I have finally gotten into the reloading game myself, but I had a shooting buddy who has reloaded for a long time let me use his equipment and give me pointers so I didn't screw up. I had been shooting ammo with 175 SMKs. It shot well, so I wanted to stick with that bullet. I picked a powder (AR Comp) based on some reviews I read online. I know Varget is very popular, so I was trying to find a suitable alternative in case folks keep gobbling it up as soon as it hits the shelves.
I loaded up 45 rounds (five rounds per charge weight) and wanted to see how things grouped. I started by loading 5 rounds at 38.0 grains and went up 0.5 grains for each 5-round batch. My intentions are to "narrow the field" and focus on a couple of charge ranges to see what I can achieve. Below are my results from today.
What I would like is a little bit of advice from you guys who have much more experience than I do.
I sort of understand the premise behind accuracy nodes, but would like to get some input as to what you see in the targets below.
I don't know what it would matter, but this particular rifle is a Scout Supply Company Remington 700P with a 1:12 twist and cut back to 24" long.
Temp was about 48 degrees this morning, overcast and ZERO wind. The distance shooting was said to be 105 to 107 yards, but it was definitely over 100 yards.
These first two were the best groups of the day even though I pulled one round on the second group. Third group seems promising.
Please note that while the group on the second target is off the card, 4 of the 5 rounds are essentially what you see.....with the one round I pulled.
Here are a few of the other groups that had lower vertical spread (which from my understanding is what I should be looking for).
Does my reasoning sound good to you guys:
1. 38.0 grains is pretty amazing (for me). While it does shoot well, it might not have the MV necessary for longer-distance shooting (800 to 1000 yards).
2. 42.0 was pretty good as well, but that was where I stopped loading rounds to shoot (since I/we didn't know if my rifle could handle 42.5 or 43.0 grains of this powder). This "range" (41.7 thru 42.3) should probably be explored in more detail.
3. 40.5 looks to be promising as well (vertical spread really low).
4. Looks as if a "node" developed for me every 1.5 grains.
My intentions are to do my next bit of load development at 300 yards, but I would like to know where to focus my attention as to not waste time or components.
Should I just load up the same charge weights again and give it a shot at 300, or should I break these "ranges" down into smaller grain weights?
Thanks for any advice you can lend.
I loaded up 45 rounds (five rounds per charge weight) and wanted to see how things grouped. I started by loading 5 rounds at 38.0 grains and went up 0.5 grains for each 5-round batch. My intentions are to "narrow the field" and focus on a couple of charge ranges to see what I can achieve. Below are my results from today.
What I would like is a little bit of advice from you guys who have much more experience than I do.
I sort of understand the premise behind accuracy nodes, but would like to get some input as to what you see in the targets below.
I don't know what it would matter, but this particular rifle is a Scout Supply Company Remington 700P with a 1:12 twist and cut back to 24" long.
Temp was about 48 degrees this morning, overcast and ZERO wind. The distance shooting was said to be 105 to 107 yards, but it was definitely over 100 yards.
These first two were the best groups of the day even though I pulled one round on the second group. Third group seems promising.
Please note that while the group on the second target is off the card, 4 of the 5 rounds are essentially what you see.....with the one round I pulled.
Here are a few of the other groups that had lower vertical spread (which from my understanding is what I should be looking for).
Does my reasoning sound good to you guys:
1. 38.0 grains is pretty amazing (for me). While it does shoot well, it might not have the MV necessary for longer-distance shooting (800 to 1000 yards).
2. 42.0 was pretty good as well, but that was where I stopped loading rounds to shoot (since I/we didn't know if my rifle could handle 42.5 or 43.0 grains of this powder). This "range" (41.7 thru 42.3) should probably be explored in more detail.
3. 40.5 looks to be promising as well (vertical spread really low).
4. Looks as if a "node" developed for me every 1.5 grains.
My intentions are to do my next bit of load development at 300 yards, but I would like to know where to focus my attention as to not waste time or components.
Should I just load up the same charge weights again and give it a shot at 300, or should I break these "ranges" down into smaller grain weights?
Thanks for any advice you can lend.
