I had just got into reloading recently and have been reloading mainly for my AR style setups (.223Rem ,6.8SPC, 6.5 Grendel)
I have been loading now for about 4 months and I am getting just about the same accuracy reloading as I do out of the best Factory ammunition that shoots out of any of my AR's,
usually one of my better handloads will shoot sub-moa.
I was wondering what I could do to improve on accuracy. I know sub-moa is very good but I am doing all my loading exacly how the books want them (according to OAL, powder weight, etc.)
I recenlty picked up a Hornady OAL gauge because I am going to start handloading for a .300WM Im having built. I was wondering if there is any need for it on AR's. I know I am stuck to seating to mag length. I have shot some 75gr. A-MAXs
single shot with a Bob Sled mag.
Anyhow, bullets like the (ex. 62gr. remington match HP) is it worth using the Hornady OAL gauge and seating out farther to the lands rather than what the book says to seat them at?
Is it going to give me any better accuracy seating closest to the lands as possible without going over mag length? Thats my main question. Is it worth it for an AR?
For example, the one AR-15 I have has a 20"bbl and a 1-8 twist and I tried every brand of bullets and it seems to shoot the
62gr. Remington HP Match bullet the best (factory loads and handloads) Now these bullets have a cannalure and obviously all the factory bullets of that type are seated right at the cannalure. I recenlty handloaded some of the same bullets at the cannalure with 24.5gr. of
Benchmark powder and seem to get the best accuracy.
Yesterday I loaded 2 small batches of the same bullet. The first batch OAL at 2.250" and the second batch at 2.230". The factory ammo seated at the cannalure OAL is 2.165". I tried seating at the 2.165" with benchmark like I said and get the same accuracy as I would the factory. I havnt tried shooting the longer seated bullets yet. Should I expect better accuracy with the same bullet and powder charge but seated out farther?
Or am I wasting my time with the OAL gauge with AR's? I know you could only get so much accuracy out of an AR but I have seen some AR's shoot as good as some bolt guns do.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">The reloading setup I have got so far right now consists of</span>:
- RCBS Rock Chucker Single Stage Press
- RCBS Trim Pro Power Case Trimmer
- RCBS Trim Mate Prep Center (w/ every attachment)
- RCBS Hand Primer
- RCBS Powder Dispenser
- RCBS Powder Trickler
- Forester Benchmounted Chamfer/ Deburring tool
- RCBS Calipers
- RCBS Tumbler
- Forester BR Dies
- RCBS Dies
- RCBS Shellholders
- RCBS Brass oil and pad
- Hornady OAL Gauge
- A shelf of a mix of powders and primers: (Varget,H335,Benchmark,H322,RL-15,H4895,BL-C2,)
(Fed205M,CCIBR4,CCI400,CCI450,RemBR7.5,Wolf Magnum)
There are some other things I would like to invest in such as a Neck Turning Tool, Comparator, better Dies and anything that could give me the help on achieving the best accuracy I could get. Ideas?
Any help or ideas that would give me the best accuracy as I can (out of an AR) would be appreciated on this topic.
Thanks,
LR30
p.s.
Im sure when I start loading for my .300WM its going to be a whole different story on loading.
I have been loading now for about 4 months and I am getting just about the same accuracy reloading as I do out of the best Factory ammunition that shoots out of any of my AR's,
usually one of my better handloads will shoot sub-moa.
I was wondering what I could do to improve on accuracy. I know sub-moa is very good but I am doing all my loading exacly how the books want them (according to OAL, powder weight, etc.)
I recenlty picked up a Hornady OAL gauge because I am going to start handloading for a .300WM Im having built. I was wondering if there is any need for it on AR's. I know I am stuck to seating to mag length. I have shot some 75gr. A-MAXs
single shot with a Bob Sled mag.
Anyhow, bullets like the (ex. 62gr. remington match HP) is it worth using the Hornady OAL gauge and seating out farther to the lands rather than what the book says to seat them at?
Is it going to give me any better accuracy seating closest to the lands as possible without going over mag length? Thats my main question. Is it worth it for an AR?
For example, the one AR-15 I have has a 20"bbl and a 1-8 twist and I tried every brand of bullets and it seems to shoot the
62gr. Remington HP Match bullet the best (factory loads and handloads) Now these bullets have a cannalure and obviously all the factory bullets of that type are seated right at the cannalure. I recenlty handloaded some of the same bullets at the cannalure with 24.5gr. of
Benchmark powder and seem to get the best accuracy.
Yesterday I loaded 2 small batches of the same bullet. The first batch OAL at 2.250" and the second batch at 2.230". The factory ammo seated at the cannalure OAL is 2.165". I tried seating at the 2.165" with benchmark like I said and get the same accuracy as I would the factory. I havnt tried shooting the longer seated bullets yet. Should I expect better accuracy with the same bullet and powder charge but seated out farther?
Or am I wasting my time with the OAL gauge with AR's? I know you could only get so much accuracy out of an AR but I have seen some AR's shoot as good as some bolt guns do.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">The reloading setup I have got so far right now consists of</span>:
- RCBS Rock Chucker Single Stage Press
- RCBS Trim Pro Power Case Trimmer
- RCBS Trim Mate Prep Center (w/ every attachment)
- RCBS Hand Primer
- RCBS Powder Dispenser
- RCBS Powder Trickler
- Forester Benchmounted Chamfer/ Deburring tool
- RCBS Calipers
- RCBS Tumbler
- Forester BR Dies
- RCBS Dies
- RCBS Shellholders
- RCBS Brass oil and pad
- Hornady OAL Gauge
- A shelf of a mix of powders and primers: (Varget,H335,Benchmark,H322,RL-15,H4895,BL-C2,)
(Fed205M,CCIBR4,CCI400,CCI450,RemBR7.5,Wolf Magnum)
There are some other things I would like to invest in such as a Neck Turning Tool, Comparator, better Dies and anything that could give me the help on achieving the best accuracy I could get. Ideas?
Any help or ideas that would give me the best accuracy as I can (out of an AR) would be appreciated on this topic.
Thanks,
LR30
p.s.
Im sure when I start loading for my .300WM its going to be a whole different story on loading.
