04 September 2009, 08:08
Dark HelmetOK, here's what I did...
by know you all know that I'm working up loads for a 30-06 for which all prior reloading knowledge was lost when my grandfather died in 1982.
so I am using a slightly modified CA-method...
working only with 4064 right now because I can't find 4350 and no one seems to reccomend 4831 for 150gr bullets (which I'm limiting myself to for a couple of reasons).
I have an old redding powder measure with adjustments in "gr" that seem pretty spot-on (I use a setting correlating to 53.8 for my 54.0gr 35Whelen loads.
I only have an old manual balance-scale so I didn't feel like hand-weighing every single load. so I started at an "indicated" 54.0gr on the powder measure and worked down in .5gr increments all the way to 48.0. I did two of each and discarded the first pour after each adjustment of the measure to let it "settle".
then I loaded one of each weight with a Barnes TSX and then the other with the Hornady GMX.
all loaded to +/- 0.005 of 3.330, which is generally the longest you can load something and have it fit in the magazine of the rifle. with the non-lead "monometal" bullets with very sleek profiles, I'm actually seating them fairly deep into the case, so that should help combat the substantial jump to the lands that I expect.
sunday afternoon/evening i'll get it "on target" @ ~250yds with some leftover 165s (300 means significant elevation changes, and i want to avoid that), then Monday AM i'll shoot 26 rounds at two targets and see what we have.
at some point I'll have to get off the crude-scale powder measure and actually scale the loads, but that can be done after I have a "ballpark" number from this first batch.
anything I'm missing?
04 September 2009, 16:59
Hot Corequote:
Originally posted by Dark Helmet:
anything I'm missing?
Looks like a good start to me. Only thing I'd see you are missing is:
When people refer to a rifle as "ugly," what they are really saying a Termite Food stocked, constantly Rusting Blue Mouser or rag M70!

04 September 2009, 20:42
aliveinccDH, What is it w/ new reloaders wanting to shoot at 250/300 yards?
Do your load development at a measured 100 yds from a solid rest. IF you are looking for the loads that shoot best in your rifle---take all the controllable variables out of the equation.
Second, if you are looking for copenhagen can sized groups, your're on the right track. If you want better groups--weigh each charge of powder--the bb scale will work fine.
04 September 2009, 21:25
Dark Helmetquote:
Originally posted by aliveincc:
DH, What is it w/ new reloaders wanting to shoot at 250/300 yards?
the creighton whatsisname load development method method says shoot at 300... so, that's what I'm going to do.
and I hunt at those distances, so I need to shoot at those distances.