Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
There are yet more threads today regarding how to obtain reloading components and perceived "hoarding" behavior. Rather than focusing on those perspectives, I am posting this thread as a way to possibly help others conserve and potentially get more mileage out of the components they actually do have. Here are a couple things I do, feel free to add other tips that may allow more efficient usage of hard-to-find components.
1) I sort bullets by OAL for the purpose of obtaining more uniform bullet pointing. I sort them into groups of .0015"total variance within each length group; for example, A) 1.5000" - 1.5015", B) 1.5020" - 1.5035", and so forth. I typically end up around 8 total length-sorted groups per Lot# of bullets. By necessity, the extreme outliers (excessively short or long) end up mixed in with the shortest/longest sort groups, even though they fall outside the desired .0015" range for each group. With a typical Lot# of bullets, I usually end up with an approximate Gaussian distribution, where the majority of length-sorted bullets fall somewhere near the middle. Because the overall length range of the shortest/longest sorting groups actually also contain the extreme outliers, I typically don't use them for record fire in matches. However, I have no issues using them for the first two or three sighters of the day in matches where unlimited sighters are allowed in Match 1. I also use them for the same purpose when doing load development. The key here is that using the OAL outliers as foulers/sighters when they are unlikely to have any impact on the score is an easy way to conserve bullets from the length groups I actually do use for record shots.
2) I use a LOT of Varget and H4895. When I reach a point that a particular 8 lb jug does not have sufficient powder left in it to load for an entire match, I typically put it aside in an empty container. I continue adding to the container from various Lot#s of the same powder over time until I have accumulated enough to serve as a "Mix" of at least 8-10 lb, with which I can develop a load and use for some time in rifles that are not my primary or "go-to" match rifles. I will occasionally add from a one pound bottle here and there, especially when that may be all that's available from a given vendor, or when there are limits on purchase quantity. Obviously, if you have another keg of the same Lot# of powder, the remnants of of a prior keg of the same Lot# can go into the new one when it is opened. However, this is one way to generate a more useful amount of some particular powder when it represents the last container from a given Lot#. I've used H4895 and Varget "Mixes" for a number of years and they work just as well as the powder from a single Lot# in my hands.
3) Sometimes I will use 4-shot groups rather than 5-shot groups for reloading purposes, particularly at preliminary stages of the load development process, when using one shot fewer per group is unlikely to have a markedly negative effect on the final outcome. Every little bit helps.
The bottom line is that when reloading components are scarce, anything you can do to extend the life of a given Lot# can help.
1) I sort bullets by OAL for the purpose of obtaining more uniform bullet pointing. I sort them into groups of .0015"total variance within each length group; for example, A) 1.5000" - 1.5015", B) 1.5020" - 1.5035", and so forth. I typically end up around 8 total length-sorted groups per Lot# of bullets. By necessity, the extreme outliers (excessively short or long) end up mixed in with the shortest/longest sort groups, even though they fall outside the desired .0015" range for each group. With a typical Lot# of bullets, I usually end up with an approximate Gaussian distribution, where the majority of length-sorted bullets fall somewhere near the middle. Because the overall length range of the shortest/longest sorting groups actually also contain the extreme outliers, I typically don't use them for record fire in matches. However, I have no issues using them for the first two or three sighters of the day in matches where unlimited sighters are allowed in Match 1. I also use them for the same purpose when doing load development. The key here is that using the OAL outliers as foulers/sighters when they are unlikely to have any impact on the score is an easy way to conserve bullets from the length groups I actually do use for record shots.
2) I use a LOT of Varget and H4895. When I reach a point that a particular 8 lb jug does not have sufficient powder left in it to load for an entire match, I typically put it aside in an empty container. I continue adding to the container from various Lot#s of the same powder over time until I have accumulated enough to serve as a "Mix" of at least 8-10 lb, with which I can develop a load and use for some time in rifles that are not my primary or "go-to" match rifles. I will occasionally add from a one pound bottle here and there, especially when that may be all that's available from a given vendor, or when there are limits on purchase quantity. Obviously, if you have another keg of the same Lot# of powder, the remnants of of a prior keg of the same Lot# can go into the new one when it is opened. However, this is one way to generate a more useful amount of some particular powder when it represents the last container from a given Lot#. I've used H4895 and Varget "Mixes" for a number of years and they work just as well as the powder from a single Lot# in my hands.
3) Sometimes I will use 4-shot groups rather than 5-shot groups for reloading purposes, particularly at preliminary stages of the load development process, when using one shot fewer per group is unlikely to have a markedly negative effect on the final outcome. Every little bit helps.
The bottom line is that when reloading components are scarce, anything you can do to extend the life of a given Lot# can help.
