I'm close to reloading my first batch of ammo. I'm doing .223 for my AR-15 first to get the hang of the basics because the components are cheap and easy to get. But ultimately I'm more interested in reloading for old military rifles (mostly bolt actions, but also the M1 Garand).
Now that I understand the basics of how to do it safely, my question is, in what order should I start to experiment with the dizzying array of variables here? For most calibers, we have at least 4 or 5 bullet choices, a dozen powder types, with at least 4 loads for each type, and then things like overall length which can vary by maybe .030 in increments of just a few thousandths. And that's without getting into questions like annealing, resizing options, crimping etc. Fine, that stuff can wait.
But I still have like
5 x 12 x 4 x 10 = 2400 different ways I can load a cartridge. Even if I could compare 2 loads with just a single 5 round group each (which I can't) that would still mean I'd have to load 10,000 rounds to find out the best load.
I already know a few things: I'm not going for competitive accuracy (I shoot at 50 or 100 yards), and I prefer lighter loads/lighter bullets.
But I'd still like to know what are the rules of thumb here. Do you go bullet weight->powder type->powder load, and then tweak from there? Or some other order? Is it worth trying a lot of different powder brands, or do you just categorize them roughly by speed?
Now that I understand the basics of how to do it safely, my question is, in what order should I start to experiment with the dizzying array of variables here? For most calibers, we have at least 4 or 5 bullet choices, a dozen powder types, with at least 4 loads for each type, and then things like overall length which can vary by maybe .030 in increments of just a few thousandths. And that's without getting into questions like annealing, resizing options, crimping etc. Fine, that stuff can wait.
But I still have like
5 x 12 x 4 x 10 = 2400 different ways I can load a cartridge. Even if I could compare 2 loads with just a single 5 round group each (which I can't) that would still mean I'd have to load 10,000 rounds to find out the best load.
I already know a few things: I'm not going for competitive accuracy (I shoot at 50 or 100 yards), and I prefer lighter loads/lighter bullets.
But I'd still like to know what are the rules of thumb here. Do you go bullet weight->powder type->powder load, and then tweak from there? Or some other order? Is it worth trying a lot of different powder brands, or do you just categorize them roughly by speed?