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Maximizing accuracy
- Reloading Depot
- 7 Replies
First. . . note a difference between "accuracy" and "precision":
I would say that a full or nearly full load tends to be more consistent than low fill loads (having to do with how the powder ignites uniformly as the powder lays in cartridge at the time of ignition. In a low fill case, the powder can lay differently depending on how the cartridge is handled upon chambering. A pretty full case load tends to produce better "precision".
Not necessarily. There's different things involved effecting stability of a projectile. In some cases, more velocity may not give the projectile enough time to stabilizes. Though, less flight time reduces the effect any wind will have on the projectile, particularly as distance increases.
If you're after both accuracy and precision, then the focus should be on what you get on target. If you maximizing velocity, you're loading to the max pressure for the particular powder. That can be problematic if you find yourself shooting in conditions that will elevate the pressure or a condition in your chamber that can do that too . . . resulting in changing precision and even accuracy.
Yes.
They're often different because their own testing is dealing with variables that are different (e.g. same powder, but different burn rate as different lots burn at different rates; different chamber configurations used; different case volumes). This is why it's good to use those books as a guideline to get some idea where to start with a load and work up a good load that you put together with the components you happen to be using.
When you choose a particular powder, and you want to work up a good load with as full a cartridge as possible, it's best to run a pressure latter to know where this particular lot of powder begins to have pressure signs for the projectile being used at a particular seating depth. Once you know where the max is for your cartridges in your particular gun, you can then start working up a safe load, starting low and working up to find a load that's accurate with precision.
You don't have to fill to exactly at the bottom of the bullet (100% fill). Having a fill as low as 95% can work just as well. The trick is finding a powder that can give you a good fill (like 95% or better), AND . . . will also be completely burned by the time the projectile leaves the muzzle.
