Tips and Tricks for Hand Loading Precision, Long-Range Rifle Ammo
In this video, we will be talking about hand loading your own custom, precision, long-range rifle ammo. This is not necessarily a tutorial on long-range shooting, but more so on how to get the best accuracy, consistency and performance out of your hand loads [or reloads]. We'll be using a replica of the M118LR load using a 175gr Sierra Match King .308, but these principles can apply to other calibers and cartridges as well.
If there only one thing you take away from all of this, it is that the key to accuracy is consistency, and the key to consistency is to remove as many variables as possible.
Remember, everything we are doing is to try and shave off tiny bits of each variable to make everything as uniform as possible. So, even though it might seem like too small of a variable to even matter, it is the sum of all parts that come together and give you better consistency and improved, long-range accuracy.
And with that, we hope you enjoyed this video today. Please remember to give us a thumbs-up and subscribe if you haven’t already, and we’ll see you again next time at Adiga Armory!
FIND US:
adigaarmory.com/shop/
FOLLOW US ON:
BitChute: www.bitchute.com/channel/u360...
Pinterest: / armoryadigacom
ATTRIBRUTIONS:
Image by skeeze from Pixabay pixabay.com/photos/boat-teamw...
SAAMI .308 Win Load Diagram: saami.org
Song “Positioned” by TrackTribe on KZhead Audio Library
Song “Falling Rain” by Myuu on KZhead Audio Library
3D Thumbs Up Video by Videezy www.videezy.com/backgrounds/8...
Hornady Logo is a Trademark of Hornady Manufacturing, Inc.
Mighty Mouse illustration by Adiga Armory in reference to original character by Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox
Ring of Fire Video by Videezy www.videezy.com/abstract/2133...
Big Bang Video by LuisHumanoide pixabay.com/videos/big-bang-u...
Big Brown Bull photo by user Pixabay www.pexels.com/photo/brown-bu...
Federal Ammo Factory video by American Shooter
Hey team... we'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well as any tips and tricks of your own!
Id like to see a demonstration or a method to finding a proper bump on semiautomatic. The shoulder numbers all different on fired brass so how exactly can you ensure you're bumping properly? I fear not bumping enough and sending the bolt home could force it and thats not right. So with a huge array of different numbers, how then can you be sure its a custom length thats perfect for your chamber?
I think that case weight does NOT correlate with case *volume*, which is what you're trying to determine by weighing them. Don't believe me? Weigh 20 cases. Record results. Then tare them each out, fill them with water, and find weight in grains. Graph the results. No correlation.
I have been a custom hand loader for right at 40 years. I have always loved and it is an illness I have had for just as long. I admit my addiction; that's what you are supposed to do, right? Anyways, loading ammo is inherently very dangerous. Well, I have been watching instructional and tutorial videos on this subject for at least 10 years and I have to really give you some kudo's. You are the ONLY guy I have ever seen who posted a list of safe practices like the one at 40 seconds! Awesome sir! Thanks for this and the whole video as well. BTW if the SMK 175 gr doesn't shoot, then there is likely something wrong with the rifle. That projectile is everything you just mentioned,
Great info. I’m preparing to reload again, after many years. These are the pointers, dos and donts, I’ve been looking for. Thanks man!
Good tip on finding the sweet spot and not loading for maximum speed. For example with one of my .270 Win rifles I got the following standard deviations in load increments of 0.5 gr: 52.5gr: 16.9fps, 53.0gr: 19.8fps, 53.5gr: 17.2fps, 54.0gr: 17.8fps, 54.5gr: 4.6fps, 55.0gr: 14.9fps, 55.5gr: 17.9fps. So the sweet spot with this particular powder and specific rifle was at 54.5 gr with minimum variation in muzzle velocity.
Excellent video with lots of great information as well as some solid wisdom and bits of humor. Well done Adiga Armory... you've earned yet another subscriber!
Loved your video, thanks so much for sharing.
Awsome video. Thank you. Started reloading back in 1991 and stopped about 15 years ago. Getting ready to pickup where I left off. I myself think like you about analog vs electronic instruments and I choose analog in most cases. Accurate and trouble free. 👍👍
Awesome, appreciate your review on reloading. Especially as I own .308 Tikka . Just getting back into shooting & reloading after an absence of 10years. So it’s great to learn from your experience. 🇦🇺
Great job!! Thanks for taking your time and sharing. 🍻😷👍
Excellent! For monolithic hunting bullets like Barnes TTSX seating about 0.050" off the lands is a good start...my .270 Win shoots TTSX best at 0.070" off the lands. I hand-load for hunting up here in Alaska....so I full-length resize but shoulder bump is 0.002". Also a very different perspective as penetration and exit holes are important for me with bull moose and bears. I've hand-loaded for hunting for 30+ years and I enjoyed and learned a lot from your video...THANKS!
Thank you for this information!
Great information!
Great information
The problem I have when I clean the brass, is that there is always some corn cob stuck in the flash hole. How do you deal with that problem? Why don’t you do a video about what happens when you reload a rifle round and tumbling media remains/lodged in the brass. How it effects pressure, accuracy, and how likely it is to blow up the gun. You make awesome videos and I'm most grateful for all the work you do.🤠
Boy you are right you are ocd but that’s a bad thing when it comes to hand loads good stuff thanks for sharing
Thanks for making a great video! I loaded my first 5 rounds today and was slightly disappointed with the group size. I did start with the “starting load” recommended for the projectile I was using. I will have to take your advice and load a couple of batches in various charge increments and see if I can chase some better accuracy. I noticed with my rifle that the lands are a long way forwards, and to get any reasonable level of bullet jump the rounds would be too long to fit in the magazine. Unfortunate, but I will have to test and see if individually chambered rounds that are closer to the lands have better accuracy for me.
Rule number one stop chasing the lands. Make 5 rounds each for the powder charge from min to max in 1/2 grain increments. find which one groups the best. Then you can fine tune up or down in 1/10 grain increments. Make them to the book oal first. Once you find it then start moving the oal, watch for pressure signs if you are setting the boolit back into the case. If going out you wont have no worries until you start hitting the lands. Then adjust the powder charge to get the groups tight again in 1/10th grain increments.
Hello Adiga Armory. Thanks for the video. Question here: After tumbling your brass do you end up with any media dust in your brass? My OCD side wants the dust gone before I charge my brass. Do you reclean/wash out your brass after tumbling, trimming, depriming?
LOL....Love it!!
Possibly any input on using 165gr for long range out to 1000 for steel? I inherited a pretty good batch and was hoping to run them through my RPR Gen2 308.
Not saying anything bad but most long range shooters don’t crimp. They shoulder bump and set neck tension only. Crimping is from what I have done my self not for crimping the brass to the bullet. It is more for taking the flare out of the brass after seating the bullet. So it does not cause a feed problem. If you have problems in a semi auto you set the neck tension to .003 or .004 neck tension will stop the jump. The only thing I crimp is handgun ammo and that is because it is run on a progressive press which I can get 800 rounds an hour out of. Precision ammo I never flare because the least amount of work you do to the brass the longer it lasts. This is very miss leading about the crimping and very important that for new long range shooters know that you set your tension in the neck not the crimp that should not even bit into the bullet around the edge of the brass. This is not correct. You crimp to hard and you can start to lose neck tension. Sorry for this but I would say there is something else in your process that gives more consistent MV than crimping. Like I said I get low ES and low SD with neck tension and doing ladder tests to see where the speed node is in my barrel.
I also use the Sierra MatchKing in my .223 Rem but I found the overall length of the bullets varied. In a box of 500 I found the length went from 1.077" to 1.064" giving a .013" variation. When you are chasing a number like .020" off the lands that variation is significant. So using a COAL is not good, when checked using CBTO the variation was only .004" better for consistency and I'll still check and segregate my rounds for the day so they are all the same CBTO.
Good point... I wonder if it has to do with the way the tips are cut on the SMK. I didn't notice much variance in .30 cal, but maybe it is more obvious in smaller/narrower .223. Who knows? My seating die uses the shoulders instead of the tip, and has pretty decent consistency in seating SMK's in .30 cal. But every now and then, an oddly-cut tip can throw COAL off a bit.
Man, I'm totally with you on what "feels" right. I just bought an antique set of calibration weights and an analog torsion scale off eBay because I just don't trust the cheap China electronics these days. I don't know if it will do any better, but it just "feels" right. LOL
When I discovered reloading I was like this goes perfect with my ocd, screw buying factory loads.
I’ve never clean my barrel that I used to shoot PRS competition and it still shoots half an inch after 3000 rounds so you’re telling me that if I clean it I’m going to get better groups I would argue against that
Well, to each their own I suppose... I prefer to remove the carbon and copper buildup, as well as to protect the bore from oxidation. The only barrels I don't clean regularly are rimfires... they just get a quick boresnake after shooting. Either way, there is some merit to shooting a couple of "fouling shots" before starting a match.
@@adigaarmory if you allow some fowling your groups might improve if I clean my gun the groups are like yours and after about 50 rounds they are essentially cut in half
I shoot F class and was paired once with the National F Open champ of 2019. Before the match started I watched him brush the barrel no less than 50 times. Match started and I went to pits to pull targets and was pulling his target. At 600 yards he shot (at that time) an F Open record, perfect score of 600-50X. He was putting holes in holes. Ever since I clean my barrel as much as possible and shoot around 10 sighters before the match starts.
🎉🎉
Has anybody said your voice and timbre sounds like steve1989?
Just did a search for steve1989... and I like him! I don't really miss the MRE's though.
I think when looking at the size of your groups weighing cases and bullets and discarding bullets might be a waste... If you are shooting 0.25-0.5 moa groups its another story. Rather try testing concintricity and anealing and volume measurements on your cases rather than weighing.
Solid advice... makes sense. There is a lot more to case uniformity than just the weight. Bear in mind that this is not a 0.25 MOA rifle with any ammo on earth. [And honestly, I am not a 0.25 MOA shooter. I am pretty good, but not that good.] It is a stock, sub-$900 rifle which can generally do 0.75-1.00 MOA under ideal circumstances from the lead sled. I may be able to do better with the loads, but not sure if it will matter much in this rig.
@@adigaarmory in my experience any rifle can be made to shoot at least half moa with good loading and maybe bedding
Just the tip?
Second like
👌🇺🇸
Gimme your Varget.
subject
Talking gloves!
when you got to the part where you told us you were a gemini ….i quit watching …this ain’t tinder
Yeah... this channel totally sucks for people who are rigidly devoid of a sense of humor or any ability to recognize sarcasm. Later.
@@adigaarmory and then he went on grinder,,,,,lol
No hand loading precision, just average every day hunting hand loading...
You talk to much about non essentials. Get to the point ASAP