What range to use when developing a load?

[SteveH]

Well I finally got my Disc Extreme to the range. Open sights, shooting some 240 XTPs with BH209. Main goal was to see how it shoots with the primers I have. The guy that sold it to me included all the bullets/sabots he had and a full case of CCI 209M primers. I know that the Winchesters are supposedly the ideal primers but was hoping the CCIs would work. Turns out they worked just fine, easy to load, locked up snug, ejected easy. In fact, none of the primers I used ever got stuck - this includes the Remington STS and Federals. About 1 1/2 inches at 50 yards with a good rest. No complaints.

So now to get serious working up a load. "Borrowed" the Vortex Viper 2-7x32 from my Sako .308 (she is not happy) and used the Durasights I picked up for about $14 (delivered - a great deal!).

Looks awesome, huh? :lol:

So, to my question. What range should I use to work up a load? With my Omega X7, I used 50 and 75 yards. Where I hunt, 100 yards would be the max, most of my shots are less than 50.

I guess another way of asking the question would be, if I develop a powder/load that works the best at 50 yards, would that also be the best at 100?

 

[ToddRinMI]

Same boat

Most of my shot opportunities are less than 50 as well. I like a good hollow point bullet for maximum expansion. Currently I'm using a 250 gr speer deep curl in a harvester sabot. Dialed in dead at 50.

 

[Dwayne]

It doesn't matter the range. .. What matters is the group.

If you can get all your shots on your target at 100 yards, use that range to work your group into a MOA.

If you get all your shots on 30 yards, but not 50, Work your smallest group on 30 yards until you can move out to 50.

Whatever yardage you use, work your load to the smallest group.

The other factor is the person themselves. . .some folks do not have blood of steel, thus cannot shoot as good at 100 yards then they can at 50 yards.

Or maybe their eyesight may be lacking. . .

Work your load at the distance you feel most comfortable with when shooting.

 

[AJ]

Realistically, if your max distance hinting will be 100 yards, it really does not matter how far you work up the load. Or even working up the load will mean very little. Minute of deer out to 100 yards is pretty easy to obtain. Now, its much more fun to wring out the accuracy of the gun and build up your shooting skills so I practice as far as I can.

I have no intention of wasting powder and bullets shooting under 100 yards other than to get a bullet somewhat close to point of aim. If the bullet hits within 2" of the crosshairs at 50, I take the next shot at 100 and adjust the zero. Then I work on the powder charge. Once I have the best grouping at the velocity I want, I move to 200 and then 300 yards. When you can group good at 300 yards, shooting a deer while hunting at 50 yards is very easy.

I just built 2 new high perf ML guns, I will shoot BH209 in them but they are fully capable of smokeless powder. My goal is to have my RemPac shooting within 2 MOA at 500 yards by October. My Handi Rifle conversion I am hoping for 2 MOA at 400 yards.

 

[ronlaughlin]

.......................if I develop a powder/load that works the best at 50 yards, would that also be the best at 100?

Myself, i don't know, but i believe a load that works the best at 100 yard, will be the best at 50 yard.

 

[cayuga]

New rifle.. or new scope, even new bullets if the sights are off...

I start at 25 yards. I want the three shots to at least clover leaf. Then I move back to 50 yards. This is where the powder charge tuning will start to show up. If all goes well at 50, then out to 75 yards.

Like you, 50 yards in my woods is a very long shot. I made one shot at 52 yards one year and that's because I was walking out on a boundary marker. That's where they survey (my land and the federal forest) boundry and they cut every tree and bush down in that path. Well a deer stepped out at 52 yards. I had a .54 caliber flintlock, and I dragged it home with me.

But if I am accurate at 75 yards... then 100 and further is just fun shooting to see just how good my load, scope, rifle, and I am.

 

[Widude]

I'm usually in cover of some sort, shots averaging 25-70 yards. The 4 deer I took last season were all inside of 50 yards, 2 under 30. In the past I have usually sighted right on at 75 yards.

I did see a monster wall-hanger in IL last Fall, well out of range. That got me thinking, maybe I better be more prepared for that 175 yrd shot. I plan to do more testing & practice at the longer ranges this Summer. I'll use my Knight Elite 45 cal.

I usually don't bother with longer ranges until I have total control at 50 yrds with my grouping/zero. I've been with guys shooting at 100 when they really don't have their gun dialed in properly, to many surprise shots.

 

[AJ]

...if I develop a powder/load that works the best at 50 yards, would that also be the best at 100?

Not necessarily. In theory, a 1/2" group at 50 yards should be a 1" group at 100 yards. This is not always the case. If the bullet has not stabilized completely it can be 1/2" at 50 yards and 3" at 100 yards. I am getting 1.5" at 100 yards with my Knight .45 and 4.5" at 300 yards. I am ok with that. It's not perfectly linear but it will do the deed when asked.

Here are a bunch of things that impact group size:
Action to stock fit,
stress on the bedding or barrel,
shooter technique and consistency,
optics mounting,
loading consistency,
bullet stabilization,
bullet velocity (going transonic usually at much longer range),
type of rest being used

 

[rat trapper]

Get the bullets on paper and then move out to 100 yards. Zero the gun for dead on at 100. Work up the best load you can and then try a few shots at 25 and 50 yards just to see how it does. The reason you want to zero for 100 is you might get a chance to go some where else with longer shooting available to you. The difference in impact should not be a problem on a target the size of a deer.

 

[mosportsman]

Yea.....what AJ said.......I was working up a load of .40 caliber bullets out of my .50 and got predictions that they would be hard to stabilize out of my gun. I went to the range and proved the predictions correct, pretty tight groups at 50 yards but wider than I would like at 100 with not so clean holes.

Going to try another bullet/sabot combo.

 

[SteveH]

Thanks for all the advice, I definitely learned some things.

rat trapper, think I will try as you advised. If I can't initially get a decent group on paper at 50, I might play around there at first. But my goal will be to get a consistent load at 100.

 

[Hornet22savage]

I zero all of my guns for 100 yds.

 

[guitarpicva]

New rifle.. or new scope, even new bullets if the sights are off...

I start at 25 yards. I want the three shots to at least clover leaf. Then I move back to 50 yards. This is where the powder charge tuning will start to show up. If all goes well at 50, then out to 75 yards.

Like you, 50 yards in my woods is a very long shot. I made one shot at 52 yards one year and that's because I was walking out on a boundary marker. That's where they survey (my land and the federal forest) boundry and they cut every tree and bush down in that path. Well a deer stepped out at 52 yards. I had a .54 caliber flintlock, and I dragged it home with me.

But if I am accurate at 75 yards... then 100 and further is just fun shooting to see just how good my load, scope, rifle, and I am.

I too have usually max 50 yd. shots. I am lazier than cayuga though. I just develop accuracy at or about 75 yds. As has been said, minute of deer requires little else out to 100'ish.

The main thing is to get comfortable with the gun's trigger and then when the adrenaline hits and you put the crosshairs on the perfect spot and forget the range....all is still well.

 

[toytruck]

All my muzzleloaders are 1" high at 50 yds. then I shoot at 100yds an they are around 2-3" low, so anything out to 100 is dead. If over 100 just hold on the back, but still on brown.

All my CF rifles are dead on at 100yds. like said most of my shots are under 100. Longest kill with White .451 last year was 75yds.

 

[edmehlig]

I'm with Cayuga, I begin sighting in at 25yds. Once I get a group where my shots are in one hole or close to it, I then move to 50yds, and repeat the process to 75 and then 100 yds. However, I must admit I sight my rifles at 75yds as where I hunt 75 yds is a long shot. If a shot does present itself more than 100yds, I just place the cross hairs on the deers back and watch them drop in their tracks. GRIN

 

[fliowa]

sighting in

I sight in at 25 yds to get on paper and then go out to 50 yards to fine tune the group size. I am more concerned with left to right at 50. Once I have a tight group I go out to 100 yards and sight in 3 to 3 1/2 inches high at 100. Usually allows you to just aim for center of lungs from 0 to 160-170 yds. I tape drop charts to my range finder for distances past 170.

 

[WV Hunter]

I develop at 50yds. Usually have my guns 1" high at 50, and that pretty much covers anything I'll shoot at where I hunt.