At what point are you finished with load development?

[Whisk604]

Just curious how and when do other reloaders decide that they have finished load development. I know a few guys that chase SD under 10. Others are happy with under MOA. I tend to test until 3 rounds are under half MOA with no cooling time between shots.

 

[Leadeye]

Load development is never finished, only abandoned.

 

[Whisk604]

Load development is never finished, only abandoned.

Very well said. I've wasted a lot of rounds chasing a goal that wasn't going to happen.

 

[led4thehed2]

I think the only load I've settled on is a 30-06 load for my M1903. I referenced old Army manuals that were uploaded online for bullet weight and muzzle velocity, and then tried 4 powders I had on hand : BL-C(2), Varget, IMR 4064 and IMR 4895. Each powder was loaded from ~43 to 48 grains at 0.3 or 0.4 grain intervals.

I quickly eliminated BL-C(2) and IMR 4895, Varget was okay, but IMR 4064 was the winner. Then I tested Hornady 3037 bullets vs some 7.62 NATO 147 gr. "seconds" bullets and found the Hornady was the clear winner. I also compared crimped vs non-crimped and found my rifle did much better without a crimp.

In total, I'd guess I tried about 70 - 80 unique load combinations. 47.4 gr. of IMR 4064 with a 150 gr. Hornady 3037 pill, no crimp, OAL ~3.1" (if memory serves) is the winner. The limit on its accuracy is my shooting skills.

 

[Whisk604]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that endlessly chases the perfect recipe.

 

[Bill2905]

Load development is never finished, only abandoned.

That would be me. I'll work on a load until I get bored with it and move on to another one.

 

[drm-hp]

I am trained as a research engineer so therefore I can chase until Christ comes back. The director of the lab told me something once that I continue to use, "Better is the enemy of good enough".
That does not mean to be frivolous in your requirements, just meet them, then move on. Get off the bench, then learn to shoot from position.
Analytical analysis is fun in some instances, but shooting 10's and X's is a lot more rewarding to my intelect.

 

[Whisk604]

I enjoy long range shooting with almost every rifle I have. That's where my standard came from. 1/2 moa 3 shot repeated fire. Groups tend to open with distance and mother nature putting in her 2 cents. I guess what I'm asking is what is your good enough standard? I've only given up on 1 gun so far. Remington 700 pencil barrel 7mm mag. Cold bore is bullseye. Second shot is 1.2 moa high and .34 moa to the right every time. The third touches the second shot but by this point the suppressor and barrel are too hot to get a decent image through the scope.

 

[drm-hp]

My 6mm Dasher and my 404 Jeffery are both rifles yet trying to conform them both to the same standard would be stupid. The Jeffery has to hold minute of Bison out to 200 yards, my maximum self imposed yardage w/400 gr. bullets. The Dasher does not come out unless I am shooting mid, Palma, or long range (mid starts @ 300, long is @ 1000 yards)
The Dasher will hold better than 1 moa out to 1000 if I can read the conditions correctly. (I have not been able to shoot a clean match yet, but I will continue to try.)
This is my point, standards need to reflect the conditions/ purpose of the firearm you are working with.

 

[55fairlane]

I chased my tail for a while , then , while visiting the Michigan corner at camp perry, a well rescan said, A) do the 6.5 guys load development test ( load 10 shots , in .02 tenths increments, from max down, shoot thru the clock, on both the high end and low end, you will see 3 velocities that are almost identical.......that is your load) B) you may have to do this with different powders and seating depth.

I can hold 10 ring to 10 ring (with the iron sights) , at 200/300 yards velocities are very close to each other

 

[drm-hp]

55fairlane, that is the Ladder Method if I remember correctly, by Randolph Constantine. That is the basis of load development I use also.

 

[johntheplinker]

A lot is going to depend on purposes. If its a hunting load, there is no need to chase tiny groups, it just need to be good enough with a hunting type bullet. A large game load that does 1 moa is very good, even 2 moa is going to be good enough for most large game hunting. A varmint load we want better because of the smaller target, so sub moa at worst.
A target/match load, on the other hand, bullet type doesn't matter but how close together the holes are does. When I shot benchrest, I had a load that averaged 1/4 moa, and I still wasn't happy.

 

[Whisk604]

I chased my tail for a while , then , while visiting the Michigan corner at camp perry, a well rescan said, A) do the 6.5 guys load development test ( load 10 shots , in .02 tenths increments, from max down, shoot thru the clock, on both the high end and low end, you will see 3 velocities that are almost identical.......that is your load) B) you may have to do this with different powders and seating depth.

I can hold 10 ring to 10 ring (with the iron sights) , at 200/300 yards velocities are very close to each other

I've always done the ladder test at no less than 300 yards to show me the same info. Groups of 3 will always pop up. Then seating depth adjustment to shrink the groups down. My chrono always agrees with the ladder test results.

 

[Whisk604]

I thought I would ask this question based on a buddies rifle. Ammo is scarce so I helped him with some 22-250 rounds. The gun is a savage axis with a cheap scope. He only uses it for coyotes and was more than happy with anything close to moa groups. I shot 2 more seating depths and found a load that went under 1/2 moa. He was blown away by it. I understand that projectiles like the 404 are not aerodynamic and shouldn't be held to the same standard. But when shooting a high bc berger or eldx bullets out of any caliber, I find myself testing until I find the tightest group that the rifle can produce.