Elwood Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 When do you load for a competition? Is it best do it well in advance or leave it a day or two before hand? Obviously factory fodder will probably have been on the shelves for ages before being used but most of this will be for a sporting and I don't imagine many people shooting in competitions use factory ammo. Is there any detrimental effect to loading ammo months in advance of a match? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6mmBR Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I load when I have the time. Most of my ammo was loaded well in advance of the comps I entered and it served me just fine. I couldn't be doing with panic loading a day or so before a match, it may just be me but I like things organised well ahead of time. Cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Oh no,,,,,,,,youve decided to take the plunge to the dark side Loading, The week before usually. I resize cases making sure all feel the same on the bolt (chambered and unloaded) Cut each to exactly same length. Weigh powder to +/- .02 grain. Seated to exactly same length and deviations (shorter) get pulled. Bullets, all weighed and batched. I dont do anything more - oh powder is bought in lots of at least 3lbs (enough for three comps) I could wax lyrical about meplat trimming, bullet pointing and Vern Jeunke machines, but I wont.... Thats the next step Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwood Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Oh no,,,,,,,,youve decided to take the plunge to the dark side Loading, The week before usually. I resize cases making sure all feel the same on the bolt (chambered and unloaded) Cut each to exactly same length. Weigh powder to +/- .02 grain. Seated to exactly same length and deviations (shorter) get pulled. Bullets, all weighed and batched. I dont do anything more - oh powder is bought in lots of at least 3lbs (enough for three comps) I could wax lyrical about meplat trimming, bullet pointing and Vern Jeunke machines, but I wont.... Thats the next step I'm shocked and disappointed you don't weigh your primers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxing2night Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Week before, Full br case prep!!!!! Wellcome onboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteL Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Elwood, I'm not a competition shooter - wish I was good enough - but I read somewhere that these American Competition chaps load enough ammo for a competition all on the same day with the same components and settings etc, etc and keep it in stable conditions until the day of the Match. Sounds reasonable to me, they've then got a batch of ammo which is, theoretically, all the same and not subject to variations like humidity, temperature and so on during the loading process. Personally, I try to load enough ammo at a time to last about a couple of months and keep the supply in the same place until required. I check the zero with rounds from the batch and that does me until it runs out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean c Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 I dont shoot comps but i like to load the best comp ammo i can, i tend to load what i can when i can but i load at least 50 rounds a time. I know a bloke that loaded about 1200 rounds around feb time for the whole seasons comps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest varmartin Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 I have spent hours reading about this subject on the net ... My conclussion is the Ammo you load today will shoot axactly the same 6 months down the road IF....you shoot it in the same Conditions... The Ammo wont change ...but the conditions do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 There is evidence from American sources that ammo loaded too far in advance can 'go off'. It's not just comp ammo. Read 40 Years with the .45-70 by Paul A Matthews and he mentions one of his best 45-70 lead bullet loads that shot a storm if used the next day, but wouldn't do well after even a week. Matthews deduced it is down to neck tension on the bullet and that's the usual conclusion. One correspondent I read recently on this subject suggested loading a whole season's worth beforehand, but only partly seating the bullets. You then seat them fully on the amount of ammo you'll need the day before the comp. If it is a neck-tension issue, that could explain why some people find it makes no difference how long you keep the stuff while others reckon it has an effect. It would depend then on brass dimensions, hardness, how it's been sized, how many times the cases have been fired and reloaded, and all sorts of variables I've no views either way, and have had good results with 'old' 6BR ammo in fairly new Lapua brass. If possible, I'd leave the loading to as late as possible for an important competition - just in case. Don't overdo it the night before though - arriving on the range knackered is usually the easiest way to blow things! Laurie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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