Reloading questions

[BTLowry]

be careful what you learn from some of the above post.

I don't believe everything I read on the net. I will be researching most of it. Just need to know what to look for. For instance, I would never set a dropper up for a certain charge and then just blindly load 100 rds without checking the weight with a scale every so many rounds to verify what I was getting.
Nor would I load "hot", I am sure that there is a place for "hot" loads but not for what I am doing (hogs, varmints, deer out to around 200yds)

Mostly just for fun but for the stuff I hunt with (.270, .243 and 6.8) I will most likely play with some different loads to see what the gun likes.

[sir shovelhands]

Really? Read my post again. It says more than likely your rifle won't know the difference. When you get some experience under your belt you'll find this to be a true statement. I doubt if you can shoot well enough to tell the difference anyhow.

As for running hot loads. I'm all for you doing it. Hotter the better. Did you know you can increase your velocity with temperature sensitive powder by just leaving your ammo on the dash. The sun can help you with some really hot loads!

A change in pressure and velocity will absolutely have an effect upon barrel harmonics, i.e. your rifle will "know". If you would like to point me to some literature that says otherwise, please do.

Again, with respect to hot loading: keep your haughty opinion to yourself.

[BTLowry]

Well I got my reloading books in the mail yesterday and have been doing lots of reading.

Learning quite a bit

[dbaio1]

When I first started reloading about 20 yrs ago, I started off following the manuals (Nosler and Barnes). I always had great luck starting my load testing using their most accurate power recommendation. I found that starting there and focusing on the bullet seating depth and the distance from the rifling lands helped improve my accuracy vs trying various recommended powders for the caliber and bullet design/weight.

[mikebyrge]

I started loading handgun bullets to save money...loaded many 357mag with win231 and hp38 with 158gr lead bullets. Like others I went with the powder that I coul buy at the time.

Loading handgun ammo led me to rifle rounds more for the hobby aspect and cost savings rather than better accuracy. I've turned out some decent loads but not anything better than good factory ammo.

I've loaded 30-30, 308 and 6.5x55 all with H4895 and Reloader 15. I haven't found that the powder charge variation has much affect on accuracy BUT I did find that "straight" ammo does make a difference.

I read a John Barsness article about this and found that by rolling the loaded rounds on a flat surface I could see a wobble in some of the rounds. When I culled these rounds out my groups tightened up dramatically.

I'm not loading for uber accuracy so sub 2" groups are good for me but culling out the crooked rounds got rid of most of the flyers.

[Tommyh]

IF a dropper/dispenser is dropping a set amount of powder each throw how does pistol and rifle differ?
Different types of powder act different through dropper or what?
I saw a progressive press with a dropper on it, can it only be used for pistol loads?

Definitely need a lot more equipment and will buy a new manual.

Any recommendations on manuals?

IMO dispensers are GREAT for ball powder, but extruded and flake powders are nightmarish in getting the proper charge. when im throwing extruded or flake, i weight often so that i dont have too light of a charge.

on rifle, i weigh just about every charge even though its not as necessary for hunting accuracy. still makes me feel good knowing that at least that much of the equation is taken care of.

[Ruark]

You have to experiment, and it helps to read a lot, not just one book. In general, large cases with lots of shoulder will burn slower powders. If you're looking for tighter groups, one thing that helps is using a powder that fills the case. The idea is that if the case is just 3/4 full, maybe for one shot the powder is sitting down at the base end, then in the next shot it's down at the bullet end. This can create slight variations in pressure that affects your shot-to-shot consistency.

But part of the fun of reloading is finding just the right powder and load that works best with your gun. No two guns are alike.

What a lot of reloaders do is load in half-grain increments, loading 5 or 6 rounds with each load. Then head for the range and compare them. Of course, there are other variables to play with, too - barrel length, case wall consistency, primers and primer pockets, headspace, bullet weight, etc. but that's getting off-topic.