3 or 5

[oldfatguy]

Loading up some 260 seated to different distances off the lands. Starting at 0.005" and going to 0.040" jump in 0.005" steps.

I use 3 rnd groups for OCW, but how many for seating depth testing - 3 or 5?

OFG

 

[NoFail]

Re: 3 or 5

3.... When you get what you think you want, then load 5 groups of 5 of that and prove it.

 

[oldfatguy]

Re: 3 or 5

Thanks. I'll load 3 at each jump and the rest at 0.040". Depending on what the 3 rnd round-robin groups tell me I'll go back and re-seat the rest accordingly.



OFG

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: 3 or 5

A group of 3 lies to you more often than it tells you the truth.
A group of 5 tells you the truth more often than it lies to you.

{Neither by very much. but that is the math.}

 

[Iamironman]

Re: 3 or 5

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MitchAlsup</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A group of 3 lies to you more often than it tells you the truth.
A group of 5 tells you the truth more often than it lies to you.

{Neither by very much. but that is the math.} </div></div>

I like that.

FWIW I never shoot less than a 5 shot group for accuracy.

 

[former naval person]

Re: 3 or 5

This^^^^^^

 

[Quigley77]

Re: 3 or 5

I believe in 5.

 

[Blackbrush]

Re: 3 or 5

5 as long as you have a reasonably heavy set up. If it's a lighter hunting rig, you need to work hard to keep it cool. Light stuff moves around with heat.

 

[Helter]

Re: 3 or 5

I'm new to reloading, but for all of my testing I've loaded five of everything. If I get the data I need out of three, then I can pull the bullets on the other two. If I only load three and screw up one of the shots, I can't exactly run home and load another real quick.

 

[Morrisongd]

Re: 3 or 5

If the rifle shoots minute of angle with three shots but can't hold minute of angle with five shots… Which is it? Is it a minute of angle gun or not? I tend to believe that if the rifle cannot shoot a 5 inch group at 500 yards with five shots then it is not a minute of angle firearm. But then again I always error on the side of caution.

Ymmv

 

[Grumulkin]

Re: 3 or 5

It's very true a group of 3 can lie to you but as long as you understand that a really good group of 3 doesn't necessarily mean the load is good and that if you get a bad group, then shooting more groups with that load will probably be fruitless, you should be OK using groups of 3 and will save a lot of ammo.

Obviously, once you get a load that looks promising, more testing with that load will be in order.

 

[oldfatguy]

Re: 3 or 5

Thanks for all the input. Went ahead and loaded 5 rnds each at .005" to .050" off the lands in .005" steps. Now if the best jump isn't more then .050" I'm all set.

Will be shooting them "round robin" so I should be able to see what is going on around 3 shots. Then the last two to confirm.

New, prep'd Lapua brass, 107 SMK, 41.2 gn Varget, Fed 210M. I know, low node, but it is a 200yd load.

OFG

 

[leadbullet]

Re: 3 or 5

five all day long.