OWC without chronograph?

[locash78]

Hey guys, new to reloading. I just loaded my first batch of 308, 168gr SMK over Varget, .3gr increments from min to near max. I’m itching to go try them out but I don’t have a chronograph since I can’t decide which one to get. My plan was to go shoot, watch for signs of pressure and see what charge looks promising as far as accuracy. Very basic OWC without making it too complicated. Then I was going to load more of the best grouping charge and hopefully by that time I would have a chronograph. Would I be wasting time to do initial testing without chronograph? Take it easy on me you sharks . Thanks!

 

[spife7980]

Well considering that Optimal Charge Weight is done without a chrono...

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[straightshooter1]

Hey guys, new to reloading. I just loaded my first batch of 308, 168gr SMK over Varget, .3gr increments from min to near max. I’m itching to go try them out but I don’t have a chronograph since I can’t decide which one to get. My plan was to go shoot, watch for signs of pressure and see what charge looks promising as far as accuracy. Very basic OWC without making it too complicated. Then I was going to load more of the best grouping charge and hopefully by that time I would have a chronograph. Would I be wasting time to do initial testing without chronograph? Take it easy on me you sharks . Thanks!

You sure DON'T need a chronograph to do OCW testing as it's all about what you see on your targets and your ability to interpret what you see. So, yes . . . you can find a good load this way and you can find your pressure limits without a chrono too.

A chronograph will give you data that you may need for ballistic calculations, like for long distances, to get on target easier. Also, chrono data can better tell you just how well you're prepping and loading your cartridge's . . . in terms of velocity SD's.

 

[locash78]

Well considering that Optimal Charge Weight is done without a chrono...

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Thanks for the link. I thought that finding velocity nodes was part of OCW. Bad research on my part, oops . I’m I confusing it with ladder test or a different test?

 

[spife7980]

Thanks for the link. I thought that finding velocity nodes was part of OCW. Bad research on my part, oops . I’m I confusing it with ladder test or a different test?

Don’t need a chrono for a ladder either.

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The chrono load development is a recent occurrence that’s, in my opinion, utter crap that ignores real world results.

 

[Dogtown]

Yep, there's a valid argument to be made that measuring velocity isn't necessary until you've dialed-in a load.

What @spife7980 is getting at is that leaning too heavily on velocity as a pillar of the load development process is a bit of a fool's errand. The problem partially (but mostly) has to do with normal velocity variation you will get from shot to shot. If you just shoot single shot incrementing charge weights, then try to analyze that, you're highly under-sampling your data. You're drawing a conclusion from noise. If you repeated the same incremental shot sequence, you'll likely get different results. If you want to analyze velocity as part of the load development process, then you need to shoot a lot more rounds per charge weight to get an accurate look at how that weight will shoot on average.

 

[Doom]

OCW isn't about velocity or smallest group size. It is about finding a load that will give you repeatable accuracy for normal variations in loading variables. I suggest you study the the link below.

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OCW looks at the whole riifle system not just the cartridge. What the chronograph gives you is velocity and nothing else. It has no intelligence as to where the bullet ends up or even if it hits the target. With a few rounds you can get a feel for the average velocity and with a larger number of rounds it can begin to tell you something about the real standard deviation. Standard deviation is driven more likely by loading techniques and components than by charge weight for well matched components.

 

[locash78]

Thank you. I’ve read it couple of times last night as someone else mentioned this link. Heading to the range tomorrow and will do exactly that