What's your method for testing loads in revolvers?

[tacotime]

Just wondering if you test a new load in your revolver by using one cylinder only repeatedly to get a group or just run the load through all cylinders?
 
Seems like one cylinder would be the most reliable test, but I have not heard of anyone doing it that way.  Think I'm going to try it though and see if it is different than the regular way.
 
Any other tips?

[LaOtto222]

I have always used all the cylinders but 1 on old style revolvers with a half cock and all cylinders with a transfer bar. My reasoning is that is the way I am going to be shooting it, so that is the way I load develop. It stands to reason that one cylinder is more centered than others and is therefore more accurate, but which one? Does it work best with this load, but another cylinder works better with another load? Instead of driving myself nuts with all the combinations, I use all cylinders available and do my load development that way.


Good Luck and Good Shooting

[SHOOTALL]

When shooting IHMSA we only used 5 chambers of our revolver . Most found the best 5 . What you want to do might work but first find the most accurate one. You might find they all are very close in accuracy.

[tacotime]

I could see that...  one could go nuts with the combinations unless just one was picked and used for all tests. 

[Graybeard]

I tend to shoot twice or more around the cylinder. Sometimes I put in five and sometimes six it depends more on how many rounds I have loaded than anything. If loading up just to test I'll usually load ten and put them all into one target.

I often shoot four to six groups on a target when I think I've got a good load and want to be sure.

[Steve P]

You will find a loaded revolver shoots differently than a single round in the revolver.  Silhouette shooters learned to see how bullet impact changed as the gun lightened after the shoots.  This is one of the reasons the rules required 5 rounds to be loaded at one time after the load command.
 
All of my revolvers get tested with full or 5/6 of a full cylinder.
 
Steve

[Bigeasy]

As others have stated, you are better off testing with all five or six chambers.  Testing with just one chamber might give you a slight increase in accuracy, based on consistency, but unless you intend to carry and use the weapon that way, it doesn't really make sense.
 
I like to pick several loads that meet the requirements for the guns intended use, then test groups from the bench shooting 5 or 6 shot groups, depending on the gun.  After a couple groups with each load you are testing, the most accurate usually stands out.  Some times, more load development is needed to achieve a standard you are happy with.  That standard can vary quite a bit, depending on intended use.  For example, I would much rather have 3 inch groups at 25 yards with a good self defense bullet like a Gold Dot, then 1 inch groups with a FMJ slug when testing for a self defense load.
 
Larry

[SHOOTALL]

I believe the OP was testing the load not the revolver.

[kynardsj]

I load all the chambers of my revolvers as they're Rugers and all have transfer bars. For an accurate load I usually get somewhere in the middle of minimum and maximum loads for what weight and style bullet I'm testing and then go up and/or down until I find a sweet spot. Haven't looked at a new Lyman Reloading book in a long time but the older ones use to have an accuracy load listed for each bullet and it was somewhere in the middle of the load.

[tacotime]

Good advice, thanks. 
 
I've always ran all cylinders, but lately realized that's like testing the same load in 5 or 6 different guns...
 
But I do need to make a good shooting bench and remove some of the shake out of my hold.

[ratgunner]

I pretty much do what Bill said.