First time poster. I've been reloading with some success for thepast three years, so while no where near expert, I'm no beginner either. Q: What have you discovered or learned that has made the biggest improvements in accuracy or other facet you consider important? What techniques or practices have you adopted or tried and kept? What have you thrown out or quit?

I'm begining to think I've doubly challenged my own efforts by combining Lee equipment with a Browning A-Bolt. (sarcasm-sort of)
I'm pretty satisfied with the Lee stuff. I do now use an RCBS benchrest seating die on the challenger press and the classic cast turret for everything else. The worst things I can say about the Lee gear is that you can break some of the parts easily if you're not sure what you're doing (like when you're just starting out). His manual is like an 8 hour infomercial. Some of the instructions that come with the equipment were written by retards.
The A-bolt, a dirty word around here to some. Currently the bane of my existance. A-bolt II in .30-06, plastic stock, nightforce scope. Will not hold a zero for anything, like a drunk peeing on a brick wall. I learned here to check for flex at the forend, sure enough it's worse than a wet noodle. I do not care for the bolt, it's sloppy in battery/closed. I sure did not like reading the horror stories about failure rates and inclement weather failure.
It sounds more like scope/mount failure, but the nightforce is a year old and has never been dropped or abused. I know it can happen, but if this scope is bad with my past track record with bad scopes I'll be completly certifiable. My mere gaze has been proven to ruin scopes within seconds. I should probably not even be touching gunpowder.
Thanks to all for the great info in other threads.

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Q: What have you discovered or learned that has made the biggest improvements in accuracy or other facet you consider important? What techniques or practices have you adopted or tried and kept? What have you thrown out or quit?

Simply this.....You're likely going to get you best functional accuracy by working on the gun.....glass bedding the action and floating the barrel.

In reloading the most important factor is picking the right bullet....then picking the right powder....then all the rest of the stuff.

I no longer get finnicky about distance to lands, turning necks, flashhole preparation and primer pocket doo-dads, and incredible precise powder measurement.....+/- .25 grains if good for a case holding 40 grains of powder and more.

Keep the powders clearly marked and toss them away if there's doubt what they are. Do the basics right and you'll be a fine reloader....

The stock on the A-Bolt is unimpressive, but is floated. If it's not being torqued, the floating issue may be irrelevant; the bedding could be worthy of closer attention. What caught my eye is your mention of the bolt. I have one of these things, and the bolt is tight in all states. I suggest you look further into this aspect.

A bullet that enters the bore crooked, leaves it crooked.

Above all I pay close attention to bullet concentricity.

Three basic things that I think contribute to a rifles accuracy:

Stock bedding
Trigger
Sighting system

Given a decent barrel and quality ammunition, most rifles will greatly benefit from the three.

Thank you gents. All good comments and all appreciated.
V-Dog, I have not found a bullet that shoots better than 2" in this rifle. I think I have rifle problems that need to be addressed before I have a solid platform from which to search for the holy grail round.
The stock on the 2003 A-Bolt is not only unimpressive, it's crappy and near worthless. Although it is free floated, my estimate is 1 - 3 lbs of side force will bring the fore-end into contact with the barrel. This is high on my list to correct.
With the bolt closed, the rear bolt heel has 1/16 to 1/32 of horizontal play. I'm going off memory here but it is a visible amount of play in the rear bolt assembly with the bolt closed. That does not seem right to me at all.
Thanks again guys.

Some time ago I posted a response on reloading for hunting dangerous game. It outlines the steps that I take that take in reloading super reliable cartridges. It is a pretty good system for reloading any cartridge. You might want to do an advanced search on posts with reloading, DG or dangerous game and Kudude as author. Kudude

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Originally posted by Nikoms:
...What have you discovered or learned that has made the biggest improvements in accuracy or other facet you consider important?

1. Lots of actual Trigger Time from comfortable consistent positions.
2. A reliable, rugged and accurate Remington rifle. That does not mean other rifles aren't accurate, just my preferance.
3. A well Developed Load, designed specifically for the Game/Varmint I'm after. I use the never improved upon Creighton Audette Load Development Method which allows me to find the Harmonic Nodes systematically rather than haphazard random Load firing.
4. I prefer to Benchmark a new rifle with Sierra MatchKings or Nosler Ballistic Tips to see what the accuracy potential of the rifle is before beginning the Game/Varmint Load Development.
5. It is absolutely imperative to create your own Drop Chart for a specific Cartridge and Rifle. Using the Software Ballistic Programs or the External Ballistic Tables at the back of the Load Manuals are only approximations. They rely on data that will be different in your cartridge/rifle. Good to get you on paper, but not nearly accurate enough for actual Hunting.
6. I Match Prep large quantities of Cases and then Weight Sort them. I record the actual weight of each case on it by using 3M Magic Tape and a regular Ball Point Pen. If you do not use Magic Tape, it will be a real problem getting the Tape Residue off the Cases. And I do not write the weight directly onto the Case.
7. Consistent Accuracy does not grown on trees! A synthetic stock is easily the most stable and consistently accurate stock material. I also like Laminated(plywood), but I only use it on shorter range rifles.
8. Practice Targets for scoped rifles are Black Squares and I fire at the corner. Black Circles for the Iron Sight Rifles with the Circle appearing to set directly on top of the Front Sight.
9. You absolutely positively must have a crisp clean Sear Release. If the Trigger will not allow that, accuracy is very difficult to achieve.
10. Keep the barrel clean.
11. Once the Load is Developed, do all your Practice shooting from actual Field Positions.
(This next one is Secret, so don't let it out.)12. With a bit of thought on Bullet selection and Powder, it is usually possible to Develop a Varmint Load for a 223Rem or 243Win that has a Trajectory the same as your real Deer, Hog and Bear rifle.
13. Dry Fire at least once a day from Off-Hand at something 200yds off. It will tell you quickly if you need to get your Heart in better condition.
14. Keep good records about the Loads and the Groups they shot. I use a 3-ring binder and 8.5"x11" Targets along with a Load Data Sheet to keep track of how well a rifle has shot with specific Loads. Now is the time of year to look through it and determine what I want to try as the weather warms back up.

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What techniques or practices have you adopted or tried and kept?

All the above.

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What have you thrown out or quit?

1. I DO NOT use a Stoney Point Thingy to do ANY measuring with. Life is way too short to mess with them.
2. I rarely bother to use a chronograph. The only thing they tell you is Velocity and I(you) can "guess" at it close enough.
3. I no longer use "Redfield Style" Scope Bases(Lateral Adjustment Screws in the Rear Base) from any manufacturer. The design only allows the Front Ring to get a good grip on the Scope. Then the Mass of the Scope can cause the Rear Ring to begin "pulling through" the Lateral Adjustment Screws. That creates all kinds of wierd accuracy shifts and is difficult to track down.
4. I don't waste $$$High$$$ Bullets by doing a lot of "Practice" with them. You can get the same mental and muscle coordination benefit with inexpensive Bullets.
5. I do not continue shooting if things are not going well. If I notice I'm having a "Bad Day" at the Range, I stop and try to determine what is wrong. If I can't figure it out, I head for the house so as not to develop bad habits.

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The A-bolt, a dirty word around here to some. Currently the bane of my existance. A-bolt II in .30-06, plastic stock, nightforce scope. Will not hold a zero for anything, ...

I know a few fellows that prefer the A-Bolts. One is a guy who only shoots Federal Factory Ammo in at least 6 A-Bolts and they are all very accurate.

However, if you have lost confidence in it, the easiest thing to do is "Swap" it for a different rifle of your choice. Just remove the NightForce Scope and retain it for the next rifle. Mount the scope with either Dual Dove Tail or Weaver Style Bases(mounted with Blue Loc-Tite) and the appropriate Burris Signature Rings(with the Synthetic Inserts). Also have one box of the Eccentric Inserts to help align the Scope without using up all the Internal Scope Adjustment.

Best of luck to you.

i don't have the patience to fool around with 100 different loads trying to make a lemon shoot. if my load is good in other rifles, and i get one that doesn't shoot it i either get rid of the gun or rebarrel it. For instance I probably have 50000 round of 223 loaded with the same load. if i get a new 223 that doesn't shoot that load I'm not about to redo that amount of ammo for the price of a barrel or a trade in.