Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

[TexIndian]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

Cheap tip. To verify consistent mounting of your dies when going to the O-ring setup, just make a reference mark on the top of your press and another on each of your dies/lock rings. My fear was that the rubber might get less springy over time and affect my depths, so I made the marks and bought extra O-rings.

 

[TresMon]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips


Good thinking Tex! Everybody listen up. That's what I d do to my dies/ press.....

 

[ryaninutah]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

Once you run them through the Concentricity Gage, what do you do it it's not seated within your tolerances? What improves the seating? Better press? Better Dies?

 

[TresMon]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips


I run them through a Hornady Concentricity gauge, which also corrects run out...

Clicky

 

[sll]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

I just finally took the time to read all 5 of these tips and just want to add that they are awesome. I sure wish that this type of detailed knowledge was printed before I started reloading about 15 years ago! I will definitely point anyone that comes to me wanting to learn how to reload to this forum for reference.

I mainly just punch paper and shoot a few deer and groundhogs at less than 400 yards, and doing that with only factory rifles. But, I am very anal about trying to get the most out of every rifle and load that I mess with so there is still a ton of useful knowledge to the people that will never shoot in 1,000 yard matches. But it does make one respect all the effort and details that goes into the skill for those that do.

Good show also in pointing out that all of us TN boys are not just a bunch of inbred hicks.....

 

[James Loe]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

great great info. thanks for sharing

 

[dgatch]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

Tresmon, thanks for the great series. As someone new to reloading, it is really helpful to have all the pictures along with the instruction. One question, I am limited to 200 yards at my range, is that enough distance to find an accuracy node? In my first test of .260 123gr Scenars at 100 yards from once fire Lapua brass I tested loads from 41gr to 43.5gr of H4350 in .5 increments and didn't find much vertical variation in groups, so I figured it was too close a range for vertical dispersion to appear. Is this correct? If so, how do find the accuracy node at distances of 200 yards or less?

Thanks for any input.

 

[TresMon]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips


If it were impossible for me to shoot beyond 200 yards I'd just shoot for groups and load whatever shot the tightest.

 

[Rifle Barrel Blanks]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

Hey tres, based on your findings, if I'm running lapua brass do I need to neck turn?

I am not set up to neck turn so I would have to buy all the goodies to get started. Thanks

Jake

 

[TresMon]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jcvibby</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hey tres, based on your findings, if I'm running lapua brass do I need to neck turn?

I am not set up to neck turn so I would have to buy all the goodies to get started. Thanks

Jake </div></div>

If you running a standard ( not "tight neck") chamber and 'pua brass, No I'd not go for neck turning (unless you specifically are getting set up to be serious in F-class)

 

[hengehold]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

Worrying about runout = a waste of time

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

Again, great write up. Thanks for taking the time, and thanks to all who contributed to flesh out and discuss the topic. I shall have to read this series again a couple times to absorb it all.
Thanks again, Tres,
Tim

 

[mattmaxus]

great info here very well presented. thank you very much

 

[SOTA]

Ill have to try this stuff

 

[Kryptaea]

Great series, man. I joined the hide looking to soak up some knowledge from experienced guys. I have spent a good part of this deployment doing as much research as possible on reloading. Looking to blow some deployment money! I've not seen a more detailed series on reloading anywhere. I'm excited to get home and put it to some use. My wife is gonna be pissed!

 

[jakelly]

Tresmon your pm box is full

 

[Jayman_10X]

Tresmon,

Great writeups as always. The only thing I have not been able to quantity for effect is runout. I use a sinclair concentricity gage and at ranges up to 600 yards have not been able to correlate high runout (say up to 0.006") with degrading accuracy. I know writer/author John Barsness advocates by it but I haven't been able to detect a difference on my targets. I still check it though on maybe 50% of my loads, just for peace of mind.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Jayman, for what it's worth, I was chatting with a friend of mine whom I met through this forum, and he told me that he was learning reloading, and he kept getting good groups with one flyer. He got the Hornady Concentricity Tool which has the screw to help correct run-out, started using it, and he has seen a marked absence of flyers since then. I only have the RCBS gauge, and have just started using it. I cannot comment from experience, as I have none on this issue. I found that .005" run-out was about the max i have measured on any of mine that I checked yet, and I have no way as yet to correct them I also screwed up and failed to mark them to see if they flew out or not----mostly because I read this after I checked them, and didn't go back to find them. I have other fish to fry first, so I'll revisit this issue later, but I thought I'd pass on his observations for consideration. Maybe someone else can confirm them----or not.

 

[AZ.noob]

A big thank-you to TresMon, thank you sir. I've read and studied your series here on precision loads, and my groups have shrunk by at least .2 MOA Fantastic information, much appreciated

 

[Jayman_10X]

Jayman, for what it's worth, I was chatting with a friend of mine whom I met through this forum, and he told me that he was learning reloading, and he kept getting good groups with one flyer. He got the Hornady Concentricity Tool which has the screw to help correct run-out, started using it, and he has seen a marked absence of flyers since then. I only have the RCBS gauge, and have just started using it. I cannot comment from experience, as I have none on this issue. I found that .005" run-out was about the max i have measured on any of mine that I checked yet, and I have no way as yet to correct them I also screwed up and failed to mark them to see if they flew out or not----mostly because I read this after I checked them, and didn't go back to find them. I have other fish to fry first, so I'll revisit this issue later, but I thought I'd pass on his observations for consideration. Maybe someone else can confirm them----or not.

Thanks for the input Uncle. This is a fascinating topic.

 

[old_heli_logger]

T-Man!! Great work on these articles! Thank you very much!!
I think neck turning improves accuracy by better alignment than through equal bullet release ...but I'm good at being wrong sometimes too. Reloading seemed overwhelming until I once read that there are only two things that we can do to improve accuracy. 1) bullet alignment 2) correct consistent pressure charges
Good luck everyone!!

 

[Plerny]

Nice work Gunny, I very much enjoyed your article. I am in the process of getting back into reloading and want to kick things up a few knoches in quality from what I did in the old days. I wish I could build my own tools, just been a mechanic too long Ha Ha
Paul

 

[Capt Academy]

Interesting info here!

 

[CAG55]

TresMon, Out standing series of how to load for Long Range Shooting!! I have been reloading since 1972 but, not to your degree! I thank you so much!! I have been reading a lot on Long Range Shooting and of course reloading has to be mentioned
but, Not To Your Standard. There are a lot of good guys on the net that will help a person if asked! Not to many folks that would spend the amount of work you did on this!! I sure wish that someone that has been reading this that had the connection to get you a book deal. I can tell you that because, I have read a few books on advance reloading and shooting
and the author of those books would of been ahead if he would of copied your explanation of how to reload for long range
shooting!
I do have a couple of questions that I would like to ask you your thoughts in a pm.
If you read this and would not mind a pm or email please get a hold of me.
Cag55

 

[Minisniper]

Great series. This has been read in Denmark, a at guy which is in need for at 500 yard course.

Actually by following those steps also the 100yards are showing improvements. The groups can always be smaller.
thanks again.

 

[BoltActionSean]

Sir, you are a reservoir of info. Great info.

 

[Country]

Re: Hand Loading for Long Range 5: inspect & tips

I have loaded quite a bit of stuff that I use at benchrest shoots, and in my estimation a one thou. indicator [such as the one in the photo] on a run out guage isnt really doing the job. If you want to see just how true your ctgs. are a one tenth guage is all but a necessity.
I also feel that Tresmons pick of neck turners is a very poor choice. The Sinclair type turner is a far better choice for keeping neck walls consistant, the idea of holding a case in an electric screwdriver in one hand and the turner in the other hand is a much better option than any of the lathe type neck turners, I have tried them all and havnt found one that will compare with the hand held type. The sense of feel that the average person has is greatly underestimated. The biggest promlem with the Sinclair type is setting the cutting depth to start with, but a mic. head can be adapted to set the depth of the cutter with very little trouble. Even with the best set up if you can hold the wall thickness to within two to three tenths you are doing a very good job.
Ijust reread my post and realized that it could be taken as a knock at Tresmon, which it most certainly is not. He is obviously a very knowledgeable guy and has a lot of great information, I just thought I would throw a thought or two of mine in that have served me quite well over the years. Sorry for any idea that I was putting anyones ideas down.

I agree . I have found the same things to be true . For the guy who is just skim turning to no particular thickness for a factory chamber then setting is easier just run it down until you get a cut going that cleans up about 75% of the neck then run them all through at that . Later after some shots another clean up at the same setting will true them up a bit more . Whats even more important after that skim turn in a factory chamber is then practice partial neck sizing . When a bullet is not aligned in the bore it's called Yaw .