Am I the only one that doesn't enjoy shooting ladder tests?

[rotts4u]

Until recently I avoided ladders as a reloading tool but finally decided to try them. I have ran a few different ones on various rifles with different bullet weights but I just dont enjoy it. I think the real enjoyment to me of target shooting is shooting small groups. When I shoot ladders I don't get to shoot groups at all in that session as I am going through 10 round ladders looking for nodes. Of course there is the lure of smaller groups in the future but in some way I feel like I can get similar results and still shoot groups.

For example lets say I shoot 20 rounds in a ladder .2grains or .3 grains apart and shoot 1-2 rounds of each charge I have shot 20 rounds covering a 2-3 grain range. For not that many more rounds I can cut the bottom out of the reloading chart and skip the bottom half of the range of charges for a specific bullet/powder. Then going down to maybe a 1.5 grain range shoot 3 round groups maybe .2 grains apart for a total of 21 rounds of 3 shots by 7 charges. Now I get the satisfaction of shooting groups which I enjoy and still cover a decent powder charge range for a particular bullet.

What do you all prefer for load development on a new caliber or bullet etc?

Thanks and I look forward to your thoughts

[seanhagerty]

I use this method. This method has worked well for me. You get to shoot groups from the beginning. The initial round isnt about group size, but about location on the target. Once you find a spread of charge weights that group in the same area of the target in relation to the point of aim, then you can start shooting at distance and vary the COAL to find the exact recipe for your rifle.

[darkker]

Ladders are silly IMO. As they are done, not the theory, they are pretending that there is no BR/BD in extruded powder.
once I started using volume instead of weight, MOST of the goofy groupings and mystery of shooting disappeared.

[1983Weatherby]

Ladders are a waste of time. Find a powder you like and adjust the COAL as described by the prior poster. I use this same method and it works great.

[Willoughby]

I found all my rifles will shoot 2 moa or 1/2 moa
I found this by doing a ladder test
by weight
if they didnt shoot 1/2 moa -then I could have backed them up & played with coal
but most all rifles shoot better jammed or .10-20 off the lands IMHO
it took less than an hour for each rifle
I dont ever have to do it again
unless I choose to shoot a different projectile
then it'll cost me another hour of my time
I didnt go .2 grains at a time - I went a full grain
only on one of them- I had to go 1/2 gr on either side of best whole gr to dial it in
ladder tests - it worked for me

[Smokey262]

300 yard (or more) ladders are pretty revealing when starting from scratch

[thermaler]

This ladder stuff sounds interesting, though like anything else if something is off (scope etc.) it could skew results--is there a website someplace that has a thorough description of the technique?

[tiny68]

300 yard (or more) ladders are pretty revealing when starting from scratch

I think I can tune a load fairly quickly with the ladder method. I seat the bullet 0>020" off the lands, then run 0.3 gr increments for a medium case capacity over 3 grain window. I pulled my hair out trying to learn something with the ladder method at 100 yards. Shoot them at 300 yards. And only shot them in the best of conditions (which doesn't happen often in Oklahoma). I tend to look at the vertical as the key component but the horizontal has value as well. If I find 3 weights that give close vertical at 300 yards, I pick the middle one and start playing with seating depth or neck tension.

I don't know of an easier way to learn something with only 10 wasted bullets.

To each his own I guess.

Luck, Tim