Accuracy: Seek ye first. . .

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

OK. So if you've got a new gun, new caliber and you want to find some accurate load recipes how do you approach it? What do you look for first?

Do you pick a mold or boolit and try different powders finding whichever powder produces better results, then start tweaking other things?

Do you pick a powder and try different boolits, then tweak?

[Ed_Shot]

Personally, since I try to keep my CHEAP!!! meter pegged, I'd research here to find what boolit and powders folks recommended for the caliber and start there.

[high standard 40]

First things first. Do a chamber cast to determine what bullet will best fit your chamber. Fit is king. Powder selection is secondary.

[country gent]

I start with researching data reloading manuals first then internet and last magazine articles. What I'm looking for here is the bullet that shows up the most, the powder that shows up the most, starting and max loadings of the given powders. Next weed out any loads not appropriate to the individual firearm or purpose. Once I have the most popular loads in my notes and segregated by bullet and powder I average the loads to get an idea as to starting point.

An example 308 win 168 grn hpbt match bullet. If 5 manuals a list IMR 4895 in them several internet sources list it its a good place to start. Now if loads are ( again these are examples) 39.0-42.0 grns min to max in the checked data then that's also a good start to work up from. The old "standard" 308 high power load was 41.5 grns IMR4895, 168gen HPBTMCH bullet federal match primer and lc cases.

Use the data out there to your advantage get the most out of it. I really like the one caliber manuals for this since I have almost all makers data in one source.

[Texas by God]

The one caliber manuals are well worth the small price charged. I usually start with the boolit/bullet that I want to use and go from there.

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[dverna]

For a new rifle I shoot jacketed bullets unless it is a pistol caliber rifle. If it will not group with jacketed bullets it is unlikely to group with cast.

[Walter Laich]

if I have molds for that caliber I'll start with those.

the on-line powder co. loading charts are a nice place to check

seeing what others do is also good

[Outpost75]

high standard 40 has it right.

It is less expensive to cast the chamber and to buy a custom mold which fits the first time, than to by trial and error progress through a succession of failures and frustrations until you find one by random variations of chance which works.

[fredj338]

Whether cast or jacketed, same procedure for me. I pick a bullet, then a powder that gives me the vel window I want. I start @ min if looking for a gun game load or the middle if working to max. I load 5 each powder charge & work it up or down as needed in 1/10gr increments with powders faster than Unique & 2/10gr with slower powders. Shoot of a rest, note pressure issues, high or low & accuracy.

[Hick]

I don;t just pick a bullet-- I use anything that might work. For each bullet I then pick a powder for which there is load data. T hen I start doing ladders: If the starting load is 35 and the maximum is 39, I might do 35, 35.5, 36, 36.5 etc and go out and shoot them for accuracy. Usually I use group size at 50 yards for this. When I find the load with the smallest group I might then start playing with cartridge overall length to further improve accuracy. Truth is I do this because its fun. That way, for every bullet (cast or jacketed)that is the right caliber, and for every powder I stock that might work, I have a load that I have developed by this method. I keep going until each load and bullet combination meets my standards for accuracy. Since I normally shoot open sights at 100 yards, my standard is that a load has to be accurate enough that I can hit the smallest gongs at the range (generally around 2" to 3" at 100 yards).

[GhostHawk]

My continuing quest is to find new guns, new calibers to shoot Red Dot accurately and economically. I have yet to fail, although I have set a couple of rifles aside that I think just need to be shot a bunch to get them to break in and settle down.

Or, they need a change I was not quite ready to make.

Time has a way of solving some of those issues with more molds available. More lessons learned.

Shortly I will be taking delivery on a pair of H&R Handi rifles in .44 mag. I have 2 molds 220 gr and 310.
I will be starting with Red Dot and will switch only if the rifle says I have to. But if there is accuracy to be found I figure to find it.

I expect to start small and slow and work up carefully noting area's for further study.

Chamber cast is a given I think so I will have a good idea of what I am working with. It has worked well in the past when I took the time to chamber cast and make adjustments based on that.

Try to take short cuts and you can end up in the weeds.

And now that i think about it, chamber cast's on those 2 I set aside would be a good rainy day project.

[Minerat]

I'm a speed freak, so I pick a j-word bullet, then the fastest max load from the Speer #10 manual for a powder that I have on hand, back off that load by 15% and start working up in 0.1 grain, 5 load ladders. I chrono the loads, checking group sizes and watch for pressure signs on the primer and if I reach the max load I quit. I then go back and look at the group sizes and that determines what the final load will be for that powder.

For handguns some times I just take one of the cast boolits I cast and make a wimpy load for it, to just make noise shooting rocks and cans. Accuracy in handguns to me is a foreign concept. I don't see much fun in punching holes in paper so inch of paper plat is all I go for. I like to shoot at large rocks at 200 yards or more just to see if I can hit them.:grin:

[Rcmaveric]

Start with a chamber cast. Pick a bullet that fits. Or make whats on hand fits. Look for a load data for what i have on hand or find an eqavalent load data. Start 10% under min and go .5 gr at a time till i am 5% over max. Then shoot em off and checking primers, groups and barrel for leading. If one of those goes to heck before i find a load i call it and pull thosr bullets. Let the groups tell me what to do next. Do i need a slower powder or more velocity or lower pressures. Only problem i have had is heavier bullets over an inch long. Still trying to get those bullets to shoot straight. I think i an over pressuring the lead before i acheive a stable velocity. Switching to shorter and lighter bullets got be atleast shooting that gun. Quickloads is a great tool to experiment with also. Time, experience and safety will change your approach over time. I also dont trust any load off line either. If it isnt from a well known person or source i dont trust my life with it.

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[Black Jaque Janaviac]

OK. So there's a number of people who pick a bullet, then try powder ladders, pick the best "rung" of the ladder, then tweak. At least one guy who picks a powder, then tries bullets that work with that powder.

[high standard 40]

I'll elaborate a little on my previous post. What are your expectations and how much time and money do you have to experiment? My suggestion of starting with a chamber cast are based on getting the best possible result with the least amount of trial and error. Some people like "the journey" more than "the destination". I desire to achieve top accuracy with the least amount of effort. The first step to that goal starts with a bullet that fits YOUR gun and can have little in common with what combination has worked for someone else.

[GhostHawk]

I have been known to take an existing mold and cast boolits and "squish" it in a drill press set up if I need it bigger.

Then run through sizer to make sure it is uniform.

Like a Lee .312 185 then size in .314 lee sizer.

If I see good enough results it is a safe bet that i'll be ordering a spare 2 cavity mold and beagling or leementing it to drop .314.

I was showing off for my neighbor the last range trip. At 20 feet put 6 rounds from my H&R 732 revolver with 2.5" barrel in .32sw long well inside a 2" bullseye. Was arranged as 2 triangles. Top 3 touching, quarter inch gap then bottom 3 touching. One handed no less, and no more than a second between shots.

My neighbor is a Army ranger, 14 years, 5 tours in afghanistan and the sandbox. But I open his eyes from time to time.

[megasupermagnum]

I personally start with what I've had luck with in the past, or have on hand. If I have bullets on hand, I use those, or I buy a 100 pack from the local store (along with brass if needed). I almost always start with Blue dot powder for handguns, or 3031 for rifles, as those are almost always a top performers for me, and load a ladder in .5gr increases for handgun, and 1 gr for rifles (assuming larger cases holding over 40 grains of powder. Going .1 grains at a time is slow and pointless. If it wont group at 42 grains or 43 grains, I will bet money every time 42.2 grains will not. The difference between 11.6 gr and 11.8 gr, maybe. If you are unsure of published data, or make changes, it might not be a bad idea to go .2gr for handgun or .5gr for rifles for the last 2 rows for safety.

After that, I'll try different combos, but that gets me started off right. After a good acquaintance, I'll measure the gun if shooting cast, and buy a mold accordingly.

[unique]

Well since this a hobby for me I don't mind trying lots of things. First off I usually have a reason for a specific caliber, firearm, load, and so on. This guides me into one direction or another but I will say that no matter the intended use is, I must have accuracy. Also with cast I do not tolerate leading that requires cleaning up after 50 shots or so.

I shoot revolvers the most by far so starting powder will be unique or 2400. I also have a lot of bluedot that I would like to use up so that usually gets tested at some point. So then I usually start with whatever mould I have and go from there.

One thing I have found at least 50% of the time is that the loads that I expect to work well do not and loads that I expect not to work well do. Therefore I try all sort of variations and let the results dictate the direction.

Having said that there are a couple golden rules that seem firmly established for cast. If the boolit enters the barrel undersized then it will not be accurate. It may or may not lead the barrel but it will not be accurate.

Second is that there are no other golden rules that I have found so I am happy to experiment since as I said this is a hobby.