Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to The Mountain. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Reloading Accuracy
Topic Started: Aug 24 2005, 08:11 PM (1,453 Views)
Almtnman
Member Avatar
Administrator
Admin
Reloading Accuracy
by Almtnman


I have my own way of loading hunting bullets or ammo to get the utmost accuracy out of them. I will first shoot some factory loads through the particular rifle that I will be loading for and use that once fired brass for my accuracy loads. First I take that once fired brass and uniform the primer pockets and flash holes. Then I neck size the brass and slip a bullet into the case and leave it seated out as far as possible, not seating a primer into this case. I then take that seated case and bullet minus the primer and insert it into the action of the bolt action rifle that I fired it in originally and close the bolt. The rifling's in the barrel will seat the bullet and it will be touching the rifling's. I then remove that seated bullet and case and place it in my bullet seating die and seat it into the case .004 deeper which gives me a bullet that is seated .004 back from the rifling's. I use this dummy load to set up my dies for seating any other loads for that rifle and that brand bullet.


I use two different types of bullets for my hunting loads, a Nosler ballistic tip and a Sierra Game King which both gives very good accuracy. These bullets are used mainly for whitetail deer and I have had very good success with them. If you're planning on taking thicker skinned game or angling shots or rear shots, I would suggest using a Nosler Partition or Speer Grand Slam bullet or any other premium bullet of which there's many on the market today.



I will take all my once fired brass for the particular rifle that I'm loading for, trim them to length and then neck size all of them. I made my own die alignment washers and used a micrometer on them to check for the proper thickness all around and use those washers to set up my die for neck sizing. By using a washer, the die when screwed down tight against this washer which is on top of the shell holder will be uniform and aligned perfectly when you tighten it down in the press. It will give the same uniformity on all the brass and will also seat the bullets all to the same uniformity. Without the washer under the die, the die could be cocked slightly off center which is hard to tell by just looking at it. Once you have the die screwed down tight, just store the washer out of the way.



It's important to trim them all to the same length so you will get the bullets all seated at the same depth off the rifling's. I then place them in a tumbler and clean them for several hours. I next set up my powder measure to throw the amount of powder that I have decided to use minus just a few grains. I then use a powder trickler to add the last few grains to the powder pan while it's resting on the scale, slowly turning the trickler until the scale is balanced and the same amount of powder is added to each case. It's only a simple matter of seating the bullets with the seating die to the same depth which I like to be .004 back off the rifling's.



There's other ways of getting the same results and you could neck turn all the necks on the brass for even better results. I haven't needed any of the other methods myself as I have taken deer out to 325 yards with one shot from my 30-06 using my accuracy techniques and it's a cheap way to do it.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
danlnga
Member
[ * ]
Did not know you reloaded. My oldest boy, 15 years in the US military, 12 years in law enforcement, has said that the most important "currency" in a conflict is ammunition.

I started metallic reloading about a year ago. Had been reloading shotgun for years. I have now begun to load for precision or "reaching out & touching". It has surprised me when you neck size fire formed cases & load for precision rather than volume just how accurate the rifle can be. Traded my mini 14 (useless) for a Ruger 77 Mk II in 223. Reloads with 55 Gr Sierra Spitzer Boat Tail (#1365) , 25.7 grains of H335. Cover 3 shots at 200 yds with a dime.........benchrest of course.

The coyotes at our deer lease are in trouble.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Almtnman
Member Avatar
Administrator
Admin
I have tweaked loads to the point of getting tiny groups out on the 200 yard range that I shoot on. How do you like the Ruger .223?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
danlnga
Member
[ * ]
I have 3 Ruger Model 77s. (223,270 & 30-06.) They are all nail drivers. The 223 I bought 7/2007. The 270 is an older model I got from an old fella around here that had given up hunting. It has a longer barrel - 24". I shoots 130 gr Federal Gameking or Remington 130gr CorLokt real good. The 30-06 is a Mountain Rifle or lightweight, but despite of the thinking that these "smaller barrel guns don't shoot true", it does good as well. I like the 165 gr Gameking here. I shaved the stocks on all three so the barrel is free floating. Did not bed the receivers ...............yet.

Ruger rifles can be bought reasonably too in comparison to others.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Almtnman
Member Avatar
Administrator
Admin
I have one of the old Ruger M77's with the tang safety in 30-06 caliber and really like it. I carried mine to a gunsmith and had the trigger pull adjusted or honed down to 3 1/2 lbs pull and had them to float the barrel at same time. I asked about getting the action bedded, but he told me it probably wouldn't need it with the trigger work and barrel floated. It's a tack driver. I might look around for one in .223 caliber as I need a good coyote gun.

One thing you might need to do in case you didn't when floating the barrel is seal the wood in the barrel channel so it doesn't pick up any moisture.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Reloading · Next Topic »
Add Reply