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Return to “First 50 (Range update!)”
- Sun Dec 18, 2011 2:21 am
- Forum: Reloading Forum
- Topic: First 50 (Range update!)
- Replies: 16
- Views: 3512
Re: First 50
Glad you've started loading your own...in addition to saving money, you can make a world of difference in accuracy. Every gun will perform differently with different loads, and you will be shocked in some cases at the difference just a few grains of powder can make in the way a particular gun shoots. Years ago, I had a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44mag I bought to use for deer hunting (had already shot deer with .357 and .45 acp, but wanted to extend my 'take the shot" range out closer to 100 yards. I was dissapointed in the accuracy of the gun with all the available factory loads, and the reloads I had tried...could not consistently hit paper plate at 100 yards shooting from benchrest with open sights. Had about given up on it, but happened to read an old article of Elmer Keith's where he talked about his favorite hot .44 mag load and how accurate it was in one of his guns. It was a little over the max loadings in the Lyman manual, and he recommended only using it in the S&W M29 or the Ruger Super with the heavier frame. I loaded some up and tried it...VERY hot...leaded the barrel ( wasn't using gaschecks)...heavy recoil...but it DID shoot! I was hitting paper plate with all 6 rounds each cylinder...a couple of 6"-7" groups (open sights). I used that gun and load strictly for hunting with one shot kills at 75-90 yards for a couple of years. Still have the gun, although I haven't hunted with it in 30 years. I've experienced even more dramatic changes in target rifles...I have a model 70 Winchester Varmint Special in 22-250 with heavy bull barrel...factory ammo it would shoot 1.5"-2.0" groups...after alot of experimentation I found a bullet /powder combo that would shoot 1" or better. I then separated cases and bullets into groups based on weighing them individually to eliminate as many variables as possible and started hand weighing the powder charges and loading 10 rounds in tenth of a grain increments. The group size would vary by as much as 2" on a couple of tenths of a grain of powder. On about the 7th load group, I hit the best combo for that rifle...that load would shoot a 5 shot group making one ragged hole the size of a dime. An increase of one tenth grain up or down and it would expand to 3/4". Of course for practical shooting purposes it makes no difference..anything that shoots under minute of angle is considered extremely accurate, but it was still amazing to see what it was capable of with just the right combination.