KHGS wrote:bruce moulds wrote:looking for this velocity window is easy with a labradar.
if you don't have one, a ladder test might be the quickest way.
this has the bonus that every barrel has a slightly different velocity window.
in some ways doing it without knowing velocity is a good thing, as preconceptions are out of the equation.
if the 284 shoots best in a window of about 2750, it is better to go with that than a lesser accuracy at 2820.
it is my belief that guys chase higher velocity looking for free lunches at the price of accuracy, and fail yo put enough focus on learning to read the wind.
this is slowly changing.
I can remember when guys were trying to run 284s at 2900, and 280 ackleys at warp speed and were blaming brass for being weak rather than taking heed of basic pressure management .
in actual fact, if you are talking the number 101, first considerations should be safety, folklowed by function, as accuracy as a priority comes third to those things.
here is another advantage of the ladder test, as in is about the best way to find a safe max.
then start using the chronograph.
Bruce (quote)
Well said Bruce, far too often the use of a chronograph causes the uninitiated to focus too much on velocity and miss the most important things in load tuning. Having said that, a chronograph if used correctly is invaluable for load tuning. IMO the novice tends to focus too much on velocity then rely on a tuner to refine accuracy, for what it is worth, I think this is the wrong approach.
Keith H.
I agree that shooters should not get hung up too much on reaching a certain velocity (though a velocity range is a good place to start). Matt and myself have had extremely accurate 284s which for reasons not relevant here had nodes lower than normal. I certainly like using a crony when doing the ladder test though so that you easily find out what speed your barrels node is. Then when your barrel goes through the velocity jump, or you adjust seating depths, change primers, or get a cold snap like we have coming, you have a velocity reference point to bring your load back to.
When you know what speed the node is, you only need somewhere to fire a few crony shots and don't need a nice flat range with good sighting conditions for testing on target.