What steps do you take at the range when shooting 5+ different types of bullets to ensure that each load gets a fair shake?

Round robin.
Put up 1 target for each load to be tested. Fire 1 round from each test load at it's respective target. Repeat until finished.

I usually work up loads for three diff. cals at a time and when at the range, I set three small(8x10) targets at 100 yards. I take my time w/ each rifle, checking the timer and noting velocities. If you fire one or two rounds thru each rifle and then switch, they usually have adequate cooling time by the time you get back around to end the groups.

I would say that cooling time is a main factor when working w/ several loads, you want to make sure each load gets its fair chance.

Good Luck!

Reloader

I think to really give them a fair shake, what SHOULD be done is to try to find the optimum load possible for each bullet, ie; the ladder method. Do I do that? no. I usually work up a load for a given bullet weight and then try each different type of bullet with the same powder charge. I will only alter the load for a different bullet weight.

I test reloads for Practical Pistol Shooting (IPSC), with only one 1911 Pistol at 40 meters.

I use as many targets as reloads I am going to test.
All targets have same dimensions and 1 1/2"diameter dots in the centers.
I shoot one 5 round string of the reload #1 to the first target, 5 rounds of reload #2 to the second target, 5 rounds of reload #3 to the third target, etc.
Then, I mark all the impacts with a pencil and shoot a second string of 5 rounds of each reload at the same corresponding targets, maintaining the order.
Back home, I measure "X ,Y" coordinates of all impacts.
I charge all these figures in an Excell Sheet and get all accuracy parameters for the first 5 round strings, the second 5 round strings, and considering samples as 10 round strings.
Finally, I compare accuracy parameters of each reload

I see you are experts in measuring rifle accuracy at long ranges,so, I will thanks any suggestion for improving this method.

BA Shooter

Nebraska,

As always, I am sure I do things different from the rest of the civilized world. Neandrathal seafire I guess.

I always set my target at 50yd to test a loads accuracy. While 100 yds is much more common place, I find that 50 yds will tell me the same thing. First of all I look for tighter groups at 50 yds than I would at 100. 50 yds is a lot easier to see, and hold a scope steady. Even on 4 x you can get some tight groups.

If the rifle groups very tight, say one hole or all shots touching or close to it, then I move the targets to 50 yrds.

The way I look at it, 50 yds, tells me what the load, and rifle are capable of.

100 yds, tells after that how well SEAFIRE WILL do with that rifle and load.

If I am then going to be shooting at longer ranges, say varmint hunting, then I set a target at 200 yds and maybe even 300 yds, and then start practicing if I am not going to be in the field.

After a day of shooting sage rats, it amazes me on how well, I can improve during an afternoon of shooting.

A recent outing, I went out and right off the bat, with a 22/250, I managed to hit 55 out of 58 shots, before I set the rifle down to let the barrel cool. That was at distances of 100 to 250 yds. I compliment the rifle and the Leupold scope to that success.

That is the order I put it in. Seems to work well for me.

Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

Nebraska,

To really answer the question of which of 5 different bullets are better in a given gun, and which load they perform best at is a huge task to perform with any degree of certainty.

It is doubtful any of us could perform this experiment properly,for lack of patience, lack of time, and mostly cuz we would rather be shootin than spending that much time on anything else.

Here is an idea ( not neccecarily a good idea, but mine )

Pick a bullet ( one ) ( 1 ).
Preferably one with a track record in your cartridge.
If it is not for hunting, think SIERRA MATCH KING.

Try one ( one )( 1 ) powder to start, pick one with the appropriate burn rate. Consult published load data.

After finding the amount that seems to give the best groups, experiment with seating depth.

After you have decided that the powder and seating depth are optimized, screw up the load totally by experimenting with another primer. This means that the seating depth will probably be the same but the powder charge will not.

If the results suck, try another bullet.
If the results are looking OK, but could get better, try another powder.

Repeat as neccecary.

5 bullets would try the patience of Job.

Travis F.

1) Start with a clean rifle.
2) Shoot a few foulers.
3) Shoot your groups.
4) Clean the bore. Because different powders aren't compatible with each other, you may get unfairly poor groups until the barrel settles in with the second powder. It will settle faster if you remove the fouling from the first powder.
5) See #2 and repeat as necessary.

According to Bart Bobbit, the way to test a rifle is with a machine rest:

link to post

With the different brands/types, I'm looking at ~13 different rounds ranging from cheapy PMC/Rem/Win to Hornady LM and Win Failsafes/Partition Gold. I'd like to get an accurate picture of what they can do so I A) have factory practice and hunting ammo for now (until I can start to reload my own) and B) have a good idea of what are my best choices down the road if I get in a pinch and have no choice but (for whatever reason) to use factory ammo.



This is what I'm planning on testing -





I think I'll shoot each brand and clean in between. That will take ~5 range sessions (due to time) but if mixing brands/powders yields poor results, I guess that I'll have no other choice. All that ammo wasn't cheap so I don't want to have skewed results.



Clark - No machine rest here...hope I don't flinch too much.....

Nebraska, what weight bullet in the Winchester Power Points? (I can't quite read it in the picture) I just shot some 130 grain Win. Power Points yesterday. Funny thing was, I got a 1 1/2 inch 5-shot group at 100 yards, but a 3/4 inch 5-shot group at 200 yards. Kind of scratching my head on that one...thinkin' maybe I ought to start shooting my handloads at 200 and see if they group any better. I've been testing all my loads at 100, but my brother had some targets out at 200, and at the end of the day I shot that last group at 200 just for fun. Only things that changed was the barrel had 25 more bullets through it since that first group shot at 100, and the temperature increased from 55 to 75.

Bullets need time (distance) to settle down. The primary cause, for what your seeing, seems to be over-stabilization (esp. with light for cal bullets at high vel loadings). Finding 50yd groups that are larger than 100yd groups that are larger than 200yd groups is not uncommon do to this phenominon (after that they seem to behave normaly).
It's just another reason to test at the longer ranges.

Hey, if my groups get smaller as the range increases, I should be able to put 5 shots into one hole at 400 yards

Seriously though, next time I'm going to shoot some groups at 100, and some at 200, and see if the same thing happens, of if it was just a fluke. I was actually thinking the only thing that could have caused that, was that possibly there is more parallax in my scope at 100 than at 200. It's a Leupold 3.5-10x40.