Procedure for working up a load

[Rocky Raab]

First, welcome to HuntChat.

There are many ways to work up loads, most of them good.

Those are excellent bullet and powder choices, so you should have very little trouble finding a load your rifle likes.

Start by getting Nosler load data. It's important to use data from the bullet company, because it's the bullet that causes the most differences in pressure and velocity.

Definitely start loading at the book's recommended "Start" loads. You never know if your rifle might produce high pressure.

I like to work up in powder increments of 2%. That usually gives me five load levels between start and max.

Load five rounds at each level. Fewer than that doesn't give you a good idea of how that load might actually perform.

Shoot them at 100 yards, using the best benchrest techniques you can (solid rest up front, sand bags at the rear, careful trigger squeeze, good weather, one minute between shots and cool the gun between groups.)

If you have a chronograph, record the velocity of every shot.

Clean every ten shots and fire one fouling shot (use practice or cheap factory ammo) before you fire test laods again.

If you notice any signs of high pressure (flat or cratered primers, hard bolt lift, extra recoil, or a sudden spike of velocity) stop shooting immediately.

Back at home, measure all the test groups and record the chrono data.

You may see one group that's much better, or you might see the point where the same extra powder amount stops adding velocity. That's usually at or near your rifle's best load.

You might want to try another group with that same charge, plus two others just a tad on either side of it just to confirm or fine-tune things.

There can be a lot more to it if you were trying several bullets and/or powders, but that should get you a good workable load with the two you've chosen.

One final thing: accuracy is MUCH more important than velocity. Fast but inaccurate bullets miss or wound.