Precision vs Practical Handloading

[stokesrj]

Continuing with load development for the .204 Ruger R8 barrel I think I've finally found the combination that works well enough to suit me. Those Columbia Ground Squirrels better hide.
I haven't yet figured out how to get the velocity variations under control. I thought it would be the neck tension but even with ironing the necks with a mandrel to push any variations to the outside of the neck and then turning them so that they are uniformly .0105" thick didn't do the trick. But it did produce a load that will shoot accurately. I shot two three shot groups yesterday with a 30 minute cool down between them and was rewarded with two sub 1/4 MOA three shot groups. I think this is good enough to load up a thousand rounds and give up on the velocity variations. I'll only be shooting inside 300 yards anyway.

[Joe338ST]

Continuing with load development for the .204 Ruger R8 barrel I think I've finally found the combination that works well enough to suit me. Those Columbia Ground Squirrels better hide.
I haven't yet figured out how to get the velocity variations under control. I thought it would be the neck tension but even with ironing the necks with a mandrel to push any variations to the outside of the neck and then turning them so that they are uniformly .0105" thick didn't do the trick. But it did produce a load that will shoot accurately. I shot two three shot groups yesterday with a 30 minute cool down between them and was rewarded with two sub 1/4 MOA three shot groups. I think this is good enough to load up a thousand rounds and give up on the velocity variations. I'll only be shooting inside 300 yards anyway.

So to neck turn or not to neck turn? What are your thoughts Bob....

Joe

[stokesrj]

I don't think neck turning is beneficial unless you have a chamber that is cut specifically for it, then it would allow greater case life by flexing the neck less each shot.

I bought a Mitoyu micrometer specifically to measure case neck thickness down to .0001" and was surprised to find that even Lapua brass varies quite a bit. One lot of Lapua .308 Palma brass I have is .0009 thicker on one side than the other. I turned half, 50 cases to remove the thick side and left the other half of the lot as was. I can detect no difference between the two halves of the lot in either velocity deviation or accuracy. So, it was a total waste of time in this instance. However, my Blaser chamber and my Remington 5R chamber are both .005" larger diameter in the neck than the case is when a bullet is seated. So they are a sloppy fit to begin with.

I can tell a difference with my Solle Panda 6.5 Grendel but the neck on this chamber is so tight that if I don't turn necks about 25% of the Lapua brass I have for it won't chamber. It is supposedly a no turn neck chamber, I own the reamer, which was made by PTG for Speedy Gonzalez to his specifications. It is no turn if you don't mind binning 25% of your cases. But even in this example the accuracy improvement is so small it is hard to measure. This rifle shoots five shot groups at 100 yards .19-.22" groups under ideal conditions. I have shot groups as small as .16" with turned cases but also as large as the unturned cases.

[SPEEDY]

This is an interesting finding, I've often considered a lot of case preparation to be of no use to mist shooters.
Serious benchrest shooters are a whole different story, when .05 moa can be the difference between winning or not then it can be very important.
But when .25 or .35 moa won't make a lick of difference let alone a difference between. 25 and .26moa then its not worth bothering about.

But if you really want to chase accuracy, then this information might be very very useful indeed.

[Joe338ST]

Thanks Bob for that info. I was considering getting a neck turning kit but for general hunting and some long range shooting would have been a waste of time or effort....particularly for what I need.

Joe