What is the next step to go from reloading to precision reloading?

dchi · Dec 1, 2024

So I have been loading ammo for 30 years, mostly pistol. I can get my better rifles to shoot in the .6-.7" for 5 shots. Sometimes I hit the .5-.4" range but not common. I use standard hornady or RCBS dies, factory brass like federal or hornady. I use hornady and Sierra bullets, I weighed my charges and trimmed brass. Hand prime each case. I have a magneto speed chrono. I just started to adjust my dies to a .003" shoulder bump. My ES are not great but I can manage 6" groups at 600 fairly consistently and 1-1.5" @ 200 is common. I have a full custom rifle on the way, top of the line MPA with razor G2 4x27 so the rifle should not be a factor.
What would make the greatest difference in lowering SD/ES and reducing group size trying to get in the .3" consistently? Buy an annealer and annealing brass each time? Using better components like Berger bullets and alpha brass? Use a inline seating die like a Wilson with Arbor press? Install an EC tuner brake? Or something else? Obviously all the above, but it has taken me 7 years of saving and trading to purchase a rig as nice as the one that is coming. I can only make do one step at a time. Looking for the best bang for the buck. Thanks to all who helped me with $3k budget build. The MPA is cheaper and better than what I could have put together myself.

simonp · Dec 1, 2024

First step if you are looking for the biggest bang for your buck, try picking up some lapua brass and berger tips, I would also suggest a quality bushing die unless you already know for a fact that your neck tension is consistent.

vh20 · Dec 1, 2024

simonp said:
First step if you are looking for the biggest bang for your buck, try picking up some lapua brass and berger tips, I would also suggest a quality bushing die unless you already know for a fact that your neck tension is consistent.

These two things are the first things I thought of as well. Lapua brass and Berger bullets are the lowest-cost investment for you to start with (they only cost a “little” more than what you’re already spending for brass/bullets anyway). A good bushing die (Redding type - S) will allow you to control your interference fit/“neck tension” better. Run it with the expander ball removed and use a mandrel expander die to set your final neck i.d. This will improve your concentricity and also push any inconsistencies in the neck wall thickness to the outside. Expander mandrel dies are relatively inexpensive, and one will work for all calibers with the appropriate selection of mandrels for the calibers.

vh20 · Dec 1, 2024

Also, 0.003” bump is more than you really need for a bolt gun. 0.001-0.002” is fine and works the brass less. Gas guns are typically bumped 0.003-0.004”.

Rocketmandb · Dec 1, 2024

dchi said:
What would make the greatest difference in lowering SD/ES and reducing group size trying to get in the .3" consistently?

dchi said:
Buy an annealer and annealing brass each time?

Yes.

dchi said:
Using better components like Berger bullets and alpha brass?

Lapua + Berger too

dchi said:
Use a inline seating die like a Wilson with Arbor press?

Yes

dchi said:
Install an EC tuner brake?

Not necessary, imho

My current process:

- Deprime
- Clean cases using ultrasonic (or whatever may float your boat) and dry
- Anneal (AMP)
- Size using Whidden bushing dies with expander ball removed
- Lube necks (pass 1) using moly or graphite
- Run cases through the mandrel (or is it run the mandrel through the cases?)
- Trim, if necessary, using Henderson trimmer
- Lube necks (pass 2) using NeoLube or moly or graphite
- Prime using 21 Century priming tool
- Charge using A&D FX 120i + Auto Trickler v3 + Ingenuity Precision upgrade
- Seat using LE Wilson dies + arbor press

Lots of steps, what does it do for me?

This pic is from the second step of load development I did yesterday. I'm trying VV N540 in my 6 BRA. I did a ladder earlier in the week and this was a combination of initial validation of a couple of the best possibilities for charge weights - 30.6 gr and 31.2. 30.6 won out with 8 of 10 shots being in a sub-quarter-MOA group. The one out to the right was likely me. You can see that 31.2 didn't group as well - though it could probably be brought in with seating depth - but it also didn't deliver the same SDs. 30.6 delivered 4.2 fps over the 10 shots. I also went a little higher with charge weight, which I didn't do earlier. Neither looks promising, and 31.6 got me heavy bolt lift.

The only negative with 30.6 is that it's a little slow at 2852 fps average, but I'll likely stick with it for now because it performs in all other regimes so well.

dchi · Dec 1, 2024

Could someone link me the exact S die set I need? It will be for a 6.5CM. Also which Berger is the most popular in the 6.5?

MediumSpeed · Dec 1, 2024

I have great success with the Berger 144 hybrids in my 6.5cm - I think the 140 hybrids are the most popular with folks - the 130s I run in my gas guns and they do well as well

R_A_W · Dec 1, 2024

Good brass and good bullets are always recommended, but they won't fix inconsistent practices or inattention to detail.

How are you weighing powder? What are you using to measure headspacing and CBTO with?

One of the first things I'd pick up is a FL/Neck sizing die. Redding Type S are very good, but can't see myself ever purchasing another... LE Wilsons are superior @ ~ same cost. To get consistent <0.3" you will want to mandrel per @vh20's advice. The effects of not annealing will worsen with each firing. Hand priming is fine for now, just make sure you're seating consistently.

LR1845 · Dec 1, 2024

You’re going to need to anneal at some point so there’s that…how relevant is annealing? Something I am currently playing with…but you’ll have to decide on
when and how often.

A good scale will help with ES/SD again this is something you need to decide when and what.

I would start here and in this order…

#1…Brass any of the big 3…shoot and evaluate.
#2…bullets Berger hybrids…shoot and evaluate.

IMHO dies, press ect should be last on the list, I’ve shot a lot of tiny groups and won or placed in the top 3 at a lot of matches when I first started loading using lee and hornady dies and a Redding big boss 2 press.

Baron23 · Dec 1, 2024

If the expander ball is removed and you have a mandrel die, I don’t see bushing die as being all that necessary.

Lapua brass and Berger 140 HT are very good recommendations in my limited experience.

Cheers and good luck.

A&8's · Dec 1, 2024

1.) Good brass....OR at least anneal same lot of other brass.
2.) Good bullets

I have a couple bone stock factory rifles that shoot in the mid twenties with RCBS dies and the above 2 steps.

3.) Mandrel to achieve consistent neck tension.
4.) Accurate scale
5.) In-line dies

The rabbit hole is Deeeeepppp. Just depends how far down you want to go.

dchi · Dec 1, 2024

I'm using an rcbs charge master. I'm not sure if I'm getting this right. I can use my sizer without the expander. Use a expander mandrel instead? Then an inline seat die. Berger 140 and alpha brass sound about right?

dchi · Dec 1, 2024

I ment lapua brass.

OREGUN · Dec 1, 2024

A&8's said:
1.) Good brass....OR at least anneal same lot of other brass.
2.) Good bullets

I have a couple bone stock factory rifles that shoot in the mid twenties with RCBS dies and the above 2 steps.

3.) Mandrel to achieve consistent neck tension.
4.) Accurate scale
5.) In-line dies

The rabbit hole is Deeeeepppp. Just depends how far down you want to go.

This. In this order. Although your bullets are probably fine so if you have a bunch, do the other stuff first.

OREGUN · Dec 1, 2024

I have shot a lot of tiny groups with a chargemaster. Mandrel your brass with an expander mandrel instead of pulling an expander ball back through it as a part of sizing. Lapua or alpha brass. Doesn’t matter which.

R_A_W · Dec 1, 2024

x2 Chargemaster is perfectly fine. A friend that just started reloading this year is getting SDs of 3fps with one.

taliv · Dec 1, 2024

If you’re on a budget, you can save some $ by thinking through things occams razor style.

For example, test with new brass. If you can’t get accuracy and low ES with new brass, annealing and resizing aren’t your problem. Annealing will be your problem after 3-5 firings, but not yet.

You’re prob not going to get low ES/SD without a very precise scale (and I’m going to exclude chargeMaster from that category) But a lot of short range benchrest guys still throw powder. It’s not hurting their accuracy on paper at 100.

And lots of things are paying for speed. For example you NEED a precise scale but you could trickle by hand if you have time. You don’t need an automated dispenser. You can trim/chamfer/debur cases with cheap hand tools.
Micrometer tops on your dies are dang handy and speed things up, but you can make ammo just as good without them if you have time and a sharpie or paint pen.

When you’re testing, don’t clean your brass between firing. Add that to your process later but for now, not cleaning means you’re not f’ing anything up by cleaning wrong.

But do make sure your barrel is clean and not shot out. And also not under 100 rounds.

ime the important things for reloading are
- consistent neck tension
- seating the bullet straight
- fully seating primers
- not f’ing the neck up when you resize
- precisely measuring powder

Also some bullets are a lot less finicky than others. It’s really easy to get 140hybrids to shoot. Like 168g smk in 30cal. They’re less jump sensitive and just about any charge of powder. They’ll shoot better longer instead of constantly trying having to tune. Don’t chase BC until you get the easy ones to shoot first. Don’t chase speed either.
More later

Emerson0311 · Dec 1, 2024

Berger bullets, Lapua brass, Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting volumes I, II, and III. Those books will help you focus on the most likely shortcomings of your reloading process. Education saves poor investments of time and $$.

OREGUN · Dec 1, 2024

taliv said:
You’re prob not going to get low ES/SD without a very precise scale (and I’m going to exclude chargeMaster from that category) But a lot of short range benchrest guys still throw powder. It’s not hurting their accuracy on paper at 100.

On this note, and the reason I can’t find fault with the charge master, I went through a “charge weight is the most important” phase. I weighed charges on the charge master, on a beam scale, on a super trickler, back and forth between all three, until I was certain no additional precision could be had in non-lab conditions. I could never make any lower extreme spread or SD data by doing all that than I could just by carefully using the charge master like I always had. The beam scale takes too much time and the super trickler is nominally more accurate with fewer overthrows than the charge master. Thus, I use the super trickler. Like you said, it’s all about paying for how fast you want to do the job.

Franko · Dec 1, 2024

If you are looking to shoot in the threes consistently I think you need to start looking to the benchrest and F-Class crowd for guidance. If you haven't already, I would head on over to www.accurateshooter.com and spend some time in their forums. You are going to get feedback from some really good shooters here but that level of accuracy isn't the kind of game that most folks on this site are playing.

Baron23 · Dec 1, 2024

dchi said:
I'm using an rcbs charge master. I'm not sure if I'm getting this right. I can use my sizer without the expander. Use an expander mandrel instead? Then an inline seat die. Berger 140 and alpha brass sound about right?

Yes. Without the ball, your neck should come out of the die tighter than you want, then mandrel to the interference fit you want.

You’re just trying set the I.D. of the neck.

I believe you said you have a mandrel die and I assume a set of mandrels. So, give it a try.

And I’m not one of the reloading experts here…not at all. So take it for what it’s worth.

Cheers

PatMiles · Dec 1, 2024

A&8's said:
1.) Good brass....OR at least anneal same lot of other brass.
2.) Good bullets

I have a couple bone stock factory rifles that shoot in the mid twenties with RCBS dies and the above 2 steps.

3.) Mandrel to achieve consistent neck tension.
4.) Accurate scale
5.) In-line dies

The rabbit hole is Deeeeepppp. Just depends how far down you want to go.

Rabbit hole hell, you're going to be drilling a hole to China!

ma smith · Dec 1, 2024

Franko said:
If you are looking to shoot in the threes consistently I think you need to start looking to the benchrest and F-Class crowd for guidance.

Agree with alot of this. Also, guys here posting pocket groups isn't alwyays indicative of real-world (large-N) performance.

dchi · Dec 2, 2024

Thanks I'll try the simple steps 1st. I do not have a mandrel die or any inline dies. Asked a few time no one mentioned which exact type. I've only used FL, SB and neck size dies. .3 to me means .399" or smaller at 100 under ideal conditions. I think the bench rest crowd do better than that at 200. I think the topic has gotten a bit off track. Low sd/es is the goal. I can get close to 1\2" with honady and sierra. I figured if I was going to spend twice as much for bergers and lapua brass, they should group a little tighter.

Baron23 · Dec 3, 2024

dchi said:
Thanks I'll try the simple steps 1st. I do not have a mandrel die or any inline dies. Asked a few time no one mentioned which exact type. I've only used FL, SB and neck size dies. .3 to me means .399" or smaller at 100 under ideal conditions. I think the bench rest crowd do better than that at 200. I think the topic has gotten a bit off track. Low sd/es is the goal. I can get close to 1\2" with honady and sierra. I figured if I was going to spend twice as much for bergers and lapua brass, they should group a little tighter.

So sorry…I thought you said you had a mandrel. Dunno where I got that from…sigh.

A lot of places will sell htwo mandrels for a caliber. One for neck turning and one for neck expansion and they are generally .001 and .002 under bullet diameter (and I always forget which is which as I don’t turn necks so I guess I didn’t care) .

I have zero idea how people make that work as there is spring back and I believe that can change in relation To the number of times fired on the case and perhaps other factors also. .

I purchased a mandrel die body and a set of mandrels for the caliber I was reloading from 21st Century. You can buy individual mandrels also…I prob won’t use the whole set but I can select the mandrel that gives me…post spring back…the interference fit I want (.002” under bullet bearing surface diameter). Prob could have just purchase less number of individual ones to bracket around what I thought I needed. Check it out. .

https://21stcenturyinnovation.com/buy-online/ols/all

vh20 · Dec 3, 2024

dchi said:
Thanks I'll try the simple steps 1st. I do not have a mandrel die or any inline dies. Asked a few time no one mentioned which exact type. I've only used FL, SB and neck size dies. .3 to me means .399" or smaller at 100 under ideal conditions. I think the bench rest crowd do better than that at 200. I think the topic has gotten a bit off track. Low sd/es is the goal. I can get close to 1\2" with honady and sierra. I figured if I was going to spend twice as much for bergers and lapua brass, they should group a little tighter.

Weird post. First, I don't see where you ever asked even once which type of mandrel or inline dies, (are you referring to a different thread?) but there are several. I use L.E. Wilson inline dies, and 21st Century mandrel expander dies. There are others probably just as good, but these are excellent. The main thing with a mandrel die is that the manufacturer offers multiple size mandrels for each caliber so you can find the one that works best in your rifle. 0.002" under bullet diameter is the standard, but not always the best for every situation. You did ask which Redding die, but it was answered - Redding Type S full-length sizing die. If you don't want to go the inline seating die route, then the Redding or Forster Ultra (my choice of those two) micrometer seating dies are good (but not as good as inline) and more affordable.

The topic hasn't gotten off track - people are answering the questions you asked. In your OP you stated many of the things that are recommended to get tighter groups AND lower ES/SD, and that the correct answer is "all of the above" (true). Then you said your budget will only allow you to do one thing at a time - so the responses have been geared towards giving you the biggest bang for your buck, "one thing at a time". Multiple recommendations were made for Berger bullets and Lapua brass, cheapest upgrade you can make, but now you are saying that you have to spend twice as much for them and you already get close to 1/2 MOA with cheaper components and that if you are going to spend more they should group a little tighter. Well, who said they won't group tighter than "close" to 1/2 MOA? They definitely will, if you are diligent in the process and have a good rifle/barrel (and are capable as a shooter). And lastly, when it comes to long range shooting, you're going to eventually find out that tiny groups at 100 don't necessarily translate out at distance. The BC variation from bullet-to-bullet can be inconsequential at 100, but can be a huge thorn in your side out at 1000+ yds. Again, that's where Berger will show it's value, and we're telling you now so you don't have to waste money and time to find out what is already known. (Yes, people have success with other-brand components through trial and error, but Lapua/Berger is the easy button, and that's what you're looking for).

You want low ES/SD? Then, consistency in the components and your process is the key. Brass that is as consistent from piece-to-piece as possible (Lapua). Same for bullets and primers. A powder that is well-matched to the cartridge, and has a proven track record with it (and also temperature-stable). And brass prep is King - a resizing process that controls shoulder bump, neck diameter, and runout consistently. Lengths trimmed consistently, annealed correctly when appropriate (much debate over when that actually is, but if done properly, every firing is as consistent as you can get). Case mouths properly chamfered and de-burred inside and out. Neck lube. Controlling neck tension so it's not only the same on every case, but ideal for your load (requires some experimentation with different neck inside-diameters, thus the recommendation for bushing dies and expander mandrels).

ALL of this contributes, but to do it all at once violates the premise of your OP, so answers have been tailored accordingly.

R_A_W · Dec 3, 2024

dchi said:
.3 to me means .399" or smaller at 100 under ideal conditions.

I bet you've got some good fish stories

DownhillFromHere · Dec 3, 2024

OP, you say you want to get 5-shot groups in the .4" range at 100. Ok, that's not a terribly unreasonable thing to ask of a good rifle. A worthwhile question is, though - are you as a shooter capable of it? In days past when I've had problems, I get one of my known-good-shooter buddies to have a go with my rifle and loads.

While it is true that Lapua brass and Berger bullets will produce top-shelf loads (assuming a top-shelf loading process), those are not the only brands that give optimal results. In fact, I shoot my .223 bolt rifle to 1000 yards on a regular basis - it does just fine with Starline brass and Hornady 75gr ELDM bullets. I don't compete with that caliber; I dang sure don't want to practice with the most expensive components. I weighed 20 of those Starline cases and found actual case weight and H2O volume weight to have something less than half a grain extreme spread. That's right up there with the Alpha brass I use for my 6BR. Those Starline/ELDM loads are always sub-half-inch and ragged-hole groups are common.

You don't say what your ES/SD values are for your current loads. Over thousands of rounds of 6.5CM and 6BR loaded in Peterson and Alpha brass with bullets from Hornady, Berger, Sierra, Lapua, and Barnes, my ES/SD values are 25-30 with SD around 8-9. Doesn't matter which bullet, and I have to shoot a lot of rounds at over 700 yards to see much difference between Hornady and Berger. Sure, I can get 5-round sets with single-digit ES. But, like somebody showing you a single .25" group without showing the other ten or twenty 5-shot groups fired over several sessions, the unicorn groups or ES/SD values don't mean squat.

Bottom line: yes, get a decent set of dies with a bushing sizer and some decent brass and bullets. There's not a thing wrong with Starline brass and Hornady or Barnes bullets for practice ammo. I've never bothered with benchrest primers. I use CCI 400s for my .223 and CCI 450s for my 6.5CM and 6BR (small primer brass); I've tried BR primers and there was no meaningful difference in ES/SD values. I also use a decades-old Dillon RL550 progressive press in a hybrid mode; my ammo comes out with <.003" TIR and CBTO consistency of <.002.

If you get consistent half-inch 10-shot groups and ES/SD under 30/10, be happy - unless you have a lot of time and money to spend chasing perfection. I do have money and time to chase it, and I quit, because my loads are plenty accurate to 1200 yards for PRS-style matches.

Smokin7s · Dec 4, 2024

dchi said:
I ment lapua brass.

Alpha is great brass too old people are stuck in their ways I actually prefer alpha over lapua.

vh20 · Dec 4, 2024

DownhillFromHere said:
Sure, I can get 5-round sets with single-digit ES. But, like somebody showing you a single .25" group without showing the other ten or twenty 5-shot groups fired over several sessions, the unicorn groups or ES/SD values don't mean squat.

Truth! I typically measure/compare ES/SD in 10-shot strings, over many sessions to see if they stay consistent. I shoot 5, wait a few minutes for the suppressor to cool until the mirage settles down (338-class cartridges heat the can up fast), and then shoot the other 5. I write down the AVG, ES, and SD for the first 5, and then again for all 10. I can't tell you how MANY times I've seen the first 5 have a stupid-low SD, only to turn into "meh" after the next 5. If I went by the first 5, I'd be kidding myself. And 10 isn't enough either, but I look at multiple strings of 10 over multiple sessions to see if it's consistent.

Bmghunter · Dec 4, 2024

vh20 said:
Truth! I typically measure/compare ES/SD in 10-shot strings, over many sessions to see if they stay consistent. I shoot 5, wait a few minutes for the suppressor to cool until the mirage settles down (338-class cartridges heat the can up fast), and then shoot the other 5. I write down the AVG, ES, and SD for the first 5, and then again for all 10. I can't tell you how MANY times I've seen the first 5 have a stupid-low SD, only to turn into "meh" after the next 5. If I went by the first 5, I'd be kidding myself. And 10 isn't enough either, but I look at multiple strings of 10 over multiple sessions to see if it's consistent.

Truth right there. Got a 8.2 SD on first 10 shots. Went back a few weeks later to confirm with the same load from the same reloading session and got 3 more sessions of 15 SD. Combined data of 45 rounds over 4 sessions SD of 15, all loaded at the same time.

oldnewguy · Dec 6, 2024

This is an interesting subject to me. I don't want to derail your thread, but I'll share some of my thoughts.

I'll preface this by saying that I'm in no way a great rifle shooter. I have tons of room for improvement. And like you, I've loaded for pistols for a long time, but relatively new to "precision" loading for rifles. What I'm shooting at the moment is a pretty pedestrian rifle set-up for SH. Origin, NSS Criterion shouldered prefit, TT Special, used MPA chassis from the PX here.

My reloading routine/equipment;

Deprime on a Rockchucker with a Lee universal depriming die
Dry Tumble
If I need to trim, it's with a FA drill powered trimmer
Size with a Wilson FL bushing die with a SAC bushing
(Sometimes) mandrel with a Sinclair turning mandrel (.002 under)
Weigh/throw with a FA Intellidropper and Lyman funnel set
Seat with a Forster Micrometer seating die on the RC

Again, decent, but I think pretty mundane for SH.

I am shooting what I think is an inherently accurate and easy-to-tune cartridge (6 BRA). And I'm using good components (Lapua brass, Berger 105 Hybrids, and Varget.) I don't do any extra sorting or weighing. Brass is from 2 different lots and I've probably mixed up 1x fired and 2x fired, etc. So, an easy to tune round that has tons of data out there, with good components, but nothing fancy about my rifle or reloading set-up.

If I'm shooting groups at 100 yards, I'm using a bipod and plain rear bag. I'll generally shoot 5x5 groups and the average is ~.65"-.75". My SDs are normally from 6-8fps.

Sometimes, I do wonder what improvements I could make and what real world difference I'd see (Custom Bartlein barrel, better trigger, arbor press for seating, SAC sizing dies and mandrels, A&D scale with IP trickler, etc)

And I don't think I'd see much difference. For one, I think I'm mostly the limiting factor in group size. I don't know that I'm capable of shooting .4-.5" groups consistently. And would lowering my SDs from 7 to 4 really make any noticeable difference? My gut says no. The time and money would be better spent on shooting and training.

In general, I try and keep the "professionals talk about software and amateurs talk about hardware" mindset. But, I'm a curious person, I like to tinker, I've got the money and some extra time. So, I will eventually try most of the things that I think might make an improvement. I don't expect to see any spectacular changes, but I'm still curious and want to see for myself. I'm just not going to put the focus on gear, and keep it on shooting and learning.

Mike Casselton · Dec 6, 2024

vh20 said:
Weird post. First, I don't see where you ever asked even once which type of mandrel or inline dies, (are you referring to a different thread?) but there are several. I use L.E. Wilson inline dies, and 21st Century mandrel expander dies. There are others probably just as good, but these are excellent. The main thing with a mandrel die is that the manufacturer offers multiple size mandrels for each caliber so you can find the one that works best in your rifle. 0.002" under bullet diameter is the standard, but not always the best for every situation. You did ask which Redding die, but it was answered - Redding Type S full-length sizing die. If you don't want to go the inline seating die route, then the Redding or Forster Ultra (my choice of those two) micrometer seating dies are good (but not as good as inline) and more affordable.

The topic hasn't gotten off track - people are answering the questions you asked. In your OP you stated many of the things that are recommended to get tighter groups AND lower ES/SD, and that the correct answer is "all of the above" (true). Then you said your budget will only allow you to do one thing at a time - so the responses have been geared towards giving you the biggest bang for your buck, "one thing at a time". Multiple recommendations were made for Berger bullets and Lapua brass, cheapest upgrade you can make, but now you are saying that you have to spend twice as much for them and you already get close to 1/2 MOA with cheaper components and that if you are going to spend more they should group a little tighter. Well, who said they won't group tighter than "close" to 1/2 MOA? They definitely will, if you are diligent in the process and have a good rifle/barrel (and are capable as a shooter). And lastly, when it comes to long range shooting, you're going to eventually find out that tiny groups at 100 don't necessarily translate out at distance. The BC variation from bullet-to-bullet can be inconsequential at 100, but can be a huge thorn in your side out at 1000+ yds. Again, that's where Berger will show it's value, and we're telling you now so you don't have to waste money and time to find out what is already known. (Yes, people have success with other-brand components through trial and error, but Lapua/Berger is the easy button, and that's what you're looking for).

You want low ES/SD? Then, consistency in the components and your process is the key. Brass that is as consistent from piece-to-piece as possible (Lapua). Same for bullets and primers. A powder that is well-matched to the cartridge, and has a proven track record with it (and also temperature-stable). And brass prep is King - a resizing process that controls shoulder bump, neck diameter, and runout consistently. Lengths trimmed consistently, annealed correctly when appropriate (much debate over when that actually is, but if done properly, every firing is as consistent as you can get). Case mouths properly chamfered and de-burred inside and out. Neck lube. Controlling neck tension so it's not only the same on every case, but ideal for your load (requires some experimentation with different neck inside-diameters, thus the recommendation for bushing dies and expander mandrels).

ALL of this contributes, but to do it all at once violates the premise of your OP, so answers have been tailored accordingly.

^^^^^ no disagreement with your post.
For the OP I'm going to reiterate what others have said.
Bergers and Lapua are truly the easiest, and cheapest way in the long run to get great Long Range accuracy and precision.

As an example, until my range closed last year, I was shooting a ton of 6-BR. I've even shot it out to a mile on a standard IPSC, and made solid hits.

Most of my shooting was at a 4" plate at the 800 yard line. I was pretty consistent with the 105gr Matchburners. There were always shots that missed by literally, "that much." I always associated it to a small missed condition.

On a whim, I bought a box of 112 MBs. Right out of the box they just looked more consistent. The tips were more consistent in diameter.
At 100yds, I could alternate bullets and send them into the same group.
At the 800yd, my little bits of verticle disappeared. Like, completely. They behaved exactly like the 105 Bergers, even though they were going 100fps slower.

When I shot the 105 MB, there was always a little doubt if I was going to hear the steel ring.

With the 105 Berger and the 112 MB the doubt disappeared. In fact, center hits were way more common.

If you bothered to read all of that, people are trying to tell you to start with the best components first. Basic reloading tools will do the job and do it well as long as you are consistent with your procedure.

I still do the minimum with respect to how many steps I do. But what I do, I do very carefully and consistently.

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