Thread: powder and accuraccy

Originally Posted by blip

Ok good info I haven't really done to much experimenting. Maybe I've been lucky and picked a powder that worked well first time round. So has anyone done a side by side test using same pill different powder but loads that give the same velocity? was there a difference in group size?

Yes, that's roughly how I do initial load development when wanting to work up a completely new load. I can't find a pic I wanted to use to illustrate this. Basically though with a new load my brass, primer, bullet are all the same. The only difference is the range of powders chosen and the charges making up the ladder. Then I shoot all at 200 yards, the sequence being one shot from one powder and the next shot being the next powder, followed by the next powder etc. until coming around to starting the same sequence again but the next lot of charges up the ladder. Velocities differ but usually not vastly. If lucky I usually find at least one powder indication good accuracy potential ( all charges of that powder shooting something resembling a decent group ) while the remainder land randomly all over the target. Thus I narrow down to the powder/s I continue load development with until, hopefully, finding the load I decide to adopt.
Here's a pic showing great accuracy potential for a .243W load I worked up. This was shot over my bench at 200 yds, each shot being a different charge of RL17 which obviously the rifle loved in combination with that case / bullet / primer.
Sometimes too you just get lucky with a particular rifle. I have two ( Tikka 30.06, Tikka 300 Blaser Mag ) that seem accurate with just about any handload I shoot with them. Makes load development very easy. All my other rifles needed more trial and error to get there but paid off in the end.