Over the years my reloading technique has changed a great deal as I started using premium bullets.
In the old days I would use 0.5g increments. A typical work-up load scenario would mean ~35 test loads, 3-4 at each powder charge. At the high and low ends I often tapered the number of loaded rounds down to 1 cartridge. Then I would go to the range and shoot. Each shot got recorded as to velocity and point of impact. In the end I would look for 2-3 consecutive powder levels where accuracy was consistently good and choose a final load as a result.
There were a couple things wrong with that methodology. The first was the expense with premium bullets. The second was the number of shots required – keeping the barrel cool meant long days at the range, it meant the first loads were shot with a relatively clean barrel that got progressively dirtier (something a Bore Snake between powder charges can fix). Finally, I often reached a maximum load before I hit the top charges and had a fair number of bullets to pull when I got home – especially if I was trying more than one bullet/powder combination.
So I came up with a new method that seems to work every bit as well and saves money and time. These days I load just ONE cartridge at each powder level. I start at a safe starting point and often load to a point past what I think will be maximum. Each shot still gets recorded for velocity and point of impact and I still stop when the rifle tells me to. When I get home I pull the bullets form the unfired loads then inspect the target and velocity data. What I look for is a consecutive string that shows consistent velocity increases with good accuracy. I’ll choose a load from the middle of such a string, build some more for final testing and, if the test results are good, which they usually are, I’m done. This process saves time, money, wear and tear on the rifle, and I don’t pull nearly as many bullets.
In electronics and mathematics there is a truism that says if you want to sample for an event and make sure you don’t miss it if it occurs, you must sample at twice the frequency of the event, or faster. In the reloading world, this means that if you think 1.0g is going to make a difference, you should sample at 0.5g increments. If I was going for gilt-edged accuracy I would sample in smaller increments, but 0.5g has worked for my hunting loads. Often I’ll choose a final load level that is in-between the initially tested loads (say xx.8g or xx.3g instead of the tested xx.0g or xx.5g levels).
Hope this helps.
