Satterlee testing

jmccracken1214

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I loaded 11 rounds for my 6 Creedmoor starting at 41 grains and going to 43 in .2 increments.

42.6, 42.8 and 43 all read the same exact speed on my Magneto speed. Is that fairly common to have three different charges all shoot the same speed I've loaded up 10 rounds at 42. 8 and going to do an accuracy test
 
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It is common for a ladder load to show a flat spot in the velocity curve (plotted velocity <> charge). Hopefully that will line up with an accuracy node as well. Were you shooting at a paper target, and did you see approximately the same POI vertically for those three shots?
 
It is common for a ladder load to show a flat spot in the velocity curve (plotted velocity <> charge). Hopefully that will line up with an accuracy node as well. Were you shooting at a paper target, and did you see approximately the same POI vertically for those three shots?

I was not shooting it paper for those loads just shooting into a berm I loaded 9 rounds at 42.8. they did not group very well. I'm wondering if I should change seating depth or what for my next step. in the picture the left group is 4 shots and the right is five shots.
IMG_20180811_181114.jpg
 
Did you chrono those shots? I'm wondering what the standard deviation and spread were.
 
I wonder if I could replicate the Hornady black 105 grain Factory ammo. I didn't think to measure the overall length of the round to see how close to the lands that it was but it shot really well in the rifle I also did not Chrono those 20 rounds but here is a 5-shot group.
IMG_20180807_190040.jpg
 
Obviously I'm either lazy or cost conscious because I do my chrono work AND accuracy testing at the same time. That way I have all the information about a load that I need......in one sitting..
 
Obviously I'm either lazy or cost conscious because I do my chrono work AND accuracy testing at the same time. That way I have all the information about a load that I need......in one sitting..
I just went and did groups with it today.

I try to shoot 1 round per charge to see where the velocity flattens out then load a group at that speed. I shot 4 round groups, today, except the last. I loaded at 20thou off lands today and 10 thou yesterday with not much luck.

I need help understanding out a group with such a low SD and ES isnt super accurate? It was hot as crap today and i was sweating like a pig, maybe that had something to do with it but heres my groups & numbers. I loaded 5 rounds of the last because it did ok yesterday and i wanted to try it again. 41.7gr had a really low ES and SD but didnt group like I thought it would. Maybe it was me.

41.3 : SD- 13 ES- 32

41.5 : SD- 21 ES- 52

41.7 : SD- 2 ES- 5

41.9: SD- 12 ES- 28

42.1: SD- 10 ES- 22

42.3: SD- 11 ES- 25

42.8: SD- 7 ES- 19



IMG_20180812_143230.jpg
 
I wish I had an answer for that but it's stumped me for years!! I have loaded rounds that had unbelievable SD and ES numbers but were worse than terrible on accuracy. And then I have found amazing accuracy with numbers that looked like the lottery results.

When I hit that anomaly I reload and retest to make sure I didn't screw the pooch somewhere along the way. I have loaded some astronomically accurate rounds and felt like I have achieved nirvana but the minute I put them in a different gun (of the same caliber) they go to hell faster than a sinner.

Then one day I had a brain fart and figured out that I had to work up a load for every different gun if I wanted REAL accuracy with a particular caliber and gun. I'm BIG on record keeping and I used to tab my sheets according to caliber until I admitted that I needed to have it by individual GUN, not just a general caliber. I have 4 different 1911's in 45 ACP that all have a different load that each one prefers. What a pain in the butt!!!

I firmly believe in accuracy over all else. If it doesn't hit what I'm aiming at the velocity doesn't mean a damned thing. A miss at 3200 fps is still a miss, whereas a hit at 2900 is priceless.... Don't give up, I've been chasing this crap for going on 50 years!!
 
Look at 41.7 it has the lowest vertical of the group. Horizontal distribution is due to shooter (fundamentals, trigger squeeze/press)

SD are related directly to ES, in a sense. I would be more interested in to see the chorno numbers for each load really. I have seen

Find the SD/ES and do seating test. Get out of the mind set of .020-.010 is the sweet spot. My competition rifles like jump. 0.035. My AR, which I chamber has a ton of jump...like miles. lol

In case you haven't seen it yet..for LR shooting I've seen groups shot like crap at 100-200 but at 300 they are stacked, no explanation that I believe.....yet.
 
Look at 41.7 it has the lowest vertical of the group. Horizontal distribution is due to shooter (fundamentals, trigger squeeze/press)

SD are related directly to ES, in a sense. I would be more interested in to see the chorno numbers for each load really. I have seen

Find the SD/ES and do seating test. Get out of the mind set of .020-.010 is the sweet spot. My competition rifles like jump. 0.035. My AR, which I chamber has a ton of jump...like miles. lol

In case you haven't seen it yet..for LR shooting I've seen groups shot like crap at 100-200 but at 300 they are stacked, no explanation that I believe.....yet.

Im going to order peterson small primer brass and go out to my buddies shop one morning where I can shoot and load at the same place and just load 5 shot groups at a range of charges and seating depths and find one hopefully.

Ive got all the speeds for the groups i shot today. 41.7 was 2998, 2998, 3000, 2995
 
is SP a must have? What is your end goal, how much accuracy and precision do you want or need?
 
I am just thinking out loud here, and want to hear what others have to say.

I don't think I have seen the phenomenon of flat-spot-in-the-velocity-curve explained. I know one wants to have a load inside that flat-spot, so variations in powder drop, or temperature, is less likely to cause a change in velocity, but what causes the flat-spot? I have my suspicions that it is an anomaly that has to do with how powder burns at different pressures. Some powders just seem to be happy in a certain pressure range.

And I also don't think the velocity flat-spot has to correlate to an accuracy node. Barrel harmonics don't have to line up with velocity nodes, but we are lucky when they do.
 
Its not a MUST but i'd prefer to try it and avoid loose primer pockets as round count increases. As much accuracy as I can get I guess lol. My 6.5 was shooting .5 groups at 300 yards.

I'm on 6 firings and still good to go.



I am just thinking out loud here, and want to hear what others have to say.

I don't think I have seen the phenomenon of flat-spot-in-the-velocity-curve explained. I know one wants to have a load inside that flat-spot, so variations in powder drop, or temperature, is less likely to cause a change in velocity, but what causes the flat-spot? I have my suspicions that it is an anomaly that has to do with how powder burns at different pressures. Some powders just seem to be happy in a certain pressure range.

And I also don't think the velocity flat-spot has to correlate to an accuracy node. Barrel harmonics don't have to line up with velocity nodes, but we are lucky when they do.


Charge weight has to do with consistent of pressure and the pressure wave going down the barrel. The key to this is the barrel is at the same point when the bullet exits the barrel. Best I've been told by barrel makers is "it's a equilibrium thing"


Be interested to see what Frank Green or Mr. Hill @ Hawk Hill have to say about it. Or any other the bigger players.
 
I'm on 6 firings and still good to go.

Just watched two videos on 6.5 alpha LRP, one guy was running semi hot load and got 12 firings, another got 17 before it was too large to use. I may place an order tomorrow. 12 firings would be ok with me. Hell, that'd be pushing the barrel life on my 6mm probably out of 100 pieces.
 
I'm on 6 firings and still good to go.






Charge weight has to do with consistent of pressure and the pressure wave going down the barrel. The key to this is the barrel is at the same point when the bullet exits the barrel. Best I've been told by barrel makers is "it's a equilibrium thing"


Be interested to see what Frank Green or Mr. Hill @ Hawk Hill have to say about it. Or any other the bigger players.
So just a thought. Since the factory Hornady black shot so good, I thought about buying another box so I could measure it's OAL, and pull one bullet to see powder weight, for curiosity. But would loading the same 105 pills at the same length over varying charges possibly land me shooting very similar?
 
So just a thought. Since the factory Hornady black shot so good, I thought about buying another box so I could measure it's OAL, and pull one bullet to see powder weight, for curiosity. But would loading the same 105 pills at the same length over varying charges possibly land me shooting very similar?


Yes. For 6mm H4350 is king
 
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