My thoughts

[vrh]

My thoughts on shooting and reloading rifles. I'msure there will be members who have different points of view on this matter. Asalways their views are welcomed.
Now, I have learned thru the years that no tworifles shoot the same. Nor do they all like the same load configurations. Onerifle may like heavier bullets while the other shoots lighter bullets better.One may like a certain powder charge of a given powder, while the other shootsbetter with a different powder charge and a different powder.
Here is what I do to help my shooting.
1 - Use the same manufactured cases.
2- Trim all cases to the same length
3 - Primers. I really can’t tell any difference in performance of each brand. Justuse good quality primers.
4 - Cast bullets. Even though my bullet mold saysit will cast 95 grains. With my lead I’m casting 101 grains. I do weigh my castbullets down and separate them in groups. Ex: 101.1 to 101.3 grains goes in onegroup. 101.4 to 101.6 goes into another. 101.7 to 101.9 goes into yet anothergroup. From these groups I will load all bullets with the same weight.
5- I gas check each bullet, making sure the gascheck is flush and square with the bullet base.
6 - I powder coat with a spray gun. Then afterthey set for a day, I resize one more time.
7 - I then charge the case with my choice ofpowder and amount.
8 - I seat the bullet to suggested AOL as givenin the loading manual.
9 - I do not crimp my rifle bullets as it is notneeded in my single shot rifle.
10 – I then take all of my loaded bullets andcheck them in my concentricity tool. Make any corrections with the ones thatneeds to be corrected. No…I’m not a match shooter. I use this tool as justanother way to eliminate problems that I can in my reloading and shooting.
I check all finished bullets with my “go-no- go”gauge.
So I have found that some changes in my reloadingcomponents have helped or the changes have hurt my shooting. Therefore I onlychange one thing at a time in my load development.
I’m still looking for that perfect group at 100yards.

[Yodogsandman]

From your list, numbers 1,2,4,5,7and 10 are solid choices.

Some times, a primer change might make a difference to your load. Number 3 should not be "cast in stone". I'd wait to try different ones until it was one of my last tweaks left in the trick bag.

Need more leeway with #6. I just found out that the "shake and bake" method leaves a more consistent thickness coating. If you resize critical dimensions, PC should work for you. Don't over look using lube in your quest.

I'd throw out #8 completely. Seat the boolit to fit your rifle. Try different seating depths to "tune" the load to the harmonics of your rifles barrel. Different boolit profiles want different seating styles. A bore rider will want to be loaded to touch the lands, showing engraving. Pointed or some blunt nosed ones will want to be seated off the lands. Experiment back and forth a little with the seating depth for better accuracy.

Too tight of a rule for #9. Save that crimp trick for maybe getting a certain powder to burn right for you. A crimp could delay the boolits launch just a nano second, helping to get the right burn rate from it.

[runfiverun]

like he said we might do it a bit different.

I'm much closer to YoDog's way [except for putting powder on my carefully fit naked boolits]

Vearl's will get a new guy down the road pretty far.
and he can take it from there to weak things around to suit his situation.

one more thing I'd add to the list is neck tension.

firm consistent neck tension can make a big difference in group size, I just went through a batch of 308 Remington cases and could feel a little difference in some necks when sizing.
when I seat my boolits I know there is about 8-9 cases in there that will be set aside from how the boolits feel going into the cases.
they have all been set to have .0015 tension but their anneal is slightly different and I could feel it, if I can the boolit can when the round is fired.
this sets the boolit forward that much sooner in the sequence and the bump to the powder burn will occur in a different spot for those cases.
maybe only 1/4" difference on paper but I don't want 3/4" groups I want under 1/2" groups.

[Yodogsandman]

runfiverun, I agree, I'm not changing the dimensions of my perfectly cast boolits with PC either. Until powder coated booits can be made to fit the chamber just right, they just won't be near as accurate as using lube. The higher the velocity, the more problems PC causes. Some members here have made great strides towards that goal recently and I'm in "lurking mode" watching for their results.