Quick and easy procedure for reloading for a hunting rifle?

[Elite]

So I have recently came across some nosler accubond bullets. They are 180grn. I will be using them for hunting. I am wondering what everyone’s go to reading procedure that does not waste a lot of powder or bullets. Does everyone start at .020” off the lands and near max charge? I also shoot 5 shot groups instead of 3 so I would like to avoid loading 10 different combinations.

Rifle is a savage ultralight with the proof barrel.


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[tt_johnsclist]

Painless load development (mine)

I have had multiple people ask me to lay out how I do load development being that what I do is different. Since Shaen @Shooter71 just rebarreled a Tikka 595 in 6XC I thought it would be easy to show how I do it. It’s a Master Sporter with a T3 lite profiled 20” barrel- keep in mind it is a T3...

rokslide.com

This is basically how I do it, someone else took the time to type it out and it’s a great guide. If you are looking to develop a decent hunting load around your bullet of choice don’t overthink it. It’s easy to go down a deep rabbit hole when developing loads if you start reading online, but it’s often over the top for basic hunting loads.

 

[jjwise97]

The post above is similar to what I do as well, minus shooting at 1,000yd. I’ll load a few at various increments near (but under) the max recommended charge to make sure they’re safe, then have 20 or so loaded just under max (usually within .5gr). I have a few different manuals that I check but I’ve often found that reload data from that bullet’s manufacturer is often the closest to the real-world results I see.

I have yet to find one that:
1-Gives me pressure signs while staying within the manual’s recommended measurements, and
2- has a velocity that’s wildly different from what’s expected for that charge, and

Most of these have also shot well enough for my preference from the beginning, within 1.5MOA or so. This is all in bolt actions though, my process would involve more trial and error if I was reloading for one of my levers or autos.

 

[Bomberodevil]

If you’re not chasing maximum speed, and you want a fairly quick load that’s pretty accurate? I would look up a lot of recipes on this site, 24-hour campfire, and Long Range Hunting. You’ll start to see some of the same powders popping up. You don’t say what cartridge you’re loading for, but let’s say it’s 280 AI (since that’s what I have in Savage UL).

I would take a common powder for that cartridge, such as H4831sc. I load most of my hunting loads at .030 off the lands, but .020-.030 is pretty conservative. The Nosler data shows max load with H4831 sc with the 160 grain bullet (I load the 162 ELDX and the 162 SST) will be 2972 fps with 59.0 grains. My load is 2975 (10-shot average), with 59.1 of H4831 sc, at .440 moa. I have 162 SST loads with 58.8 grains of H4831, 2942 fps, at .415 moa. Both of these loads are around 1.0-0.5 grains off max. That’s true with many factory recipes, your most accurate will be right below the max.

Obviously, do not start right below max! But you can check for overpressure by going up at 0.3-0.5 grain increments with one load each to check for overpressure. when you get within 2.0 grains of max, I would do 3-shot groups at 0.3 grain increments for accuracy. When you find your most accurate 3-shot load, I would load groups on either side of that. You should find a pretty good accurate load with not too much time or components.

 

[Bluefish]

I have simplified my loading. No more chasing nodes as usually in 3-5 shot groups they are not statistically significant. Really need 30 or so to be significant and that’s a lot of rounds. Load .050” off or max mag length, have lots of single shots, so usually the former. Load 4 or 5 loads, .1 increments down from max, 3-5 per, then check velocity as it’s proportional to pressure. Once I get the velocity I want, then load up a bunch and set my zero. If it won’t shoot, change bullet or powder, if it still won’t, then new barrel.

chasing lands can yield nodes of high accuracy, but even a small change can go from good to bad. Better to start a little long as once you are out .040-.050 it’s pretty consistent. Your throat is changing as you shoot rounds anyway, so you may never be stable at short jumps. Read a good analysis of this and looking at the data, it can be a solid choice, especially for people who shoot a fair bit.

 

[willfrye027]

Would echo the form simple load development. Used to do 3 shot groups testing jump and charge…after doing the simple load development with 4 or 5 loads now I won’t go back to the old way unless it’s to satisfy curiosity

 

[Elite]

If you’re not chasing maximum speed, and you want a fairly quick load that’s pretty accurate? I would look up a lot of recipes on this site, 24-hour campfire, and Long Range Hunting. You’ll start to see some of the same powders popping up. You don’t say what cartridge you’re loading for, but let’s say it’s 280 AI (since that’s what I have in Savage UL).

I would take a common powder for that cartridge, such as H4831sc. I load most of my hunting loads at .030 off the lands, but .020-.030 is pretty conservative. The Nosler data shows max load with H4831 sc with the 160 grain bullet (I load the 162 ELDX and the 162 SST) will be 2972 fps with 59.0 grains. My load is 2975 (10-shot average), with 59.1 of H4831 sc, at .440 moa. I have 162 SST loads with 58.8 grains of H4831, 2942 fps, at .415 moa. Both of these loads are around 1.0-0.5 grains off max. That’s true with many factory recipes, your most accurate will be right below the max.

Obviously, do not start right below max! But you can check for overpressure by going up at 0.3-0.5 grain increments with one load each to check for overpressure. when you get within 2.0 grains of max, I would do 3-shot groups at 0.3 grain increments for accuracy. When you find your most accurate 3-shot load, I would load groups on either side of that. You should find a pretty good accurate load with not too much time or components.

Thanks for the reply. It’s a 30-06 and I have h4350 and big game powder available


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[tt_johnsclist]

Good 30/06 Loads

Mods...I'd like to start a 'pet loads' thread for 30/06s, similar to the one for 308 win. Would you sticky?

www.24hourcampfire.com

 

[Bomberodevil]

Thanks for the reply. It’s a 30-06 and I have h4350 and big game powder available


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Classic cartridge in a great hunting rifle, with a very stable powder. You’ll be able to find a .750 moa load pretty easily, and probably better with not too much more work.