've come up with a pet load for each.

Now I know what you're thinking, this guy has way too much time on his hands....or a pretty transparent excuse to spend a lot of time reloading or going to the range to test.....but that's where the fun and experimentation come in. Read all you can, depend on published load book and not the Internet...and recognize that the super accurate load in one gun may not work as well in another. It is so exciting when you do find the perfect combination and are rewarded with a bunch of holes in the 10 ring. Oh, and don't forget the thrifty factor, you're shooting on the cheap...and not paying inflated prices due to gouging. That'll put a smile on your face. Have fun

forestswin said:

thanks all for replies

how about??
new brass
inside case brushing - for consistent friction between the bullet bearing surfaces and case
measuring diameter of bullet for 0.001" over bore diameter for lead
weighing bullets
highest velocity to pressure ratio
load density (in case)
subsonic velocities

Click to expand...

Any and all of those will be negated by your shaky hands.