Hi guys,
I've been reloading for my milsurp rifles and a few pistols for years now, and I love it. I've always done some load development for them, but I've never gone crazy chasing the best load because I figured my sanity would be worth more than getting 2.5 moa instead of 2.8 in my garand for instance. But now comes the problem. I've got 2 modern rifles that should be capable of sub-moa and I would love to make some single ragged holes at 100yds while still keeping my sanity between making and testing every possible combo of loads and having "I wonder if it would shoot better if ..." in the back of my mind.
My question is, how to go about finding the best load without burning out a barrel before settling on a load? Say I start with how much Varget I want to use for a given COAL using an A-Max and settle on 45gr. Will 45gr stay the best charge as i start varying the COAL, or do I have to test multiple charge weights for every COAL? And then if I want to test a different bullet of the same weight, like a Match King. Will it shoot the best at the same distance off the lands and powder weight as the A-Max or do I start at square one?
I just keep thinking that if one variable will make all of them different and I want to test COALs, 3 bullets, and two powders with 5 shot groups I will shoot 750 rounds in load development (assuming 5 different COAL x 5 different powder weights x 3 bullets x 2 powders). Then God forbid I change primers or bullet weights because I'll have shot out my barrel by the time I work up a load.
I've been reloading for my milsurp rifles and a few pistols for years now, and I love it. I've always done some load development for them, but I've never gone crazy chasing the best load because I figured my sanity would be worth more than getting 2.5 moa instead of 2.8 in my garand for instance. But now comes the problem. I've got 2 modern rifles that should be capable of sub-moa and I would love to make some single ragged holes at 100yds while still keeping my sanity between making and testing every possible combo of loads and having "I wonder if it would shoot better if ..." in the back of my mind.
My question is, how to go about finding the best load without burning out a barrel before settling on a load? Say I start with how much Varget I want to use for a given COAL using an A-Max and settle on 45gr. Will 45gr stay the best charge as i start varying the COAL, or do I have to test multiple charge weights for every COAL? And then if I want to test a different bullet of the same weight, like a Match King. Will it shoot the best at the same distance off the lands and powder weight as the A-Max or do I start at square one?
I just keep thinking that if one variable will make all of them different and I want to test COALs, 3 bullets, and two powders with 5 shot groups I will shoot 750 rounds in load development (assuming 5 different COAL x 5 different powder weights x 3 bullets x 2 powders). Then God forbid I change primers or bullet weights because I'll have shot out my barrel by the time I work up a load.