Is there any reason not to just load for a particular velocity and then tune via seating depth adjustment?
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Is there any reason not to just load for a particular velocity and then tune via seating depth adjustment?
thanks. take .005" steps out or at closer intervals?I start 10k off and then work out to 40k. Usually I find something in there to go with. This is with Berger hybrids and Sierra Match kings
Thanks for the replies gents. What's a good seating depth interval to test? I did the velocity test seated .020 out.
Thanks. I'm planning on running 112 MBs as well in a 6 creedmoor. What speeds are you hitting?Well, .020" off the lands has been the ubiquitous defacto standard since the beginning of time... that said, times change, and depending on what you're shooting and what style of shooting you do, you can get more adventurous if you want and go with a bigger jump...
For me, shooting 6mm creedmoor and for PRS-style shooting, I jump like a MF'er since I spend most of my time shooting 600+ yards and don't want what groups look like at 100 influencing my decisions too much (especially since most of the time a bad group has more to do with the a-hole pulling the trigger than the load). But, I could give a shit about examining groups at 100, I want "baseball or less" at 600... for the life of the barrel if I can get it.
Currently I'm jumping ~.100" with 112gr Match Burners and have done the same with thousands of DTAC's... my rifles shoot pretty much the same from 200ish rounds on 'em until they're dead and I mostly don't have to adjust a damn thing until it's dead. I also get a lot more barrel life than you used to typically hear of with 6creed: running "slow" Dasher-ish speeds with a healthy jump I'm getting 2000+rds easy (I took my last barrel off at 2300rds to spin a new barrel on since I was selling that old rifle to a buddy, and I was actually kind of bummed taking off the old barrel because it was still .5moa at 100 and .5moa 1000... I was hoping to find out how long it'd go...).
I don't even test any closer than .060" anymore.
I do .003” incrementsthanks. take .005" steps out or at closer intervals?
Thanks. I'm planning on running 112 MBs as well in a 6 creedmoor. What speeds are you hitting?
Newberry’s system is one I have used for going on ten years and it works well for producing accurate, repeatable ammunition. That said I believe you can pick a charge and adjust seating depth and get similar results.
Use this, then use the same load on the next barrel and so on.
..im a firm believer in bigger jumps stay in tune longer than smaller jumps.
i went with .050 off the lands in this barrel because looking at this seating test it should shoot pretty good through most of its life by just adding powder when it starts to loose velocity.
interesting observation....im not saying your wrong but i will take credit for the POI shift more than the load or the gun...this is shot prone off a cyke pod and a rear bag...#10 is cold clean barrel then shot #1-#2-#3 and let cool then shot the others...there is most definitely a shift starting .065 but a 10th right and im golden again.Interesting. Your .050” is right on the edge of a huge POI shift. .060” is closer to the two on either side.
....again im not saying your wrong im just saying its more likely me than the load.
ive shot a lotta barrels and in my experience the longer jumps stay more consistent...UNLESS of course you find a load that will shoot consistently with a short jump to a longer jump i personally have found myself chasing the lands when closer and just adding powder when farther off....040 is about as close as i run now.^^^ yep, this probably doesn't get pointed out enough.
If you find a jump range (rather than just one depth) where the barrel shoots good, then you can just stick to the same load for a long time, sometimes the entire life of the barrel, without having to change anything. No surprises.
So, using @LR1845's target as an example, since it looks like it shoots good the whole way between .050"-.085", parking it at .050" and forgetting about it for a long time should be fine. As the throat erodes, and the jump gets longer, no big deal, we can see by the target that it stays looking pretty good out to .085" off, so no need to monitor it much, just go shoot.
The thing I'm still messing around with is, in order to get the most consistent performance and longest barrel life: is it better to park it closer to the rifling (starting at the smallest number/start of your jump-range) and "back into" your jump range... or, just park it at the back edge of where you've tested and know it shoots and just leave it there (since the further away from lands/rifling typically the slower the throat erodes)..?
After posting in the thread yesterday, explaining that I was really only .055" off the lands when measured more traditionally (.100" off jam), it occurred to me that I had already sort of tested all the way back to more than .150" off the lands when fire-forming my first 300rds through the barrel, and it was shooting great... So, due to curiosity, and wanting the most stupidly boring, longest lasting barrel I can get, I had 300rds already loaded up to .55" off the lands that I decided to seat deeper to .100" off...
So, if things go like I think they might, I should have a very boring 300rds where my dope doesn't change and the rifle does the same thing. That's the plan anyway...
agreed...if i was a bench or F-class shooter id definitely have a different approach to seating but im not a group shooter...yet...another 20lbs and 5 or 6yrs and i probably will be LOL!!I think there's merits to both jumping, and also seating close-in, just depends on what one is after, what kind of shooting they do, and also how they shoot.
If I wanted the smallest 100 yard group I could squeeze out of my rifle I wouldn't be jumping .100", and forget .020" off, I'd be jamming the suckers into the lands and that's where I'd start any seating depth test. But then I also probably wouldn't be firing 10 or 12 shot strings in 90 seconds or less over and over again, and would maybe let my barrel cool down more than just sometimes.
I feel like if one is after less than 1/2"/.5moa at 100 yards, then a large jump is probably not going to be their bag, but if one is after getting .5moa at distances past 100 yards and spends more time shooting 500-1000 than 100, in the words of the great David Lee Roth: "might as well jump".
It's almost always us, period. Definitively saying there's a POI shift happening based on only 9-12rds in the target above is a little much.
If we're all real about it, the groups we shoot only tell us the difference between what looks like it's working, and what's not. Since the shooter is always the biggest variable, at best we can only use what we see to help us make a better educated guess.
If one has a way of taking the shooter out of the equation, like putting their rifle in a mechanical locked-in rest and also have some form of remote trigger actuation, then making calls based on groups becomes a different deal entirely...
my experience with Vihtavouri so far is that they are a cut above. YMMV.Great information, thank you. It’s interesting you bring up case fill. I just tested h4350 vs n550. I get more complete case fill with h4350 but require less n550 to achieve similar velocities. I have equal amounts of each- enough to last approx 1000 rounds. H4350 always seems to be unobtainable and n550 isn’t too common either. When testing velocities the other day, I wasn’t shooting for groups but the n550 seemed to group very tight even though the loads were different. The n550 charges were very linear without any distinct flat spots/ nodes. I am considering the n550 but would like to hear others opinions. Thanks
Alright fellas, I just returned from the range. I'm not the greatest shot combined with some mirage and switchy winds, I don't feel I shot that well today, but here are the results.
6 creedmoor
new Peterson brass
37.8 g N550
112 Match burners
210M primers
26" Proof barrel with 60 rounds on it at the beginning of the test
I am interpreting .040" & .045" jumps being the besrt as they were significantly tighter and the impacts were at POI. ).040" is the tightest group, but .045" seems to be consistent. would you load long and go with .040 to account for throat erosion? My SDs were pretty good (I know, 3 shot groups) across all seating depths. I'm hitting 2930, a little slower than my target but I anticipate the barrel speeding up.
How do you guys read these results?
Thanks for the knowledge and advice.
I disagree. Choosing a velocity and adjusting length can get OK results, and you can happen to end up in a node where POI is consistent. You can also end up in the scatter node. You can also end up with a load you need to rezero in different weather. I think some people are confusing, you can get good enough loads to bang 2 MOA steel, with getting really good results.Newberry’s system is one I have used for going on ten years and it works well for producing accurate, repeatable ammunition. That said I believe you can pick a charge and adjust seating depth and get similar results.
The problem with just picking a velocity and charge is you bypass the “work up” portion of checking for pressure. You also have to fully understand the data that you use. If you have a 16” barrel and think that you can match data from a 24” barrel you are going to be disappointed. Try to achieve their velocity and you’ll end up over pressure.
Also, not all published data appears to be test data. When I inquired to one major bullet manufacturer for a powder recommendation I was sent two pages from their reloading manual and advised the data was based on Quickload.
Thanks for this advice. I’ve been shooting a while, but have really begun learning / focusing on Fundamentals the past couple years. Definitely not a great shot. The mirage was a little disruptive to my sight picture but that comes off as an excuse. This is a new rifle and caliber so I have no previous combos to work from. I wanted to try to preserve the h4350 as I don’t see any more being available anytime soon and I also use it in my 6.5 loads. I was hoping this test would allow me to efficiently select a load without overconsumption of components, but I may have gotten in over my head with this.do not take this wrong but i have to ask....how long have you been shooting?
first looking at the target you posted i see either a lot of shooter error or your gun does not like that combo you are running.
second IMHO unless your shooting the same combo from the same brand/reamer/smith ECT barrel you had prior to this barrel then starting load development before having a 100ish rounds through it is almost a waste of time because when it speeds up everything is going to change.
N550 is a double base powder which personally i would only use if the choices were use a double base powder or dont shoot...ive shot a lot of double base powders over the years and do not like them because of the temp issues and you being in Sac you see the big temp swings from morning to afternoon...we have the same swings here in nevada.
you have equal amounts of H4350 and N550 correct? put the N550 away for now and run the 4530....the rifle gods themselves developed H4350 and RL-16 for the 308 based 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges your going to piss them off running that N550 LOL!!
this is what i would do now that you are closer or at 100 rounds...clean the barrel and load a few foulers to start your testing off....4350..210M..112MB .050 off 1 round each and pick a velocity from 2850ish to 2930ish then run another seating test from .040 to .070 at .010 increments so 40-50-60-70 off.
now to make this even simpler and faster buy a lee hand press and take it your seating die and calipers to the range and do the seating test right there....find your velocity fisrt as i mention above then load up 50-60-100 or how ever many rounds you want at what ever seating depth you decide to start with then shoot 3 round groups and seat each set back .010 at a time then when you find a good load shoot it at 3-4-500yds and adjust as you see fit.
use the fired brass i personally do not do load development with new brass...the lee hand press is about $50 bucks and worth every Penney once you start factoring in your time and expenses traveling back and forth to the range...once you start shooting the 6mm chances are your going make the change anyway...plus if your on top of things you can find H4350...it pops up now and then just gotta keep an eye out and check often.Thanks for this advice. I’ve been shooting a while, but have really begun learning / focusing on Fundamentals the past couple years. Definitely not a great shot. The mirage was a little disruptive to my sight picture but that comes off as an excuse. This is a new rifle and caliber so I have no previous combos to work from. I wanted to try to preserve the h4350 as I don’t see any more being available anytime soon and I also use it in my 6.5 loads. I was hoping this test would allow me to efficiently select a load without overconsumption of components, but I may have gotten in over my head with this.
I like the Lee hand press idea. If I start over, should I use my now once fired brass for testing or new unfurled brass (same manufacturer and lot)?
I appreciate the advice!
Check! I will start all over and do it right. I have a RCBS partner press that Ill mount on a wood board and bring a couple C-clamps to secure to the bench at the range.use the fired brass i personally do not do load development with new brass...the lee hand press is about $50 bucks and worth every Penney once you start factoring in your time and expenses traveling back and forth to the range...once you start shooting the 6mm chances are your going make the change anyway...plus if your on top of things you can find H4350...it pops up now and then just gotta keep an eye out and check often.
and you are not in over your head...stick to the tried and trued components especially if you have them on hand...reloading and load development is not hard just look at what the other 10,000 guys shooting a 6CM are doing.
I disagree. Choosing a velocity and adjusting length can get OK results, and you can happen to end up in a node where POI is consistent. You can also end up in the scatter node. You can also end up with a load you need to rezero in different weather. I think some people are confusing, you can get good enough loads to bang 2 MOA steel, with getting really good results.
Across 0.010” seating depth with acceptable accuracy for PRS standards across all 3 groups with negligible POI shift across the groups.
I’d choose a 1.775” CBTO seating depth and likely shoot this for the life of the barrel.
View attachment 7698377
This is the person who has that data. Do you have comparable data or experience?I challenge anyone to post any long term, high confidence data that shows “nodes” act in the way this post describes.
And if you (anyone) can produce such data, I promise AB will be happy to have you out to shoot several days and several thousand rounds over their doppler to prove your method works long term.
Your powder would have to be extremely temp sensitive to require a re-zero in different weather conditions.
Here is one of many, many targets I have across different chamberings/rifles. This one happens to be across 2 full grains of varget. You can also ping @Ledzep for some pretty long term data which hasn’t uncovered anything that doesn’t fall in line with basic velocity math and such.
@ceekay1
The biggest reason I moved away from 6mmCM after two barrels.
My son and I shoot very mild 6mmBR’s now and I just switched them both over to 112 MatchBurners at just under 2700 FPS. They should last a good deal longer and be more stable than a Creedmoor at 3100 FPS.
The 1.775” CBTO length equates to 0.050” jump in my gun with a pretty fresh barrel.
And a related article on PRB with jump analysis...
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