Hardest caliber you worked for the best load

[volshooter]

Not a rookie by any means. I acquired a old custom built in 25-06. Rare around here. Well used but interesting as I could tell it was beautiful. Dude gave me a couple of rounds and some over used brass. Research showed great potential, so I looked forward to the challenge.
It took months trying different powders and charges. This rifle has a very unusual looking bore grove. It was made before the round was standardized. After much love and hours I found her secret. Slow powders like RL22/IMR 4064 for the heavier projectiles and IMR 4350 for the lighter ones. I had it checked and the sholder angle is bout 1 degree off from today's factory.
This thing has taken varmints to white tail out to close to 500 yards for me. When reloading I only neck size and trim brass, and of course check closely for neck splits, common. My go to loads are 90gr HP's and 117 BTSP.
Out of all the cartridges I've reloaded this one gave me the most trouble finding the recipe.
The other was the .300 WBY. That was a pistol and never produced groups I expect.
What calibers have given you the most problem getting the best groups?

 

[The Preacher]

Having reloaded for 50 years knowing (and having tried) all the "tricks" and at least 3 dozen + different cartridges, plus made casings for my 7x64 Brenneke from 30-06 brass, plus cast my own handgun bullets....STILL I cannot load 30-30 Winchester cartridges that shoot better than factory 30-30 Winchester Power Points in my Marlin 336 T - darn near one hole 3 shot groups at 50 yds. Oh, and I'll throw in the 22 hornet too. I swore the Hornet off after my final go with one in a Ruger 77/22 Hornet. I've tried three,

 

[GasGuzzler]

.222 REM and I am not yet done. Turns out the rifle had an issue more than anything. Project stalled. No real need for the gun.

 

[TDF]

43 mauser

Have a model 1871. Dates to 1877.

A typical 43 mauser should have a groove diameter around .446. Mine measured bigger. So horrible accuracy with correct bullets using 43 mauser dies.

Slugged my bore and measures more like .455 or .456. Did a ton of research and eventually found that the earliest rifles had deeper grooves. So tried dead soft muzzle loader bullets that measure 458 or so. But can't use the 43 mauser dies as they dont expand the brass enough to seat the bigger bullet, so use a combination of 43 mauser dies and 45/70 dies and manage to make a bullet, but that won't go into the chamber, so back into the 43 mauser die after seated for a little bit of compression on the neck, just enough to get it to chamber. 5744 powder and clover leaf groups at 50 yards.

Success, but it took me a while to get there.

TDF

 

[contender]

I have found it wasn't the caliber,, but the firearm involved.

 

[Dan in MI]

I spent a lot of time fine tuning my 7TCU in my silhouette days, right up until the light bulb came on.

I shot standing almost exclusively. It hit me that I was chasing fraction of an inch accuracy while shooting with 3” wobble factor. I immediately put more time in at the range and not the bench.

 

[s4s4u]

I have found it wasn't the caliber,, but the firearm involved.

I am in the same boat. Some guns just won't shoot worth a hoot.

 

[Paul B]

I have found it wasn't the caliber,, but the firearm involved.

Truer words were never spoken.

For a start, a Rugger M77 RSI in .308 Win. It took two years of some constant serious work before I found a load that will at least give hunting accuracy.

Next there is a custom Mauser I had built and it would not shoot 180 gr. bullets worth spit. The rifle was built in 1973 IIRC, and it was only about 9 or 10 years ago I found a load that would shoot. Problem was the twist rate was too slow for 180 gr. bullets. I tried some 165 gr. Accubonds and it thinks it's a varmint rifle. Go figure.

Last but not least, a Ruger #1 chambered to the 7x57. I could not get a load, factory or reload to shoot a group. I had my gunsmith do a chamber cast and the throat was about 2.5", way out of specs. I sent that one back to Ruger with a copy of the gunsmith's report and it came back with a new barrel and the remark that the rifle is accurate on the invoice.

I probably could remember a few more over the years during my reloading career but somethings are probably better left unsaid.
Paul B.

 

[Chief 101]

I have found that the 351SL has been a pain...The rifle shoots well with loads that don't function the action, or the alternative function the action but can't hit a 5000 sqft barn...

 

[mtjk]

The most loading work I have done is for my Shiloh Sharps black powder loads. I have been reloading smokeless for decades but black powder cartridge is very different. It is more of a volume and compression of the powder compared to powder type and weight. I shoot some silhouette and it has been a great loading/education experience.

 

[volshooter]

Ahh, but the hunt is worth it. Working with a new 44 mag tracker. Had a trigger job done as it scaled at 9 pounds 3 oz double action and 6 lbs 2 oz single action. My guy got it to 6 double and 3.2 single. I have a big box of 250 gr Keith style bullets I'd like to use. Dangest thing is that the Keith stlye bullets in a 44 mag case are to long. I had a limited supply of 44 spc cases and used them. Will test next week. I cannot produce groups with a nasty trigger. I've loaded several different rounds/powders to test. I'm hoping the 250 Keith style over 10 gr of Unique will get me what I want. A heavy bullet just above 1100 fps that produces groups. I have other options but wish to get close to E. Keith's original load. This firearm/load is for bear/hog up close when necessary. I have a super Blackhawk that can handle anything but working in the smokey mountains at my age I need to consider weight. Never had to use a firearm, bear spray once, but if needed. Hope these 44 spc loaded to near mag data group.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Even bought a Hornady base to ogive measuring kit. Thought the pre-serial Savage 110 had a headspace issue but it was actually dirty. So fouled at the shoulder it ran HOT. Got that fixed and ran out of steam once I found the seating depth because I couldn't get the vintage scope back on paper.

 

[Mobuck]

220 Swift
Partly due to the rifle and partly the tapered case.

 

[Bullthrower338]

7mm Weatherby Mag, it was the gun. 30-378 Weatherby Mag, this gun shot lights out with factory ammo, I couldn’t get a reload to duplicate velocity and accuracy. Shot a ragged hole when loaded to Win mag velocity. Sold both of them

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

6mm Remington. Had a custom 98 Mauser varmint build so chambered with a barrel like a truck axle back in the early 90's. I envisioned tiny little satisfying groups when I first purchased it at a gun show...Which it eventually produced, but I REALLY had to work at it!

 

[volshooter]

Shout out to the big guy on it could be the firearm! There are just firearms that won't produce acceptable groups. Built on a Monday maybe. I did own a Weatherby in 300 that would only group with 180gr. Didn't need that much HP on East Tn critters so it went away.

 

[volshooter]

I remember a good example of "the firearm".
Many years ago Dad and I ordered 2 smoke poles from Cabelas. Percussion 54 cal Hawkin style rifles.
As SOP I sighted/tested both. One shot best with 80 gr and the other 120, regardless of projectile. Never did figure that one out but we both had fine hitting smoke poles to hunt with, and harvested well.

 

[Sugar River]

.303 Savage. An initial nightmare to find proper bullets but finally did and it still wouldn't shoot.

Blamed it on the poor bore condition and gave up.

 

[sixmranch]

.32-20, bought a Buckeye convertible shortly after they came out. Wouldn't hit a 4'x4' sheet of plywood. Said "screw it", and stuck to the .32 H&R cylinder.

 

[Caftman]

It's always the old, pre-standardized wildcats or the magnums with an attitude that'll humble you. I've got two that come to mind, for completely different reasons.

First, the .35 Whelen. Sounds simple, right? A .30-06 necked up. How hard could it be? This was in a classic old Remington 700 Classic from the 80s. Factory ammo shot like a shotgun. I figured, "I'll just find a good 200-grain load, easy." Months. I went through every powder from Varget to Reloder 15, IMR and H-4350, 4064, you name it. Bullets seated off the lands, jammed, everywhere in between. Best I could get was like 1.8 MOA. Good enough for a woods rifle, but it bugged me.

The second one… oh boy. The .257 Roberts. Not a hot rod, a gentleman's cartridge. But this was in a sporterized 1916 Spanish Mauser my grandfather did. The gunsmith who did the chambering must have been using a reamer he found in a ditch. The freebore was a canyon. You could seat a 100-grain bullet out so far it was barely held by the neck and still not touch the lands.

 

[Rclark]

For me it the little .32 H&R Magnum. It may be the small powder loads, but anyway, found some decent loads for it that have decent accuracy and ES. The easiest was the .44 Special. It was hard to find a load that did not work!

And yes, the test gun can be an issue as well. For example, if I had used my original Vaquero in .45 as my test gun, I would have been super frustrated as initially it was shooting 6" groups at 20 yards or so. After reaming the throats and firelapping, it settled down to ok 2" to 3" groups finally. My .45 Colt test gun is a .45 Colt 5 1/2" BH however which worked out fine. As for the .32, I have multiple revolvers, so I know it wasn't the 'gun'. The key (in my experience) was to use a fine ball power like AA #2 for the light bullets, and True Blue, AA#5 for the heavier bullets which flow like water.

In rifles, I've loaded 30-30 and 30-06. Don't need any other calibers. But the sum total of rounds reloaded may be around 300 each over 40 years. As you can tell, I don't shoot rifle much at all. The last time I hunted (30 years ago now?), I bought 20 rounds of factory 30-06 and still have most of them.

 

[volshooter]

But ain't the hunt well worth it when you find the right load?
I dang sure is for me. That's where I get my greatest satisfaction. Unless the barrel crown is damaged most firearms will produce groups. I pick my projectile and several powders and go up and down charges until I find what shoots best group. Now here in east tn, shots are 99% under 100 yards. My requirement for an acceptable load is 1.5-2 inches at 100 yards. That's just my personal preference as I'll take neck/head shots.
I've bought rifles from friends that would not group for cheap. Work with them and figure it out, most of the time, and sold them back to the sellers for what I bought them for with help getting them into reloading. I find it very good for the soul.

 

[gnappi]

For me it was the .308. I was taking a course where the syllabus stated the rifle requirement was 1 minute of angle (MOA) at 200 yards. I wasn't about to spend all the buckazoids for the course and fail so I worked really hard to squeeze everything I could out of my ammo and spent months trudging my rifles to the 100 yard range to select the rifle / ammo I would use.

Of the loads I tested in my three rifles (M1A-NM, DPMS LR-308 and Savage 110 BAT/s) the Savage easily met the requirements @ 3/4 MOA. I remember that the M1A was ~1.5 MOA and the LR was about 2.

There were a few officers using custom McMillan .308 rifles that were one hole marvels. At 200 yards one guy shot 4 rounds in a perfect compass rose around a penny with one shot dead center.

Oh, a couple of guys failed the course using factory ammo and over the counter hunting rifles.

 

[Marcruger2]

Oh shoot, that is easy. ANY of the Blackpowder Cartridge Rifle (BPCR) rounds. You have to have everything just right or they don't group. But when you get it right, long range accuracy is fascinating. I was fortunate to have a good friend who showed me all of the ins-and-outs so I did not have to learn the hard way. I like to say that BPCR loading is like a PhD in handloading.

 

[Marcruger2]

Also, any fixed sight revolver when looking for an accuracy load. Like a Model 10 S&W, a Vaquero, or Single Action Army. Balancing point-of-aim/point-of-impact with groups size is a continuing tradeoff.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Oh, and I'll throw in the 22 hornet too

The 17 Hornet was a bear also. The factory 20gr vmax was extremely accurate. But I was after the perfect predator load. Enough to efficiently put down a called in yote but not splashing a hole through a fox. Hornady had 25gr HP in the Custom Line for a bit. It worked fantastic. But it was discontinued....but the bullets were available. Never really found the sweet spot on handloads. Until Todd Kindler came out with his Sensational Seventeens manual. His WCD bullets were outstanding. Todd helped me with the great load over a cup of coffee one morning.

I wanted the same for my main tournament rifle, Ruger American Predator in 204R with B&C Stock, Glade Valley bolt. I didn't struggle for long there as he came out with his 20 cal manual....Terrific Twenties.

I need to dust those rifles off....it's been almost 10yrs.

 

[Richard76]

.32-20, bought a Buckeye convertible shortly after they came out. Wouldn't hit a 4'x4' sheet of plywood. Said "screw it", and stuck to the .32 H&R cylinder.

in the process of making 32-20 reloads for my Buckeye. once the weather gets a little better, hopefully this weekend I will give them a try. If I'm happy with them I'll give you the recipe if you're interested