Good reloading practice
Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:40 am
I have been watching with some concern at the apparent poor reloading practices that seem to be going on through the window of this forum.
It seems that people are asking for loads for their rifles, getting recipes that work in that calibre from other people and are merrily applying them to their rifles.
This is potentially a recipe for disaster.
Any load taken from another shooter should be checked against published data for that calibre, powder and bullet/boolit. By published I mean data from powder manufactures, handloading equipment and bullet manufacturers who have pressure tested their loads and provide maximum and minimum powder weights with a given bullet. If this data is conflicting as it often is as no two testing situations are the same then start with the lowest published load.
When handloading for a new calibre, rifle or when changing components in a load then the charge should be reduced by at least 10% or restarted at the minimum published for that combination and worked up to achieve the desired accuracy and velocity constantly looking and measuring for pressure sign.
This is safe, wise and proper handloading proceedures and are ignored at the peril of you and anyone else who is shooting beside you.
From what I have seen here there are some members who I would not shoot alongside if their reloading practices truly are as they appear here.
Apologies if I have been picking this up wrong but either way good and tested handloading practice will keep us and our sport safe which is the primary concern of us all.
Mistakes do happen and can happen to any of us, so do not let us increase that risk by adopting sloppy procedures.
Just because a load is safe in someone elses rifle it is no guarantee that it will be safe in yours.
When you shoot a rifle you are letting off a pipe bomb next to your face, a cavalier attitude to reloading will only lead to serious accidents and even death.
Take your time. if your are rushing your reloads to get ready for a shoot the next day then stop, take time over them and have them ready for a later shoot.
Better later than dead!
There is no short cut to a safe and accurate load for your rifle. You must work up your loads!
It seems that people are asking for loads for their rifles, getting recipes that work in that calibre from other people and are merrily applying them to their rifles.
This is potentially a recipe for disaster.
Any load taken from another shooter should be checked against published data for that calibre, powder and bullet/boolit. By published I mean data from powder manufactures, handloading equipment and bullet manufacturers who have pressure tested their loads and provide maximum and minimum powder weights with a given bullet. If this data is conflicting as it often is as no two testing situations are the same then start with the lowest published load.
When handloading for a new calibre, rifle or when changing components in a load then the charge should be reduced by at least 10% or restarted at the minimum published for that combination and worked up to achieve the desired accuracy and velocity constantly looking and measuring for pressure sign.
This is safe, wise and proper handloading proceedures and are ignored at the peril of you and anyone else who is shooting beside you.
From what I have seen here there are some members who I would not shoot alongside if their reloading practices truly are as they appear here.
Apologies if I have been picking this up wrong but either way good and tested handloading practice will keep us and our sport safe which is the primary concern of us all.
Mistakes do happen and can happen to any of us, so do not let us increase that risk by adopting sloppy procedures.
Just because a load is safe in someone elses rifle it is no guarantee that it will be safe in yours.
When you shoot a rifle you are letting off a pipe bomb next to your face, a cavalier attitude to reloading will only lead to serious accidents and even death.
Take your time. if your are rushing your reloads to get ready for a shoot the next day then stop, take time over them and have them ready for a later shoot.
Better later than dead!
There is no short cut to a safe and accurate load for your rifle. You must work up your loads!