Ranking importance of reloading factors

[longrangehunter]

I don't believe ranking them in order is the proper way to look at it...a reloaded round is the sum of its parts and assembly...doing everything right, every time....consistently.

The firearm plays its role in accuracy, as does the nut behind the trigger...but the ammo must be consistent because even "not so accurate" ammo is unpredictable if its not consistent...and with ammo like that, you're chasing your tail...I know this from experience, lol.

I consider myself an experienced novice reloader...been reloading for years, and still learning...for many years I just threw ammo together, gave little to no thought to things like neck tension, neck wall thickness, concentricity, flash holes, etc....and the ammo was decently accurate and served me well enough for hunting...better than factory ammo.

But in the last few years as my thirst for more accuracy and greater range really kicked in....I stepped it up a notch in my reloading, paying close attention to those little details...and my ammo got more accurate as a result.

Its sorta like high performance cars...there are plenty that are pretty darn fast...but the really fast ones that are easy to drive, they are built from the ground up to be just that...high performance...every part and its assembly is with that in mind.

And that last little bit of performance...is generally a little expensive to acquire (the tools and components)...reloading is no different.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

And that last little bit of performance...is generally a little expensive to acquire (the tools and components)...reloading is no different.

There's a phrase I use all the time when talking with potential clients and associates:

"The final 10%... takes 90% of the effort (or cost, or time, etc.)"

Seems appropriate here. Though, if your rifle doesn't like a particular bullet... it won't matter what powder, primer, OAL, case, run-out, etc. is.... it probably ain't gonna shoot it. If it does like it... it probably won't matter much what powder, primer, etc....

I've found that the bullet matters the most.... then OAL. But, squeezing out that last .25"-.5" in group size often requires a lot of effort compared to finding that 1" load...

Bingo!!! Both these statements are absolutely true. Fifteen to Twenty years ago I asked Kenny Jarrett what other then the gun its self and the barrel has the most effect on finding a super accurate load. He said "the barrel must like the bullet being used". Which I found to be very true, followed by the powder, seating depth and lastly the primer used to ring out the most from the load. With seating depth playing a hugh role.

 

[Blkram]

Man,

What can be added to the above list of quality advice?

Not much!

All I can say is that for me, my desired end result is an accurate load in "my" rifle with the bullet chosen for the game that I wish to harvest. And to do so,
1-I must select the bullet that gives me the best penetration and/or expansion characteristics that I am looking for,
2- Find the powder load that gives me the best accuracy with that bullet,
2a- But if I cannot find an acceptable load with any powder combination, I will try a different primer, and then I will select another bullet that my rifle shows a preference for, that still will give me the desired results on the game I will be hunting,
3- Ensure that all of the rest of my components that I am using are consistent, (brass, case prep, oal, etc), and the loading practices are consistent,
4- Seating depth will be played with after to fine tune the accuracy of the load that shows the most promise.

The only caveat that can disrupt the process is the availability of the components that I want to use vs what I can get to use.

 

[257 Ackley]

Gents,

Recent events (shooting of the new 25-06) have me questioning the significance of an accuracy node / optimal barrel time. The 25-06 shoots pretty much any load into an inch, except for two loads. In the first, the rifle apparently didn't like the seating depth. In the second, it doesn't seem to like IMR4350 as much as H4350 or H4831.

I believe the accuracy node / barrel time theory to be valid. However, for accuracy it doesn't seem to be as important as other factors. I think (after only 2.5 years hand loading) I would rank accuracy factors as this:

1. Bullet selection
2. Seating depth
3. Concentricity
4. Powder selection (including case fill volume, pressure of burn, and appropriate burn rate)
5. Brass selection and tolerance (including brass uniformity, i.e. neck thickness variance)
6. Powder temperature tolerance
7. Accuracy node / barrel time

How would you rate factors for handloading accuracy? What have you seen in your handloading to be more important than something else? Hey--I'm still pretty much a newb at this reloading stuff, compared to a lot of you!

v/r

Joel

Answer to your accuracy question:
Ultimate accuracy starts with your choice of caliber. If you are choosing the rifle for target shooting rather than hunting, different elements apply. As others have said, what is the intended purpose.

Hunting rifle for 400 yard and closer hunting on big game:
1. caliber (good choice for game being hunted)
2. bullet (good terminal results)
3. seating depth (will it fit in a magazine for follow-up shots)
4. powder (can I get the velocities needed)
5. primer (if it is a hot load I want a primer with a hard cup)

Target rifle/LR rifle
1. caliber
2. bullet (most accurate)
3. seating depth
4. concentricity of the brass and neck tension
5. primer
6. gunsmith that knows how to build a rifle for this purpose

I have only been reloading for "real" accuracy for about 3 years. The 30 years of experience prior to that doesn't come close to what I have learned in the last 3 about true accuracy and the factors that decide how consistent the bullet flight will be. Good luck, the journey is the true joy to get the ultimate accuracy out of a rifle.