Re: Load Dev: short range alternative to ladder & OCW?
"I read that ladder tests are only worthwhile when shot at a distance of 300 or more yards. When you have access to 200 yards or less, what is a good method of testing for accurate handloads?"
The ladder test process is valid at any range, long ranges do give a measure of the long range groups while 100 yard ranges give only 100 yard accuracy. The differences are NOT lineier but if you don't have a way to test at longer you use what you have. ?? I commonly do it at 100 yards but would prefer your 200.
The problem with shooting maybe ten or more rounds into a single target at 100 yards is how difficult it becomes to keep an accurate record of which hole came from which round. I avoid that problem by using a single numbered target for each numbered round. When complete, I stack them one at a time on a clean target and mark the hole to make a composite that correctly shows where they would have landed if I had used one target. Works good too. I put all of my test load data on the composite target and keep it in my loose leaf records note book book, including weather, dies used, average run-out, etc, and toss the rest.
I also do a ladder for OAL changes after I find the best powder charge node, that record target also goes in the record book along side the powder test target.
