What did you do in the reloading room today?

As you can probably tell I'm still pretty new to all this so I have pretty much no idea what you just said. Not sure what a "node" is. As far as looking at SD it's a number I figure is a case of lower the better. The goal for me may seem silly. One day while shooting with a friend we started asking "how far can we push an AR with a 16" barrel?" and ever since I've been working on loads to answer that question. Not looking at groups at all but just trying to ring steel. Knowing nothing more than consistency in powder and chronograph readings ect must be better that's been a thing I've been keeping track of. I do appreciate any lesson that can be handed down so please do correct me if I'm off base. I know my goal may seem ridiculous but I'm having fun.

Finally got around to setting up the XL750 for .45 acp...ran 100, need to make some small tweaks, but fairly happy with it. I now have toolheads setup for 4 calibers. Biggest issue I have is the priming system. The slidebar priming system still likes to start skipping primers right before the low primer alarm goes off(alarm goes off with about 4 primers left)(and yes, I have tried adding more weight to the rod). Also noticed I need to anchor my bench. If I go too fast, It will bounce primers out of the cup on the way to the shellplate which I attribute to bench movement.

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Originally Posted by izzy

As you can probably tell I'm still pretty new to all this so I have pretty much no idea what you just said. Not sure what a "node" is. As far as looking at SD it's a number I figure is a case of lower the better. The goal for me may seem silly. One day while shooting with a friend we started asking "how far can we push an AR with a 16" barrel?" and ever since I've been working on loads to answer that question. Not looking at groups at all but just trying to ring steel. Knowing nothing more than consistency in powder and chronograph readings ect must be better that's been a thing I've been keeping track of. I do appreciate any lesson that can be handed down so please do correct me if I'm off base. I know my goal may seem ridiculous but I'm having fun.

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Try this

https://www.ar-15.co/threads/30291-H...-a-new-reload?

Ha, I actually thought you were pretty advanced. Chasing SD’s is usually an advanced reloader’s pursuit. Heck, even owning a chronograph is usually an advanced practice.

A “node” mathematically can be thought of as a point along a curve on a chart. An accuracy node is a range of powder charges that produce high accuracy. You’ll find them here and there along the range of possible charge weights.

One approach that has influenced a lot of people’s thoughts on developing loads is “ Optimal charge weight“, or OCW. You can read up on the approach here: http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspa...ons/4529817134

I don’t believe the physics some people ascribe to it, but I do think it’s a sound approach.

While I think minimizing SD is a good practice, I haven’t seen low SDs predict my best groups. The impact of varying velocity can’t be denied, but it tells me that there are more important variables and metrics at play when we’re shooting for groups.

I don’t think you have a stupid pursuit - you’ll be able to exceed 1k in a 16” with discipline and 77gr SMKs.

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Originally Posted by izzy

As you can probably tell I'm still pretty new to all this so I have pretty much no idea what you just said. Not sure what a "node" is. As far as looking at SD it's a number I figure is a case of lower the better. The goal for me may seem silly. One day while shooting with a friend we started asking "how far can we push an AR with a 16" barrel?" and ever since I've been working on loads to answer that question. Not looking at groups at all but just trying to ring steel. Knowing nothing more than consistency in powder and chronograph readings ect must be better that's been a thing I've been keeping track of. I do appreciate any lesson that can be handed down so please do correct me if I'm off base. I know my goal may seem ridiculous but I'm having fun.

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I've been loading for maybe about 2-3 years or so, just started making rifle rounds in the past 6 months or so. I'm actually reading the recommended threads and they've provided some good info. I guess I'm advanced in that I'm an engineer by schooling and trade so I started measuring the results of my "experiments" pretty quickly. I know the physics pretty well but the math I'm willing/able to do doesn't often match the real world. I love hearing the feedback because it's the smallest things that set of that lightbulb moment for me. Thanks again.

Busy cranking out 1K rounds 9mm 115 FMJ

“Discovered” an almost perfect case lube for my application*. Mineral spirits. 5 drops in a freezer bag, rub around, toss in brass. Shake. Evaporates in about 3 hours. I unfortunately now have a gallon of a product that gets used 5 drops at a time.

*9mm progressive reloading. Desired characteristics: slick enough to smooth out the progressive reloading process, and not leave behind a residue (collect dust, increase bolt thrust). 99% isopropyl was perfect**, except that it evaporates too fast.
**Yes, weirdly, alcohol is a good lubricant.

July 13 update with more experience and less optimism: I now use a small squirt in a bag and rub. It seems to last maybe 2 hours. I might end up moving to spraying the cases. I’ve been concerned about the impact of the mineral spirits on primers, but initial experimentation indicates a drop of spirits in a casing will not inactivate the primer - perhaps provided some time has lapsed (tested at 24 hours). It may be less, or there might not be any delay needed..

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Originally Posted by Not_A_Llama

“Discovered” an almost perfect case lube for my application*. Mineral spirits. 5 drops in a freezer bag, rub around, toss in brass. Shake. Evaporates in about 3 hours. I unfortunately now have a gallon of a product that gets used 5 drops at a time.

*9mm progressive reloading. Desired characteristics: slick enough to smooth out the progressive reloading process, and not leave behind a residue (collect dust, increase bolt thrust). 99% isopropyl was perfect**, except that it evaporates too fast.
**Yes, weirdly, alcohol is a good lubricant.

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Depending on it's use case, alcohol is a superior lubricant. [Coffee]

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Originally Posted by brutal

Depending on it's use case, alcohol is a superior lubricant. [Coffee]

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It is, most of the time, until one opens their mouth.

Got 200rds of 380 and 200rds of 9mm loaded for this weekend.