Developing multiple loads without burning a barrel out.

[ssteve]

So I’m new to reloading for precision. Only done pistol stuff on a progressive till recently. First rifle I loaded for was my mk12 ar and only did so cause I’m CA I can’t get mk262 anymore. Ended up trying three powders, five projectiles, four primers and ultimately putabout 750-800 rounds through my rifle before I finalized a load.

I just picked up a Bergara HMR in 6.5cm and so far I have the following projectiles to test.
Lapua 139 scenar
Lapua 136 scenar L
Norma 130 GT
Hornady 140 eld-m
Berger 130 ar hybrid
Berger 130 vld hunting
Sierra 120 hpbt

I plan to mostly target shoot the rifle as well as some coyote and small varmint hunting. I would however like to get a decent load worked up that I can use on deer, pig and potentially even elk.

So how do you guys go about developing multiple loads without just torching a barrel by the time your done?

 

[ar223]

what powder and brass will you be using

 

[ssteve]

Norma brass, H4350. I have a bunch of Remington 9 1/2m, Winchester LRM and some cci 250’s. Not sure what I’ll end up using.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

I plan to mostly target shoot the rifle as well as some coyote and small varmint hunting. I would however like to get a decent load worked up that I can use on deer, pig and potentially even elk.

So how do you guys go about developing multiple loads without just torching a barrel by the time your done?

1) We don't start with 7 different bullets. That barrel has a life somewhere around 2,000 - 2,500 rounds if you treat it nice.

2) Know when good enough is good enough. If you chase the 1/4 moa loads that everyone on the internet seems to get, that rifle will never see the field.

 

[ssteve]

1) We don't start with 7 different bullets. That barrel has a life somewhere around 2,000 - 2,500 rounds if you treat it nice.

2) Know when good enough is good enough. If you chase the 1/4 moa loads that everyone on the internet seems to get, that rifle will never see the field.

Copy that. I was thinking about trying the Scott Saterlee 10rnd ladder method and setting everything about 2.800, find the high node, pick the projectiles that have a higher velocity node and start tweaking seating depth.

The Norma match stuff is jumping 0.114 and shooting well at 2800. Not sure what that means but I’d assume it’s just that the 130gt isn’t too jump sensative?

 

[Supersubes]

No reason whatsoever to test all those bullets. Why not just pick the one with the highest bc and test it. If it shoots, youre done. If you wanna kill something big with it, test your hunting bullet of choice.

 

[STI_1911_Guy]

1) We don't start with 7 different bullets. That barrel has a life somewhere around 2,000 - 2,500 rounds if you treat it nice.

2) Know when good enough is good enough. If you chase the 1/4 moa loads that everyone on the internet seems to get, that rifle will never see the field.

Couldnt agree with this more. Most quality bullets will shoot well, pick the one you like the best, but dont chase the 1/4" groups.

 

[BigTex]

I start with one bullet, one powder, and one primer. I do a ladder or ocw to find an optimum charge, then play with seat depth to fine tune. Usually 50-60 rounds, Sometimes more if I cant get ES down and have to play with primers. Be diligent in your reloading and pay attention to every detail. I've never had one not work out.

 

[ssteve]

I start with one bullet, one powder, and one primer. I do a ladder or ocw to find an optimum charge, then play with seat depth to fine tune. Usually 50-60 rounds, Sometimes more if I cant get ES down and have to play with primers. Be diligent in your reloading and pay attention to every detail. I've never had one not work out.

I think that's exactly how ill be approaching things for this rifle and Ill just be using the 136 scenar L and the 130 vld hunting since I have the most of those rounds.

 

[ssteve]

Well I loaded up 20 roundsof 136 scenar L’s in .2 increments and two rounds of each charge, starting at 41.6 and ending at 43.4 of H4350. So two ten round ladders. With the scenars .025 off the lands at 2.263(2.857 oal)

I did the same thing with 20 rounds of the Berger 130vld hunting but mag length puts them at .067 off the lands and I started at 41.8 and ran up to 43.6

What I plan to do is start low after three fowlers and run ten rounds to the max charge. Then let the rifle rest for a bit and come back at the max charge I loaded and go back down the ladder.

 

[CANTHITSH!T]

Pick a cartridge that isn't a "known" barrel-burner, break in the barrel properly and always give it plenty of time to cool between shots and remember that "load development" begins with an accuracy/precision goal that shouldn't be all that hard to achieve and even less so if you're shooting for "hits" rather than "bulls" and shouldn't take half the barrel life and all the fun out of shooting.

And keep in mind that "max" anything is a really piss-poor way to go about "maximizing" anything important like barrel life, brass life, shoulder life, etc. Smart shooters leave themselves plenty of room to "up" a mild powder charge as throat erosion increases and velocities decrease in order to "offset" that inevitable "wear" and put the bullets back up where they're supposed to be. And "load development" is rarely under the same conditions and requirements for firing rate, barrel/cartridge temp, etc so going as "hot" as possible is ultimately pretty stupid right out of the gate.

 

[supercorndogs]

"LOL."'' '"barrel" "break""" "in."""

..Hey,: would] you"' 'do? us: all% a favor? Learn to punctuate and nock it the fuck off with the quotation marks!

 

[spife7980]

"LOL."'' '"barrel" "break""" "in."""

..Hey,: would] you"' 'do? us: all% a favor? Learn to punctuate and nock it the fuck off with the quotation marks!

 

[Rust]

Years ago when I had every weekend off I had a lot of time on my hands and pretty much tested every load appropriate in a 12 twist .223. Over 700 loads. Best loads were pretty much what I had been shooting for years in other .223s. There are no magic bullets, no magic powder, no magic primer.

Read some of the creedmore loading threads and see what powders and primers keep showing up. Pick one of each and your bullet, load them up and do a ladder test. Repeat the ladder test. If it doesn't look good drop it, pick another powder or pick another primer. Only change one variable at a time. Lather, rinse and repeat.

 

[PAYDIRT]

Pick a Bullet then do a ocw

 

[elfster1234]

In years past I used to go load development crazy right down to weighing each bullet.... now,, I’ll do a little load development when I first get a rifle, but I stopped driving myself crazy ? with anal load development and now I just enjoy shooting my rifles.

 

[cattleman99]

I have a Bergara HMR Pro and I tried one load, 143 ELD-X on 40.8 gr of H4350 in Hornady brass. Puts each round in the same hole at 100 yards and is about 2660fps so not too hard on the barrel. In my opinion, there’s really no need to test that many bullets/powders/primers. Just find a load that shoots half moa and stick with it.