Bench rest loaders

geeguy

Please give me the quick course on why some Bench rest shooters load right at the shooting station. (I always assume they don't have anything else to do but make one round every half hour, just kidding you "resters")

What is the benefit of loading a round out in the cold and rain vs. making a few different rounds at home, then going to the range??

I assume there are good reasons, just curious.

Rocky Raab

Benchresters spend an inordinate amount of time selecting and prepping a handful of cases to get them as absolutely nearly identical as possible. With that small number of cases, they shoot all their rounds - and that necessitates everything after the first round be loaded at the range.

jonk

By reusing the same case over and over, or the same few cases, neck sized only, variation is reduced to virtually nil.

FrancF

quote:Originally posted by geeguy

I assume there are good reasons, just curious.


Just like race cars, Nascar, Indy, etc. Weather, wind, temp. etc can affect a bench load.
The hard core guys are playing for big money and a title.

And just like racing, tweaking a race car at the pit stop is the same at the load bench at the range. It is all that you may need to win.

Tell ya from a novice point of view, One day a load is perfect next it's not when your measuring .02 .

JustC

first and foremost, it is about consistency. The more consistent every round is with every other round in the "lot", the more consistent the reults on paper.

when I was shooting more matches, I would spend 3-4hrs prepping 50 cases for my match loads. The I would weigh bullets by .1gr and keep them in lots. Then trim the meplats of the bullets to match, etc etc etc
at the end of the day, YOU are the weekest link. You practice and practice and shoot and shoot etc etc, that is how you get better and stay sharp.

it is expensive though

DChrz

-shot NBRSA Hunter Class seriously, including National Championship, and reloaded at the range. For me, two reasons: 1- ability to tweak loads as required by a number of potential conditions, and 2- as mentioned, at serious competitions, I only wanted to shoot a very limited number of cartridges which I had pre-selected, not so much by weight, but for me more by how they shot. I carried pliers in my box; first time out of the group, case noted, if out again crushed w/pliers and into the trash bin. Hunter Class is shooting for point of impact, not groups, and eventually I would have 12 or so rds of brass I could count on- five for score, rest held back for the sighter target.