Long range load development at 100 yards.

[Erik Cortina]

Glad it worked for you. PM me your question.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Here is a good example of the technique working.

This is a straight 284. I just changed powders, and did a quick 15 shot test with the tuner set at 3 (the proper setting for my other load). Note: the top numbers are for a different test that I discontinued (found what I was looking for).

I fired an additional 10 rounds for chrono readings to see if the velocities were in the ballpark...

Can anyone guess where the node is?
P.S, sorry for the poor quality picture, I was trying to keep the size down for posting.

 

[BradY]

Guessing 51.8 is probably around the area to try. Looks real nice.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Yup. 51.6 to 51.9 shoots really good. I'll be at .8 because the ES is a touch better up there and the load has a little less horizontal. When the weather warms up to 80+, I'll run 51.6

BTW, the two groups for 51.9 and 51.6 have a .010" difference in vertical location. Considering the shooter is the limiting factor, I'll take it.

 

[BradY]

So that was with the tuner and seating depth the same as the other load?

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Yes, I've run seating depth and tuner on several loads and they all come out the same.

Doesn't make sense to me, but it doesn't have to either.

 

[BradY]

Yep at the end of the day if you can shoot dots like that at 100yds with a 180 and it has a good ES your load work is done.

Must admit, half the fun of shooting now seems to be working out the load, getting the gun to shoot as small as possible- whether it be for group or for high scores.

 

[300 RUM]

keeping in mind that shooting a thousand yards usually requires lowest extreme spread as possible has anybody ever just shot over a chronograph looking for the lowest possible extreme spread and use that load without ever seeing it on paper except for during a thousand yards competition?

how did it work out if so?

 

[Luke_NL]

Why would you do that?

Unfortunately there's no such shortcut. While a great grouping round requires low ES, that does not mean that every round with low ES will group great. Blindly taking a round to comp doesn't strike me as appealing either.

 

[Erik Cortina]

keeping in mind that shooting a thousand yards usually requires lowest extreme spread as possible has anybody ever just shot over a chronograph looking for the lowest possible extreme spread and use that load without ever seeing it on paper except for during a thousand yards competition?

how did it work out if so?

Lowest ES and accuracy don't always coincide. You must find low ES load and tune groups using seating depth. If seating depth alone doesn't bring groups in satisfactorily, a tuner will do that.

 

[Steve Blair]

Why would you do that?

Unfortunately there's no such shortcut. While a great grouping round requires low ES, that does not mean that every round with low ES will group great. Blindly taking a round to comp doesn't strike me as appealing either.

[br]
This is not necessarily true. I've shot very small groups at 100 yards with high ES loads. [br]
A successful long range load must have low ES, excellent accuracy and a tolerant charge window. Sacrificing any of those three will hurt, sooner or later.

 

[Venom]

Erik,

I re-shot the loads you recomened and added one more.

Muzzle velocities (fps) were as follow:

65.5 = 2872, 2882, 2867
65.8 = 2891, 2880, 2893
66.0 = 2904, 2898, 2892
66.3 = 2875, 2897, 2904
66.5 = 2892, 2919, 2909

Thanks for your help

 

[CaptainMal]

So the worst ES was 66.3. it was also the best group.

Best ES was the 66.0 with a decent group. That's the one you choose?

 

[gambleone]

Eric, I did the 100 yd load test with RL-15 starting with 29.1gr going up in .3 at a time.
3 shot groups. Starting with 29.1 the shot far left is a fowler, & the one above is a sighter.
all are 30 thou back from lands.
What do you make of this? No Wind
http://i59.tinypic.com/9h4eu0_th.jpg?

 

[Erik Cortina]

Erik,

I re-shot the loads you recomened and added one more.

Muzzle velocities (fps) were as follow:

65.5 = 2872, 2882, 2867
65.8 = 2891, 2880, 2893
66.0 = 2904, 2898, 2892
66.3 = 2875, 2897, 2904
66.5 = 2892, 2919, 2909

Thanks for your help

I would go between 66 and 66.3 and adjust seating depth... I would try 66.1

 

[Erik Cortina]

Eric, I did the 100 yd load test with RL-15 starting with 29.1gr going up in .3 at a time.
3 shot groups. Starting with 29.1 the shot far left is a fowler, & the one above is a sighter.
all are 30 thou back from lands.
What do you make of this? No Wind
http://i59.tinypic.com/9h4eu0_th.jpg?

29.1 and 29.4 look good. I don't know what it looks like below 29.1 nor do I see any chronograph numbers, but I would pick 29.2 based on this sample.

 

[BradY]

Now be honest here, is anyone else looking at the pictures of targets posted up and making a prediction as to what it is then referencing it as to how others (namely Erik) interpret the shots? ;D At least I can now read the same things and understand where nodes are!

 

[gambleone]

Eric, I did the 100 yd load test with RL-15 starting with 29.1gr going up in .3 at a time.
3 shot groups. Starting with 29.1 the shot far left is a fowler, & the one above is a sighter.
all are 30 thou back from lands.
What do you make of this? No Wind
http://i59.tinypic.com/9h4eu0_th.jpg?

29.1- 2881,2857,2866 ES-24
29.4- 2873,2878,2872 ES-6
29.7- 2880,2886,2874 ES-12
30.0- 2913,2908,2919 ES-11
30.3- 2930,2915,2908 ES-22
30.6- 2903,2922,2937 ES-34

 

[Venom]

Erik,

I re-shot the loads you recomened and added one more.

Muzzle velocities (fps) were as follow:

65.5 = 2872, 2882, 2867
65.8 = 2891, 2880, 2893
66.0 = 2904, 2898, 2892
66.3 = 2875, 2897, 2904
66.5 = 2892, 2919, 2909

Thanks for your help

I would go between 66 and 66.3 and adjust seating depth... I would try 66.1

Is it necessary to measure muzzle velocity during the seating depth testing?

Thank You

 

[Erik Cortina]

Erik,

I re-shot the loads you recomened and added one more.

Muzzle velocities (fps) were as follow:

65.5 = 2872, 2882, 2867
65.8 = 2891, 2880, 2893
66.0 = 2904, 2898, 2892
66.3 = 2875, 2897, 2904
66.5 = 2892, 2919, 2909

Thanks for your help

I would go between 66 and 66.3 and adjust seating depth... I would try 66.1

Is it necessary to measure muzzle velocity during the seating depth testing?

Thank You

I prefer to do it as sometimes one node has lower ES than another.