Author Topic: Fine Tuning My Reloading  (Read 4439 times)

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Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #15 on: November 03, 2022, 06:53:50 PM »
Today at the 100 yd range. Flo shot top dots and diamonds with the 85.5 reloads.
I shot the lower ones with left over 88ELDs and 85.5 loads.
Second time she outshot me :(


(Excuse,  I shot 5 left over loads with 85.5 and 4 loads with 88s.  She shot 63 shots with the same 85.5 load :) )
« Last Edit: November 03, 2022, 07:05:43 PM by Rocketvapor »
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #16 on: November 06, 2022, 01:07:26 PM »
I wonder what the rest of you guys do for competition reloading.
Here's my ritual with every thing done one step at a time.
I try and get the brass into the tumbler the afternoon after range day (then a nap).
Add in some new brass every so often to keep the supply of fired brass for comps.
-Used a wire mesh colander to separate the powdered walnut media, added some new.
After all the good shows on TV I anneal what we shot. 
-Second batch through the annealer so far.
Nylon brush inside of case to remove media residue.
Deprime in a separate operation feeling for loose pockets.
Resize the body/bump shoulder with a Redding body die.
Resize neck with Lee Collet Die using an undersize mandrel.
Measure case length and trim, deburr, and chamfer. 
Sort cases by weight.  20 round relays plus sighters sorted very close. 
Fit check competition cases in chamber. Can't afford a jam on the clock.
Weight sort primers for competition rounds and prime.
Sort bullets for equal BTO, and weight.
Wait for a low humidity day in the kitchen and charge.  Double check weight on second scale with each case weight tared.
Start with all cases primer up in block, cover each charge with an upside down projectile in the loading block. 
Move to seating die flip projectile and seat close to desired CBTO (not OAL).  Measure and finish seating last few thou.
Wipe clean and inspect each round. 
Sometime during all this we clean rifles.  Flo cleans her own as it gets dirtier than mine. 

Have enough ready to charge for a practice session and a competition later this month for both of us. 
That's another pound of powder down the tube.


 
« Last Edit: November 06, 2022, 07:46:55 PM by Rocketvapor »
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

cvasqu03

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #17 on: November 07, 2022, 10:36:37 AM »
Well, I can only recall once for certain that I've actually reloaded specifically for competitions, though come to think of it, I won both comps that day with my reloads.  Remember though, I'm basically an apartment dweller with limited space and all my reloading gear gets set up for use and then put away so with that in mind here's what I did (as best as I can remember).

Looked up powder charges and brought out everything I needed.
Took all my previously polished brass which had been sitting around for a while and re-polished it in Walnut media the previous day.
Separated brass from media using a MidwayUSA prospector style plastic separator.
Sprayed all brass with lubricant inside a plastic container, shook it up a bit.
Set up my press with the right dies and dialed it in with a practice case.
Set up my little case neck prep station with mica powder and dipped each neck in and then ran a brush into the necks to lube the inside
Double sized each case (just a habit of mine).
Put all re-sized cases back in tumbler to clean off lubricants.
Re-separated cases from media and polished cases by hand.
Hand primed all cases and put them into loading blocks.
Set up my hopper to throw an approximate amount of my desired powder charge.
Began charging each case by throwing a charge then dialing it in with an RCBS trickler to the exact weight I wanted then threw powder into each case.
Above took several hours so while waiting always covered up loaded cases with a dry towel to avoid any contamination. 
When ready changed out the die for a seating die and began seating all bullets.  The first one was used to dial in the depth which I checked with a case length gauge.
Once all were loaded I then ran them through the crimp die and then put into a headspace gauge to make sure it would feed.
I then hand polished each round as I put it into the ammo box. 

I'm nowhere near as meticulous and professional as RV, nor do I have his equipment, so I basically did what I could with what I had, and hey, I won the long range comp with a heavy barreled AR in 223, and won the combat marksman comp with what is essentially a 20" AK, so I think I did OK for my efforts. 
« Last Edit: November 07, 2022, 01:01:09 PM by cvasqu03 »
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Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #18 on: November 07, 2022, 11:10:03 AM »
Those comps were fun. 

Watch out the the storm coming your way. 
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

cvasqu03

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #19 on: November 07, 2022, 01:03:46 PM »
Those comps were fun. 

Watch out the the storm coming your way.

Thanks RV, yeah, I just heard about it today.

As for the comps, I was looking to see if I could rent out a local range for the whole day to see if we could have some type of mini meet up but the rules for renting it out are rather draconian.  I'm currently trying to find other options.
I am the one they call Cesar.

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #20 on: November 11, 2022, 04:54:34 PM »
Flo and I went to the 600yd range today. 
Wind was strange.
Owner has one flag set up on right side @ 200 yards.  Tree line on left side.
Wind would change from head on at the flag to 3 O'clock and you would feel it in your face for about 20 seconds then shift, then shift back.
About 10 to 12 MPH.
That indicates a swirl across the range for the first few hundred yards. 
Well, it did it's trick today.  At least the temperature was nice and the mirage low. 
Looks like I overcompensated for jump and wind with all those 9's low and right.

We both shot the same ShotMarker, taking a few shots each, not for score, just for trigger time. 
Flo shot one 7, and we each shot 2 8's.  She got more X's than I did but who's counting :)
Here's our combined E-Target


Have a match next Saturday.  Hope to do a little better.

« Last Edit: November 11, 2022, 05:09:55 PM by Rocketvapor »
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #21 on: November 12, 2022, 04:02:44 PM »
The new range is having a 600yd match on the 19th, then after the match a Turkey Shoot.
Draw names, tournament style bracket, two shooters go from 100 to 800yds.  10 shot limit.
Don't expect to do well but will have the ammo to try. 
Targets will be steel,
Sizes are:
100 yds - 5" plate (5 moa, 1.5 mils)
200 yds - 8" plate (4 moa, 1.2 mils)
300 yds - 33% ipsc plate - 10" h x 6" w (3.3 x 2 moa, 1 x .6mils)
400 yds - 8" plate (2 moa, 0.6 mils)
500 yds - 10" gong (2 moa)
600 yds - 66% ipsc plate - 20"h x 12" w (3.3 x 2 moa) 2 MOA is like a nine on the F-Class target, I can do a 9 :)
700 yds - 8" plate (slightly over 1 moa, 0.35 mils)  :shock: Maybe I'll get lucky.
800 yds - Full ipsc plate - 30"h x 18" wide (3.3 x 2 moa)

Depending on how many show up, another 60 rounds each should be enough.
We have pretty good dope for 100, 200, 300, 600.  Calculator should fill in the blanks. 
Need to make dope cards.
100  0.0 mil
200  0.2 mil
300  0.8 mil
400  1.5 mil
500  2.3 mil
600  3.1 mil
700  4.1 mil
800  5.2 mil

Got mine loaded, knocking off for the night.
Will finish up another hundred or so for Flo over the next couple of days. 
Blue boxes are hers.  All annealed except the 60 new cases on the left. 

« Last Edit: November 13, 2022, 11:46:53 PM by Rocketvapor »
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #22 on: November 14, 2022, 10:43:25 PM »
Loading 22 NOSGAR, 85.5, SB 6.5 for the wife's AR tonight.
Got a 600 match Saturday, weather permitting.
Weigh the charge in grams, sprinkling little grains of 6.5.
Tare an empty case and check charge before inserting an inverted projectile and setting case into the loading block.
Tare next case, charge, etc. Bullets presorted for BTO and weight.
Once rolling along it goes smoothly.
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

burbank.jung

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #23 on: November 14, 2022, 10:55:54 PM »
I am new to reloading for the sks and have just finished assembling a ladder test for the various bullets I have with IMR 4198 because that's the only replacement powder I could find. My seating depth was what the Hornady manual recommeneded. And, the next set of testloads will have different seating depths. My question to you is whether you crimp your cases and by how much? Do you have better results with the Lee Factory Crimp Die?

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #24 on: November 14, 2022, 11:06:48 PM »
I don't crimp. 
My seating depth is based on a chamber measurement using a dummy CBTO round and seating to that CBTO (not OAL) less desired jump. I long LONG for slow fire prone.
The SKS might not require half MOA reloading.
Just be safe. 
The Hornady manual is a good start. 
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #25 on: November 29, 2022, 05:50:54 AM »
Didn't make the 600 match.  Weather plus I was felling poorly.
So yesterday went to play. 
Started out @ 300 on a ShotMarker, then to 600, then just played with the steel.
The 8" plate @ 700 sure looked small but wasn't the problem I thought it would be. 
Small little plate made a goodly smack when hit.  The full size IPSC plate @ 800 was hard to hear impact (that's my excuse). 
I might have missed a couple there :)
200 to 700 was absolutely no problem.  Flo liked shooting steel.  She dialed, corrected dope by a tenth on the 600 E-target, worked it to 800, I held over with the reticle. 
Scope has 1/2 mil marks so holding .1 to .2 was easy.  Like 4.2 mils on a .35 mil plate @ 700. 

10 shot groups on the 600 yard target ran over an MOA, about 1.2 to 1.5 for each of us. 
« Last Edit: November 29, 2022, 06:13:35 AM by Rocketvapor »
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #26 on: December 07, 2022, 05:09:59 PM »
Another trip to the Bogalusa range.
Only ones there, even the owner was off running errands. 
I bore sighted my new scope (Cronus BTR Gen2, 4.5-29X56 FFP) , took a couple sighter shots, adjusted zero. 
Then let Flo start off with a 5 shot group @ 100yds. 
We swapped back and forth, 5 shots each. 
In this target she shot the left 6" target, I shot the right.


We then went to 300 and she shot this 5 shot group. Bullseye Camera shots in order on the left side.

Mine wasn't as good :(
Shot 300 for a few more rounds then off to the 800 plate. 
She was all grins each time you heard the swack. :)
« Last Edit: December 11, 2022, 01:04:23 PM by Rocketvapor »
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #27 on: December 11, 2022, 07:32:46 AM »
Revised picture in previous post to include frame grabs from Bullseye Camera.

If you think I am IMPLYING she walked those shots in,

you are correct :)
« Last Edit: December 11, 2022, 07:46:37 AM by Rocketvapor »
Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html

maddogg 286

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #28 on: December 11, 2022, 12:45:27 PM »
When you post targets it's always nice to know at what range they were shot.
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Rocketvapor

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Re: Fine Tuning My Reloading
« Reply #29 on: December 13, 2022, 03:27:11 AM »
Over the past couple of outings Flo's groups have improved.
We have a 600 yard match this coming Saturday and 'Competition' sort of stresses her out some. 
I'm trying to convince her that we aren't really competing, just improving. Maybe that will help.

Anyway, with respect to fine tuning loads.
Looks like her 'improvement' (if not just a temporary fluke) will require a repeat of the jump and charge testing we did earlier. 
So, after the match, I'll load up another ladder for the next couple of range trips. 
Can't fine tune unless you are shooting tight little groups to start with.  :banghead: 

She is also hooked on steel :) and talking about going longer.  Looks like a trip is in the works after the 1st of the year. 

Well I guess my new **** stirrin paddle don't work . I got a like . WTF 😈

Flo just received her EXPERT Mid range card from the NRA.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/famed-ex-uss-john-f-003916449.html