Load developement questions.

[EugeneNine]

Now that I have reloaded a few successfully I'm wondering how to get the most out of my loads.
I started out at the published starting load and if they worked stay there and if they don't (such as FTE) I'll work up until they do.
Should I get a bench rest and chrono and make up testers across the whole range from starting to max or is just picking the first that works sufficient?
How do others do it?
Just shooting in my hand I can't tell much difference in accuracy going across the range, should there be a big difference?

 

[Rule3]

What caliber and what bullets are you using. The bullets themselves can make a world of difference.

A Chronograph will only tell you velocity and if you loads are consistent.

There are just so many variables that will affect/effect accuracy so work on one item at a time.

Yes a a pistol rest will help to take "you" out of the equation.

Just changing powder charges and shooting free hand will not unless you are a very good shot

So I would say first what gun. caliber, powder and bullet are you using and go from there.

 

[federali]

A Chronograph?

I added a chronograph a few years ago and I love it. It tells me if my loads are reaching published velocities. Prior to that, I had no idea what my loads were doing besides leaving the gun in a reliable manner and not blowing up the gun. Best of all, I think you can get a Chrony for about $99.00 for the basic model. I think their top end model also makes cappuccino. Buy the model that best serves your needs regarding data storage and try real hard not to put a round through the machine itself. Here's where the bench rest comes in real handy.

Bench rest? I use them for rifles but never owned one for handguns. But, this is a valuable tool and as the gentleman before me said, it takes you out of the equation. Whenever I have to evaluate a handgun for myself or a friend, I would always improvise a rest, as I do when using the chronograph.

 

[fredj338]

Now that I have reloaded a few successfully I'm wondering how to get the most out of my loads.
I started out at the published starting load and if they worked stay there and if they don't (such as FTE) I'll work up until they do.
Should I get a bench rest and chrono and make up testers across the whole range from starting to max or is just picking the first that works sufficient?
How do others do it?
Just shooting in my hand I can't tell much difference in accuracy going across the range, should there be a big difference?

It just depends on what your needs are. For some, if it goes bang they are happy, for others the accuracy has to be the best possible. If you only want ammo to shoot at 21ft, it only needs to go bang. If you want to hit head shots @ 20yds, then you need a bit more.
A chrono is a must IMO, you can learn a lot about your handloads by proper use of one. A bench setup of some sort is mandatory for final accuracy testing. Unless you can hand hold 2" groups @ 25yds, a bench helps sort out good loads from great loads. NO "accuracy" testing should be done closer than 50ft IMO, just not enough diff between good, bad & exc loads @ 21ft. Everything shoots into one hole about 1" @ 21ft. IF ammo is really bad, that might be 2", gotta push the distance back enough for the shot dispersion to show up.

 

[harley46580]

I agree with the Chrono recommendation. Since I got one I have learned that the books are sometimes generous to say the least and that my Lee powder thrower is not very consistent with some powders. It has also allowed me to tailor loads to my specific guns.

 

[ChiefStealth]

Just shooting in my hand I can't tell much difference in accuracy going across the range, should there be a big difference?

IME, there is a range of charge weights that will maintain about the same accuracy. Not much difference. However, when you get outside of that range, the difference in accuracy is quite noticeable. I was recently reminded of this when I started using a new powder for the first time. Min. load was 4.4gn, max 4.8gn. I loaded up several at 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, & 4.8. All of them operated properly. No signs of excess pressure. The loads at 4.4 thru 4.6 seem to have roughly the same accuracy. 4.7 maybe a bit more spread. But, the 4.8 loads were definitely less accurate.

 

[Jellybean]

A chronograph is a device that measures projectile velocities to calculate exterior ballistics data. If you think it gives you any more than that, you're spending too much time on the internet.

 

[Rule3]

In addition to whay Mr Bean said above, the Chrony brand is less than useful. If you live anywhere there is Sunlight it is a piece of junk. I went through returning 2 of them. I tried all kinds of tricks to try and make it work correctly. Nothing but errors and false readings,

If you get one get a Competition Electronics Pro digital, read the reviews.It's only a few bucks more and actually works!

But as mentioned it is not going to tell you anything other than velocity and if your powder loads are consistent,

As I mentioned above without knowing more info, not much we can help you with.

 

[EugeneNine]

What caliber and what bullets are you using. The bullets themselves can make a world of difference.

A Chronograph will only tell you velocity and if you loads are consistent.

There are just so many variables that will affect/effect accuracy so work on one item at a time.

Yes a a pistol rest will help to take "you" out of the equation.

Just changing powder charges and shooting free hand will not unless you are a very good shot

So I would say first what gun. caliber, powder and bullet are you using and go from there.

M&P 9c. I thought I'd learn to reload some day until ammo ran out last April and Cabelas just happened to get some supplies in stock. I've been getting Berry's 115 and 124 grain plated when they go on sale and grabbing whatever powder happens to come in stock. So far I've just loaded the (Lee) starting load for Tightgroup, 700X, and Longshot. I also have a pound of 800X and Power Pistol.
700X I had to go up a couple tenths from starting or it would FTE but Tightgroup was as as accurate as I am at the starting load so I didn't bother to go higher. I actually went a tenth under trying to make some easy loads to get the wife started but ended up buying an M&P22.
I'm wondering though if I should get a rest and run some at every increment from starting to max and see if any are more accurate than the others.

Where do you typically see the best accuracy, I would assume around the middle and the ends such as starting and max would be the least accurate but I see enough differences in loading manuals that one's starting could be the mid for another.

 

[EugeneNine]

It just depends on what your needs are. For some, if it goes bang they are happy, for others the accuracy has to be the best possible. If you only want ammo to shoot at 21ft, it only needs to go bang. If you want to hit head shots @ 20yds, then you need a bit more.
A chrono is a must IMO, you can learn a lot about your handloads by proper use of one. A bench setup of some sort is mandatory for final accuracy testing. Unless you can hand hold 2" groups @ 25yds, a bench helps sort out good loads from great loads. NO "accuracy" testing should be done closer than 50ft IMO, just not enough diff between good, bad & exc loads @ 21ft. Everything shoots into one hole about 1" @ 21ft. IF ammo is really bad, that might be 2", gotta push the distance back enough for the shot dispersion to show up.

I started reloading last year because all the local stores ran out of factory and since I was budgeting money to buy ammo anyway I just went over to the next isle and started buying books and tools and supplies.
So now that I'd successfully done some I'm trying to decide myself where I want to go from here.

 

[fredj338]

I started reloading last year because all the local stores ran out of factory and since I was budgeting money to buy ammo anyway I just went over to the next isle and started buying books and tools and supplies.
So now that I'd successfully done some I'm trying to decide myself where I want to go from here.

Like I said, it can be as simple as making the gun go bang. Just depends on your shooting needs. Most reloaders want ammo as accurate or better than factory. So I always test my loads looking for better accuracy, sometimes for higher vel, but mostly for accuracy.
Ime, starting loads are rarely the most accurate with most powders. Midrange loads with über fast & fast powder seem to be right. With medium burners, above midrange loads. With slower powders, forget even midrange loads, accuracy will suffer & incomplete powder combustion is the norm. So slower powders need to be run something like 85% or better.

 

[SMSgt]

Been reloading since '75 and have never used a chrony--not once. I rely entirely on how well a load groups. A deer or BG isn't going to notice a 50 fPS spread or if your load doesn't match published data if you put the bullet where you aim. I can tell by performance if a load works. And powder amount is usually not the only thing that makes a load accurate. I've never found a max load to be the best load.

Target patterns tell me more than a chrony ever will.

 

[Rule3]

M&P 9c. I thought I'd learn to reload some day until ammo ran out last April and Cabelas just happened to get some supplies in stock. I've been getting Berry's 115 and 124 grain plated when they go on sale and grabbing whatever powder happens to come in stock. So far I've just loaded the (Lee) starting load for Tightgroup, 700X, and Longshot. I also have a pound of 800X and Power Pistol.
700X I had to go up a couple tenths from starting or it would FTE but Tightgroup was as as accurate as I am at the starting load so I didn't bother to go higher. I actually went a tenth under trying to make some easy loads to get the wife started but ended up buying an M&P22.
I'm wondering though if I should get a rest and run some at every increment from starting to max and see if any are more accurate than the others.

Where do you typically see the best accuracy, I would assume around the middle and the ends such as starting and max would be the least accurate but I see enough differences in loading manuals that one's starting could be the mid for another.

Yes, I like middle of the road to 3/4 of max for accuracy. Do not go below the start load as that will cause problems. You have some good powders. I like PP in the 9mm and 40 SW, Just lucked into a BIG jug of Londshot and that is working real well also, I do not like fast powders in the 9MM so Titegroup is not for me. Don;t own the stuff.

Try shooting from a rest, sand bag or whatever just to steady your hands and or gun,

Use the powder companies data or a good manual Like Hornady or Speer. LEE is just a accumulation of data from somewhere else and has not been updated.

Hodgdon Reloading | Home

 

[Twoboxer]

If you are shooting 9mm at 7 yards . . . looking for the most accurate load is likely to be a waste of time. There isn't enough distance to show the difference between the loads.

If you want to find the most accurate load . . . yes, you must use a rest of some kind. You also need to shoot at 15 to 25 yards, although in my experience some differences between loads begin to show at 10 yards.

When I'm looking for a new (9mm or 45ACP) pistol load, I make 5 rounds at 0.2gr increments from my data source's min to max, and I use their listed COL. Powder charges are all hand-weighed.

(You should make one or two dummy rounds at that length to see if they feed in YOUR pistol when manually racking the slide. If not, go longer until they do. If you are using Hornady data eg, the cartridges will look short compared to factory lol.)

At the range I'll shoot 5 factory rounds to remind myself what the recoil feels like, and where the ejected brass ends up . . . sort of a baseline to help know where the reloads are vs factory power. Then I'll shoot all the groups of 5 reloads, and compare the shooting experience and the targets.

Any load that doesn't cycle the pistol is ignored. The ideal would be to find two adjacent loads that had comparable accuracy . . . and then choose the midpoint between them as "my load". In any case, for whatever reason, I have fairly quickly gotten all the info I need to choose a load.

A chrono isn't necessary IMO for non-competitve load development. It may be useful for some competitions. It is really helpful IMO for rifle due to the longer ranges involved. For some of us its fun to use even for pistol; but I've discovered that any load that cycles my pistols will punch through paper

Above all, have fun and stay safe.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I loaded 40 years before I got a chrony............

Revolver and rifle loads killed game without it........
with target loads or maximum data loads.

Kilt a lot of paper too !!

Just have fun and enjoy it..............

 

[venomballistics]

A bench rest should rank higher than a chrono
when I develop a load, I go up from minimum by feel.
As soon as the load feels consistent, I subtract 1 grain from the max and divide the difference between the first consistent feeling load,and the 1 grain less than max by 5, which then determines increments.
5 each are loaded, coded, and fired for accuracy going from low to high, stopping if things start getting out of hand.
The smallest group wins the contract.
If it's particularly tight, another string in .2g increments is fired to squeeze that group down a bit more.

 

[rwsmith]

You can take it..........

You can take it as far as your heart desires. All of those devices should improve grouping whether or not they improve your shooting ability.

I wouldn't mind having the stuff available, but I've never needed it. I don't do pistols off the bench. And I just vary the load until I find a round that feels good and groups tighter than the others. I like to play in the 'hot' territory, but most guns are more accurate at low to medium loadings instead of screamers.

I think a chrono would help my load testing but I don't have much of a place where it could be used so I don't have one. With the extremely wide variety of bullets and powder I'm using because of the shortage, especially with lead bullets shot out of rifles justifies it more to me.