What bullet / propellant loads have you worked up and what is your most accurate?

[packetloss]

Just to make sure I'm understanding things correctly then. Based on bench rest testing with a Rem 700 action, powder had relatively no impact on accuracy?

In that case, would the OPs results then be indicative of which powder produces the profile (e.g. velocity or comfort,perceived recoil) that worked best for him, or just human error variance and all within expected parameters?

 

[JFrank]

Say what???

 

[LiveLife]

Just to make sure I'm understanding things correctly then. Based on bench rest testing with a Rem 700 action, powder had relatively no impact on accuracy?

In that case, would the OPs results then be indicative of which powder produces the profile (e.g. velocity or comfort,perceived recoil) that worked best for him, or just human error variance and all within expected parameters?

Yes, as many members posted, the variance obtained by OP at 10 yards from compact pistol using coated lead bullets were likely from combined/stacked reloading/shooting variables and not from isolated bullet/powder/charge variance alone, the premise of thread title.

As many members posted, OP needs to address following reloading/shooting variables so they are eliminated/minimized so variance from bullet/powder/charge could be seen:

• Bullet weight - Need to be sorted by weight or use match grade jacketed bullet weighed with scale verified by known standard
• Bullet ogive - Need bullets with consistent ogive
• Bullet length - Need bullets with consistent length measured by calipers/micrometer verified by known standard
• Case wall thickness - Need to sort brass by headstamp
• Internal case volume - Need to sort brass by headstamp
• Resized case length - Affects how much bullet sticks out above case rim (Shorter cases can headspace off extractor instead of chamber)
• Bullet setback - Need to test bullet setback by headstamp
• Powder charge - Need to check metering/powder charge consistency with scale verified by known standard
• Powder case fill - (Is air gap between flash hole and powder granules a factor?) Most semi-auto loads fire as powder forward and benefit from near max case fill
• Bullet tilt during seating - Tilted bullet can affect engagement with rifling and bearing surface of bullet
• Finished dimensions - (Consistency in taper crimp/case neck affect seal with chamber) Need to measure with calipers/micrometer verified by known standard
• Chrono testing - (Were powder/ambient temperature the same?) Some powders are temperature sensitive and some reverse temperature sensitive and as barrel/chamber gets hot, can affect powder sensitivity
• Pistol/barrel length - Longer barrels produce higher muzzle velocities and greater rotational spin for stability in flight
• Shooter input - Trigger pull/push and input on grip can deviate point of impact
• Etc. etc.

 

[GaryL]

Fascinating. It can inferred, then, that the selection of a particular powder becomes more a matter of desired performance (e.g. velocity) or comfort (perceived recoil), than accuracy.

I think this true, all else being equal. But, as we know, all else is rarely equal. I have a buddy who is serious about pistol shooting. Not competitively, he just loves going to the range several days a week. He changes pistols like most change underwear. He maintains a small collection of "favorite shooters" (no particular caliber). He's always buying and trying. When he finds one that shoots really well, it goes into the collection, and chances are, one from the collection goes out on the auction block. His favorites do shoot well. He thinks of them as little machines, and occasionally, all the parts fit together just right to make a sweet machine.

 

[ojibweindian]

As I would have been 13 years old at the time and living 2000 miles away I can only tell you want I was told.

Bullseye shooters are very accuracy oriented. They aren't going to shoot loads that don't have a high degree of accuracy. It's not surprising that almost all the loads they tested were extremely accurate in the bolted down test fixture. Any loads that didn't have high accuracy potential had already been weeded out.

What they were trying to do was to find the most accurate load possible by eliminated any mechanical accuracy problems.

As this was related to me by one of the people who was there and participated in the tests I have faith what I've been told is true.

If I were to follow your path then unless there is photos or video it didn't happen.

I believe you.

 

[rskent]

Prowler, Interesting testing. It seems like your testing shows with the exception of CFE pistol more powder is better.

I wonder why the CFE pistol loads grouped better with less powder and the other powders grouped better with more. Did you max out your True Blue and W231 loads?