My first attempt at a ladder test

[steveinwv]

Ran a ladder test on my FCP-K .223 yesterday. Once at 100 yds. and once at 300yds. 69gr. Nosler BTHP set 0.010" off of the lands, BHA cases of equal weight, full sized, CCI400 primers, and AA2495 powder. Loaded 3 rounds at 22.5gr, and then added 0.2gr. for one round each through 25.3gr., 17 rounds total. At 100yds. I noticed two excellent sweet spots, one at 22.5 and one around 24.1. Shooting at 300yds. showed nearly the same result.

The entire 17 round group at 100yds. was 0.880" with 0.660" of vertical stringing. The gun obviously shoots good.

I also shot a 5 round group at 300yds. in 1.375" with my brothers 40gr. Sierra Varminter HP/Ramshot XTerminator load.

I will try a 20 round group with both 22.5 and 24.1(ES of velocity on this load has been excellent in my ARs) and see which one performs better @ 300yds.

I am glad that I found the info on the ladder test after first joining this site. Saves a ton of trial and error.

[johndoe3]

waytago!

The ladder test does take some work but gives results. Congrats on doing it and getting better loads to use.

[dcloco]

Excellent.

Have a chronograph yet?

Might try some H4895 with those 69's as well. In all of my Savages, this powder provides 3000 fps and excellent accuracy.

Must commend you on shooting both distances. Have found, on several occasions, what shoots good at 100, is not very accurate past this distance.

[steveinwv]

Excellent.

Have a chronograph yet?

Might try some H4895 with those 69's as well. In all of my Savages, this powder provides 3000 fps and excellent accuracy.

Must commend you on shooting both distances. Have found, on several occasions, what shoots good at 100, is not very accurate past this distance.


This load pulls over 2900fps on my chrony. I also agree on the 100yd. vs. longer range idea. I have one particular load for my Krieger AR15 that shoots 10 round 1/4" groups at 100yds with 69SMKs, but won't hit a barn at 500yds. I also burned the throat out of a M700 VLS in 6mm trying to find something that would shoot sub-MOA 100yds before I found out that the gun was a monster from about 300yds to 600yds(around 5/8 MOA). I have never quite understood how or why a load can reduce itself in MOA accuracy at longer range, but I've known it to happen.

[pdog06]

You should try the same ladder test at 100 and 300, instead of switching powder and bullets. Atleast I'm assuming you only shot the one powder at 100 since you said you loaded 17 total, and shot a 17 shot group. That is a great group for 17 I might add. Congrats.

I do my ladders a bit differently. I load 10 of each charge(5 each for 100yd, and 5 each for 200 yd), and shoot seperate groups for each charge so I can compare the accuracy of each. I shoot the whole charge range at 100, then re-do the whole charge range at a farther distance(my range only goes to 200). In my 308 my best load at 100 was my worst at 200, but all of them were within a 1/2 moa total if I was to overlap the groups. SInce I am hunting with it I went with the load that is most accurate at all ranges, but was still shooting 1/4-1/2 moa groups.

Shooting 1 shot of each load I think really only shows if the POI is similar between the charges, which you definately found yours is, not so much of that loads accuracy. The thing is, 1 of those charges could be a one-holer for 3to5 shot groups but you dont really know.

Something to think about. Not that my way is right by any means, but gives you a different way to do it if you wanted to.