Order of Importance to Accuracy?

[243Mendoza]

But who's got a 3moa load? I very well understand what you're saying but a .1 gun IS a 3 moa gun in a switch. Every shot counts. You cant discount the most important factor just because you gun shoots small in imaginary match conditions. Those conditions just dont happen often.

Case in point...in ubr short range a gun that shoots .358 moa can theoretically hit every dot and win. In reality, he likely winds up dead last.

I am trying to avoid atmospheric conditions as a variable to confound the query. It's belongs in another forum.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I am trying to avoid atmospheric conditions as a variable to confound the query. It's belongs in another forum.

Oh, ok. I wish that's how it actually works, but ok. You asked for the most important variable..I thought, so I gave it to you. Tune in good conditions but test in bad. That's all. You got this.

 

[Homerange]

In my limited experience just trying to make good hunting and varminting loads, brass and brass prep are the greatest variables all else being equal.
A chap dropped a small pile of one fired Lapua brass in my range bin that was quickly snatched and used in my hunting 308....it was like day and night compared to what I'd been using even with the same load.

 

[Bill K]

Your list is about standard for case prepping. For any accuracy at any given range, he then must find a load, with the componets, bullet, seating depth that give you the best accuracy, then work it out to the yardage you want to shoot, staying with 1 moa or less.

 

[Oso]

It seems like your question is more of "In developing an accurate cartridge, from case preparation steps all the way through building a finished cartridge, what is the order/priority of items or activities that provide the greatest impact of the accuracy of the cartridge?".

And for those who view the objective in its entirety then the initial assumptions are:
1) Premium Barrel (profile, length & twist match the projectile) is properly chambered and crowned,
2) Rifle Action is trued, bedded, and barrel is properly installed (correct headspace & free floated).
3) Rifle Ignition (firing pin, spring, trigger) is tip top shape.
4) Stock matches action and is sufficiently rigid.
5) Optics are acceptable, secured with appropriate rings/base and everything is properly tightened.
6 Shooter is accomplished/experienced and has ability to read the wind.

 

[AntiMedic]

Neck Tension, Seating depth and powder

 

[Steve Blair]

Anyone can make precision ammo, not everyone can read the wind and keep a consistent cheek weld and trigger pull

No, not anyone can make precision ammo, unless your definition is very different from mine. I do not use a cheek weld and, with a 2 oz. trigger, pull is not really a factor. Reading the wind is obviously crucial except in the most benign conditions.

 

[JimSC]

No, not anyone can make precision ammo, unless your definition is very different from mine. I do not use a cheek weld and, with a 2 oz. trigger, pull is not really a factor. Reading the wind is obviously crucial except in the most benign conditions.

making things identical is not a very difficult thing to accomplish. Workers in many professions do it every day. If making precision ammo was the only criteria to shooting precise and accurate groups then shooting matches would cease to exist

 

[rwj]

No, not anyone can make precision ammo, unless your definition is very different from mine. I do not use a cheek weld and, with a 2 oz. trigger, pull is not really a factor. Reading the wind is obviously crucial except in the most benign conditions.

Any issues with sear engagement using such a light trigger?

 

[Bob3700]

It isn't even on the list. Buy or have an existing scope that will not hold a zero. Yes I worked for over a year on a rifle trying every thing to make it shoot. Then put on a Hood scope checker and a known good scope and saw the cross hairs move all over the place while the POA stayed the same

A scope? If ur rifle won’t shoot into a bucket all the scopes won’t help.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Maybe the question "I'm learning to reload for optimal accuracy from my rifle, what steps should I perfect first?"

 

[Bob3700]

Maybe, since most testing takes place at 100yds where it is easier to get quantitative data.

I thought that the 1000yd criterion would make handloading techniques more onerous.

At 1K it all matters. Once u have all that covered the rest is up to u. The best tuned rifle will still shoot 8’s.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

The tune is 99% of it. That means the powder, bullet, neck tension, and primer the barrel wants and the right charge and seating depth of those components. The sorting and weighing are the last little bits. But in my experiance the thing that holds most people back is not being in tune, especially at 1k. We put new shooters on our club gun for a couple years. Guys that never shot 1k, and they were competitive because the rifle was tuned well. I remember a 2" 50 score by a guy that had never shot 1k, he won his relay. When a rifle is really humming it almost shoots itself. Tune tune tune.

 

[Homerange]

Any issues with sear engagement using such a light trigger?

Such light releases have been standard fare in international competition for decades and they take a good amount of practice to become accustomed to.

 

[Steve Blair]

Any issues with sear engagement using such a light trigger?

None. I have both Jewell and Bix'n Andy triggers.

 

[Steve Blair]

making things identical is not a very difficult thing to accomplish. Workers in many professions do it every day. If making precision ammo was the only criteria to shooting precise and accurate groups then shooting matches would cease to exist

Straw man argument. No one except you said that it was the only criteria. Making precise ammo is not easy. Neither is tuning ammunition precisely to a given rifle. If it was, any competitor could do it and they do not.

 

[rwj]

Such light releases have been standard fare in international competition for decades and they take a good amount of practice to become accustomed to.

None. I have both Jewell and Bix'n Andy triggers. Good to know that such low trigger pulls can be safely created… perhaps someday I’ll try!

Good to know that such light trigger pulls can be safely created! I’m still getting used to one set to 8 ounces!

 

[Minshooter]

First you have to have a good barrel are nothing else matters are probably should say a Great barrel

THIS.
Everything else is secondary.

 

[JimSC]

Straw man argument. No one except you said that it was the only criteria. Making precise ammo is not easy. Neither is tuning ammunition precisely to a given rifle. If it was, any competitor could do it and they do not.

what you are missing is that making precision ammo is not very hard, all you need to do is measure everything precisely. Using that ammo precisely and accurately is the hard part. That is why they are called shooting matches not reloading matches

 

[Dave M.]

wondering how you would rank the importance (1,2,3, etc) of the following items to accuracy at 1000yd:

powder
powder charge
primer
primer seating depth
bullet
bullet seating depth
neck tension
brass
case weight
case volume
neck turning

I’m going to throw my hat in the ring here and craft an answer that tries to get at what I think you are asking. Regardless of what your precision shooting discipline is, you should always follow the holy trinity of precision drivers.
1. find a powder with the correct burn rate for your cartridge and Bullet weight (this is easy, just shoot what the pros do and you will be fine)
1A. Charge weight (find a nice node with very little poi change on either side of the charge weight)
2. Conduct extensive seating depth tests to determine proper seating (will likely be somewhere between jammed 0.015” and jumped 0.055”)
3. And a distance third place is neck tension, conduct testing to see what neck tension gives you the best accuracy and most consistent velocities (will be somewhere between 0.0015” and 0.005”)

dave