What order for best accuracy when reloading ammo?

[leo158]

What methods are the best gains in accuracy that can be done for reloads. Thanks, Dan

[earl39]

I know there will be a lot of different answers but i feel the most important thing is to be consistant in each step.

[Sundo]

I suspect accurate and precise powder charge is #1. Clean flash hole is #2. Consistent bullet weight is #3. Consistent bore condition (not necessarily "clean") is #4. Consistent seating depth is #5. Consistent taper crimp (or neck tension) is #6.

Just my guesses.

[Uncle Jack]

You start with THE BRASS. It needs to be all the same brand and batch. If the basic container ain't right, nothing else will be.

uj

[leo158]

You start with THE BRASS. It needs to be all the same brand and batch. If the basic container ain't right, nothing else will be.

uj

How does the brass have that much affect on accuracy?

[keeki]

if the bullet dont start right, it sure wont finish right

[leo158]

if the bullet dont start right, it sure wont finish right

???

[fgw_in_fla]

Brass - Things of concern - (see: consistancy) Case size / capacity, neck tension, brass hardness / elasticity.

I can use 55.6gr of H4831-sc with my 130gr Noslers / .270 in Remington brass - brass purchased at the same time, from the same bag. That combination will yield 5 rounds fitting neatly within a 1" x 1" square on the target board at 200yds.

Change 1 piece of brass to Fed or Win or use a piece of brass from a previous purchase - I get flyers, group opens to 1.5" or greater, it wreaks havoc.
Set the bullet deeper by .005" or shallower by .005" - can have a dramatic change on grouping.

Consistancy - Brass, components, powder charge, seating depth, method of reloading. Do everything the same way each time & you can eliminate many variables that would otherwise cause you to lose your sanity.

Anyway, that's my story & I'm sticking to it....

Frank in Fla

[gotcha]

Keep accurate records of everything you do. The amount of brass prep necessary is directly related to the quality of brass you purchase. What kind of tools do you have to insure consistent reloads? ........Dozens of books have been written on this subject. Give us some input as to what you're trying to accomplish w/ this firearm. Hunting? competition? varminting? Do you have any QC tools?......... A. pick bullet for intended job B. pick appropriate powder C. determine best powder chg D. determine best seating depth..... There are other, more advanced methods but being new ..... crawl before you walk..... walk before you run :D Start w/ the simple steps found in R/L manuals. Get it down pat, THEN advance to the fancy tricks/tools/methods if it makes your heart go pitty-pat JMHO

[leo158]

I desire to have 1/2 inch groups at 100yrds and 2 inch groups at 300 yrds. This is my yote rifle. I got a 3x9 nikon bdc that I would find useless if I can't get tight groups at 100. I am upgrading to 4x12 nikon bdc. You know what I mean as for the bdc reticle being useless if you got inconsistent groups. Somedays I can cover with a quarter others of recent are golfball sizes and a bit larger. Also are some saying that it's useless to reload once shot brass to get that kinda accuracy, that was bought over time because they are from different batches? Thanks, Dan

[keeki]

Brass prep is where it all begins, this is where you can cut corners if all you want to do is hear a bang and send a bullet down range and thats the reason brass prep is so often overlooked. 1. clean your brass 2. size your brass through the same die, using the same amount of pressure, same lube. 3. clean your flash hole and trim your brass 4. chamfer brass inside and out. 5. clean your brass again to remove lube and brass shavings etc. Heres where I use a bore brush to clean the inside of the case neck. 6. sort your brass by weight now that its all the same size. this will tell you the capacity, the less it weighs the more volume you have. 7. prime your brass paying attention to how much pressure your putting on the primer. Make sure all primers are seated the same. This is basic brass prep that involves no special tools or gadgets. It would be a must to have a runout gauge for really accurate ammo but thats a special gadget. Havnt even got to the fuel yet.

[82boy]

... i feel the most important thing is to be consistant in each step.

The best answer given so far. Consistancy is were it is at. What you do with 1 piece of brass should be done to all peices of brass. As noted the quality of the brass will dictate how much work needs done, some thing make a noticble difference some will not, but the main thing is that all the brass is exactly the same. Jack Neary (Top name in Benchrest, hall of fame member, and educator.) states that out of all the things on brass prep, triming lenght is the most important regarding accuracy.

I have found that having constant ignigtion is THE most important part of accuracy, and to insure this I ALWAYS ream the primer pocket after each firing. If you ever have a gun with an ignigtion problem you will believe this, as the gun will shoot eratic, and make you beat you head agaist the wall. When dealing with lower quality brass, I will weigh them and cull out anything that doesn't fit in a 1% window.

When dealing with accuracy I find that the most curtial step is making sure that seating depth is the same. I have found that in some cases .002-.003 difference, will make a hugh differnce in accuracy, dealing with top levals. To start you need to make sure your bullets measure the same at the ogive. I have sound in some bullet brands that measuring a box of 100 you will generaly find 2 diferent ogive length bullets, some time even 3. Something else to remember is when you set your dies up, make sure you use the same shell holder, I have found that switching shell holders can amount in a .005 difference in laoding/seating depth.

When measuring consintrisity of a loaded round at the ogive, you can quickly pick out a bullet seated at a different depth, as the neadle on the dial will start at a diferent spot. I find that consintrisity matters more at longer ranges than it does at shorter ranges. I also find that powder charges can verry slightly and this will not be noticed untill longer ranges.(600-1000 yards.) Also some powder meter better than others.

[johnjohn301]

What methods are the best gains in accuracy that can be done for reloads. Thanks, Dan

This may help -
http://www.6mmbr.com/JGcaseprep.html