What is Best Way to Lower ES and SD?
- Thread starter 9146gt
- Start date
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
More careful loading techniques and better components
The search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When it comes to reloading it never seems to end for me. Bushing dies, expander mandrel, expensive scales, in-line seaters and hydroseater. Oh, watch that shoulder bump and turn them necks. Don’t forget to chase the lands. I do it all and the wind still beats me. I believe very consistent neck tension is vital to lowering es/sd. But practicing reading the wind is the most overlooked component. Mike
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
Little details on the Rifle ? Barrel Length , stock etc.
I shoot a good amount of 1000 yard Palma and F/Class ? May have input ?
Forum Boss
Administrator
Next time you shoot, record Velocity for each case and mark cases somehow so you can identify/isolate brass which has an outlier velocity.
44 ES is pretty high, even for 10 shots.
What is your sizing die?
Are you using ss pins to wet clean or ultrasounding your cases? If so, stop. Try leaving some carbon in the necks.
Do you have a muzzle brake? Unscrew it and try shooting without.
Do not mix once-fired and twice-fired brass if you are looking for consistency.
How much neck-tension?
Try a different bullet.
44 ES is pretty high, even for 10 shots.
What is your sizing die?
Are you using ss pins to wet clean or ultrasounding your cases? If so, stop. Try leaving some carbon in the necks.
Do you have a muzzle brake? Unscrew it and try shooting without.
Do not mix once-fired and twice-fired brass if you are looking for consistency.
How much neck-tension?
Try a different bullet.
To add some details to Dusty's wise reply:
1. Use the very best bullets and brass: Berger / Lapua for example. Brass variations will wreck you SDs
1a. Keep precise track of how many times your brass has been fired and DO NOT mix brass that has been fired a different number of times.
1b. If you anneal, do it right. Use a machine that makes annealing perfectly consistent from case to case. If you anneal by hand, consider not doing it at all.
2. Find a powder/primer combo that is temperature stable and provides good SDs. Hodgdon Extreme powder and CCI primers for example.
3. Pay close attention to how you clean your brass. You can wreck your SDs with the wrong technique...
4. Duh....weigh your powder to the kernel with a GOOD scale. Good scales will cost you, but they last forever. Good scales cost $500+
5. Manufacturer your ammo with perfect consistency: seating depth, primer seating, neck tension.
6. Finally, measure your SDs with a good chrono: Magnetospeed or LabRadar.
9146gt
Gold $$ Contributor
I'll tag onto Harris' great list of steps and progression. Wherever you are currently in the process of reloading, only change ONE thing at a time and fully test it before you move onto the next tweak in your process.
dgeesaman
Gold $$ Contributor
Also a sufficiently accurate chronograph. The $100 ones will average the right velocity in my experience but their shot by shot error often exceeds the actual ES of the bullets.
Forum Boss: He says he is using a Labradar, which should be very accurate if he has it set up right.
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