Reloading Rifle Ammo

**Brick** · April 16th, 2021, 04:37 PM

Way back when I used to use a single stage press, I was re;loading primarily .45 ACP which I was shooting in bullseye matches in both Centerfire and .45 matches. That would be 180 rounds plus for alibis plus my twice weekly practice sessions of at least another 100 rounds per session of .45 ACP. So I had containers filled with dirty brass, others filled with clean brass, others filled with sized brass, others filled with primed brass and yet more with fully loaded cartridges. I used to find myself watching TV and priming brass. All that ended when I got a Dillon as a gift. Now I have containers for dirty, clean and loaded and that's it.

**Walleye Hunter** · September 28th, 2024, 12:40 PM

I can't believe this thread is nearly 4 years old. I know I'm a slow mover but didn't realize I was this slow.

Here's my status:

Got myself loading 225 gn .338 to right around 2800 FPS with good grouping so now I can load a larger batch and dial in the scope and practice. Adding 1/2 gn to my load reduces accuracy. I rounded up a few boxes of bullets and have sort of segregated them by wt (Under 225, exactly 225, and over 225).

This is my surprised face that the overwhelming majority are underweight. Most range in the 224.5 to 224.8 range but the overall spread is more like 224.4 to 225.5 with 29 weighing right on the money. What kind of variation is acceptable for most accurate shooting? Has anyone verified variation on match grade bullets? If so, what did yous find?

**Walleye Hunter** · February 8th, 2025, 03:34 PM

I've been reloading the .338 WINMAG and got myself a good load rendering an average of almost 2800 FPS that is accurate. Then I ran out of that powder and opened another one (both IMR 4831) and I've dropped about 30 FPS. I have heard that different lot numbers would yield different results but is this much of a change typical?

**notenoughguns** · February 8th, 2025, 03:57 PM

Yes it is!

**27hand** · February 8th, 2025, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by Walleye Hunter

I've been reloading the .338 WINMAG and got myself a good load rendering an average of almost 2800 FPS that is accurate. Then I ran out of that powder and opened another one (both IMR 4831) and I've dropped about 30 FPS. I have heard that different lot numbers would yield different results but is this much of a change typical?

Did it affect accuracy?

Yes different lots will affect velocity.

Are the velocities consistent but just off by 30fps?

**Walleye Hunter** · February 8th, 2025, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by 27hand

Did it affect accuracy?

Yes

Are the velocities consistent but just off by 30fps?

Yes and all other variables were the same. Loaded with same bullets on the same day and shot on the same day.

**cephas** · February 8th, 2025, 06:54 PM

Since you have velocity were you able to record SD and ES and compare to original loads?
Since you say all variables were the same are you considering primers?
As others said different powder lots may affect loads. Wouldn't think, for me, 30fps would be a huge change.
If the change was substantial you may think about tweaking the load.
As the old guy told me 10 shot groups don't lie.

**arjohnson** · February 8th, 2025, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by Walleye Hunter

Yes

Yes and all other variables were the same. Loaded with same bullets on the same day and shot on the same day.

Could be due to temperature difference if you shoot warm vs cold weather some powders are temp sensitive.

**Walleye Hunter** · February 8th, 2025, 08:52 PM

SD and ES were comparable and temps, and all components were constant. If accuracy didn't drop off, I would just ignore the difference. Additionally, since I haven't loaded a whole lot, it's information for me.

Here's the stats. 10 shots were old powder, 1 shot was mixed, and 5 was new powder lot.

Chrono.jpg