Heading for the range with first reloads

[befus]

Got my stuff in and spent yesterday trying to learn to reload straight walled cases. I got Lil Gun in five loads and 300 MP in four others using FTX 250's, Barnes XPB 275's and Speer SP 300's. New brass, WSM primers, new Ross brake (hope the range is deserted ))We will see. Posting a pic of crowded reloading area. This happens when you reload 17 calibers..... Envious of y'all with the pristine benches.

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[befus]

Turned out to be a total disaster. Probably my worst range trip EVER. One thing I did learn is that a 3x Burris red dot is useless (to me at least) as a sight in scope. The dot is as large as the bull on Hoot's two inch targets, and then I just could not make out the holes well, as large as they are, with my old eyes. Gonna switch to a stronger scope to at least gather info on loads during load development, and then switch back if I think it prudent.

[Papi]

Of your going to test new loads you need to put on the most powerful scope you have on your rifle to get the best groups . Aim small hit small .

[plant_one]

Of your going to test new loads you need to put on the most powerful scope you have on your rifle to get the best groups . Aim small hit small .

yup. altho i dunno about highest power, but give yourself at least some edge and at the least do a 3-9 or my personal standard goto of a 4-12.


i had a buddy asked me to do some test loads for him for one of his guns.. so i picked up the goodies he asked me to, loaded up a ladder and show up...


he's got freaking iron sights on his 50 beowulf AR upper. like really? wtf dude... "well i wanna test it like i hunt it" *FACEPALM*

last time i helped him with any load development because he just doesnt get it and refuses to adapt from whatever old school ways he's stuck in.....

[teddy_d]

I learned to sight in rifles .22 LR up through 7.62 (single shot through M60 machine gun) on a 25 yard or meter range.

Once the rifle was zeroed I was taught to shoot at ranges from said 25 yards/meters out to 400 yards/meters in 50 yard/meter increments.

Nothing wrong with sighting in your rifle with the iron sights and or optics you will be using for target shooting or hunting. You will find your personal limitations quickly, you might just suck at shooting accurately, not everyone is Anne Oakley or Carlos Hathcock. Variables would also include: ammo, rifle, sights, optics, caliber, trigger, shooting techniques (usually a determining factor), weather, wind...

Master the basics of proper shooting techniques and everything else is easy?

Boy Scout moto "be prepared".

[plant_one]

sighting in a rifle in the configuration its going to be used in the field is one thing.




doing a ladder test for load developement reasons is NOTHING like sighting one in with factory production ammo. its an excersize in taking as many of the human equation weak points out as possible, and repeatedly shooting the smallest group possible with ammo of unknown accuracy to test their quality..

its the difference in trying to hit a vital size target once or twice with a known quality ammo, vs trying to see how many bullets you can put in the same hole with 9 or 10 test batches of ammo - most of which will by their nature will not go into said same hole.

attempting to do even semi-precision load development without at least some form of a magnified optic - especially when you're nearsighted, wearing glasses, and unable to focus on 2 different distance planes, no less 3 - is an excersize in frustration at best.