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Old October 27, 2012, 08:56 PM   #37
tobnpr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 1, 2010
Location: Tampa Bay
Posts: 4,556
Good article above.
My "obstacle" is that I load for myself, and my two sons...
We each go through over 100 rounds each, usually around a total of 400 rounds for the range trip; most of which are for long range so load precision is more critical.
I may end up using a dispenser, and funneling the exact charges into the LNL instead of using the powder drop. The important thing to know is that small deviations in MV that wouldn't mean crap to someone shooting a couple of hundred yards, become exponentially more relevant as range increases. My younger son shoots his .308 long range as well, so let's take an example...

His 175 SMK at 2600 fps will have 103.4 inches of drop at 600 yards...

If the MV were 2630, drop is reduced to 100.7 inches- nearly a three inch difference. And, that's just elevation- we're not even addressing wind drift...So, we have nearly a half-minute of deviation at 600 yards, from 30 fps of muzzle velocity.

Now, I'm a wuss, and am still shooting at the ten inch plates at 600 yards ...but three inches is still often the difference between hitting, and not... If I were shooting at the five inch plates, I'd sure as heck miss them.

Precision of the load is only one factor...neck tension, concentricity...makes your head spin. But, the amount of powder in the case is perhaps the easiest variable to get precise, so do the best you can.

Fortunately, the LNL is the easiest progressive press to take the cases out of and check, so I weigh usually every third or fourth case before it gets to the drop, and check the weight after dropping the charge. If it's off more than .2, I dump the powder back in the drop, put the case back in the shellholder and drop the charge again (until it's right).

If you're just loading for yourself, time isn't as much a factor and you should spend whatever time is necessary to get it "right"...you'll be glad you did.
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