This post is intended to save a new reloader time, money and energy and show how we have produced a consistent 5 round group 1/2 moa factory rifle with extreme spreads 15-25 FPS and SD of 6-7
A huge part of this data is how we started with just full length sizing and no other Bench rest techniques and then switched to all bench rest techniques. A big difference on average 30-50% better group size, 30-50% lower on extreme spreads, and eliminating flyers from the groups
The Berger Bible (manual) will help you tremendously with developing a load. Tubbs reloading video part 1 and 2 on youtube is your next stop even though its 18 years old it’s great Sniper 101 on youtube will teach you more about shooting than anyone else can for free it’s like 87 part video series
All this being said, our goal was to develop a sub ½ moa load that was consistent at least 5 round groups and an extreme spread of less than 20 fps. Both were accomplished but it took over 8 trips to the range and over 320 rounds sent downrange. I will attach all stages of development and our thought process through the testing. Ruger Precision Rifle .243 with a Vortex HST 6-24 Match rings and level, atlas bipod Lapua Brass We are shooting the Berger 105 vld, and tried over 9 powders
I didn’t read the berger manual till after the testing, I wouldn’t have tested so many powders. I would have found a few with good fill ratios and velocity and just tested those, berger will tell you most powders can be developed into a good load and all powders are temperature sensitive. '
We tested 9 powders, IMR 4831, 7977, 7828, 4350, 4064, Extreme powders retumbo, h1000, h4350 H4831 SC, and many different primers, S&B, 210, 210m, 200, 200 Br, 215, 215m, 250
We started at .026 from lands for one reason because the Ruger Magazine can handle .015 from the lands but that’s about it and the bullet tips are scraping the magazine. You can get other magazines for more length, but we kept the gun all factory.
Velocities were tested with a Magnetto sporter which is great, those 100$ chronographs are junk is what we found out. The magnetto does appear to have some effect on your bullet
All powders were a grain off of Berger Bible Max Load
100 yard All four round groups except H4831sc IMR 7977 average about 2900 with 48 ES 1.8 MOA H4350 2700 63 Es 1.5 MOA IMR 4350 2840 ES 29 .9 MOA with rounds almost identical ES IMR 4831 2800 ES 51 .69 MOA H 4831 SC 2870 ES 64 .394 MOA 5 round group submitted to the ruger challenge Number 7 100 yards 5 shot H1000 2900 ES 50 1.2 moa RETUMBO 2970 ES 49 1.0 moa IMR 7828 2800 ES 25 .600 3 bullets less than .250 moa
So H4831SC factory gun, shot lights out so why not just stop. Its extreme spread is horrible so lots of development to go
So the next test was to see an Optimal charge weight test with H4831 because it was the most accuarate
Research OCW needs to be done Low powder charge to close to max and your looking for a load that when temperatures spike or get colder are still hitting on the same horizontal plane That first group shot high so the scope was adjusted down OCW 1.1, 2, 3 .702 moa, .605, .586, .799, .675 from 42.3-43.4 grains of powder This whole development was done in 30-35 degree outside temperatures. There are 6 more stages to post time. I will try and update daily
So after the original powder test IMR 7828 and H4831SC 7828 coming in at .600 moa 4 shots and H4831 SC at .394 moa 5 shot group
We wanted to just shoot a couple groups with those two best performing powders and also from the OCW test it appeared nothing was spectacular but we wanted to try 4831 again at 42.5 because of the .394 moa group with a different primer. Russ and I trade off on shooting groups to make sure results are spread out between two shooters. I took some of my loading gear over to Russ' place and found out that my powder scale was off at his place because of the elevation. Good tip if your moving gear from one to the other
Tested
7828 43.5 grains .578 moa 4 shot with a 34 ES
7828 44 grains .687 moa 4 shot with 3 rounds only 7 fps apart 53 ES
H4831 43 grains at .800 moa 4 shot with a 31 Es 210 M primer
H 4831 42.5 grains 1 moa 5 shot 4 within .350 moa BR CCI was not chronographed
I think one of the big issues I have always had with reloading is consistency. One day your rounds and gun shoot very well and the next its different. It gets frustrating. After this test, its still nothing great and extreme spreads are not where we wanted them to be and we couldn't duplicate the .39 moa group
We decided to try a lands test with H4831SC, We looked at the OCW test again and decided to try 42.8 with multiple lands tests and of course tried 42.5 again because of the original .39 moa group
Three round groups Lands testing
We tried 42.5 grains at .015 jump, it shot .505 moa and 42.8 just didn't seem to work .015 .95 moa .021 1.10 .026 .912 .040 .88 .060 .858 .080 .67
It appears 7828 has been giving us consistent .600 moa groups so we decided to do an OCW test with that. The extreme spreads have also been pretty decent We started at 43 grains and went to 44.2 grains
43 grains 43 es .580 moa 43.3 9 es .624 moa 43.6 4 es .785 moa a primer failed only two shots 43.9 53 es 1.3 moa 44.2 67 es .343 moa average speed 3000 fps
So 7828 had high exteme spreads with 4 groups under an moa and a decent ES at 43.3 One thing to note is all those powder charges were printing with almost the same point of impact.
We also tried some 210 primers with H4831sc 4 shots at 42.5 gr with a 15 es but the group was .94 moa
We also tried some 200 cci with H4831 sc 4 shots at 42.5 gr with a 28 es and a group of 1.2 moa
The reg 210's and CCI both beat the 210 match primers substantially but the groups opened up quite a bit
My buddy recommended we try imr 4064 with cci primers. The 4 shot group was bad but the ES was 3027,3024, 3026, 3000 and we thought that was pretty impressive so why not try an OCW test
4064 showed some promise so, we did an OCW test, One of the problems with this powder was at 37 grains it was going 3000 fps and we really didn't want to have that much speed because of barrel wear and we are loading in the winter, so in summer conditions this load would be well over max pressure we test 35.8-37 grains and it was all over the place so it was showing signs of instability
We started getting away from the magnetto at this point when we wanted to try and shoot for groups. We figured it had something to do with weird harmonics being right at the muzzle.
So at this point we both had done a bunch of research on the subject of reloading. We had good extreme spreads and bad accuracy or good accuracy and bad extreme spreads something had to change.
We found that my RCBS chargemaster would throw heavy and light loads of powder, nothing was exact. I figured that the heavy and light loads alone could be giving us 20 feet per second spreads alone. So I researched scales, the best scale for the money we could find was a GEMPRO 250 these things are great. You can get your powder down to .02 grains they are very accurate. They are about 127$ on amazon.
We knew at this point we had to try something different so we decided to get into more of the bench rest portion of reloading, so I bought a forster bushing bump die with .266, .268. 270 bushings. We bought a 44$ tube micrometer from amazon which was money well spent along with a Grizzly stand for it 25$. We figured our necks were .015 so we turned our brass to .013x2 + .244 diameter= .270 so we used the .268 bushing.
We cut our Hornady modified case so it could do chamber length and also OAL
I also didn't really care about headspace during this whole testing, but decided we needed to do it and try to get the most out of this rifle. So I tested headspace, I noticed a couple of the rounds I had already done were off a little so now I will neck size the brass and rotate it 180 degrees and size it again. .003 headspace
I also make sure when I seat the bullet I slowly start it half way rotate it 180 degrees and seat it the rest of the way for almost perfect runout
Now I decap my brass, uniform the primer pockets and debur the flash hole, then wash it so the brass isn't dirty when it goes into the die.
Chamfer and debur
Something I did with primers after reading a great article. I sorted them by mass. Yep I spent the time and weighed my primers and I have to say its working or maybe its just all the other stuff
So here is the first test we tried Full length sized no bench rest vs Bench Rest my way
We shot 6 round groups to really give it a real test, the funny thing is the first three shots of the full length group shot about .250 moa and the next three ended at 1.20 moa. That ended my reloading career only using three rounds for any kind of test
Full length 6 rounds 1.2 moa
vs
Bench Rest
5 rounds were .518 moa with the 6th at .864
Its very easy to tell from the pictures that the bench rest techniques almost took away all the flyers
To add to this, we are shooting off a bench, indoors (my shop), through a shooting port, with a fire in the wood stove, so its fairly comfortable except for the cold air coming in the port. The gun sitting on the bench with the port open is still exposed to the cold.
We log temp, baro and humidity, and also note when we have a slight breeze. Most testing has been done below 32 degrees, except the last two tests have been at 35 degrees. Elevation is 2500ft.
We shoot from a bipod with an assortment of rear bags, Joe one set up, me another. We use a Vortex 6-24x50 always on 24 power for these tests. The scope has a level that we always refer to, and most times we manage to get a pretty steady set. I think the trigger pull is bottomed out as low as it can be, near 2lbs I believe.
That is a summary of the conditions at which we have been conducting our tests, far from ideal, and we know we will have to touch on this again when temps warm up, but we cant just not shoot.....we have to shoot something ! Were just normal guys having some fun and decided to share.
I will probably remember random stuff as I go. One thing you read about is guys sorting bullets for base to ogive measurements. I decided not to do this. For one it's a factory gun and I am just trying to get it to shoot the best possible without too much effort. All these things don't take that much effort or time. So let's say you want your bullets to jump .025 thousandth, I will load them all about, .009 too long. Say I just did 40 rounds, then I will measure base to ogive on loaded rounds. At the end I will have 6-8 groups, from .001-.009 too long. Then I will turn the die down .001 and do that group, turn the die .002 and do that group and so on. Then I have all the rounds at the same amount of jump.
Tip. On your micrometer you have to have a base or anvil because measuring without one can give you false readings of .001-.004
Re: Load Development Ruger Precision Rifle .243 After learning that bench rest reloading was far superior, we are getting closer to our final load. We needed to get extreme spreads down.
We shot 4 primers with H4831sc. I read magnum primers might be a better choice for the slower burning powders we tried them and it appeared the extreme spreads were getting better and the accuarcy was ok. You could probably develop a decent load with them
All shot with 42.5 grains. 4 shot groups Primers 250 avg 2930 FPS. 22 ES. 1.26 moa 215 avg. 2940. 30 ES .493 moa 215m 2960. 18 ES 1.2 moa S&B. 2930. 35.ES .656. moa Three rounds .2ish moa
You can already see the drop in extreme spreads occurring
We then tested 42.8 of 7828 for group size. Russ was shooting these groups. I think he is a little better shot but don't tell him that
42.8 grains. 210 m. 6 shot. First shot cold bore 5 shots .414 moa. Cold bore making it .785 total.
44.2 grains. 210 m. 6 shot. 5 shots. .565 moa with one flyer.
This next stage we wanted to test some primers with 7828 and try the original load of 42.5 H4831 with the new Bench rest reloading
7828 was getting very close to being our sub 1/2 moa load but we still needed those spreads where we wanted so we chose 6 primers
4 round groups. 42.8 grains of 7828 215. Avg velocity 2920. 46 ES. 1.2 moa 215m. 2900. 32 ES. .8 moa 250. 2860. 47 ES. .6 moa 200. 2900. 31 ES. .9 moa S&B. 2910. 22. ES. .4ish moa S&B has been showing 3 rounds in a lot of different groups with less than .250 moa 210 m. 2895 15 ES .126 3 shot. 4th shot making it .456 moa
It appears 7828 with 210m. Is going to make the goal
I did load 10 rounds to see who was better at shooting Russ or myself! So I loaded H4831sc with 42.5 grains. 210 m primers Russ 5 rounds .408 moa Joe. 4 rounds. .456 moa and I had an uncontrollable muscle cramp in my finger and through the 5th at .840 moa
So Russ wins
9 rounds at .456 and under
We are almost finished. I think our final couple tests we still need to get extreme spreas on h4831sc. I think it will be in the teens or low 20's
Russ and I will each shoot a 6 rounds of 7828 and h4831 Head to head
Another thing we figured out is a 2-4 mph wind could move your bullet .1-.2 inches so if the wind is blowing and your trying to shoot a .4 inch group. Results most likely will not be what your looking for, just something to think about
So I ran out of 7828 regular, I substituted 7828 SSC at the same grain weight as 7828 42.8. The Super Short Cut was about 40 fps slower then regular cut.
Russ and I have went back and fourth with which powder could be said is the final winner for my gun. They both performed very well. The standard deviation of ten rounds for H4831SC and 7828 were both around 7. Our final velocity spreads were 15-25 feet per second with only one round out of ten sending it out of the teens. We decided on H4831SC.
Our final decision was decided based on H4831SC shooting 5 round groups at 100 yards at .394 moa, .408 moa, .508 moa, .632 moa. Out of these 4 groups of 5 rounds
Group. .394. 4 at .196 moa Group. .408. 3 at .210 moa Group .508 3 at. .118 moa Group. .632. 4 at. .183 moa
1 out of 20 rounds thrown out of our goal of 1/2 moa
Our final round count was about 332 rounds, I have only run about 4 patches through the gun to clean it and we used a bore snake maybe 4 times. I don't clean my guns until the accuracy starts to fade or it gets wet. You can look up copper equilibrium if your curious why we do that.
Well I bought this rifle for 970$ when they first came out, I don't know if a less than 1/2 moa consistent factory gun is that impressive compared to a 5k custom gun with a 1/2 moa guarantee. I think this shows a guy that can't afford a custom gun that this rifle with a little bit of reloading knowledge can get you a very capable reliable gun shooting some of the best long range hunting bullets on the market.
I know we tested a bunch. It was fun but tedious, before this I didn't want to take the time and do the bench rest techniques. Now I would recommend anyone fighting consistency with reloading, your fight will be over. At this point, it's time to start shooting some fclass for my first time this year. If I like it, I will probably get a custom gun and leave this Ruger for hunting. I hope you guys and gals got something out of this. If I can answer anything. Russ and I will try to help. We are just regular guys who got into long range hunting last season with our Savage Long range hunters 7mm rem mag. Russ and I both took deer at our farthest shots. Russ one shot kill at 650 yards and me 457 yards one shot kill. I did hit a cougar that was trying to steal my deer at the same distance but that's a long story. . Take care Joe.
Russ will have some thoughts as we did all this together. He shot most of those great 5 round groups.
So, from the time I first started reloading back in 1974, the basics have pretty much remained the same. Get a reloading manual and load as per the manual. Most guys try and get the manual that is produced by the bullet manufacturer whos product they prefer.
Basic reloading tools required for basic reloading have remained much the same as well. Many of the same components are the same also.
However, with technology comes new design ideas and new components. Many of the guys I learned to reload with are still using the same techniques and in many cases, the same components.
I will say that with some of the newer designs of firearms, ie. the ones with pillar bedding and more importantly those with full aluminum bedding blocks, major improvements in accuracy can be obtained by simply taking your basic reloading ideas to the next level. That is what Joe has been showing you.
Yes, it requires more knowledge and tools to go with it, most of the tools being small and inexpensive.
I have 5 reloading manuals and yes I know many of you have more.......BUT, I will say above all the others Joe and I can both say, the Berger Manual ( we call it the Bible ), explains in greater detail the why of taking your reloading to the next level. Dont just look at load data, read the book. It will dawn on you and even make so much sense to seem natural and normal in your quest to get the most out of your fire arms. And no it does not require that you use Berger bullets to incorporate these reloading techniques, but lays out sound understandable reasoning for upping your game.
SO, I know there is a definite point of " good enough " for hunting or what ever you do, but this is all meant to be helpful to those who want a bit more. Its there for you, just have to modify your approach to reloading........R
Thanks for the suggestion to watch Tubbs reloading video. I sat through part 1 and 2 and picked up some tips and also reinforced the idea of why we do some of the procedures that we do.
. 