Hand

Loading for Long Range 1: Brass

Prep

Let'slookatourcartridgebrassfirst.Everythingwedoinhandloadingisinthenameofconsistency,
shottoshot.(Technicallynot"reloading"whichisquick&expedientforthelikesofshortrange
speedshootingsuchasIPSC&Steelchallengeshoots.)

Sothereitisbeforeusafinespecimenofafiredcase.Weneedtoresizeourcasesaswellasde
primethem.Butbeforewedothat,ourcasehasavitalpieceofinformationit'sdyingtogiveus.

Whenweresizethecasewewantittostayaprecisionfittotheindividualrifle'schamberfrom
whichitwasfired.Ifwegoaheadandresizeitwehavelostthisinformationoftherifle'slengthof
headspace.

Weneedatoolforthis.

Butwearegoingtomeasurethecasefromitshead(wherethewritingis)tothedatumofthe
shoulder.Forthisweneedtheaboveillustratedtool(Link:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/5574/CaseGaugesHeadspaceTools):

thisholdstheinsertontoyourcallipers.You'llalsoneedtheinsertspecifictoyourcartridge(Link:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/11264/CaseGaugesHeadspaceTools).

Here'saphotoofmeasuringthefreshlyfiredcaseformtherifletoobtainaheadspace
measurement:

Sonowweknowthislengthofthefiredcase,wesetuptheresizingdieinthepressto"bump"the
shoulderbacktothreethousandth'sofaninch(.003")under/shorterthanthislength.Thisgives
clearanceforloadingandunloadingtheunfiredround,butmaintainsasnugfitinthechamberso
theroundandbulletisheldoncentrelinewiththeboreforultimateaccuracy.Italsokeepsusfrom
overworkingbrass.Ifwesizeitwayback,anditstretcheswayoutonfiring,andcontinuethis,the
brasscasewillseparatefromthehead!

Herewecanseefromtheoriginalmeasurementthatwehavemovedor"bumped"theshoulder
back.003":

Untilyougetthetoolinthemail:takeafiredcaseandwipeitoffwitharag&alcoholetc.Usea
candleorlighterandburnblacksootontotheshoulderofthecase.

Backoutyourresizingdieafewturnsonthepress.Pressthecaseupintotheresizingdieand
withdrawit.Didyougetlinesontheshoulderofthecase?No?Screwinthediealittlemoreand
repeat.Continuethisprocessuntilyougetfaintlinesinthesoot.

Inthisphotoyoucanseethelineinthesootwheretheneckbushingstoppedontheneck,aswellas
alineandsomedappledmarkswheretheshoulderwasjusttouchedbytheResizingdie:

Nowwipeoffthecase,chambertheemptycaseintherifleandseehowtheboltfeelsasitcloses.
Wasthereanyresistance?Youwanttobumptheshoulderofthecasebackjustenoughthatyour
borderlineofhaving/nothavingateenybitofresistanceinclosingtheboltonthecase.Nowyou
haveyourresizerdiesetaswellasyoucanuntilthepropertoolarrivesinthemail.Nowresizeall
yourcases.

Annealing:

Ifyourbrasshasbeenfiredafewtimes,ithas&ishardening.
Brassworkhardens.Shootit,Resizeit,Tumbleititallhardensit.Whichmeanssomewillbe
harder/strongeronit'sgripofthebulletthanothersandourconsistencyineverythingwearetrying
toachievewentrightoutofthewindow;thisexampleinknownas"Necktension"ortheamountof
gripofthecaseneckonthebullet.

Annealing:annealyourbrasscasesevery3firingsatleast.Iannealmineevery2.Youonlyannealthe
neckandshoulder,nottheHEAD!Therearefancycaseannealingmachines,butIdon'thavethat
kindofmoney.Here'swhatIdo:

Getyousome650degreeratedTempilaq.Tempilaqbasicallylookslikeanoversizedbottleof
fingernailpolish.

Itcomesinheatgrades.WeuseditinMachineshopsforvarioustasks.Youbasicallypaintastripeon
yourmetalandletitdry.ApplyheatandwhenitgetstothetemperatureyouwantedtheTempilaq
liquefiesandthecolour(yellow)disappears.

IpaintastripeINSIDEthemouthofmycases.

AfteritdriesIholdtheheadofthecaseinmybarefingersandturnthemouthofthecaseinthe
flameofapropanetorch.Whenmyyellowpaintofthe650deg.TempilaqdisapeersIdropthecase
inabucketofwater.Whenallthecasesaredone,Inowhavesoftcasemouthsthatareuniform.(in
necktensiononthebulletafterloaded.)

AwordofCaution:youneverwanttheHeadofthecase(thepartthathaswritingonit)togetsohot
youcan'tholdit.Ifyousoftentheheadofthecaseyouhavecreatedaverydangerousaswellas
troublesomesituation.Likeattheleastshootthecase,evenalightloadandtheprimerfallsout.
Andonfromtherewithfargreaterpersonalrisk/danger.

Cleaning:
Andwhilewearebabyingourbrass,Idowhatmanybenchrestshootershaveswitchedtoo:Iusean
ultrasoniccleanertocleanmybrass.Vibratorytumblersonly"prettyfy"brass.Itdoesnotcleanthe
inside,theflashholenortheprimerpocket.Idonotneedorcareiftheoutsideofmybrassisshiny.
Asalongrangeshooter,Ineedtheinside,theflashholeandtheprimerpockettobecleaninthe
nameofuniformcombustion&burn,shottoshot.Alsoalltherattlingtogetherofcasesinthe
vibratorpeensthecasestogetherworkhardeningthemallthemorethoughminimal.

GetyouaUltrasoniccleaner(onthecheapfromHarbourFreight.)Throwinyourresized/deprimed
cases.Coverthecaseswithdistilledwater.Thenadd1tablespoonofdishdetergentaswellas36
tbspofyourfavouriteliquidbrasscleaner.BirchwoodCasey,LymanTurbo,etc.Anyoftheliquid
productsintendedtobeaddedintovibratorytumblingmedia.

RuntheUltrasonicCleaner20minutestoanhourdependingonthesize&amountofcasesuntil
theyaretotallycleanontheinsideandtheprimerpocketsareallatleast95%clean.Rinseina5
gallon(etc.)bucketofdistilledwaterandshakeoff.Aftertheyairdryoryouhairdry(er)themyour
goodtogo.Tapwatercontainssubstancesthatcancausecartridgebrasstooxidize.Staywith
distilled.

[edit:afteryoucleanyourbrasswithyourpreferredmanner,ifyouusedTempilaqtoannealthem,
youmayneedtouseaborebrushtocleantheburnedtempilaqoutofthecasemouths.Makesure
yourcasemouthsarecleanalwaysinthenameofconsistentnecktension.]

Sorting:
Sowe'llcontinuebysortingallyourbrassbybrand.ThenIsortitbyweight.Everybodytalksabout
Lapuabrassbeingthebest,butWinchesterbrassisatleast96%asgoodandcheaper.

Sortallyourbestbrasscasesatleastinto2grainlots.(Allofthisbatchofcasesweighwithin2grains
ofeachother.)
Onegrainlotsisreallysplittinghairs.It'suptoyouifyouthinktheaccuracygainisworthyourtime
&dependingyourrifle'scapabilities.IneverythingonthissubjectofhandloadingIliketoerroron
thesideofoverkill.

Thislet'syouknoweachcasehasaboutthesamebrasscontent,whichtellsustheirofthesame
averagedimensions,whichmeanswehavethesamesizedcombustionchamberscasetocase,to
giveusconsistentMVshottoshot.

Uniformalltheprimerpockets.Here'sadirty,unevenoncefiredprimerpocket:

Primerpocketuniformingcutsalltheprimerpocketstoexactlythesamedepth,inthenameof
consistentanduniformignition.Heresthetools,acleanedanduniformedpocketandthebulkofthe
materialthatwasremoved:

Deburrtheflashholes.

Theflashholeistheholeintheheadofthecasethatthesparkspassthroughtoignitethepowder.
Inthemanufacturingprocessthisholeisnotdrilled,itispunchedandthatgenerallyleavesaburron
theinside,orthewhole"flap"ofmetalthatwaspunchedout.Thiscanshieldaportionofthe
powderfromthesparksandleadtoinconsistentignition,casetocase.Adeburringtooldoesjust
thatcleansupthepowdersideoftheflashholeforconsistentignition.Thisparticulartypetoolhas
thedepthpresetsothecutter(acommoncentredrill)canonlycutsodeepintotheflashhole:

Allthemailordercompaniesandmostlocalshopscarrythesesimpletools.Aprimerpocket
uniformercanbeusedaftereachfiringtocleanthecarbonoutofthepocket.Butyoushouldatleast
revisittheprimerpocketsofyourcaseseverythreefiringsasthebrassflowswitheachshotandthey
willeventuallynolongerbeuniformed.

Trimtolength:uponfiringoftheloadedroundthecasegreatlysoftensandinflateslikeaballoonto
fillthechamberoftheweapon.Thissealsthechamberandpreventsgasleaks,etc.butwiththe
brassnearingaliquid("plastic")stateitflowswiththepressureofthepropellantgas.Henceas
statedbeforeourprimerpocketsnotstayinguniform,theoveralllengthofthecasegrowsandthe
mouthofthecasetypicallythins.Yourreloadingmanualwillgiveyouthenominal"trimtolength"
measurementofagivencartridgecase.Soplacesaidcaseinyourcasetrimmerandtrimitback
correct?No.

NO!!!Weareprecisionshootersforcryingoutloud.Ihaveafriendthatmowseverycasehegetshis
handsonbacktominimumlengthanditgripesmetonoend.

Historically&generallyspeakingtheclassicultraaccuratecartridgesoftheBenchRestenvironment
havelongerthannormalcasenecks.Thetypicalcaseneckforagivencartridgeisonecalibrewide.
Example:a308Winchester'sbulletisadiameterof.308"sothereforetheruleofthumbisthe
mouthofthecaseshouldbe"about".308"longminimum.Thisallowsgoodbullettensionand
supportsoourcarefullyassembledloadedround'sbulletissittingdeadinlinewiththecases'
centrelinewhichisinlinewiththecentrelineofthebore.Allthisleadstogoodshootingandsmiles.

Themorewehackbackthecasemouththelessneckwehavetomakesureourbulletisheldinline.
AndthebenchrestcartridgesImentionedtheyhavecalibreplusnecklengthsforthisreason.

Sowhatdowedo?Ifthecasegetstoolong,itwillengagetheriflingatthesametimethebullettries
togivingusawild&verydangerouspressurespike.Ifwehackitbacktobareminimumwemay
havegivenroomforalittlelossofaccuracy,especiallywithroughhandlingofammointhefield.But
weHAVETOmaintainconsistencyfromcasetocaseforshottoshot.

Theansweristomeasurethechamberlengthinyourindividualrifleandstaytrimmedbackfrom
thatactualnumber.SmallchamberplugstogetthatmeasurementaresoldbySinclair(Link:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/11241/CaseGaugesHeadspaceTools)andothers.

HereisoneIwhippedoutonthelatheyesterdayfor30cal:

Touseagagelikethis:
1.Thoroughlycleanyourweaponschamber.
2.TakeascrapcaseandtrimitWAYbackwithyourcasetrimmer,say.050"SHORTERthanbook
spec.
3.Seatyoupluggageintothecaselong.
4.Easethisroundintoyourweaponandfullyclose&lockthebolt.
5.Removethecasegentlywithoutbumpingthegage.Ithashittheendofthechamberandbeen
pushedbackintothecasebytheactionoflockingthebolt.

Measuretheoveralllengthofthecase,headofthecasetoendoftheplugandnotethat
measurementsomewhereobvious&permanentinregardstoloadingforthisparticularrifle.It
wouldprobablybeagoodideatorepeatthismeasurementthreetimesandaverageallthree
readings.
Nowuntilthisdimensionchanges(barrelremoval,etc.)trimyourbrassjustshortofthis
measurement,insteadoffBOOKtrimtolengthspecs.

Oncewehaveourcasesalltrimmedtoauniformlengthtoourspecificriflewenowneedtodeburr
themouth.

I'msureanybodythatisreloadingknowswhatadeburringtoollookslikeforhandloading,others
justdoagooglesearch.Deburrtheoutsideofthecasejustenoughtoremovetheburrandputthe
slightestbevelontheedgeofthecasethemostminimalpossible.Asfarasdeburringtheinside,
gentlycutabevelontheinsideofthecaseuntilitgoesalmostfulldiameterthatisthebevelcutsto
theoutsideedgeofthecasemouthwhenlookingfromtheend.

Itisnexttoimpossibletophotographbutyoucanseethisinsidechamferiscutalmost,butnotall
thewaytotheoutsideedgeofthecase:

Thisissothatwhenweseatourpreciousbullet,theopeningofthecasemouthofthecasedoesnot
cut,marorpeelbacksmallportionsofthesoftbulletjacket.

Andlastbutnotleastweneedtoprimeourcase.Practicallyeverycompanythathandlesreloading
componentssellprimingtools.ForthewealthierindividualsI'dpointyoutowardsSinclair
Internationalandthosetypesuppliers.Butagoodjobofprimingcanbedonewithlesserpriced
tools.

Themainthingisthetoolhasasmuch"feel"oftheprocessaspossible.Youwanttobeableto
clearlyfeeltheprimerbottomoutintheprimerpocketofthecase,soyoucankeeptheprimers
seatedconsistentlycasetocasetocase.Thispreloadstheanviloftheprimerthesameforeach
roundgivingmoreuniformignitionshottoshot.

From:http://wildernessmeans.com/articles/handloading/handloadingforlongrange

Hand Loading for Long Range 2: Bullet

Sort/Prep

Chapter2:Howtoprepareabulletforalongjourney.

SowegotourcasespreppedandprimedinCh.1.Nowlet'slookatourbullets.

InourchaseforconsistencyobviouslyourbulletshavetoallbeIDENTICALiftheyaregoingtolaunch
andflythesame,shottoshot.Ihaveandwillcontinuetosaythisalot:Wherechasingconsistency,
inEVERYTHING.

BeforeIgetgoing...letmesaythis!Ifyouever,might,possibly,onceinalifetimeshootpast600
yardsyouguysshooting.308"diameterbulletsdonotwasteyourtime,money&barrellifeon
workinguploadswith168grainbullets!Startwith175'sorheavier.Ifyoulike,experimentwith
155s,butSKIP168s.Thanks,Ifeelbetter.The168grainbullettobeginner.308shootersiswhatthe
9x19mmParabellumpistolroundistoHollywoodyou'dthinkitwouldkillapolarbearinstantlyifhe
weretobeshotinthepawwithit.It'saclich,it'snotthebestlongrangebullet!Itinfactmaybe
THElowestonthelist.

Soaccordingtoourcartridgeandadvicegivenwehavepickedabulletortwototryinourlongrange
weapon.Solet'slearnafewbasicgeneralizedbulletterms:

Meplat:thepoint(edendofthebullet)

Ogive["ohjive"]:thecurvedradiusleadingfromthebearingsurfacetothemeplat.

BearingSurface:theactualmaindiameterofthebulletthatactuallyengages/touchesthebarrelon
itsjourneytothemuzzleandbeyond.

Base:thebuttorbaseofthebullet,oppositethemeplat.

Soletsgetoutourboxof100bullets,orevenbetterour500+bulkbox.
Ourbulletsneedtobeasmicroscopicallyidenticaltoeachotheraspossible.Sowearegoingto
discussthevariousmeasurementsandinspectionstoensurethis,aswellashowwecantuneupour
bulletsalittlebit.

Thefirsttwostepsaregenerallyspotoninhighqualitymatchgradebullets.Sobelieveitornot
weregonnagivealittleroomforassumptioninthesefirsttwomeasurements.Welldoaquick
checkandgiveourbulletsthenodifafewlookontheup&up.

First!
Letsmeasurethediameterofaboutadozenrandomlypickedbullets.Ifyoudonothavea
micrometre,justskiprightoverthisfirststep.Somepeoplewillsurelychuckleatmysuggestingto
measurethediameter.Imnotsuggestingthatthebulletswillbesofaroutofspecastobe
dangerousetc.Butinthethemethat1000yardsisBRUTALwewanttoruleoutanyand
everythingthatmaycauseInconsistency.Also,Imamachinistandaccustomedtomeasuringthings
inextremelyfinegraduations.Ihavehadtoworkcontractsinthepastthatrequiredmeasurements
inthefiftymillionthsofoneinch.99%ofguyswillgrabsomethingandmeasureitsdiameterinone
place.Butatruediametermeasurementindoneseveralplacesalongthelength,alongitsaxis
(Axially)aswellsseveralplacesaroundit.(Radially)(measureit,rotateitalittlemeasureagain)
NoIhaveneverhadaproblemwithGreenorYellowboxbulletsvaryingindiameter,butIhavehad
acertainpopularcolourboxofbulletsbeeggshaped!Measuringradiallywillletyouknowifthepart
isreallyroundornot.FortherecordIdoubtifabulletbeingeggshapedby.0001or.0002(twoten
thousandthsof1inch)willaffectaccuracyasthebulletwillengravetothebarrelandisinaplastic
statewhileitsinthetubesothebarrelwillreformthebullettoamoreroundstate.ButIpersonally
amanalaboutallthisstuffanderroronthesideofoverkill.Eggshapedbulletsdonotinstil
confidence!ButagainifyoudonothaveagoodmicrometredontsweatthisfirsttestIhaveNEVER
founddiameterproblemswithANYbulletthatcameoutofaGreenorYellowbox.

Second:
Nowforanotherabbreviatedtest.Thisisprobablyonlyworthwhileifyouhaveaveryfinesetof
mechanicalbalancetypescalesordigitalscales.Letsweight25orsoandmakesuretheweightis
runningprettymuchspoton.Ihaveneverhadmuchofanissuewithweightvariationinbullets
comingoutofaYelloworGreenboxthoughIwillsayonsemifrequentoccasionyouwillgetsome
outoftolerancewhenworkingthroughabox.Soaslongasasmalltestbatchlooksgood,well
assumethelotisfineunlessyoudeemyourtime,andriflespotentialworthsplittinghairs.Ifso,
weighEVERYbulletandsortthemin.2grain(orfiner)lots

Third:
Nowwemovetoacriticaltest.Evidentlythisspecisfarharderforthemanufacturerstoholdthan
weightordiameter.Weregoingtomeasurethelengthofthebearingsurfaceofthebullet.The
bearingsurfaceistheonlypartofthebulletthattouchesthebore/rifling.Letsaywehaveastandard
bearingsurfacelengthof(.500)ahalfinchforthesakeofroundnumbers.Great.Butifabullet
showsupwith.490bearingsurface,.010(10thousandths)shortofstandardWeknowitwillnot
haveasmuchsurfacerubbingthebore,whichwillnotcauseasmuchpressurebuildupsothatbullet
willachievealowermuzzlevelocityanditwillimpactlow.Ahha!Nowwearelearning.
Andthesamecanbesaidifabulletshowsupwitha.510bearingsurfaceor+.010longerthan
standard..Weknowithasalittlemoresurfaceareacontactingourbore,whichequatestomore
resistance,whichequateshigherpressureandmorevelocity.Yep,youguesseditthisbulletwill
achievehigherMVanditwillimpacthigh.Soletsmakeapactwearegoingtosortourbulletsinto
groupsofbearingsurfacelengthssothatwhenweshootlongrangeweareallsmiles,deal?

Howdowemeasurebearingsurfacelengths?Gladyouasked!Thereareseveralways,butsincewe
mostlikelyalreadyhaveasetofdial/digitalcallipers,letsjustgotthatroute.Itsalittlecheapertoo.
Hopefullybynowyouhavereceivedinthemailyourbumpgaugeattachmentforyourcallipersthat
wespokeofinChapterOne:BrassPrep.Butletsrevisitthetoolbecauseweregonnaneedan
additionaloneaswellastwoinserts.

Toollist:
Youllneedtwoofthesetomeasurethebearingsurfaceofyourbullet.(oroneifyoualreadyhave
oneformeasuringyoucaseheadspace/bumplengthasspokeofinChapterOne:CasePrep.

Andyoullneedtwoofthese(Link:http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/11173/Bullet
Comparators).Theyarebulletcalibre/diameterspecific!

Sotomeasurethelengthofthebearingsurface,weinsertthebulletcomparatorinsertsintothe
bodiesandjustslightlysnugthesetscrew.Nowplaceabodyontoeachjawofthecallipersandsnug
thethumbscrew.Makesurethecomparatorinsertsarelinedupwitheachotherascloselyasyou
possiblycan.Dothisbyfeeldraggingafingeracrossfromtheendofonetothestartoftheother.

NowwiththecomparatorsgentlyslidtogetherZeroyourcallipers.Takeacoupleofdozenorso
bulletsandmeasurethebearinglength.Writedownthemostconsistentreadingofthebunchand
callthisthemeasurementtheyaresupposedtobe.Igetseveralcontainersandplaceayellow
stickynoteonthem.Thisonewellcallnominalorsupposedtobe.Butthenweneeda
.002(minustwothousandths)container,a.004andGodforbidtherebeaneedfora.006
container.Dothiswith+(positive)+2+,4,&+?Thousandthsaswell.Itsokaythatnotallthebullets
areexactlythesameasfarasthewholebatchgoes.Wejustwanttohavea,specificbearinglength
pertripinthefield/range/matchsotheyallhaveasnearidenticalMVaspossible.

Inthisnextpicturearemytwobodies(holders)two30calbulletcomparatorinsertsandinthe
centreismyheadspace/bumpgaugewhichisusedtomeasurefromtheheadofthecasetothe
datumoftheshoulderSeeChapterOne:BrassPrep

Nextwehavethecomparatorsinstalledandalignedonthecalliperjawsinthepicturebelow:

andfinallythebearingsurfaceactuallybeingmeasured(below)

Fourth:
AboutthoseMeplats.WhatisMeplat?Itisthepresenttenseactofapersonplattingorbraidinga
threefoldcord.Justkidding.Wealreadylearnedthemeplatisessentiallythepointofthebullet.So
whyareweconcernedwiththem?Consistencyofcourse.Dumbquestion.WEAREFOREVER
CHASINGCONSISTENCY.NotallMeplatsarecreatedequal.Andconsideringthebulletscomeoutof
my300Winmagwitha10twistbarrel@justover2900fpstheyaredoingintheneighborhoodof
211,000rpmsifmymathiscorrect.(Noguaranteesthere!)

Soifyougothroughyourboxofmatchbullets,youllquicklyseemanymanybulletshave
OBVIOUSLYinconsistentmeplats.Wellwecannothaveinconsistency&happyshootingonthesame
shortbus.Theyjustcantbefoundinthesameplaces.Enterthemeplattrimmer.

AMeplattrimmerisasimpletoolthattoocanbehadfromSinclairint.&similarcompanies.Itusesa
endmilltotrimbackthemeplattothepointthatitscleanedup/consistent.Andwhenwerunallour
bulletsthroughthetrimmer,theirallhaveexactlythesameMeplatdiameterandaresquaretothe
bullet.

True,ameplattrimmerbluntsthebulletateenybit,andthatdoesmakeitabitdirtier.(dirtybeing
aslangaeronauticaltermthatmeansNOTaerodynamic)yesitreducesBC,butthe
BCwerenotconsistentwithallthosegimpedupbulletpointsanyway..Sotakeyourpick.Havean
inconsistent/untruebutpublishedhighBC,orhaveabitlowerBCbutitsdeadonconsistentbullet

tobullet,shottoshotatrange.Foryouanaltypeslikemethathavetohaveanumber,Ikeep
hearinga2%quotethatistrimmingthemeplatreducesBCby2%.

Heresapictureofagimpeduppoint,andthesameaftertrimmed.

HeresSinclairslink(http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/11233/s)totheirtrimmer

Fifth:
BulletPointing
NRAcompetitorRobertWhiddendevelopedadiesystemthatpressesakeenerpointonagiven
hollowpointmatchbullet.ThisincreasesBCwhichallowsthebullettoretainvelocity,energyand
windbuckingabilitybetter.Mostofusonthiswebsiteareshooting6.5mmandbiggerbullets.My
understandingisbulletpointinghasgreatgainsin.224bulletsaswellasgoodgainsin6mm,but
thelargerdiameterthebulletthemorenegligiblethereturn.Illletyoureadaboutithere,because
manIamItiredoftyping!

Sothisconcludeshowtosortandprepyourbulletstobeasconsistentaspossibleinyourlongrange
endeavours.Feelfreetocontactmeattres@wildernessmeans.comasImhappytohelp.

From:http://wildernessmeans.com/articles/handloading/handloadingforlongrange/bulletsort
prep

Hand Loading for Long Range 3: Wheres

my rilflings and where should I put
them?

Sohavingpreppedandprimedourbrass&sortedourbulletsintoidenticallotsnowweneedto
knowatwhatoveralllengthweneedtoseatthebulletintothecase.Howdowefigurethatout?
Wellthereareafewwaystoestablishagreatstartingpoint,andafterthatduringourload
refinementtheriflewilltelluswhatitwantsexactlywhatitwants.

Sothereareanumberofwaysofdeterminingatwhatoveralllength(OAL)aloadedroundsbulletis
engagingtheriflings.Imgonnacovermyfavourite.Ifeelitisthequickestandbestway.

Itisdonebyusingacleaningrod,abluntpatchjagandtworodstops.Ifyourunfamiliarwithrod
stops,theyarejustthat.Smallroundcollarsthatclampontoyourodtoallowitonlytogointothe
boresofar.ThisisnormallyusedwhenstrokingaborewithJBborecleaner,ISSOpaste,etc.sothat
theparticularjag,brushorfeltpelletsyourusingtoJBwithdonotpopoutofthemuzzlecausingyou
tohavetoreaffixyourJB/ISSOholder.

RodstopsatBrownells.com(Link:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7921/Product/EJS_CLEANING_ROD_STOPS)

ThereisafineallstainlesssteelrigmadeforthispurposesoldatSinclair,butitisagoodbitmore
expensivethansimple&cheapcleaningrodstops.Heretheyare...(Link:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/6803/BulletSeatingDepthToolsOAL)

Here'smineI'mreferringtointhisinstructional:

Okay.Firstletswipeoffthelugsonourboltaswellasthelockinglugsoftheactiontoensurethey
areengagingbaremetaltobaremetal,withoutpowderresidue,gritorcarbonpinnedinbetween
whichwouldthrowourmeasurementoffbymanythousandths.Makesuretheboltfaceiscleanas
well.

ClosetheboltonanEMPTYchamberandtomakethisisanidiotproofoperationletsgoaheadand
putthetriggersafetyon.Thefollowingactionsareeasiestdonebysittingthebuttoftherifleonthe
floorwiththeweaponvertical.Bungeethebarreltothebackofachairorworkbench(etc.)soits
heldinplace.Iinthepastalsohavesatinachair,placedtheriflebuttonthefloorandheldtherifle
verticalbetweenmyknees.Eitherneedfullyfreesbothhandstomanipulatetherodandrodstops.

Nowwiththerodstopsandbluntjagalreadyonthecleaningrodgoaheadandinsertthecleaning
rodintothemuzzleendofthebarrelanddowntheboreuntilthebluntjagisrestingsnuglyagainst
theboltface.

Nowweneedtozerooutourrodstops.Wedothisbyholdingthecleaningrodintotheboreand
snugagainsttheboltface.WhileholdingthereslideBOTHrodstopsdownsnuglyagainstthemuzzle
andtightendownthethumbscrewslockingtheminplace.GASGUNNER:pushingtherodagainstthe
boltfaceyouwillfeelitspringbackalittlethenstopsolidly.Makesureyouhaveitpushedtoasolid
stoppastthespringiness.

Here'sapictureofmystop'szero'doutonmyrifle:

(Whatsthatyousay?Sexybrake?ThanksIjustmadeitthispastweek.ItismyfirsteverandI
thoughtitup,designeditandmadeitallwhilewellasiwasmakingit!Itriedittoday.Itworks
GREAT,butevidentlyitslouderthanthecriesfromhell.AfterIfiredthefirstshot,everybody
startedbackingawayfromthefiringline!Great,theywereadistractionanyway:)

Nowweneedtotakearesized,UNPRIMED(asinnoprimer)case,containingNOPOWDERandseat
abulletlong.Say.200longerthanbookspecforthebulletyouareusing.Takethisdummyround
andgentlyslideitintothechamber.BringtheboltupVERYgentlybehindituntilyoujustfeelthe
bullettouchtheriflingsinthebore.Nowtakeagoodrubberbandandloopitoverthescopeand
ontothebackofthebolttoholditinaforwardposition.

Thisinsertionofthedummyroundneedsagentletouchwithbothyourhands,andintheholdingof
theboltbytherubberband..Withthekeenangleofthebulletsogiveandthegentleangleofthe
leadinontheriflingitisEASYtojamthebulletondeeperintotheriflingsandnotknowit.

Avoiddoingthis,butnoneedtohaveworrisomesweatbeaduponyourforehead.Ifyoudojamitin
anextracoupleofthousandthsitsnottheendoftheworld.Weareonlytryingtofindagood
estimationhere.WearegoingtorefinethisoverallcartridgelengthastheLASTstepinourload
workup.Wejustneedagoodstartpointfornow.

GASGUNNERS:yourbufferspringservesasyourrubberband.Pointtheweaponmuzzledown.Drop
thedummyroundgentlyintothechamber.NowSLOWLY&GENTLYeasetheboltforwarduntilit
justtouchesthebackofthedummyround.Gentlyeaseyourhandoffthecharginghandlesmoothly
transferringtheholdingpowertothebufferspring.

Nowagainwiththeweaponfixedinaverticalpositionslidethecleaningrodbackdownthebore
untilthebluntjagdelicatelycomestorestonthemeplatofthebullet.Nowloosenandslidethe
lowerstop(theonealreadyclosesttothemuzzle)downuntilitssnugagainstthemuzzleand
tightenthethumbscrew.

Removethecleaningrodfromtheborebeingcarefulnottobumpthestopsoutofposition.Take
yourcallipersandmeasurethedistanceBETWEENtherodstops.

Writedownthatmeasurement.Nowrepeatthewholeprocesstwomoretimes(solongasyoure
notgettinggreatlydifferingmeasurements.Ifyouregettingmorethanafewthousandths
differencebetweeneachmeasurementsomethingiswrongandyou'llnotendupwithgooddata.)
andaverageallthree.VIOLIN!Youhavethemeasurementforthecartridgeoveralllengthatwhich
thatbulletisjustlightlytouchingtherilfings.Welldone!

Nowthisisallwell&good,butthereisonecriticalthingyouneedtorememberthatwelearned
fromChapter2:notallmeplatsarethesame!ThismeasurementisonlygoodforTHISONE
PARTICULARBULLET.BecausewemeasuredfromIT'SMEPLAT,andseldomdotwobulletshavethe
samemeplatsquarenessandlength(microscopicallyspeaking.)

Sowhatdowedo?Werecordthemeasurementofftheogive,whichisthesamefrombulletto
bulletandusethatfigurefromnowon.Howdowedothat?SlowdownImgettingthere.

NowtakethedummyroundthatyoudidtheRod/Stopsworkwithandplaceitintheloadingpress.
Threadinyourseatingdietothelockringaspernormal.BackyourseatingstemormicrometerWAY
WAYout.Nowraisethedummyroundupintothediealltheway.Whileholdingsufficientpressure
onthepresshandle,beginscrewingdowntheseatingstemuntilyoufeelittouchthebullet.

Nowraisethepresshandleremovingthedummyroundfromthedie.Screwinthestemjustalittle
andraisethedummyagain&seatthebullettothatdepththestemiscurrentlyat.


Nowtakethedummyroundoutandmeasureit,caseheadtomeplat.

Continuethisseatingthebulletinthecasealittlemoreeachtimeuntilyougetittotheexactlength
youcameupwithfromthecleaningrodstopsroutine.Nowwellgetthatogivemeasurementyour
jumpingup&downfor.

Sogetoutyourcalipers,comparatorbody&theproperinsertyouthatlearnedaboutinChapters1
&2.Thistimeyoullonlyneedonebody(holder)andonecaliberappropriateinsert.Nowopenthe
jawsandattachthecomparatorassemblytooneofthejaws.

Nowmeasurethedummyroundwehavesetuptoourcaseheadtomeplatoveralllength.The
comparatorhowevermeasuresofftheogiveinsteadofthemeplat.WeCANusethismeasurement
bullettobullettobulletforthisparticularbulletmake,weightandstyleweareworkingwithandit
willmaintaingoodconsistency.(210VLDdepictedhere.)

[ADDENDUM:ifyoushootalottothetuneofeventuallyshootingoutandhavingtoreplacebarrels,
oryourewonovertomycampoftryingtomakeyourhandloadsasperfectasyoucanSAVETHIS
DUMMYROUND.Labelit,andputitinasafeplacetobeusedlater.

Asyoushootyourrifle,theverystartedgeoftheriflingwillbeerodedbackfromthe"blowtorch
effect"ofthehotgasescomingfromthemouthofthecaseaswellasapieceofmetal,aka"bullet"
slammingintothemtimeaftertime.Thistoexplainthattheverybeginningofyourriflingslowly
movestowardsthemuzzleasitiseroded/wornaway.

IfyoureseriousaboutaccuracythoughtyouhavefoundTHEperfectloadyouwillhaveto"chase
therifling"asit'scalled.Sayyoufoundyourrifleshootsamazingwithacertainloadandthebullet
.008"jammedintotheriflings.Wellafteralotofroundsinanonbarrelburnercartridge,orsomein
aknownbarrelburner,thoughyouloadtheOALoftheroundthesameitwillnotbethesameinthe
endbecausetheriflingsareactuallymovingonyou!

Henceasthebarrelwearsyouryour.008"jamisactuallynowonly.004"thenit'sonly.001"months
lateritisactually.003"JUMP.Sotomaintainthatoriginal.008"jamyou'llhavetokeepactually
loadingyouammolongerandlongerasyou"chase(thewearingawayof)theriflings."Periodically
comebackandrepeatthisinitialOALtesttoseewherethestartoftheriflingisNOW,andyoucan
againmaintainthatperfect.008"jammedinbullettoriflingrelationyoufoundinyourload
development.]


Lastlyonefinalnoteandwordofcaution.NowthatweknowatwhatmeasurementOFFTHEOGIVE
ourbullettouchestheriflings,wewillstartourloaddevelopment.010jammedintotheriflings.
Thatis.010LONGERthanthedimensionwefiguredupthroughthisdescribedprocess.That
numberwasjusttouchingtheriflings.Mostriflesliketobeabout.010in(Jammed)Thisisthe
OALwewillstartourpowdermake&chargetestswith.(Nextchapter.)

HoweveritisIMPERATIVEyouunderstandthefollowing.Onoccasiontheriflewillpreferadifferent
bullet/riflingrelation.Perhapsitbe.015jammed,or.030outoftheriflingtotallyor.030jump.
ButSTARTALLLOADWORKJAMMED!Thisisbecauseinthenextchapterwearegoingtolearnwhat
actualMAXloadforthisrifleiswithagivenpowderandthisbullet.Beingjammedintotheriflings
increasespressure!Soaslongaswelearnourmaxpowderchargewhilejammed,weareokay.
HOWEVER,ifwewereto(thinkwe)learn(ed)whatmaxchargewaswithoutourbulletjammedand
thenjamitintotheriflings,coupledwithamaxpowderchargeinsearchofamostaccuratebullet
settingwecouldblowupourrifle,loosebothoureyes,ourhearingagoodportionofourfaceand
destroytheriflethatisifwecomeoutofitalive.Thatallsoundsscary,whichisagoodthing.

ButsolongasyouSTARTJAMMEDandworktowardsJUMPyoursafeascanbe.NEVERstart
jumpingandmovetowardsjammedwhennearoratMAXloads,no,no,no.

Wellthatcoversdeterminingwherethebulletisinrelationtotheriflingandgettingagood.010
jammedstartingpoint.Nextchapterisonexperimentingwithpowdersandcharges.

From:http://wildernessmeans.com/articles/handloading/handloadingforlongrange/rilflings

Hand Loading for Long Range 4:

Powderin' it

HandLoadingforLongRangeCh4:Powderinthething.

Hereweareagain.Wereallfiredupabouthandloadinglikethebigdogs.Wegotourbrassaboutas
perfectaswecan&primed,ourbulletsareinperfectlittlesortedpilesandtheirnosesareclean.We
gotagreatoveralllengthtostartwith.Nowforthelastbigpartfuellingthatbaby.

ButbeforewegetgoinghereletmereiterateaSERIOUSLYIMPORTANTsafetynote.Oneofthe
thingswearegoingtodoasupperlevelhandloadersistousethebookasaguidebutweregoing
todecidewhatthemaxloadisforourowndangself!HA!(insertTarzanyell)

Andindoingsoitisimperativeyouunderstandthis.Inthelastchapterwelearnedhowtocomeup
withagreatstartingpointinoveralllength.Wefoundwherethebulletwasjustkissingtheriflings,
andweextendedthatposition+.010.SoinexperimentingwithpowdersandALLthebelow
instructionswearegoingtodosoWITHEVERYROUND.010JAMMEDintotheriflings.IFYOUDO
NOTFULLYUNDERSTANDWHATISBEINGSAIDHERE&WHYDONOTLOAD(near)BOOKMAX,
MUCHLESSOVER!!!Iftheloadstartswiththebulletjammedintotheriflingwithallotherthings
beingevenyouWILLGETsignificantmorepressurelevels.SoitsokaytofindACTUALmax(possibly
beyondbookmax)WITHTHEBULLETJAMMED.Becausewhenwelaterexperimentwithfinaloverall
length,wemayendupwiththebulletseatedoutoftheriflings,orthebulletjumpingfromthecase
intotheriflings.Jumpdoesnotgiveapressurespikelikebeingjammed.Sowecangofrom
JAMMED(Apressurespikesituation)TOJUMPbecauseourchamberpressurewillDROP.

Butifapersonweretoexperimentwithmax++loadswiththebulletNOTengagingtheriflings,they
wouldERRONEOUSLYthinktheyfoundthisparticularriflessafemaxload.Andtheniftheydecided
tojamitinsearchforabettershootingload,withthattheassociatedpressurespikefrombeing
JAMMEDandthatMAXorMAXPLUSloadhelllikelylosehiseyeballs,somefingers,hishearinga
goodportionofhisfaceandpotentiallyhislife.Gotit?

STARTJAMMEDWork*towards*JUMP!DONOTGOTHEOTHERWAYwithnearmax,maxormax
plusloads!

Gotit!?No?Donotproceed!So,ontothefunstuff.

Imgonnawalkyouthroughperformingaladdertest.Theladdertestisinmy&manyprecision
shootersopiniontheonlywaytoworkupalongrangeload.Ittypicallysavestimes,components
andbarrellife.Howsthat?Becauseweareonlygoingtoshoot1roundatagivenpowdercharge!

Eachsingleroundisarungoftheladder.Soundslikeafarce?Keepreading,youllgetit.Theresonly
onehangupfortheladdertestitreallyneedtobedoneatleastadecentdistance.Ifyouhavea
placetoshootatleast300(+)yardsdoaladdertest.300minimum,600isgreat,1000ydultimate,but
it'seasyforthewindtoblowyourhitsoffpaperwhichknocksthetestinthehead.

Thefirstthingweneedtodoisdecideonaorpreferablyseveralpowderstoexperimentwith.This
isdonebytalkingtosuccessfulshootersfamiliarwithyourcartridge,reloadingmanuals,Sierra
bulletsmiths(8002238799)etc.

Sohowdoyoudoaladdertest?Gladyouasked.Let'stakesayReloader15powderfora
hypothetical.308load.MySierramanualstates35.8isastartloadand41.3ismax.Ilikeround
numbers.Soweregonnacallit36g.START,41g.MAX.Great.

Eachsingleshotloadexperimentisgoingtobein1%incrementsstartingatminimumloadand
getting1%hotterwitheachnextround.Sowhatis1%ofourmaxinthisexample?Letsdothe
math.

41.0x.01=.41Soweareinthisfirstcoarsetestjump.41grainsbetweeneachload.Againthisfirst
ladderisacoarse(butHIGHLYINFORMATIVE)test.Sotosavetimelet'sbumpituptofullhalfgrain
intervals,.5g.

Nowmakealistoftheloadsyouwouldloadtohaveasingleroundfromstart,tomaxplusin.5grain
jumps.Writethemdown.

1\36g
2\36.5g
3\37g
4\37.5g
5\38g
6\38.5g
7\39g
8\39.5g
9\40
10\40.5
11\41g.BOOKMAXIMUM
12\41.5!MAXplus!
13\42g!MAXPLUS!
14\42.5!MaxPlus!

***writetheloadnumber,powdertype,andgrainsoneachcaseofloadedammowithasharpie
marker.FormaxandmaxplusloadsicolourtheneckofthecaseRED.Dontskipthis.

SonowyouhaveamereLESSTHAN14roundstoshootandyouwillobtainVOLUMESofinfo.
MORESAFTEYADVICE:

Forshots#10andonproceedwithcaution,lookinganddocumentingwellanysignsofexcessive
pressure.STOPshootingwhenyoudetecttheleastsignofpressure:crateredprimer,shinymarks
oncasehead,Extractor/ejectormarks,stickyboltliftetc.WRITEDOWNtheactualmaxloadforthis
powder,thisbullet,forthisparticularrifleinyourloadingmanualandseveralotherplaces.

HavingmaxandmaxplusloadswillletyouknowwhattheactualMAXloadisforyourparticular
rifle.My300winmag1000yardrifledoesnotshowpressurewithsomepowdersuntilI'mthreefull
grainsoverbookmax.ANYloadsdeemedtoohottobesafetoshootshouldbepulled
apart/unloadedrightthereattherangeforsafety.

Sonowpackupandheadtotherange.Attherangewearegoingtoneedalargepieceofpaper.I
keeparollofbrownpaperpainterspaperonhandforallmyrangeshooting.Itsabout36wideand
manyfeet(120'+?)comeonaroll.LasttimeIboughtsomeitwas$9@mylocalLowes/Home
Depot)

Wearegoingtoshootthestartloadfirst,andtheMAXPLUSloadlast,allattheSAMEAIMING
POINTonthepaper.SowearegoingtogetaTALLverticalstring.So,noskimpingonpaper.Froma
goodsolidshootingpositionshooteachloadatTHESAMEAIMINGPOINT.Andforonceinyourlife
inlongrangeshootingyoucanignorecrosswinds.

Nowthecreativepartyougoingtomarkeachbulletholebyitsshotnumberreferencedbyits
powderchargeafterit'sshotbecauseyouwillhaveoverlappingholes.Shootonemarkone.

Thereareseveralwaysofdoingthiswhetheritbeshootoneandwalkdownandmarkit,toreally
strongspottingscopes(alwaysseemstoscrewupmyladdertestsandIhavetostartover)DIYtarget
cams,orcolouringcodingshotsbycolouringthebulletwithared,green&bluemarkersaccordingly
andshootingatwhitepaper.Themarkerwilltransfertothetargetpaper.I'dstillnotshootmore
than3beforewalking.Me??NoI'dcertainlynotwantittoeverbesaidIhaveafaithful&trusted
shootingcompaniondownrangewithamarkerstandingofftothesideofthetargetboardasafe
distanceandwe"shootone,markone"asaexpedientteam.

Sowhat'shappeningonpaper?Youwillgetaverticalstringofhits.(don'tworryiftheyshiftleftand
rightwiththewind,thatisirrelevantrightnow,trustme.)Firstthoughtisthatit'sincreasingvelocity
thatmakesthehitsclimbupthetarget,andthatistruetoapoint.Whatisalsohappeningforthe
mostpartisthebulletsareleavingthebarrelinadifferentstateofbarrelflex,orvibration.

Youneedtounderstandthis.Whenyoufireyourrifle,yourbarrelflexesinasinewavepattern.
Whatyouregettingintheladdertestisthebulletisexitingthemuzzleshottoshot,withthebarrel
flexedmoreandmoreup.

BUT,ahah!Wegotsomegroupsanyway!Youwillgetafewshotsthatcluster,oractuallymakea
decentgrouponyourtarget,despitetheireachonehavinga(getthis)differingpowdercharge!

ENTERTHE"NODE."Thenodeistheverytopofthewaveandverybottom.Forultimateaccuracy,
youwantyourbulletexitingthemuzzlepreciselywhenithasflexedallthewayup,STOPPED[fora

nanosecond]beforeitbeginsitjourneyflexingbackdown.Thisiswhyyouhadadecentgroupor
twoduringtheladdertest,despitedifferingpowdercharges.

Sonowyourlookingattheladdertesttarget.Yougotshotsallovertheplacevertically,butsome
formedniceclusters,orgroups.

Noteeachpowderchargethatgrouped.Let'ssayforthistest,bulletholes2,3,4formedagroup,and
7,8,9formedagroup.

Sothisisawesome.Inamere11orsoshots,welearnedatwhatpowderchargesthebulletsactually
leavesthebarrelwhenthemuzzleisnotmoving(vibrating)aroundwildly.

SonowwegohomesipabeverageandstudyandDOCUMENTourfindings.
Wesee36.5,37&37.5grainsshootinthenodeofthebarrel.

Wenowtaketheseanddoarefinedbutsmallerladdertest.(Wedothisfortheotherclustered
shotstoo!Don'tneglecttofurtherladdertestanyloadsthatformedacluster/group.)

Sonowwearegoingtoloadroundsforanotherladdertest.

Let'sjumpinfiner,.3grnincrementsnow,wearerefiningthingsnow.Let'sgoalittleoutside*this
accuracywindow(ourshotsthatgrouped),powderchargewisethoughjustforgoodmeasure;

1\36.3*
2\36.6
3\36.9
4\37.2
5\37.5
6\37.8*grains

Sonowwehaveagoodlotofchargeswithoverlapalittleeachwayfromtheaccuracyclusterofthe
firstladdertest.Weonlyloadedoneofeachchargeagain.Nowgorepeattheladdertest/target,and
againinamere6shotsyouwillhavevolumesMOREinformation.[Don'tforgettodothissecond
laddertestforeveryaccuracycluster/groupthatshoweduponthefirsttest]Foreachladder,itis
optimaltobackupatleastanotherhundredyardsfromthelastdistance.

Youwillgetanotheraccuracycluster,allthemoredeadonthebarrel'snode.Let'ssayshots2,3,6
againformedagroup.

Nowyougobackandload5SHOTGROUPSforeachofthese:
5@36.6grains
5@36.9grns
5@37.2g.

Oneofthesewillproveoverallbest.Nowyougotyourpowdercharge!AnditistheLEASTsensitive
toshottoshotvelocityvariationsduetobeingatthenode.

Nowgobackwiththissamepowderchargeineveryroundbutplaywithbulletseatingdepth..Your
at.010jammedrightnow.Trya5shotgroup@.010JUMP(nottouchingtheriflings.)Keeptrying
groupsasyoumoveyourOAL.010.Youllseetherifleperkupandshootoneoftheselengthsbest.
Nowyougotyourload.

Ifyouwanttotrytoshavethelastcoupleofthousandthsoffyourgroupsaverage,playaround
againthepowderchargeloada5shotgroupjustslightlyunderTHEloadandjustslightlyoverand
seeifthingsgetevenbetterstillyet.Itmayormaynot.
Thenifyouwanttobesuperanal,andcangetouttoatleast600ydsgorunprimerbrandtesting
too!Youmightgetevenmoreuniformmuzzlevelocity

Thisishow1000yardbenchrestloadsareworkedup&recordsbroken.Youmaynotchooseto
refineittothen'thdegree,butrunningatleast2,everfinerladdertestsasdescribedherewillget
anyrifleshootingnealryasgoodasitpracticallycan.

Ijustranladdertest1(course)andtest2(refined)withmy.300winmag(FACTORYsavagetac)I'm
towhereIneedtomoveto5shotgroups.But,formy3rdandmostfine/narrowladdertestImoved
backto500yards.Ifiredtwoidenticalroundstowarmmyboreandverifymypointofimpactonthe
500yardtarget,usingaloadfromthemiddleladdertestthatwasalreadyshowingagoodpowder
charge.Mybuddywhowasnotdownrange,nothelpingmefromnowherenearthetargetboard
calledbackontheradioandsaid"Damn,don'tchangeathing,sightershots1&2arewithin3/4"of
eachother!!

Okayfine!Illthrowinapicture

ThispicturebelowwasthelastladdertestIdidwithmy.300WinMagSavageTacticalrifle.Each
shotwas.5grainshotter(H4831SCpowder)thanthelast.

It'sreallyeasytoseeexactlywherethenodeisonthistarget.Shot19areinthephotobut#'s10&
11strungonupthetargetoutthetop,notinphoto.

Rememberthatnotwoofthesebulletsholeswherefiredwiththesamepowdercharge,but
shootinginthenodeiswhereit'satthe"fourshotgroup"shownhere,#'s6,7,8&9formeda
3.130"groupor.63moagroup@525yardsfromafactorySavage,withalldifferingloads.(And
obviouslyinthepicturethiswasallfromwind.Iwasdisregardingandshootingrightthroughwind
gusts.There'sonly.949"ofverticaldispersionhereor.19MOA@525laser'dyards.)

Goingbackandtryingmy5(identicallyloaded)shotgroupsshouldtheoreticallyatleastshrinkthis
byhalf,mostlikelyquiteabitmoreandidentifymyrifle'sultimateloadwitha210VLDbullet,and
H4831SCpowder.FromwhatIhaveseenthusfarwiththisrifleI'mlookingforatleastSUB(!).35
moa5shotgroupsintheend.I'dsuretake.2_moanumbers.
[NotesinceoriginallywritingthispieceusingtheprocessesinthisseriesIhavewritten,Ihave
endedupwithtwoloads(H4831SC&H1000)thatare.25moashooters@400yds.]

Gentlemenandladies,thisisTHEwaytoworkupaload,anditwon'teventakeafullboxofbullets
todoso.

Inthenextchapterwelltalkaboutinspectingloadedammo.Hopeyouenjoyedthisinstructional.

From:http://wildernessmeans.com/articles/handloading/handloadingforlongrange/powder

Appendix A

.308Winchester(7.62x51mmNATO*)

.223Remington(5.56x45mmNATO*)