What did you do in your reloading room today?

[SA_LEFTY]

After a reloading hiatus a few years..
i'm back at the bench! Everything finding it's place and slowly replacing tools that were lost or misplaced in a couple of moves.

Today was prepping 243AI brass
- replaced tumbling media
- Concluded I will need a new primer pocket uniformer from Sinclair's .. along with a few other things on the wish list.

As an FYI - Lapua finally started selling 300WM Brass a few months ago prior they were only selling loaded ammunition.. however 338 WM brass of any quality has been a struggle. ended up using ADG 7mm RM and fireformed to fit.

Anyone have experience or know much about the 33 Nosler? performance appears comparable to 338 WM with better access to good Brass.

[brewster29]

Loaded 60 rounds of 44 magnum with Campro 240 gr bullets. Half are light loads with 10.5 gr of CFE Pistol, half are full throttle H110 loads. I am working up a max load to use in both my 629 and Marlin 1894.

[Sashi]

Loaded a box of 9.3x62 286gr Hornady, shoots 2437fps and moa from my 20" Stiga. RL15 is a great powder.

[fordtruckin]

Dove into reloading some 45/70. Got a box done now to go see how they shoot!

[260 Rem]

Which cartridge I load for will soon be determined by my powder and bullet supply. For bullets, I have a lot of “partial” boxes (ones that did not shoot particularly well) that will get renewed attention. Among the powders I have left in stock, I will also be burning up the partial cans of stuff I experimented with it gave up on. Once that’s gone, I guess I’ll have to open up the last pound of Varget & H4350.

[wallz]

Continue on my load development on the 6.5 PRC with some final seating depth on 124 gr hammer hunters, and loaded some 156 gr EOL to verify grouping size.
Then loaded 100 rounds of my verified 303 Brit load. A few hundred left to go for these and then some range fun.
Should have my new 145 gr LRX in today to start another load development this weekend on the 7-08. Maybe try some Varget on them.

[catnthehat]

Doing a run of 168 AMax's and Varget for my 308 Palma rifle , and some more 244RemAI ammo with 105 Scenars and RL26
Cat

[elkhunter11]

Another round of mentoring a new loader, and it went well. We loaded R-23 for the first time, with excellent results. Accuracy was very good in the 7mmremmag, and copper fouling was pretty much non existent.
We also loaded up some reduced loads for his daughter for the 6.5CM, and again excellent accuracy, and very light recoil.

[6MT]

I was bored, so I loaded another hundred rounds of.357mag.



Now, I have 500 rounds made for the lever and wheel gun.

[270hunter]

Went out and shot some new loads for my 270 and my dads 7mm rem mag. My 270 was shooting well considering I’m shooting a cheap rifle, scope and mid grade bullets. Was getting about 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards.

The issue is the 7mm rem mag…
Rifle has always shot really well so I know it’s not that.
Shooting imr 4831 powder with 139 grain Hornady interlock bullets. This is our 3rd time shooting handloads with it and it seems very hard to get much for improvement.
It was shooting 3 inch groups!
The one thing I was wondering is; is it because I’m not crimping the rounds?
For my 270 I crimp every round after I seat it. But for the 7mm, the die set didn’t come with a bullet crimper and I didn’t think it would be a big deal.
Could this be the reason or do I need to switch powders/bullets?
(Keep in mind I have been reducing and raising powder charges with not much effect on accuracy.)
Any advice is greatly appreciated (I’m new to reloading)

[brewster29]

Prepped 100 44 magnum cases for the new to me Marlin 1894. Loaded a variety of powder charges under Campro 240 gr plated bullets. Off to range tomorrow to test accuracy and chronograph...

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by 270hunter

Went out and shot some new loads for my 270 and my dads 7mm rem mag. My 270 was shooting well considering I’m shooting a cheap rifle, scope and mid grade bullets. Was getting about 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards.

The issue is the 7mm rem mag…
Rifle has always shot really well so I know it’s not that.
Shooting imr 4831 powder with 139 grain Hornady interlock bullets. This is our 3rd time shooting handloads with it and it seems very hard to get much for improvement.
It was shooting 3 inch groups!
The one thing I was wondering is; is it because I’m not crimping the rounds?
For my 270 I crimp every round after I seat it. But for the 7mm, the die set didn’t come with a bullet crimper and I didn’t think it would be a big deal.
Could this be the reason or do I need to switch powders/bullets?
(Keep in mind I have been reducing and raising powder charges with not much effect on accuracy.)
Any advice is greatly appreciated (I’m new to reloading)

I have never crimped any of my bottleneck loads, and accuracy has never been an issue, in general, crimping only improves accuracy, if there is an issue with the neck tension. Have you fired any other load to verify the accuracy? Action screws can loosen, wooden stocks can warp, scopes or scope mounts can loosen, or cause issues, or you could simply have a copper fouling build up. If another load does shoot much better, you can try seating depth, and if that doesn't improve things, it may just be a load combination that the rifle just doesn't like.
I would do a proper cleaning , with a good copper solvent, and check the action and mount screws for tension, and try again, if that doesn't help, try another load.

[leeelmer]

Finally got a fantastic load done up for my Ron Smith gain twist barreled 270 weatherby. 150grain Nosler Ballistic tips, Imr4831
Shooting into .25 groups now.
Prepped and primed 50 8mm magnum brass
Loaded 100 44mag with 240gr xtp
Prepped some more 223 brass

[270hunter]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I have never crimped any of my bottleneck loads, and accuracy has never been an issue, in general, crimping only improves accuracy, if there is an issue with the neck tension. Have you fired any other load to verify the accuracy? Action screws can loosen, wooden stocks can warp, scopes or scope mounts can loosen, or cause issues, or you could simply have a copper fouling build up. If another load does shoot much better, you can try seating depth, and if that doesn't improve things, it may just be a load combination that the rifle just doesn't like.
I would do a proper cleaning , with a good copper solvent, and check the action and mount screws for tension, and try again, if that doesn't help, try another load.

Great ideas thank you so much. Prior to about a month or two ago we were shooting factory exclusively and even with cheap ammo it shot 1/2 inch groups to 1 inch groups all day. I did clean the barrel a month ago and have only shot about 20 rounds since then. So I don’t think it can be that. It’s a synthetic stock so can’t be warping. This gun is 15 years old and has shot well all of its life. I think it’s more to do so with the load I’m shooting. I guess I got lucky with the 270 because it was just easy to make loads for and wasn’t picky at all. I’ll definitely experiment more with seating depth. My question is…
If I’m shooting 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards. Should I make a whole new load or could seating depth change the accuracy enough to get 1 inch groups?

I’ve reduced and raised powder charges with not much effect. Maybe I’ll buy some different powder to try…

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by 270hunter

Great ideas thank you so much. Prior to about a month or two ago we were shooting factory exclusively and even with cheap ammo it shot 1/2 inch groups to 1 inch groups all day. I did clean the barrel a month ago and have only shot about 20 rounds since then. So I don’t think it can be that. It’s a synthetic stock so can’t be warping. This gun is 15 years old and has shot well all of its life. I think it’s more to do so with the load I’m shooting. I guess I got lucky with the 270 because it was just easy to make loads for and wasn’t picky at all. I’ll definitely experiment more with seating depth. My question is…
If I’m shooting 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards. Should I make a whole new load or could seating depth change the accuracy enough to get 1 inch groups?

I’ve reduced and raised powder charges with not much effect. Maybe I’ll buy some different powder to try…

Try and shoot some ammo that was accurate previouslly amd staarrt fromm there.
Don't worry about the crimp. just make sure your overall lengthh is close to what the accurate ammo is. Too light a powder chaarger will often caause erattic groups but nnot always.
The very first thing I always do when I have a rifle that is not shooting is I go to a different rifle that I know is accurate- in otherwords, I llook at me first not the rifle.
Cat

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by 270hunter

Great ideas thank you so much. Prior to about a month or two ago we were shooting factory exclusively and even with cheap ammo it shot 1/2 inch groups to 1 inch groups all day. I did clean the barrel a month ago and have only shot about 20 rounds since then. So I don’t think it can be that. It’s a synthetic stock so can’t be warping. This gun is 15 years old and has shot well all of its life. I think it’s more to do so with the load I’m shooting. I guess I got lucky with the 270 because it was just easy to make loads for and wasn’t picky at all. I’ll definitely experiment more with seating depth. My question is…
If I’m shooting 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards. Should I make a whole new load or could seating depth change the accuracy enough to get 1 inch groups?

I’ve reduced and raised powder charges with not much effect. Maybe I’ll buy some different powder to try…

Again, test with a load that it has shot well previously, to prove the rifle/scope. Were those factory loads that it shot well with,of similar bullet weight? You aren't by chance mixing brass from different manufacturers? Different brass often has different capacity so the pressure and velocity can vary significantly. It can happen that a rifle just doesn't like a certain bullet/powder combination, and it will not shoot that combination well.

[270hunter]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Again, test with a load that it has shot well previously, to prove the rifle/scope. Were those factory loads that it shot well with,of similar bullet weight? You aren't by chance mixing brass from different manufacturers? Different brass often has different capacity so the pressure and velocity can vary significantly. It can happen that a rifle just doesn't like a certain bullet/powder combination, and it will not shoot that combination well.

Next time I go out I guess I’ll shoot some factory then to prove the the rifle can shoot. We’ve shot a mix of 150s and 140 grains and both have shot well. We’re loading with 139 grain interlocks so it should shoot well. Nope we’re using once fired brass from the same manufacturer.

[270hunter]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Try and shoot some ammo that was accurate previouslly amd staarrt fromm there.
Don't worry about the crimp. just make sure your overall lengthh is close to what the accurate ammo is. Too light a powder chaarger will often caause erattic groups but nnot always.
The very first thing I always do when I have a rifle that is not shooting is I go to a different rifle that I know is accurate- in otherwords, I llook at me first not the rifle.
Cat

I will do so measurements with the calliper and make sure I’m close to the factory length! Great advice thanks cat!

[aardvaark]

I tend to lean towards what elk and cat said about your bullet/powder combo, and your seating depth. Another thing to check as well, is the “true” jump of the bullet. I always measure from the ogive to the lands, not the tip, bc the distance from the tip to the ogive varies greatly from one bullet type to the next, whereas the ogive is the spot where the bullet meets the rifling, and that’s the spot that counts.

You have eliminated the “you” factor by having shot your 270 well.

You’ve said that it shoots factory ammo well, so, start with a bullet of similar weight to the factory that it likes, and use a similar ogive to lands measurement, that way you are eliminating two variables, each of which can have a huge effect on your accuracy.

Also, a note about synthetic stocks, I worked with a 243 in the cheapest of Savage models, and it shot well one year and didn’t the next year. I ran a piece of paper between the stock and the barrel and it was tight at one point, I relieved that area and it shot well again. Lots of possibilities in that scenario, I know, but that was what happened to me. Might be worth checking.

[270hunter]

Originally Posted by aardvaark

I tend to lean towards what elk and cat said about your bullet/powder combo, and your seating depth. Another thing to check as well, is the “true” jump of the bullet. I always measure from the ogive to the lands, not the tip, bc the distance from the tip to the ogive varies greatly from one bullet type to the next, whereas the ogive is the spot where the bullet meets the rifling, and that’s the spot that counts.

You have eliminated the “you” factor by having shot your 270 well.

You’ve said that it shoots factory ammo well, so, start with a bullet of similar weight to the factory that it likes, and use a similar ogive to lands measurement, that way you are eliminating two variables, each of which can have a huge effect on your accuracy.

Also, a note about synthetic stocks, I worked with a 243 in the cheapest of Savage models, and it shot well one year and didn’t the next year. I ran a piece of paper between the stock and the barrel and it was tight at one point, I relieved that area and it shot well again. Lots of possibilities in that scenario, I know, but that was what happened to me. Might be worth checking.

Excellent info thanks!

[catnthehat]

Loaded and tested some 69 grain Nosler Cstom Competitions and tested them at 500 and 300 using my
Spare shooting jacket . Load is good, jacket tends to have a sling lock that is slipping
Oh well, back to my old jacket untill I can get the elbow pads repaired!
Cat

[brass410]

moved a bunch of stuff to start reorganizing found 2 500 ct boxes 44 mag brass and 45-70 also case of primers woo hoo! I can finally start reloading again!!!!

[Pathfinder76]

Loading for bear.

[catnthehat]

Order 100 rounds for the kid's.223 match rifle and set up the sights on the AO rifle for irons shooting
So happy I was able to keep this rifle and in the process Lone Wolf got a smokin' deal in the trade!
Cat

[WinFwt]

Loaded 60 rounds for one of my 30-06's. Speer 150 gr. HotCor over 52 grs. of Varget, CCI 200 primers.

Weight sorted 300 rds of Winchester brass for my son's .223.

[Ackleyman]

Size prep prime and the rest for 60 22-250 rounds
Powder and seated bullets in 70 Dasher Alpha cases.

[elkhunter11]

I supervised, while a friend made up some 7mmremmag loads using R-23, and the 140gr TTSX and the 145gr LRX. Then we went to the range, and both loads averaged 5/8" to 3/4" at 100m.

[6MT]

Very windy today. So much so, that it kept me from going to the range. What’s a fella to do…?





Colt 45

[Pathfinder76]

Wind doesn’t scare me anymore. And it keeps ranges empty. Lol.

[6MT]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Wind doesn’t scare me anymore. And it keeps ranges empty. Lol.

I love doping the wind at long range. But today would have been a waste of time and ammo. And besides, the wind chill factor is mostly what kept this old fella at home today.