I fudged... like I said, first time using a chronograph. I will take the rounds that had low SD/ES and fire 5 rounds each to see if the groups are better. Didnt think about the harmonics of the barrel being off with the magneto speed on it.
ES/SD vs group size
- Thread starter emslife1
- Start date
I fudged... like I said, first time using a chronograph. I will take the rounds that had low SD/ES and fire 5 rounds each to see if the groups are better. Didnt think about the harmonics of the barrel being off with the magneto speed on it.
mikegaiz
Stay frosty, my friend.
I agree with Matt, having a Magneto attached to your barrel and not having it attached will change barrel harmonics and thus change your group/load accuracy. I do not see how you can do load development with a Magneto on a barrel. I look for a good group that is supported by good numbers, but needs to be at range longer than 100 yds.
Low SD/ES might mean that it is a good load but it may also mean that you follow sound reloading practices.
Try doing a ladder test at 0.1 gr increments over 20 shots and chronograph + plot the hits on target. Where both converge for at least 0.4 gr, that is your node. You can tune that node for each distance using a barrel tuner.
Try doing a ladder test at 0.1 gr increments over 20 shots and chronograph + plot the hits on target. Where both converge for at least 0.4 gr, that is your node. You can tune that node for each distance using a barrel tuner.
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
I can tell you this with some authority, when you are testing at short range, a load that groups well can have really bad velocity consistency when viewed from a long range perspective. Essentially they are two different things, both of which you need to shoot well at long ranges. Tune is about when in the barrels cycle of vibration the bullet clears the muzzle, while consistency of velocity is all about the conditions that influence the consistency of how the powder burns and pressure rises within the barrel.
A little story, a friend built a varmint rifle for a specific bullet. It shot very well, but when he added a muzzle break that took it completely out of tune with the same load. Being a true experimenter, he loaded up a bunch of two shot tests with the same powder charge that had shot so well before the muzzle brake was fitted, went out on a light wind day,with some flags, and shot test groups with a succession of seating depths, starting at a strong touch, and backing out of the rifling in .010 increments, two shots per group. Not being constrained by conventional thought, or timidity he found his load with bullets jumping .080. Once you have your low ES (People who discuss SD for small samples need to retake their statistics classes and pay more attention when sample size is being discussed.) you can be assured that your reloading practices are producing consistent bullet pull, that your powder charge uniformity is OK and that your primer selection is correct. Beyond that you will have to experiment with your load to achieve tune. You may be able to do it with seating depth. You may have to choose a different bullet. You may need to fix your rifle's bedding, or buy a better barrel.
A little story, a friend built a varmint rifle for a specific bullet. It shot very well, but when he added a muzzle break that took it completely out of tune with the same load. Being a true experimenter, he loaded up a bunch of two shot tests with the same powder charge that had shot so well before the muzzle brake was fitted, went out on a light wind day,with some flags, and shot test groups with a succession of seating depths, starting at a strong touch, and backing out of the rifling in .010 increments, two shots per group. Not being constrained by conventional thought, or timidity he found his load with bullets jumping .080. Once you have your low ES (People who discuss SD for small samples need to retake their statistics classes and pay more attention when sample size is being discussed.) you can be assured that your reloading practices are producing consistent bullet pull, that your powder charge uniformity is OK and that your primer selection is correct. Beyond that you will have to experiment with your load to achieve tune. You may be able to do it with seating depth. You may have to choose a different bullet. You may need to fix your rifle's bedding, or buy a better barrel.
WyleWD
Silver $$ Contributor
emslife1, are you crimping your bullets?
Also, if you haven't done it already do some research on setting up your chrony and especially the affects of sun angle, cloud cover etc. on your readings. I don't know how (or if) these atmospheric conditions affect a magneto speed, but I do believe they affect readings from day to day and hour by hour on other types of chronographs utilizing shadow detection. JMHO. WD
Also, if you haven't done it already do some research on setting up your chrony and especially the affects of sun angle, cloud cover etc. on your readings. I don't know how (or if) these atmospheric conditions affect a magneto speed, but I do believe they affect readings from day to day and hour by hour on other types of chronographs utilizing shadow detection. JMHO. WD
No, they don't, as a Magnetospeed isn't optical (works by light). Rather they work on the principal of how magnetic fields are affected by metallic objects moving within them.
Hanging a weight off the muzzle though will affect how a rifle performs compared to when that weight isn't present, why it's generally accepted to find a node that works for accuracy then further your knowledge of it by getting some numbers about velocity & consistency.
Speed and accuracy have no direct correlation. the same goes for any other chronograph information. I will take that back just a bit. Variations in velocity can and do affect accuracy at ranges over 200 yards. For a "short range" hunter it would have to be very large variations in velocity to even notice.
For example I ran a 130 grain at 2991 and the same data at 3041 (50 fps faster). The difference at 200 yards was only .05" high. At the highest point it was .06" high. (around mid rise)
Of course the longer the range the more difference it will make which is why the long range shooters work to limit extreme spread and mean average deviation.
Atmospheric conditions affect the flight of the bullet more than the chronograph. Variations in light affect the accuracy of optical chronographs but not the magneto or the radar. Professionals use either radar or optical but they use them indoors with artificial lighting.
For example I ran a 130 grain at 2991 and the same data at 3041 (50 fps faster). The difference at 200 yards was only .05" high. At the highest point it was .06" high. (around mid rise)
Of course the longer the range the more difference it will make which is why the long range shooters work to limit extreme spread and mean average deviation.
Atmospheric conditions affect the flight of the bullet more than the chronograph. Variations in light affect the accuracy of optical chronographs but not the magneto or the radar. Professionals use either radar or optical but they use them indoors with artificial lighting.
All it takes is one bullet . SD don't cover that .
Larry
Larry
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
The MagnetoSpeed is relatively insensitive to the conditions that can adversely affect a light-based chronograph. The downside as mentioned is that having the MagnetoSpeed can affect group size/shape and POI. The general consensus is that the increase in POI comes from muzzle blast off the sensor deck; if you turn the bayonet to one side or the other, the POI will move in that direction. The effect on group size/shape is almost certainly a "tuner" or barrel harmonic effect, and there's really no way to get around it with the MagnetoSpeed. I routinely load up 10 rounds at each charge weight or seating depth, 5 for velocity and 5 for grouping with the MagnetoSpeed removed. I do a fair amount of load development in virgin brass, so I'm usually also fire-forming brass at the same time and therefore don't mind shooting the extra rounds. However, it does mean more reloading time and components to get the same information. Ideally, the LabRadar solves both those issues, but at a much higher initial cost.
I did what you had mentioned at loaded up 10 rounds per charge. 5 rounds to check ES/SD, velocity, and group size.
The groups that gave me single digit Es/Sd with 3 round had increased in numbers. Ex: 3 rounds with H4831 weighed at 42.9 grains gave me an SD of 2, and an ES of 5. 5 rounds of the same powder, and weight gave me a SD of 14, and an ES of 36.
I was able to get the best group sized of half an inch. The other charge weights had single digit SD/ES numbers with 2 inch group sizes. Kind of confusing.
I don't crimp. I have read mixed reports on it. Most of the rounds I load don't even have a crimp groove. The SST round does have it, but its loaded pretty close to the lands to where the round protrudes just under the groove.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
ES/SD typically increase noticeably as the number of shots increases from a small value (3 shots) to a larger value, so your result is not surprising. One of the major reasons for carrying out a charge weight test series is to find the "window" in which ES/SD are minimized. That also means that velocity is the most consistent within the window, and therefore is likely to be minimally affected by minor charge weight variance. By analogy, a load in the center of such a window will also exhibit minimal temperature sensitivity, which is desirable if longer strings of fire (10+ shots) will be the norm.
In my hands, group size is most often also minimized in this window, but not always. I am primarily concerned with the ES/SD during initial charge weight testing. I will certainly look at the groups, but they are not normally my primary determinant in selecting an optimal charge weight. Once I have settled on a charge weight, groups are typically fairly easy to tune in by adjusting seating depth. The majority of bullets I use will usually tune in somewhere in the vicinity of .015" off the lands, so that is where I seat them for the initial charge weight test series. For seating depth testing, I usually test from 0.006" off the lands to 0.024" off the lands in .003" increments. The initial .015" off the lands is centered in this window, so I am not moving the bullet farther than .009" in either direction during seating depth testing. In my hands, this amount of seating depth movement does not alter internal [case] volume enough to change velocity (pressure) sufficiently that I can reliably detect a significant difference with the MagnetoSpeed. So the general approach I use is to optimize combustion first (charge weight test) and then tune the precision using seating depth.
It is certainly possible to initially select the charge weight that generated the smallest group, then tune in the group even further by adjusting seating depth. However, if the ES/SD of the selected charge weight was among the highest of the test series, which can happen on occasion, it is possible for the precision to degrade markedly during long strings of fire and/or with large changes in ambient temperature. In other words, a load that is tuned to produce very small groups under a specific condition that has NOT also been optimized for minimal ES/SD can fall apart if the conditions change significantly. You really want your load to have both properties (minimal temperature sensitivity and good precision) whenever possible.
So after reading your previous two posts, I would ask whether you have attempted to optimize seating depth yet. If not, I suspect your charge weights that exhibited minimal ES/SD can easily be tuned in to produce tight grouping by carrying out a rigorous seating depth test.
I work different. I use seating depth to adjust Or narrow ES then I let the tuner do its job . It takes far less shots . Tuners change the vertical and horizontal placements . In real life there should be a tune when you have a vertical and horizontal come together. Their is a tune from the point of aim up or down . They both shoot different in a head or tail wind . When you learn how to adjust a tuner you can deal with both vertical and horizontal displacement . Larry
I like your approach to finding an optimal charge. I had not started playing with the seating depth yet. Once I get my newly barrel savage, I will try this method out. So do you pick a velocity you want your round to be fired? How many rounds do you load per charge weight? This sounds like a very good method for me to start with. I also like your "in my hands" disclaimer.
I have match redding reloading dies, use lapua brass, and other premium parts with my 308 win which will help with more precise measurements when working on the seating depth portion of the process.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
As with many things, there are a range of different reloading approaches that will usually get you to about the same endpoint. Optimization of charge weight followed by seating depth is a pretty standard approach that can work very well.
The rifle will tell you at what velocity it gives the best precision, not the other way around. Further, this can only be determined by actual testing. However, with any given bullet, I usually have a very good idea of the velocity window where it will likely tune in well before I ever load them up. It's usually not too difficult to find out here the velocities people are running a certain bullet from a certain barrel length. I also use use an approach known as Optimal Barrel Time (OBT), which focuses on barrel occupancy times, rather than velocities, per se. The theory behind this approach has been hotly debated for some time, so you'll find a love/hate relationship with many shooters regarding OBT. It works for me and allows me to make good use of the reloading program QuickLoad (Neco), so I don't particularly care whether the proposed mechanism is correct or not. If you're interested, here is a link to OBT: http://the-long-family.com/optimal barrel time.htm. In any event, whether from reading at online shooting forums or using computer predictions and optimal barrel times, I generally have a fairly good idea where the load velocity will end up before even starting. The main thing is to test a wide enough range to see both boundaries of any optimal window, so you can define the center of the window and load to it.
Even if you have no idea whatsoever of what velocity to expect from a given bullet/powder/barrel length combination, you can start with the charge weight test ranges given in typical reloading manuals. Depending on whether you're loading to mag length (I don't; I single feed only, so the rounds are much longer than mag length), they will give you a place to start that will generally be conservative. You always start low and work up in reasonably small increments, not only for the obvious safety reasons, but also because if the test increments are too large, you may mis something. Sometimes people will start with a coarse increment charge weight test to cover a wider charge weight range with a smaller number of rounds and point them to some specific region within the overall range. Afterwards, they will carry out a small increment charge weight test within that specific region. You can carry out these approaches using a ladder test, Optimal Charge Weight test, or some other method, but as I mentioned before, I'm more concerned with the velocity data the first time through than the grouping, which will be tuned in later using seating depth.
Your dies are fine; I also use Redding Type-S Match dies sets. I always remove the expander ball from mine before use, YMMV. If you don't own them already, having something like the Hornady OAL gauge, a good set of calipers, and the appropriate caliper tool inserts to measure to bullet ogive and case shoulder are very useful. Once you have assembled the necessary tools and components, it's simply a case of choosing the test approach you want to use, loading up a test series, and getting started. I'm sure you will learn a lot more as you are actually doing all the steps. I personally pay very, very close attention to maintaining the highest level of consistency for three major factors: charge weight, seating depth, and neck tension. I think that if you can keep those factors uniform, the odds of developing very good handloads increases exponentially. Good luck with the process, and post your questions/progress here at Accurate Shooter; it's a very good place for information.
The rifle will tell you at what velocity it gives the best precision, not the other way around. Further, this can only be determined by actual testing. However, with any given bullet, I usually have a very good idea of the velocity window where it will likely tune in well before I ever load them up. It's usually not too difficult to find out here the velocities people are running a certain bullet from a certain barrel length. I also use use an approach known as Optimal Barrel Time (OBT), which focuses on barrel occupancy times, rather than velocities, per se. The theory behind this approach has been hotly debated for some time, so you'll find a love/hate relationship with many shooters regarding OBT. It works for me and allows me to make good use of the reloading program QuickLoad (Neco), so I don't particularly care whether the proposed mechanism is correct or not. If you're interested, here is a link to OBT: http://the-long-family.com/optimal barrel time.htm. In any event, whether from reading at online shooting forums or using computer predictions and optimal barrel times, I generally have a fairly good idea where the load velocity will end up before even starting. The main thing is to test a wide enough range to see both boundaries of any optimal window, so you can define the center of the window and load to it.
Even if you have no idea whatsoever of what velocity to expect from a given bullet/powder/barrel length combination, you can start with the charge weight test ranges given in typical reloading manuals. Depending on whether you're loading to mag length (I don't; I single feed only, so the rounds are much longer than mag length), they will give you a place to start that will generally be conservative. You always start low and work up in reasonably small increments, not only for the obvious safety reasons, but also because if the test increments are too large, you may mis something. Sometimes people will start with a coarse increment charge weight test to cover a wider charge weight range with a smaller number of rounds and point them to some specific region within the overall range. Afterwards, they will carry out a small increment charge weight test within that specific region. You can carry out these approaches using a ladder test, Optimal Charge Weight test, or some other method, but as I mentioned before, I'm more concerned with the velocity data the first time through than the grouping, which will be tuned in later using seating depth.
Your dies are fine; I also use Redding Type-S Match dies sets. I always remove the expander ball from mine before use, YMMV. If you don't own them already, having something like the Hornady OAL gauge, a good set of calipers, and the appropriate caliper tool inserts to measure to bullet ogive and case shoulder are very useful. Once you have assembled the necessary tools and components, it's simply a case of choosing the test approach you want to use, loading up a test series, and getting started. I'm sure you will learn a lot more as you are actually doing all the steps. I personally pay very, very close attention to maintaining the highest level of consistency for three major factors: charge weight, seating depth, and neck tension. I think that if you can keep those factors uniform, the odds of developing very good handloads increases exponentially. Good luck with the process, and post your questions/progress here at Accurate Shooter; it's a very good place for information.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
As with many things, there are a range of different reloading approaches that will usually get you to about the same endpoint. Optimization of charge weight followed by seating depth is a pretty standard approach that can work very well.
The rifle will tell you at what velocity it gives the best precision, not the other way around. Further, this can only be determined by actual testing. However, with any given bullet, I usually have a very good idea of the velocity window where it will likely tune in well before I ever load them up. It's usually not too difficult to find out here the velocities people are running a certain bullet from a certain barrel length. I also use use an approach known as Optimal Barrel Time (OBT), which focuses on barrel occupancy times, rather than velocities, per se. The theory behind this approach has been hotly debated for some time, so you'll find a love/hate relationship with many shooters regarding OBT. It works for me and allows me to make good use of the reloading program QuickLoad (Neco), so I don't particularly care whether the proposed mechanism is correct or not. If you're interested, here is a link to OBT: http://the-long-family.com/optimal barrel time.htm. In any event, whether from reading at online shooting forums or using computer predictions and optimal barrel times, I generally have a fairly good idea where the load velocity will end up before even starting. The main thing is to test a wide enough range to see both boundaries of any optimal window, so you can define the center of the window and load to it.
Even if you have no idea whatsoever of what velocity to expect from a given bullet/powder/barrel length combination, you can start with the charge weight test ranges given in typical reloading manuals. Depending on whether you're loading to mag length (I don't; I single feed only, so the rounds are much longer than mag length), they will give you a place to start that will generally be conservative. You always start low and work up in reasonably small increments, not only for the obvious safety reasons, but also because if the test increments are too large, you may mis something. Sometimes people will start with a coarse increment charge weight test to cover a wider charge weight range with a smaller number of rounds and point them to some specific region within the overall range. Afterwards, they will carry out a small increment charge weight test within that specific region. You can carry out these approaches using a ladder test, Optimal Charge Weight test, or some other method, but as I mentioned before, I'm more concerned with the velocity data the first time through than the grouping, which will be tuned in later using seating depth.
Your dies are fine; I also use Redding Type-S Match dies sets. I always remove the expander ball from mine before use, YMMV. If you don't own them already, having something like the Hornady OAL gauge, a good set of calipers, and the appropriate caliper tool inserts to measure to bullet ogive and case shoulder are very useful. Once you have assembled the necessary tools and components, it's simply a case of choosing the test approach you want to use, loading up a test series, and getting started. I'm sure you will learn a lot more as you are actually doing all the steps. I personally pay very, very close attention to maintaining the highest level of consistency for three major factors: charge weight, seating depth, and neck tension. I think that if you can keep those factors uniform, the odds of developing very good handloads increases exponentially. Good luck with the process, and post your questions/progress here at Accurate Shooter; it's a very good place for information.
The rifle will tell you at what velocity it gives the best precision, not the other way around. Further, this can only be determined by actual testing. However, with any given bullet, I usually have a very good idea of the velocity window where it will likely tune in well before I ever load them up. It's usually not too difficult to find out here the velocities people are running a certain bullet from a certain barrel length. I also use use an approach known as Optimal Barrel Time (OBT), which focuses on barrel occupancy times, rather than velocities, per se. The theory behind this approach has been hotly debated for some time, so you'll find a love/hate relationship with many shooters regarding OBT. It works for me and allows me to make good use of the reloading program QuickLoad (Neco), so I don't particularly care whether the proposed mechanism is correct or not. If you're interested, here is a link to OBT: http://the-long-family.com/optimal barrel time.htm. In any event, whether from reading at online shooting forums or using computer predictions and optimal barrel times, I generally have a fairly good idea where the load velocity will end up before even starting. The main thing is to test a wide enough range to see both boundaries of any optimal window, so you can define the center of the window and load to it.
Even if you have no idea whatsoever of what velocity to expect from a given bullet/powder/barrel length combination, you can start with the charge weight test ranges given in typical reloading manuals. Depending on whether you're loading to mag length (I don't; I single feed only, so the rounds are much longer than mag length), they will give you a place to start that will generally be conservative. You always start low and work up in reasonably small increments, not only for the obvious safety reasons, but also because if the test increments are too large, you may mis something. Sometimes people will start with a coarse increment charge weight test to cover a wider charge weight range with a smaller number of rounds and point them to some specific region within the overall range. Afterwards, they will carry out a small increment charge weight test within that specific region. You can carry out these approaches using a ladder test, Optimal Charge Weight test, or some other method, but as I mentioned before, I'm more concerned with the velocity data the first time through than the grouping, which will be tuned in later using seating depth.
Your dies are fine; I also use Redding Type-S Match dies sets. I always remove the expander ball from mine before use, YMMV. If you don't own them already, having something like the Hornady OAL gauge, a good set of calipers, and the appropriate caliper tool inserts to measure to bullet ogive and case shoulder are very useful. Once you have assembled the necessary tools and components, it's simply a case of choosing the test approach you want to use, loading up a test series, and getting started. I'm sure you will learn a lot more as you are actually doing all the steps. I personally pay very, very close attention to maintaining the highest level of consistency for three major factors: charge weight, seating depth, and neck tension. I think that if you can keep those factors uniform, the odds of developing very good handloads increases exponentially. Good luck with the process, and post your questions/progress here at Accurate Shooter; it's a very good place for information.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
As with many things, there are a range of different reloading approaches that will usually get you to about the same endpoint. Optimization of charge weight followed by seating depth is a pretty standard approach that can work very well.
The rifle will tell you at what velocity it gives the best precision, not the other way around. Further, this can only be determined by actual testing. However, with any given bullet, I usually have a very good idea of the velocity window where it will likely tune in well before I ever load them up. It's usually not too difficult to find out here the velocities people are running a certain bullet from a certain barrel length. I also use use an approach known as Optimal Barrel Time (OBT), which focuses on barrel occupancy times, rather than velocities, per se. The theory behind this approach has been hotly debated for some time, so you'll find a love/hate relationship with many shooters regarding OBT. It works for me and allows me to make good use of the reloading program QuickLoad (Neco), so I don't particularly care whether the proposed mechanism is correct or not. If you're interested, here is a link to OBT: http://the-long-family.com/optimal barrel time.htm. In any event, whether from reading at online shooting forums or using computer predictions and optimal barrel times, I generally have a fairly good idea where the load velocity will end up before even starting. The main thing is to test a wide enough range to see both boundaries of any optimal window, so you can define the center of the window and load to it.
Even if you have no idea whatsoever of what velocity to expect from a given bullet/powder/barrel length combination, you can start with the charge weight test ranges given in typical reloading manuals. Depending on whether you're loading to mag length (I don't; I single feed only, so the rounds are much longer than mag length), they will give you a place to start that will generally be conservative. You always start low and work up in reasonably small increments, not only for the obvious safety reasons, but also because if the test increments are too large, you may mis something. Sometimes people will start with a coarse increment charge weight test to cover a wider charge weight range with a smaller number of rounds and point them to some specific region within the overall range. Afterwards, they will carry out a small increment charge weight test within that specific region. You can carry out these approaches using a ladder test, Optimal Charge Weight test, or some other method, but as I mentioned before, I'm more concerned with the velocity data the first time through than the grouping, which will be tuned in later using seating depth.
Your dies are fine; I also use Redding Type-S Match dies sets. I always remove the expander ball from mine before use, YMMV. If you don't own them already, having something like the Hornady OAL gauge, a good set of calipers, and the appropriate caliper tool inserts to measure to bullet ogive and case shoulder are very useful. Once you have assembled the necessary tools and components, it's simply a case of choosing the test approach you want to use, loading up a test series, and getting started. I'm sure you will learn a lot more as you are actually doing all the steps. I personally pay very, very close attention to maintaining the highest level of consistency for three major factors: charge weight, seating depth, and neck tension. I think that if you can keep those factors uniform, the odds of developing very good handloads increases exponentially. Good luck with the process, and post your questions/progress here at Accurate Shooter; it's a very good place for information.
The rifle will tell you at what velocity it gives the best precision, not the other way around. Further, this can only be determined by actual testing. However, with any given bullet, I usually have a very good idea of the velocity window where it will likely tune in well before I ever load them up. It's usually not too difficult to find out here the velocities people are running a certain bullet from a certain barrel length. I also use use an approach known as Optimal Barrel Time (OBT), which focuses on barrel occupancy times, rather than velocities, per se. The theory behind this approach has been hotly debated for some time, so you'll find a love/hate relationship with many shooters regarding OBT. It works for me and allows me to make good use of the reloading program QuickLoad (Neco), so I don't particularly care whether the proposed mechanism is correct or not. If you're interested, here is a link to OBT: http://the-long-family.com/optimal barrel time.htm. In any event, whether from reading at online shooting forums or using computer predictions and optimal barrel times, I generally have a fairly good idea where the load velocity will end up before even starting. The main thing is to test a wide enough range to see both boundaries of any optimal window, so you can define the center of the window and load to it.
Even if you have no idea whatsoever of what velocity to expect from a given bullet/powder/barrel length combination, you can start with the charge weight test ranges given in typical reloading manuals. Depending on whether you're loading to mag length (I don't; I single feed only, so the rounds are much longer than mag length), they will give you a place to start that will generally be conservative. You always start low and work up in reasonably small increments, not only for the obvious safety reasons, but also because if the test increments are too large, you may mis something. Sometimes people will start with a coarse increment charge weight test to cover a wider charge weight range with a smaller number of rounds and point them to some specific region within the overall range. Afterwards, they will carry out a small increment charge weight test within that specific region. You can carry out these approaches using a ladder test, Optimal Charge Weight test, or some other method, but as I mentioned before, I'm more concerned with the velocity data the first time through than the grouping, which will be tuned in later using seating depth.
Your dies are fine; I also use Redding Type-S Match dies sets. I always remove the expander ball from mine before use, YMMV. If you don't own them already, having something like the Hornady OAL gauge, a good set of calipers, and the appropriate caliper tool inserts to measure to bullet ogive and case shoulder are very useful. Once you have assembled the necessary tools and components, it's simply a case of choosing the test approach you want to use, loading up a test series, and getting started. I'm sure you will learn a lot more as you are actually doing all the steps. I personally pay very, very close attention to maintaining the highest level of consistency for three major factors: charge weight, seating depth, and neck tension. I think that if you can keep those factors uniform, the odds of developing very good handloads increases exponentially. Good luck with the process, and post your questions/progress here at Accurate Shooter; it's a very good place for information.
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