Let's talk about precision reloading

[SWThomas]

I anneal after the 6th firing that for my .308 Win and 338 Lapua I don't anneal my 223 brass because it get's lost before that.

Any particular method you like to use?

[SWThomas]

One of the important things to do is to determine how much precision is necessary. It's really easy to get caught up in the minutia of things, particularly after reading some of the stuff on the interweb. If you dig, you sometimes find that some recommendations are by people shooting "space guns" or bench rest guns (bolted to a platform) or are competing in open 1000yd F-Class where the winner my be determined by a single x-ring shot.

Spending a lot of time developing loads and tweaking things then measuring groups is good, but part of what's being measured is YOU and how you are shooting on a particular day. That's why this can be such a long process and why it's important to compare something new against your standard load on the same day under the same conditions.

As for a chronograph; having a good chronograph is one of your more important tools. You need to know how consistently a load shoots. You may be shooting 1/2" groups at 100yds, but if there's a lot of variation in your velocity then when you get out to 600+ yds that's going to start making a big difference.

Very good advice. I'll make sure to not get too overwhelmed with all the crazy stuff.

[dauntedfuture]

_{There is quite a bit you can do to effect the on target performance of the ammunition you load. Most of the time we do things to cases to eliminate the possibility of inconsistency as opposed to really helping accuracy. We sort cases by weight to find that one thats too heavy or light etc and turn necks if we have a tight chamber or have bad brass. If the runout on your loaded ammunition is good then you likely don’t need to look for special match or benchrest dies. If your runout is excessive its most likely your brass but BR dies can help. I think one of the most overlooked items is making sure that all the brass is sized the same, preferably new brass or stuff that’s been fired in that rifle. Inconsistent sizing can manifest as a bolt that’s hard to close or inconsistent velocity over a chronograph. You can measure off the shoulder to base of case and sort that way or, cull out the brass that’s hard to close the bolt on in the gun. With a semi auto you will not be able to tell. My best advice is play with a known load of powder and bullets and be realistic about your gun and your skills as a shooter. As a 1K highpower shooter I’m looking for 1MOA 10 shot groups with small ES (25 fps) and ill call it good.}

_{Dont crimp your bullets.}

_{If your ES is high try another primer.}

_{Make sure your brass is all sorted by weight and trim it all to the same length.}

[Mastiff]

That font is horrible

I agree. I go through more drug store readers than water, I have my cheap reading glasses everywhere in the house. Fonts like that make me skip the post. My first BE forum flame, I can't help it, it's hard enough to see.