Hello group,

The long story:

I am new to reloading. I have done a little of it but nothing intense. A coworker got out of reloading and I bought his equipment(read thread http://savageshooters.com/SavageForu...c,44685.0.html if interested). Did a little reading here and there, put 10 loads together and manage to send them down range with no problem and got to keep all my body parts. Now it is time to get serious about this. Every year I swear I will start reloading but I find myself with no time. My resolution will be to work on these loads while at the deer lease. We have our own rage, right by the clubhouse so it should not interfere with the other hunting activities. It is 100 yards range.

What I want is to work a load base on the Winchester 30-06 Springfield 150 Grain Ballistic Silvertip which is what I shoot now. I get good groups at 100 and 200 yards on factory amo but we do have opportunities to shoot a bit over 200 yards so I am trying to work a load that I can get tighter groups. I do have occasional flyers on factory amo at 200 yards that would cause a miss. I have not used the chrono to make sure if it is the load but im fairly sure it is. My question are more into the practicability of working this load. I know each gun is different but im sure finding what is mostly used and start there will get me to better results faster... so lets start with the questions.

The short Story:

Working a load base on the Winchester 30-06 Springfield 150 Grain Ballistic Silvertip for hunting up the 300 yard range.

1. I have plenty of used brass (not all fire formed in my gun) but I wonder if im better starting with new brass. If I start with new brass I can save the step of full sizing all these used brass. I will have to fire form both or should I not worry about fire form for this load?
2. Seems remington/winchesters are the most frequently used brass. I have read about Lapua but the price seems a bit steep and since we are not building a load that will do clover leaf at 200 yards (that would be nice) it might be unnecessary. What do you guys use as far as brand for this caliber?
3. If I fire form I want to just neck size. I have a full size set dies, I will have to buy the neck size only die. Not a biggie unless I dont need it...
4. When I researched on how to build the load a couple of years ago I read about a system that required you to load 10 shells with the load ramping up. This system supposedly helped keeping the number of reloads down while searching for the general sweet spot of the charge. You were supposed to look for the 3 closer bullet holes in sequence and that was the ballpark to start tuning.
5. Do you start the loads with the bullet touching the lands or just .xxx far from the land then work the powder then play with land to bullet distance...
6. What is more practical, work the load at 100 yards or at 200 yards? Or should I work the load at 100 yds then fine tune it at 200 yards? I wont be able to constantly shoot at 300 yards until the season is over.
7. is my Rcbs range master 750 digital scale good enough to trust of do I need an analog scale.
8. How practically small should be my powder increments when starting to work this load and how small once I find "a ball park"?

Here is a list of the equipment I have, wonder if I need anything else. Have an order pending on midway, might as well get it all there..

Mtm case guard universal tray for all rifles shells and 38 to 357 pistol shells
Rcbs 30-06 LF size set of dies
Rcbs "RS" single stage press (when compared to the rcbs press I found online it looks like the Rock Chucker Supreme)
Lyman acculine reloading press
Lee powder measure kit
Lyman 500 scale (not working, wonder if it can be sent back for repairs or if it is even worth it.)
Deburring/reamimg tools
Lee powder dispenser
Lee loading funnel
500 CcI rifle primers
Case lube
Hand primer loader
Case cleaner hopper
Forester original trimmer kit
Knetik rcbs bullet puller
Rcbs range master 750 Digital Scale
Prochrono didital chronograph

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Books
Accurate Smokeless Powder loading guide - number one
Lyman 47th reloading handbook - new edition
The abc's of reloading by dean A grennell - 2nd edition
Modern reloading by richard lee
Speer reloading manual #10
Hodgon data manual 26 edition
Nosler reloader manual #3