Load development range with iron sights

[Dman75]

What distance do you shoot test loads when only using iron sights? 50,75,100 yds. I know it may depend on caliber but if starting from scratch with a rifle where’s you comfort range?

[ShooterAZ]

If I can my rifle get it dialed in at 25 yards, it will usually be in the black again at 100. I will do further adjustments from there.

[BLAHUT]

25 yds to get on paper, then move out to what you are comfortable with ?

[HWooldridge]

Start at 25 yds to get it on paper and to check groups. If it can’t do better than 6” at that distance, it’s time to make adjustments. Most any rifle should be close to one hole at 25 steps…

[Stewbaby]

If totally from scratch, no idea where it is aimed, and it’s a bolt action, remove bolt and site down the bore and adjust sights first.

[Dman75]

Assuming it’s on paper, if you loaded several different powder charges to test group size what distance you go to?

[lar45]

100yds to test for groups

[JSnover]

25 yds to get on paper, then move out to what you are comfortable with ?

That! Especially for an unknown rifle.

[RickinTN]

If totally from scratch, no idea where it is aimed, and it’s a bolt action, remove bolt and site down the bore and adjust sights first.

This is what I always do. The only place I have found it doesn't work is with a Winchester lever rifle. I bore sight many rifles sitting on a rest in our dining room table and centering something several hundred yards away (if with a scope) and move the cross hairs to that object. Very accurate bore sighting. I don't understand why anyone would buy a commercial bore sighter.
Take care!
Rick

[veeman]

I start at 25 yards to get the idea of where its hitting, and the best accuracy loads. then out to 50. If still good, out to 100. Beyond that I can't see the targets well enough anymore. Thats with the lever guns. Now with the black rifles with scopes, starting at 100 yards, then 150 yards, then the quarry walls stops the target shooting, thats the limit. Besides, if I were actually hunting, that would be my limit anyway, cuz its hunting, not sniping. (my opinion)

[Dman75]

We’ll I’ve been working with several lever actions (30-30,44 mag,45-70) and a bolt 30-06. All with cast bullets and no scopes. They do all have peeps. At 50yds I feel comfortable testing groups/load development. At 100, I don’t feel my hold on a small target is good enough for testing. I can ring the 8 inch plate consistently with them but trusting my load development I’m not confident. With a scoped rifle never an issue at 100. Guess it comes down to practice/confidence.

[quilbilly]

Off my front porch I have a 20 yard pistol development range and a 42 yard rifle development range. They have served me well for the last 15 years. The loads developed for rifle then go to my local club range to to tested at 100 yards. My experience has been that the 40 yard distance is usually enough to determine boolit stability for my relatively low velocity CB loads which is not necessarily true of the 20 yard distance.. My porch range has saved me a lot of driving and gas since the covered club range is 20 miles away.

[BLAHUT]

We’ll I’ve been working with several lever actions (30-30,44 mag,45-70) and a bolt 30-06. All with cast bullets and no scopes. They do all have peeps. At 50yds I feel comfortable testing groups/load development. At 100, I don’t feel my hold on a small target is good enough for testing. I can ring the 8 inch plate consistently with them but trusting my load development I’m not confident. With a scoped rifle never an issue at 100. Guess it comes down to practice/confidence.

There you have it, That nasty four-letter swore word, PRACTICE.

[Dman75]

One great advantage I have is I can go out my back door to shoot. On my range I can get 150 yd practice.

[JSnover]

I don't understand why anyone would buy a commercial bore sighter.
Take care!
Rick

Well, if it's not a bolt action or a single shot, looking through the barrel can be tricky.

[Hick]

I shoot comparison groups (ladders) at 50 yards, so that windage and such don't have much influence. In fact if I do a 5 load ladder I set up 5 targets at 50, then shoot one shot per load, then the second shot per load, etc until I do at least 10 per load. I do one shot at a time per target so that all the random effects due to the shooter (and other things) will balance out better than if I shot all of one load then all of the next. I don't try to zero at this stage-- just want a group somewhere on paper so I can see how well they group.

If the best group is not about 1 - 1 1/2 inches or smaller I don't even bother to move on to 100 yards.

[stubshaft]

Usually with rifles no less than 50 yards, depending on the types of sights and their clarity I'll go to 100 for groups.

[warren5421]

Depends on caliber and sights. Pistol caliber starts at 25 yards then 50 yards, if tang sight is used I go to 100 yards. If rifle caliber I start at 50 yards then 100 yards, if tang sight is used I go to 500 yards in 50 yard incerments, recording sight settings at each distance. I also record temperature and wind so I can see the different changes for different temp's. I shoot mainly .45-70 Government in lever and single shot and .38-55 Winchester in single shot. I'm looking for a lever gun in .38-55 off and on as there is money in the kitty, money seens to ebb and flow.

[Texas by God]

I test all my cast loads at 40 yards first- to see if they are worth testing at 100 yards.
Some aren't, and I write it down so my silly self doesn't forget and try that load again after time passes.

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[Larry Gibson]

I don't conduct load development with any firearm that is not already zeroed and on paper. With rifles I conduct load testing at 100 yards initially with open, aperture or scope sights, then with selected loads at the maximum range for expected use. With cast bullets in rifles the testing of the selected loads usually is at 200 or 300 yards.