Handloads for Hunters
by Kyle Catt
6-10-2005
Anyone who does any amount of shooting
will, at one time or another,
consider handloading. There is no mystery to handloading, as almost all
of the major reloading manuals go into great detail the steps to
produce safe handloads. Follow the directions, apply some common sense,
and ammo is there for the shooting. by Kyle Catt
6-10-2005
All of this is well and good, but safe ammunition is only one part of the puzzle. Anyone who reloads is concerned with safe, effective ammo. Safe is a no-brainer, but by effective I mean ammunition that gives adequate velocity and accuracy in their rifle. In the following, I will detail my method of working up a handload for a typical sporter rifle to use in game hunting situations.
All of my methods assume a good, straight rifle with solid scope mounts and a scope of known quality. Brand is not important here, only consistent equipment. The best handloads can't fix a poorly bedded rifle or a bad scope.
Decide what are you going to use the handload for.
This is the first thing one should consider. You have to know what game you are pursuing before you can handload for it. Typical big game bullets work well with a wide variety of game. Deer, antelope, and elk will all fall to a well constructed cup-core bullet of proper weight if hit right. There is an endless variety of bullets to chose from. I have used Speer, Hornady, and Cor-lokt (Remington) bullets with fantastic success on deer sized game. Again, brand is not important. I only mention these bullets as examples.
Choose a bullet weight suited for the game.
Heavier bullets are typically constructed stouter for use on bigger game. Heavier bullets can't be pushed as fast as light bullets, but construction is more important than extra velocity. As an example, I would never consider using a 58 grain V-max launched at 3500 fps in a .243 for deer, but 100 grain interlocks at 2900 fps are a great projectile for typical cervids. The 58 grainer is a varmint bullet pure and simple, and very well could disintegrate on the rib cage causing a non-lethal surface wound. Conversely, the 100 grainer is built tough enough for any deer not wearing kevlar, assuring lethal penetration. I could list example upon example, but you get the idea. If in doubt, it's better to hedge on the heavier side of the spectrum of bullet weight. Select an appropriate bullet and move on.
For load development, secure a goodly amount of brass, preferably from the same lot.
You can never have too many brass cases. I typically like to use new or once fired. The key is to not mix case brands as internal capacity does vary, causing internal pressures to vary from shot to shot. This can lead to poor groups, or worse, dangerous operating pressures. Also, get plenty of primers. Standards are fine for cases holding less than 60 grains of powder, while I advise magnum primers for the 60 grain and up numbers. Reloading companies do a lot of R&D coming up with primers that work well, so this is an easy decision to make.
Do as much research as possible on what powder to use.
My Speer and Hornady manuals list a "most accurate" powder for each cartridge. Typically, this powder will yield velocities in the upper end of the cartridge's effective velocity range. If you are concerned with temperature affecting performance, there are at least three major powder companies producing powder for you. Pick up at least a pound of the powder you decide on and roll up your sleeves, it's time to go to work.
Determine maximum cartridge overall length (C.O.L.)
C.O.L. can be limited by either magazine length or throat dimensions. C.O.L. has to be short enough to feed and function reliably in the rifle we are reloading for. If this is the case, it doesn't matter how far off of the rifling the bullet is, as long as it is off of the rifling. If the magazine is generous enough to allow the bullet to be seated to the lands, seat .001" to .005" off of the lands, making sure there is plenty of neck purchase on the bullet for consistent powder burn.
A good rule of thumb is: The bullet should sit inside the case a distance equal to the diameter of the bullet in question. Because these loads are for hunting, never consider seating out to engage the rifling by any amount. We are loading for a hunting arm, not a benchrest queen. The last thing we need is a bullet staying in the throat of the barrel and the case coming out, spilling powder in the unknown regions of the inside of your favorite deer slayer. Determining the C.O.L. is important, it allows easier tuning for accuracy after a powder weight is decided upon, since the only way to adjust seating is further in the case.
Work up the powder charge.
In .308 and 30-06 class case capacities, powder charges can be worked up in .5 grain increments. Any less is a waste of resources, while any more may cause you to miss a good load. Start with the max published load, loading three cartridges with said charge and seating the bullet to the predetermined C.O.L. Load another three, reducing the last powder charge by .5 grains, the next three reducing by another .5 grains, etc. Load a total of 15 rounds. This will allow 5, 3-shot groups for testing.
For example, in my .284 Winchester, loading for a Speer 130 grain spitzer, I loaded 3 rounds with 57.0 grains of IMR4350, 3 with 56.5 grains, 3 with 56.0 grains, 3 with 55.5 grains, and 3 with 55.0 grains. All of these had the same C.O.L., as determined by my magazine length.
Now, the fun part. Shooting.
Simply start with the 3 loaded with the lightest powder charge, shooting a 3 shot group at a distance of at least 100 yards. Use a good solid rest, or ideally, a bench constructed of concrete. If a chronograph is available, the information obtained is all the better. Inspect every case after it is fired, and note anything unusual, like excessive pressure. If pressure signs are present, do not fire the remaining rounds as your well being may be at risk. You may have to switch to a slower burning powder. If any problems appear, it is time to go back to the bench and review what you have reloaded so far. I own a bullet puller and have used it. There is no shame in being safe.
I like to look for trends: low E.S. (Extreme Spread) typically shows a load with potential to be accurate. After shooting all 3-shot groups and acquiring average velocity, usually there will be a velocity gain with each heavier charge. Towards maximum load the velocity increase will diminish to the point of very little gain. I have noticed that most of my best groups are typically 100 fps or so below max velocity (in my gun), and yield a good E.S. This is the load I choose to continue testing.
With my powder charge determined, I then turn to seating depth to fine tune accuracy. Load up 3 cartridges identical to the best of the last groups tested. Same powder charge and C.O.L. This will serve as a baseline for seating depth adjustment and confirm your powder charge selection. Load another 3 with the same powder charge, but seat the bullet .010" deeper than the baseline load. Again, load 3 more with the same baseline powder charge, but seat the bullet .020" deeper. We now have 9 loaded cartridges, 3 groups of three seated at different depths. Shoot the baseline group first, then the .010" deeper, then the .020" deeper. The winning test group should be obvious. If not, seat .030", .040", and .050" and shoot test targets again. By this time a winner should be obvious.
While shooting these loads, pay close attention and look for any signs of excessive pressure. If any appear, review and check what you have done. In my experience with bottle neck rifle cases of modern design, pressure will lessen as the bullet is seated farther from the lands if the powder charge stays the same. Seating the bullet into the case deep enough to reduce internal capacity causing a dangerous increase in pressure can happen, but normally, the accurate C.O.L. will appear way before this happens. Pistol cases are a different story, but we are concerning ourselves with rifle cartridges here.
Load up several more identical to this best load (again, same powder charge and seating depth) and shoot more groups to confirm a consistent load.
As an example, I initially loaded my 220 Swift with a C.O.L. of 2.725". This yielded groups around 3/4" with a 55 grain V-max at 3575 F.P.S. (around 200 F.P.S. below max in my rifle). As I seated the bullets deeper, accuracy improved and peaked with a C.O.L. of 2.670", dropping nice 5 shot groups under 1/2 inch. Contrary to this, my .284 Winchester (with 139 grain Hornady Interlocks) produced best accuracy at a C.O.L. of 2.90", my initial load length. This C.O.L. is the maximum allowed by my magazine length.
Producing safe accurate reloads in well within the grasp of the average hunter. The important thing to consider is to use a step-by-step process, and always write everything down for future reference.
Kyle Catt