What does it really take to get 1 MOA?

[IDHUNTER]

I'm just getting into reloading and the more I read the more I feel myself getting overwhelmed by the amount of information. I'm not going to be shooting competition, I just want to develop good hunting rounds. I've shot factory ammo out of my 7mm Wby that's sub MOA so I know that my gun and my shooting skills can get there. What i'm wondering is where to stop when it comes to handloading. What steps are overkill if i'm wanting to get 1 MOA groups.

Can I just measure COAL and get 1 MOA or do i need to measure CBTO?
Do i need a headspace gauge to get 1 MOA?
Can i get 1 MOA with full length sizing or do i need to neck size only?
Etc.

Please feel free to list some tools or practices that are must haves along with some things that I could easily live without.

Sorry if these are dumb questions. I'm just getting started and I don't want to go overwhelm myself right off the bat, but I do want to produce good accurate loads.

 

[Tmac]

You are starting with a proven moa shooter. So for hunting accuracy, to normal ranges, I’d just do a ladder test or similar, with my chosen bullet seated to manfu. recommendations. Hopefully you will find a node and can pick a charge level, then play with seating depth a bit to tune it from there. That should get you to be good to 400-600.

If you are shooting very LR, it gets more complicated, as you will also need a load with a very low SD to avoid vertical stringing at range due to inconsistent velocity.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

You can get moa measuring coal, absolutely. In my experience, just having consistent powder charges will go a long way for you. But, measuring your chamber and fiddling with seating depth, as well as measuring to the ogive of bullets, and getting the tools associated with those tasks, is not very costly or much more work, and will only help you produce accurate loads.

 

[MT257]

If it’s a true Weatherby you won’t come close to touching the lands due to free bore. I have found my weatherby to shoot best at coal lengths. I full length size everything every time.

 

[IDHUNTER]

If it’s a true Weatherby you won’t come close to touching the lands due to free bore. I have found my weatherby to shoot best at coal lengths. I full length size everything every time.

Yes its a true Weatherby. '67 W. German Mark V. Maybe 300 rounds through it.

 

[Justin Crossley]

All you need are the basic tools like you find in a kit such as RCBS. Get a standard set of Redding dies, a caliper for measuring and start loading. You'll also need a hand priming tool if the kit doesn't include one.

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[MT257]

Yes its a true Weatherby. '67 W. German Mark V. Maybe 300 rounds through it. View attachment 166885

I would personally seat bullets at manual recommended COAL. Any RCBS Rockchucker kit should provide you basically everything you’ll need beside components and dies.

 

[IDHUNTER]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I have the Rockchucker kit and RCBS dies. Need a set of calipers.

The Factory ammo that i've shot the best is 140 gr Partitions so i'll be starting with those and working my way up in .5 gr increments of H4831SC until i find the sweet spot.

 

[Paraiso]

Not too much. As mentioned, most reloading kits can easily get you there. Buy a good reloading manual as well. There is a lot of stuff on the net that I would never do. A reloading book isn't going to lead you wrong.


Can I just measure COAL and get 1 MOA or do i need to measure CBTO?
A comparator is cheap and will give you much better information. There are big variations in a bullet's base to tip measurement from most manufacturers.

Do i need a headspace gauge to get 1 MOA?
I only use headspace gauges to swap barrels or to make sure a prefit was cut with the proper headspace.

Can i get 1 MOA with full length sizing or do i need to neck size only?
I never neck size only. I bump shoulders 2-3 thou. Learn to set up your dies to bump the shoulders to your desired length and you'll be set.

Don't let your barrel get too hot. A pencil barrel will start stringing rounds quickly.

Keep consistent powder charges and neck tension.

 

[Montana Slim]

Nice rifle
Being that vintage, it may have a slow twist rate (1:12?) which could mess with your plans if they involve heavy (long) bullets. This was true in other calibers, not sure on 7mm...?
Anyways, just a heads up if you weren't aware, and definitely worth checking your rifle.
Starting with book c.o.a.l. is a good idea, but getting the proper tools (comparator etc...) to measure your particular gun(s) is very worth it in my opinion. Chances are high that there is substantial freebore, and the limiting factor on cartridge length would be your magazine.
Have fun!

 

[Pootros]

My only suggestion to the great above recommendations would be to bite the bullet get a good set of dies. The Redding Type S full length dies have the addition of a neck sizer (separate bushing that goes inside the die) which will help you to get proper neck tension. With the Type S set you get a precision seating depth die as well which will help with consistency in loading. Not cheap but worth the extra $ in my opinion.

 

[Piscatory_4]

Consistency. That's what you need to have moa capable ammo. The rifle is already there, just make your loads all the same, once the sizer is set don't change it for that batch of loads, same with bullet seating and powder charges.

 

[JFK]

I’m new to hand loading as well but already getting very good results. 1 moa or better out of my 270. Like your rifle, my rifle shot pretty good with most factory ammo but has gotten even better with hand loads. One thing I do is hand trickle all charges down to .1 grain. With the relatively small volume I shoot this rifle it seems worth while. I’ll set my powder dispenser up to throw about .5 grain less than my charge weight, then trickle right up to my specified charge so it’s dead on every time. Get a system where everything happens in the same order every time from brass prep, charging, bullet seating. Do it the same every time. You can definitely go down the rabbit hole. I chose not to. I started with a single run # of brass but didn’t sort it or weigh it. I full length size it. I did get a bullet comparator just to satisfy my curiosity at first but now just measure COL of every round that comes off the press before it goes in my ammo box. Better to do the basics perfectly versus dabbling in all sorts of complicated processes if your gun was accurate with factory ammo chances are it won’t take much to get a better hand load. For hunting I’m perfectly happy with the results I’ve got. 10 rounds into 1” at 100 yards off a bench is more accurate than I ever will be off a field rest.

 

[Desert Dan]

You are starting with a proven moa shooter. So for hunting accuracy, to normal ranges, I’d just do a ladder test or similar, with my chosen bullet seated to manfu. recommendations. Hopefully you will find a node and can pick a charge level, then play with seating depth a bit to tune it from there. That should get you to be good to 400-600.

If you are shooting very LR, it gets more complicated, as you will also need a load with a very low SD to avoid vertical stringing at range due to inconsistent velocity.

This is very good advice, as are the other comments on here.
I can absolutely relate to you. I only got into reloading about a year ago and for much of the same reason as you. I only started reloading for my 6.5 PRC hunting rifle and wanted to maximize the accuracy and eliminate any factory inconsistencies. I set a very specific goal which was to develop a load that would produce sub-MOA accuracy and maintain enough velocity/energy to remove all doubt of an ethical kill on a mule deer out to 500 yards (my personal limit). You have a really good rifle so you're ahead of the curve there. Reloading does not have to be as complicated and in depth as a lot of people choose to make it. We all have our reasons for doing it. I picked up quality but basic equipment (press, powder throw, digital scale, digital calipers, funnel, chamfer and deburring tool, tumbler, etc) and I started out with a common powder and tried to copy the factory base to ogive and did a ladder test slowly increasing my charge up to where I wanted it so long as I didn't start to see any pressure signs. Worked it up from there to shoot 1/2 MOA and stopped all adjustments. I was done.
I'm sure you already know this but use the reloading manual and stick to it. Start safe on your charge and slowly work your way up while checking your brass for pressure signs. I recommend removing all distractions while you're reloading and using the exact same routine for every single step of the process every single time. Once I found mine I really started enjoying reloading and I don't have any pressure about having to make everything perfect.

 

[cmahoney]

The one premium thing I would get starting out if you have the cash is a quality scale or balance. I wasted a lot of time and components over the years dealing with inconsistent scales. Well worth the extra couple hundred to start off with a good one.


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[JeffRaines]

I’ve also found a balance beam scale to be greatly superior to the cheap electronic ones. Throw a charge a little under and trickle it up until it’s dead nuts.

Consistency is key. I was loading up MOA handloads without a comparator tool, but I wouldn’t even bother loading without it now. It’s relatively cheap and worth the money. While you can get pretty good results measuring COAL while seating, measuring CBTO is much more consistent.

At the very minimum you should at least have a chronograph. Book loads are just suggestions based on a test rifle... and we know all rifles are different. The book max might be well under in your rifle, or it could be well over depending. Just because your brass doesn’t show pressure signs directly doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not over pressure. IMO it’s an unreliable way of judging. Speaking of velocity, you’re gonna want to know how fast the bullet is going anyhow for longer range shooting so you can calculate drops.

Remember - consistency is key. Once you find a load, if you’re using the same headstamp brass loaded with the same lot of powder loaded to the same weight under the same bullet loaded to the same length it takes a good bit of variables out of the equation. If you really want to get crazy, you can start checking concentricity, neck tension, weight sorting bullets, weight sorting brass, the list goes on and on and most of that stuff is only going to show a difference to a competitive shooter and a lot of the time the gains from doing some of that stuff are small. For someone just starting out loading up hunting loads, just stick with the basics until they don’t work for you anymore.

 

[2five7]

Once you get to .75 moa, your hit probability is plenty high for 99.9% of hunting applications. Chasing that sub .5 load can be fun if that's your thing, but can be costly in both components, time, and barrel life. Your better off using that time taking your 1" gun out in the field and practicing.

 

[Varminterror]

You don’t have to measure anything to find your lands, just follow the video below and you’ll do better than any tool on the market. You only need a measurement if you’re resetting your dies back to the same load later on, and for some reason want to rely upon a less reliable method than simply re-doing the process shown here.

After bullet weight matching twist rate, and bullet quality choice, charge weight tuning is the biggest “knob” you have for achieving sub-moa groups. Seating depth and bullet jump are a much smaller knob, an order of magnitude less influential, typically. Don’t overthink it, most all modern design factory rifles should easily shoot MOA or slightly sub if fed appropriate ammo.

 

[freddyG]

It’s super easy to get 1 MOA with a capable shooter/rifle. Use same batch of brass, good bullets, powder appropriate for the chambering/bullet, and consistent powder measuring. You won’t need to do anything OCD to achieve your goal.

 

[IDHUNTER]

Thanks to everyone for your input, lots of great suggestions. I'm feeling good about my methods and what i need to do to get the results i want without going nuts.