Load development method

B

BrandonK

Guest
I was just wondering how many of the accomplished BR guys use the OCW and round robin method for load development, or do you just shoot for smallest group changing seating depth and charge weight? In the past Ive never used ocw and RR Ive always shot for group and just tinkered till I had what I wanted. What do you guys do?
 
Dont know what OCW-----

and round robin is but heres the way I do it: ( but not reccomending you do it) I load 3 ea with 28.0,28.5, and 29.0 grns with the bullet .003 short of full jam. I will vary the best of those + or- .003 grns to get a better group. I then seat my bullet in .002 farther at a time till I get the best group. If thats not suitable, I put on another barrell and start over
 
Im not gonna be able to explain this as well as I need to, and cant remember wich site I read abouy this. Maybe 6mmbr.com. Its when you try to find the Optimal Charge Weight by posting say 6 targets on your board and say your working from 30 grs. to 31 grs. you would fire 1st shot of 30 grs in 1st target, than fire 30.2 grs in 2nd target, than 30.4 into3rd target, you continue to switch targets as you increase your charge weight ( the same amount) in a circle fashion and you end up with 3 to 5 shot gruops on all of the targets shot one shot at a time and or OCW or optimal charge weight ends up being the group closest to POA and this group is supposed to be less affected by distance and weather changes. Sorry for the crappy explanation, when I read about this it sounded interesting I just wondered if anyone else used or heard of this method.
 
Test loads with 3 shot groups going up in charge till you get pressure signs with the bullet jammed and then pick the best group and test by setting the bullet back a few thou at a time and again pick best group and vary the powder charge till it is tuned to the smallest group. Do the final check with 5 shot groups.
As far as your description of the round robin or ocw, it doesn' sound like a good method as described, I would just find the load your rifle likes and just use the nobs on the scope to adjust the poa to where you want it.
 
I dont or hav'nt done the RR or OCW but what I read sounded like it could have some merit. I was just wondering if there were any accomplished guys using this method or that have heard of it that could credit or discredit it one way or the other. I would also like to be able to give a more accurate discription of the method but I cant so sorry to who's ever idea I slaughtered. You guys should look this up and post what you think about it. Thanks:)
 
Some more info for ya...

Dan Newberry's home page on the subject

The forum he runs for people to ask questions and post results specific to OCW testing

Some corresponding information on Optimal Barrel Time (OBT) from Chris Long aka 'techshooter' (along with some info on tuning QuickLoad for use with OCW/OBT methods).

Yes, the methods work. Are they the only way? Nope. Is it possible a person with a highly accurate rifle (like a benchrest gun) might not benefit or see the value? Sure. The OCW loads are by definition ones that should work pretty well across a broad spectrum of components, guns, conditions, etc. - not the painstaking custom tuning that some people do for their individual competition guns. I do think it makes a pretty good starting place, though, if you want to find a good shooting load for a factory (or even semi-custom) rifle. From there, you can always tweak and tinker to your hearts desire ;)
 
Thanks Milanuk, Thats what I read, Dans website. I just Had a dasher built and was considering using it to find some solid starting points before I start tinkering. I guess it couldnt hurt to try, I can always go back to what I do now. Thanks again.
 
Might be worth taking a look at the forums linked to above... Chris Long and Donovan Moran don't post there very often, but I believe they both have some Dasher loads on the board. Chris's Dasher shoots very, very well - well enough that I decided to get one ;)

A lot of the information you see floating around here (BR.com) is often already sort of an OCW load - i.e. loads that are known to perform in a variety of rifles. Specific tuning of all the twiddly stuff like neck tension, seating depth, etc. to fit your rifle just makes it better ;)
 
Ihis is interesting - - -

I have been using the method whereby one chooses a load based on crono results (speed) and pressure signs and then using seating depth to find the accuracy of the chosen load. I have been doing this for years. Recently, however, I came to the conclusion that I may be missing something.

I have one rifle that has shot exceedingly well all summer. I have been shooting an extinct powder in it and found the load without knowing the speed it was working at. I hadn't checked to see if the throat had eroded all summer so decided to do that. I found that the throat had changed by.021 so decided to go back to touching the lands and then going in .003 to see where the best seating depth was.

I took it to the range with my crono and some other loads with powder I had on hand, loaded the same way. What I found was the rifle shot that origional load best @ touching and that the speed of the load was 2960; that ole 2950 node! I think I found that the other powder, which is faster and delivers greater speed, isn't as accurate at the load I had chosen for that session.

The 2960 load had shot reasonably well at 4 seating depths which were consecutive. The best one was on the lands and the others were not as good but in by .003 per group of three. Bear in mind now I had been jumping them .021 for awhile.

I think what I may have found is the faster nodes are narrower and perhaps a bit more demanding as far as tune is concerned. I know when I find a tight round hole shooting faster loads the holes are smaller but .003 changes in seating depth will make a bigger difference in the group size.

I guess the good news is it only took me about 10 years to find this out. The bad news is I have shot way more test bullets than I ever needed to. I have believed that the faster nodes yielded a bit more accuracy in conditions but I wonder how well the rifle stays in tune with them. I am thinking that tuners may allow us to run up there and enable us to stay in tune easier.

I read the info in this thread with interest and wonder now if using powder to find the round hole may be what I have been missing all this time. I guess the time has come to try it, aye?
 
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