Reloading for Benchrest

[Oldmauser]

The road up and the road down is one and the same. However not all roads are the same. If I was reloading for PRS I kept my process simply, I avoided adding additional steps in the process. provided I got my minimum acceptable accuracy.
However, in benchrest we are looking at smallest group possible. So, bearing this in mind, what would you say, differs reloading process in benchrest from PRS- focused reloading. If I am going to go the benchrest route, how should I reorganize/ rethink my reloading process?

 

[Mike Casselton]

The answers you seek are found elsewhere.

Benchrest.com

Accurateshooter.com

 

[remaction]

Consistency in all aspects of the assembled round. Mike has you pointed to good sources.
The Precision Shooting Reloading Guide had a section on benchrest that was helpful to me back in the day.

 

[918v]

The road up and the road down is one and the same. However not all roads are the same. If I was reloading for PRS I kept my process simply, I avoided adding additional steps in the process. provided I got my minimum acceptable accuracy.
However, in benchrest we are looking at smallest group possible. So, bearing this in mind, what would you say, differs reloading process in benchrest from PRS- focused reloading. If I am going to go the benchrest route, how should I reorganize/ rethink my reloading process?

It depends on the cartridge and how far you’re shooting. If you’re loading 6mm PPC to shoot 0-300 yards from a dedicated benchrest rifle then you might have even less steps than if you were loading for PRS.

I used to go to a range, now closed, where a bunch of old timers shot benchrest with various rigs. They basically fired, ejected the case (which was neck turned and otherwise uniformed), ran it through a bushing neck die, brushed the inside of the neck, primed, charged from a powder measure, seated the bullet, and fired again. They played with clicks on their Harrell powder measures and got teeny little groups out to 300 yards.

They bumped the shoulders occasionally and did not anneal. They didn’t have to because their chambers were so tight the brass barely expanded. Their cases lasted forever and were discarded when the barrel was shot out, which according to them was 700 rounds LOL.

People watching this started to apply these trick to their hunting rifles and ran into reliability problems.

I don’t know how it is these days but I read BR shooters are a lot more anal.

 

[Ledzep]

Sort cases by weight/volume if you think it's worth it. At this point in my life I might sort by weight just to get rid of the outliers. I have done a fair bit of testing on brass prep. You need consistent neck tension and consistent, sane sizing. The rest of it (even neck turning) is a waste of time IMO.

Weigh charges on a scale that goes an extra decimal place. It doesn't help ES/SD much (1-2 FPS on SD maybe?), but it consistently helps accuracy in the testing I've done.

Bump 2gr off of book max with every applicable powder. Seat your bullets .035-.050 off the lands (pick a number), and load 15-20 each of each powder type. The 15-20 shot group will tell you which powder to continue with.

From there, mess with charge weight and seating depth. I'd go every .015" seating depth initially then maybe fine tune from there. Seating depth is a final tune IME, not the end-all-be-all that some give it credit for.

Understand that you're rolling dice within a "beaten zone". Some 5 and 10 shot groups will be better than others. Do the 15-20 shot tests up front to know what your beaten zone is. Pick a cartridge with some barrel life because it can take a few hundred to find the really good combinations.

I've never shot a BR match, but I've done a lot of testing to determine what matters for accuracy and MV spreads, and there's a lot of carryover to all of these precision sports.

 

[Mauser06]

Not a BR shooter....but I "study" those guys and F Class shooters to learn.



Really depends on short range or long range. They seem to be very different. Long range guys can get very......particular. I know one very good shooter that says he never laps scope rings...but he weighs primers. The weighing and measuring and sorting can go on forever to basically build every round exactly the same.


One thing is....many of the good guys don't pass on what they know. I get it. They've spent years and money to get there. They aren't giving that info up..especially to "competition "


I've seen them debate how "pointy" bullets need to be. They know how many FPS a kernel of powder equates to. They know what that kernel of powder equates to in vertical at 1k.


I try to follow along and pick up what I can. I'm the kinda guy that if something works and improves my ammo...I will do it even though I shoot steel and fur. I have a line drawn..if something takes a ton of time or money and the benefits are minimal at best...eh. not for me. But if I can tweak my process and make better ammo, I will.

 

[Oldmauser]

But if I can tweak my process and make better ammo, I will.

This is my point. The problem is I don't know any benchrest shooter. I know a dozen of f-class guys, PRS guys. In Europe benchrest is really rara avis. I am wondering what a good benchrest shooter would say looking at my reloading routine. I assume he would point out missing:
1. measuring volume of the case and sorting based on volume,
2. sorting bullets based on ogive and weight,
3. neck turning- btw, it does not make much sense if I have normal chamber, does it?
4. trickling powder up to a single kernel of powder,
5. seating the bullet probably closer to the lands that I do for PRS.
and probably other stuff I am not familiar with.

 

[ChristianSilver]

Consistent neck tension.
Arbor Press w/ gauge.
LE Wilson seating and neck sizing dies.
21St Century mandrels
Anneal your brass
Trim - chamfer and de-burr
Consistent primer seating, flash hole care.
Know your chamber, proper bumping of shoulders. FL size only when needed.
How deep is the rabbit hole?

My ES is below 8.
Arbor press, annealing, sorting brass, mandrels and AutoTrickler has made the best changes in my loads.
Arbor press and Wilson dies are worth it and you can really see the difference in neck tensions…

 

[Buzzinga]

Buy a book written by a benchers shooter, you will learn more than any forum can teach you. I've mentioned this before, but Tony Boyer has a great book. Mike Rattigan's book was recommended to me by a badass BR shooter/gunsmith, he thought it was much better than Boyer's.

And after all that, take a statistics class

I will say though that the bulk of short range BR shooters don't weight their charge weights, they simply drop them from a Harrells. Basically what @918v said, and they load at the range.

 

[mtrmn]

It depends on the cartridge and how far you’re shooting. If you’re loading 6mm PPC to shoot 0-300 yards from a dedicated benchrest rifle then you might have even less steps than if you were loading for PRS.

I used to go to a range, now closed, where a bunch of old timers shot benchrest with various rigs. They basically fired, ejected the case (which was neck turned and otherwise uniformed), ran it through a bushing neck die, brushed the inside of the neck, primed, charged from a powder measure, seated the bullet, and fired again. They played with clicks on their Harrell powder measures and got teeny little groups out to 300 yards.

They bumped the shoulders occasionally and did not anneal. They didn’t have to because their chambers were so tight the brass barely expanded. Their cases lasted forever and were discarded when the barrel was shot out, which according to them was 700 rounds LOL.

People watching this started to apply these trick to their hunting rifles and ran into reliability problems.

I don’t know how it is these days but I read BR shooters are a lot more anal.

I'd shoot up 700 rounds in search of a perfect load.....

 

[ChristianSilver]

^^^^ Exactly… I have learned quickly in today’s times not too waste…
My process has improved over the years, damn sure expensive nowa days…

 

[Oldmauser]

Consistent neck tension.
Arbor Press w/ gauge.
LE Wilson seating and neck sizing dies.
21St Century mandrels
Anneal your brass
Trim - chamfer and de-burr
Consistent primer seating, flash hole care.
Know your chamber, proper bumping of shoulders. FL size only when needed.
How deep is the rabbit hole?

My ES is below 8.
Arbor press, annealing, sorting brass, mandrels and AutoTrickler has made the best changes in my loads.
Arbor press and Wilson dies are worth it and you can really see the difference in neck tensions…

Thanks for your input. It slowly reaches me- arbor press is inevitable as LE Wilson dies are. Could you elaborate on "proper bumping the shoulders"? I measured today my fired brass and FL sized brass and I think the difference is 4 thau (most people say- make it 2 thau). Does it really matter as long as you bump consistently 4 thau?
What do you mean by "know your chamber"? I have regular chamber, I can measure my maximal CBTO by using Hornady tool. Does it mean I know my chamber?

 

[Oldmauser]

Buy a book written by a benchers shooter, you will learn more than any forum can teach you. I've mentioned this before, but Tony Boyer has a great book. Mike Rattigan's book was recommended to me by a badass BR shooter/gunsmith, he thought it was much better than Boyer's.

And after all that, take a statistics class

I will say though that the bulk of short range BR shooters don't weight their charge weights, they simply drop them from a Harrells. Basically what @918v said, and they load at the range.

Can you send a link to this book? I cannot find it on amazon.

 

[ChristianSilver]

I bump my shoulders back .0015. Bumping back further than needed only works your brass harder. Closer tolerances gives better chamber fit, more consistent pressures.
Same as FL sizing every firing, over working your brass and shortens case life.

Self defense rounds, something your life depends on, got to chamber every time sure.
FL size and bump a little further back, no feed issues.

 

[ChristianSilver]

Also depending on how many firings you have on your brass that 4 thousands you mention may not be correct. Brass sometimes takes a few firings to fill the chamber, grow..

 

[ChristianSilver]

Know the chamber.
I keep notes on my CBTO, measure case above rim, halfway and just above the neck.
I’ll run my brass till it’s difficult to chamber. Then FL size till it will chamber with little resistance. Record those, throat erosion is a given. I want my brass to fit tight, how much can it grow before issues.
The better the fit of your brass fire formed to chamber, then your getting the most performance and consistency out of your loads.
Making small sizing changes to your brass once formed the longer life you’ll get out of it.

 

[Buzzinga]

Can you send a link to this book? I cannot find it on amazon.

The Book of Rifle Accuracy: Tony Boyer: 9780982678800: Amazon.com: Books

The Book of Rifle Accuracy [Tony Boyer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Book of Rifle Accuracy

www.amazon.com

RATIGANS ACCURACY, INC EXTREME RIFLE ACCURACY BY MIKE RATIGAN | Brownells

This book is about Benchrest Shooting by one of the very best benchrest shooting in the world right now. Mike finished this ...

www.sinclairintl.com

 

[918v]

Thanks for your input. It slowly reaches me- arbor press is inevitable as LE Wilson dies are. Could you elaborate on "proper bumping the shoulders"? I measured today my fired brass and FL sized brass and I think the difference is 4 thau (most people say- make it 2 thau). Does it really matter as long as you bump consistently 4 thau?
What do you mean by "know your chamber"? I have regular chamber, I can measure my maximal CBTO by using Hornady tool. Does it mean I know my chamber?

Knowing your chamber means knowing all the internal dimensions and sizing the case minimally. This will preserve concentricity.

 

[ChristianSilver]

^^^ That’s what I said in layman’s terms..

 

[918v]

I'd shoot up 700 rounds in search of a perfect load.....

They initially did as well, then had a new barrel made adjusted to their accuracy load so all they had to do is make a
minor adjustments. These guys would keep a ton of powder and primers from the same lot at any one time.

 

[ZiaHunter]

For 1000 yard F/O its all about controlling vertical. Shoot with a bunch of HM and all pretty much follow the same routine for reloading. Most of us don't bother with weighing cases anymore although there are a few that still do. Neck tension and accurate charge weights are critical. Anneal after every firing and measure, measure, measure to achieve uniformity. Seat bullets with a Wilson chamber die and 21st Century Hydro press to sort by neck tension. Rounds outside of a given range are used for sighters and not for record. Bullets sorted, trimmed and pointed. Measuring jump after a number of rounds though the barrel and resetting seating depth. Frankly most of us have rifles built by the best F Class rifle builders in the business and at the end of a match the guy who wins generally reads the wins better than the rest of the competitors that particular day. Won the state's Masters Class in 2018 and 2019 and just had the wind dialed in those days.

 

[Bigfatcock]

Funny, 10 years ago if you brought up benchrest on the Hide, you got told to gtfo. Then, more and more, benchrest reloading techniques were adopted to the PRS long range precision thing.

Benchrest is the formula 1, NASA, and other top end shit of the reloading for accuracy world.

That said, start with a benchrest rifle. Chances are you have the stuff to load quality ammo right now.

The list of stuff I did for benchrest is to long to type out.

 

[Oldmauser]

Funny, 10 years ago if you brought up benchrest on the Hide, you got told to gtfo. Then, more and more, benchrest reloading techniques were adopted to the PRS long range precision thing.

Benchrest is the formula 1, NASA, and other top end shit of the reloading for accuracy world.

That said, start with a benchrest rifle. Chances are you have the stuff to load quality ammo right now.

The list of stuff I did for benchrest is to long to type out.

This was my assumption- if you align your process according to the guidelines of experienced benchrest shooters, you might have a chance to move up in the ranking of F-class or PRS (I am shooting distances up to 800m- 300/600/800, sometimes 300/400/500). I look at top 10 guys I am competing with at F-class matches and they produce consistent one hole 10-shot group at 300 m. It's a benchrest level accuracy and it's more than necessary to get 100/100 points. This is where I am heading. I produce 0.5 or 0.6 MOA group at 300m, but it's not enough. All competitors shoot custom rifles, Krieger/Bartlein barrels. I think there must be a difference in proficiency as far as reloading is concerned.

 

[Oldmauser]

Knowing your chamber means knowing all the internal dimensions and sizing the case minimally. This will preserve concentricity.

I stopped FL sizing after every firing. I do neck size and don't even bump the shoulders if a round chambers correctly.

 

[Oldmauser]

Know the chamber.
I keep notes on my CBTO, measure case above rim, halfway and just above the neck.
I’ll run my brass till it’s difficult to chamber. Then FL size till it will chamber with little resistance. Record those, throat erosion is a given. I want my brass to fit tight, how much can it grow before issues.
The better the fit of your brass fire formed to chamber, then your getting the most performance and consistency out of your loads.
Making small sizing changes to your brass once formed the longer life you’ll get out of it.

Yes Sir, that's the line of thinking I am sympathetic to. I posted here in another thread a line about fireformed brass fitting my chamber and neck only sizing and then (as expected) I got a link to Erik Cortina's youtube in return.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Yes Sir, that's the line of thinking I am sympathetic to. I posted here in another thread a line about fireformed brass fitting my chamber and neck only sizing and then (as expected) I got a link to Erik Cortina's youtube in return.

The flip side of the coin is that your brass will eventually not fit anymore. This means the brass is constantly changing size (as it would either not fit immediately or it would always fit).

If consistency is the end all be all (most agree consistency is about the most important thing) then returning your brass as close to the same size each time would lend to more consistency than allowing it to continue changing size.

And one other thing to consider is that both BR and F class shooters have had success with both methods. Which likely means neither is inherently better when it comes to the target.

 

[918v]

I stopped FL sizing after every firing. I do neck size and don't even bump the shoulders if a round chambers correctly.

That’s not what I meant. Brass has to be sized otherwise you will grind the bolt lugs against the bolt recess and shave/smear/ brass off the case head.

You should size the case so that it doesn’t have to expand very much. That involves custom work. Custom chamber matched to the sizing die or vice versa.

 

[spife7980]

If you want to start to reload for bench rest all you need is more time, patience and more expensive measuring tools.

After that youll know where your discrepancies are and then you can go about fixing them in whatever manner you see fit. But identifying your issues is the first step.

 

[Joel Danielson]

This was my assumption- if you align your process according to the guidelines of experienced benchrest shooters, you might have a chance to move up in the ranking of F-class or PRS (I am shooting distances up to 800m- 300/600/800, sometimes 300/400/500). I look at top 10 guys I am competing with at F-class matches and they produce consistent one hole 10-shot group at 300 m. It's a benchrest level accuracy and it's more than necessary to get 100/100 points. This is where I am heading. I produce 0.5 or 0.6 MOA group at 300m, but it's not enough. All competitors shoot custom rifles, Krieger/Bartlein barrels. I think there must be a difference in proficiency as far as reloading is concerned.

Just got back from shooting a week long tournament with some of the best high power shooters in the country. The winners at the end, read the wind/mirage better than the rest of us. There is a certain level of equipment that is necessary to compete, but time in the saddle is the only way to improve. Watch what they do setting up their equipment, what conditions they shoot their sighter shots, how they "bracket" the target for different conditions, etc...

I don't shoot BR, but do shoot with several guys who do shoot both mid and LR bench. The level f-class shooters equipment and loaded ammo prep goes to is pretty much the same except for the wacky short range BR guys with their flags and spinners. Your reloading process needs you to be able to produce consistent powder charges and neck tension. No one I shoot with has one-hole groups at 300 M ( shoot weekly with the current LR F-open champ), so that isn't needed to improve your scores or ags.
Cheers

 

[rottenruger]

The road up and the road down is one and the same. However not all roads are the same. If I was reloading for PRS I kept my process simply, I avoided adding additional steps in the process. provided I got my minimum acceptable accuracy.
However, in benchrest we are looking at smallest group possible. So, bearing this in mind, what would you say, differs reloading process in benchrest from PRS- focused reloading. If I am going to go the benchrest route, how should I reorganize/ rethink my reloading process?

Lost me. I'm somewhat new to the game but would have thought reloading for PRS and Benchrest shooting would be pretty much the same. Both, in m,y understanding, involve trying to get the bullet out as far as you can as accurately as you can........and therefore require the same quality and consistency of reloading......including the number of reloading steps. Hope I haven't gone down the wrong road, I do that frequently.......

 

[rottenruger]

Not a BR shooter....but I "study" those guys and F Class shooters to learn.



Really depends on short range or long range. They seem to be very different. Long range guys can get very......particular. I know one very good shooter that says he never laps scope rings...but he weighs primers. The weighing and measuring and sorting can go on forever to basically build every round exactly the same.


One thing is....many of the good guys don't pass on what they know. I get it. They've spent years and money to get there. They aren't giving that info up..especially to "competition "


I've seen them debate how "pointy" bullets need to be. They know how many FPS a kernel of powder equates to. They know what that kernel of powder equates to in vertical at 1k.


I try to follow along and pick up what I can. I'm the kinda guy that if something works and improves my ammo...I will do it even though I shoot steel and fur. I have a line drawn..if something takes a ton of time or money and the benefits are minimal at best...eh. not for me. But if I can tweak my process and make better ammo, I will.

Weighing primers? Hoooowheeeeee!!! Now I'm going to have to do that just to see what kind of microscopic variations there are. Am I going to have to buy a Sartorius to see the differences, or will my Chargemaster do the trick? Where is the variation supposed to be? In the case, the anvil or the primer explosive??? I should have gotten gun-crazy fifty years ago, I'm SO far behind......

 

[nn8734]

Lost me. I'm somewhat new to the game but would have thought reloading for PRS and Benchrest shooting would be pretty much the same. Both, in m,y understanding, involve trying to get the bullet out as far as you can as accurately as you can........and therefore require the same quality and consistency of reloading......including the number of reloading steps. Hope I haven't gone down the wrong road, I do that frequently.......

Your reloading process should be driven by your performance needs which is driven by application. PRS doesn’t require anywhere near the level of precision that benchrest / F class does. That’s what he’s trying to tell you.

If you have to put 10 in the X at a grand, your load development standards are going have to be a lot more exacting and require a lot more time and money to perfect vs having to hold ~1MOA for typical PRS. In PRS I’d say physical fitness is just as (if not more) important than how much tighter group you shoot under 1MOA.

Everyone wants the most precise load humanly possible, usually without regard for the cost benefit. Or if they can even exploit that level of precision.

Start with the target and what it has to look like (10 in the X or just one or two hits on a 12” plate) and work your way back to determining your reloading process (time/money invested) from there.

 

[rottenruger]

Your reloading process should be driven by your performance needs which is driven by application. PRS doesn’t require anywhere near the level of precision that benchrest / F class does. That’s what he’s trying to tell you.

If you have to put 10 in the X at a grand, your load development standards are going have to be a lot more exacting and require a lot more time and money to perfect vs having to hold ~1MOA for typical PRS. In PRS I’d say physical fitness is just as (if not more) important than how much tighter group you shoot under 1MOA.

Everyone wants the most precise load humanly possible, usually without regard for the cost benefit. Or if they can even exploit that level of precision.

Start with the target and what it has to look like (10 in the X or just one or two hits on a 12” plate) and work your way back to determining your reloading process (time/money invested) from there.

Thanks for the feedback. My first mistake was somehow confusing PRS with ELR shooting, vs the bench.

As I spend more time shooting and more time studying/reloading, I think I am slowly realizing I'm not (I'm 71) going to be an Eric Cortana in either discipline, got started too late? I'm not whining, I love shooting and reloading both and ALWAYS have fun with it, and I am SOOOOOO much better that I was when I started. My goals are fairly simple, to get to hitting one thousand reliably, and to get back out to Raton, NM, this time to shoot the White Buffalo. I've got the equipment, am pretty confident in my reloads, now need to extend my skillsets out that far. Biggest problem is NO convenient 1000 range. And that's a BIG problem. I have difficulty accepting the theory of perfecting my shots at 100 yards to shoot the 1000 yards; or in my case, perfecting at 500, what I have available. Anyway, will keep on trucking, gotta get that White Buffalo before I check out. Thanks again!

 

[nn8734]

You’re welcom. being 71 won’t hold you back from being a competent shooter. never to late to start unless you’re dead.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Weighing primers? Hoooowheeeeee!!! Now I'm going to have to do that just to see what kind of microscopic variations there are. Am I going to have to buy a Sartorius to see the differences, or will my Chargemaster do the trick? Where is the variation supposed to be? In the case, the anvil or the primer explosive??? I should have gotten gun-crazy fifty years ago, I'm SO far behind......

Don't forget, some primers like the Fed GM have a sealant too.
I wonder what that is supposed to weigh?...

 

[Seymour Fish]

Thanks for the feedback. My first mistake was somehow confusing PRS with ELR shooting, vs the bench.

As I spend more time shooting and more time studying/reloading, I think I am slowly realizing I'm not (I'm 71) going to be an Eric Cortana in either discipline, got started too late? I'm not whining, I love shooting and reloading both and ALWAYS have fun with it, and I am SOOOOOO much better that I was when I started. My goals are fairly simple, to get to hitting one thousand reliably, and to get back out to Raton, NM, this time to shoot the White Buffalo. I've got the equipment, am pretty confident in my reloads, now need to extend my skillsets out that far. Biggest problem is NO convenient 1000 range. And that's a BIG problem. I have difficulty accepting the theory of perfecting my shots at 100 yards to shoot the 1000 yards; or in my case, perfecting at 500, what I have available. Anyway, will keep on trucking, gotta get that White Buffalo before I check out. Thanks again!

Rotten, the skillset is a matter of 1) Perfecting your Delivery so it is consistent 2) Learning to read wind/mirage. both apply at 1000 and beyond, same as at 500. if you find a node at 100 yardsthat is acceptably broad and load the middle of it, take it straight to 1000 in a steady condition, it should print 10" or better given appropriate cal and BC . do not be intimidated you dont have to Believe this tuning at 100 works, you merely have to give it an objective trial . the target will Show you at distance. Kudos for jumping into this pursuit great fun and much success to you. seymour

 

[Fozta]

It depends on the cartridge and how far you’re shooting. If you’re loading 6mm PPC to shoot 0-300 yards from a dedicated benchrest rifle then you might have even less steps than if you were loading for PRS.

I used to go to a range, now closed, where a bunch of old timers shot benchrest with various rigs. They basically fired, ejected the case (which was neck turned and otherwise uniformed), ran it through a bushing neck die, brushed the inside of the neck, primed, charged from a powder measure, seated the bullet, and fired again. They played with clicks on their Harrell powder measures and got teeny little groups out to 300 yards.

They bumped the shoulders occasionally and did not anneal. They didn’t have to because their chambers were so tight the brass barely expanded. Their cases lasted forever and were discarded when the barrel was shot out, which according to them was 700 rounds LOL.

People watching this started to apply these trick to their hunting rifles and ran into reliability problems.

I don’t know how it is these days but I read BR shooters are a lot more anal.his range you used to shoot at was it San Gabriel in Southern Cal

It depends on the cartridge and how far you’re shooting. If you’re loading 6mm PPC to shoot 0-300 yards from a dedicated benchrest rifle then you might have even less steps than if you were loading for PRS.

I used to go to a range, now closed, where a bunch of old timers shot benchrest with various rigs. They basically fired, ejected the case (which was neck turned and otherwise uniformed), ran it through a bushing neck die, brushed the inside of the neck, primed, charged from a powder measure, seated the bullet, and fired again. They played with clicks on their Harrell powder measures and got teeny little groups out to 300 yards.

They bumped the shoulders occasionally and did not anneal. They didn’t have to because their chambers were so tight the brass barely expanded. Their cases lasted forever and were discarded when the barrel was shot out, which according to them was 700 rounds LOL.

People watching this started to apply these trick to their hunting rifles and ran into reliability problems.

I don’t know how it is these days but I read BR shooters are a lot more anal.

This range that you used to go, now closed was it San Gabriel in SoCal?

 

[Geaux tigers]

It not as hard as you think good components. Most 600/1000 yd bench rest guy do load development at intended range most get there load in about 20shots by running a ladder test or 3shot ladder (positive compensation) not that velocity crap.

 

[Dthomas3523]

It not as hard as you think good components. Most 600/1000 yd bench rest guy do load development at intended range most get there load in about 20shots by running a ladder test or 3shot ladder (positive compensation) not that velocity crap.

Slightly misleading. They will narrow things down greatly in about 20 shots. Then they will fine tune in that narrowed down area.

And they constantly test and re-tune. Real load development is not one and done and is constantly monitored for the life of the barrel.

A single case in point would be Alex Wheeler all but re-developing the load the day/s before every match.

 

[Geaux tigers]

Slightly misleading. They will narrow things down greatly in about 20 shots. Then they will fine tune in that narrowed down area.

And they constantly test and re-tune. Real load development is not one and done and is constantly monitored for the life of the barrel.

A single case in point would be Alex Wheeler all but re-developing the load the day/s before every match.

You are correct I did leave it short and to the point. And all them boys at deep creek make tuning a barrel look easy.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Biggest problem is NO convenient 1000 range.

Where are you located? Anywhere out west not in the middle of a metropolitan area means you've probably got BLM or national forest land within reasonable distance. "Reasonable" depends on the individual, of course. I've got BLM land 2 hours away, and I'm quite happy with that.

 

[lightman]

However, in benchrest we are looking at smallest group possible. So, bearing this in mind, what would you say, differs reloading process in benchrest from PRS- focused reloading. If I am going to go the benchrest route, how should I reorganize/ rethink my reloading process?

In benchrest you are probably going to have a tight neck chamber on your rifle. So, you are going to be using neck turning tools, measuring tools and turning and expanding mandrels. And most likely an arbor press with hand dies such as Wilson makes.

 

[Dbig23]

Hi guys I’m looking at starting hand loads for benchrest. I’ve played around abit with my .223 and hand loads. But starting on my new Tikka T3X Tac a1 in .308.
I’ve found ADI 135gr match shoot well.
Looking at getting into long range precision… f class etc. what’s everyone running? Any tips would be much appreciated! Thanks