How long before?

[SLuke]

Pretty basic question. The weather next week is finally going to be above freezing so I plan on going to the range on Monday afternoon, but have nothing going on tonight and plans all weekend long that will keep me away from the press. Is there any downside to sizing and/or loading ammo 3-4 days before it is going to be fired?

I’m not doing anything even close to BR standards. I’m just shooting 223 through a Ruger Precision Rifle and a 223 wylde chambered AR at 200 yds max, but still want to try to do my best so if there’s any negative impact to loading early I’ll just wait until Monday morning.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

 

[Mark W]

I bet you can load some early and load some the day that you shoot and you won’t be able to tell the difference.

 

[Bill Norris]

SLuke, Some may beg to differ but I've been handloading since 1995 for a vast number of different calibers and rifles of about all sorts. I have never been able to detect any meaningful data or observations that made me believe that it made any difference unless you might happen to leave your loaded rounds out in the heat prior to shooting them on any given day but that would happen no matter if you loaded them just before shooting or a week prior to shooting.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I usually load a years worth of high power ammo during the winter. Shot some a couple of years ago that had been loaded 15 years prior, since I changed calibers. Shot just fine.

 

[Rsadams]

You will be fine...

 

[SLuke]

Thank you all! Much appreciated.

 

[AJC]

i dont think it matters in your situation, but if you want to be supper detailed then just load them all up long and then set the final seating depth and crip the day of or night before. Again i don't think it matters.

 

[K22]

I've been loading now for over four decades. I spend about 2 -3 days a week at the range, weather permitting and when not at the range I'm hunting deer / predators / and ground hogs. In other words I shoot a lot - about 1200 to 1500 rounds a year in many various rifles.

I do a lot of reloading in the winter for the upcoming spring / summer varmint season and often have rounds remaining from the previous season. I have never noticed any ill affect on the precision of these reloads that were allowed to sit even for a year or so.

Many believe in the concept of "bullet weld", i.e. that the bullet in time will "weld" to the case neck due to the reaction of dissimilar metals causing erratic shots. If you believe in that then you can load in advance seating the bullet out about .25" over your standard COL then reseat to the standard COL the day you visit the range. I do not believe this is necessary but if you will help you sleep at night then do it.

 

[kelbro]

I shot some 223 last weekend into tiny little groups that I had loaded 5 yrs ago.