Got the FX-120I scale on order, and searching for an automatic powder trickler. There are several tricklers and I see the Autotrickler and the Omega as the popular ones, which do you have and the pro / cons with them? The AutoTrickler seems like an easy and fast way to get your charges in a hurry. I still have the manual trickler, but its slow.

Some use auto trickled


Some point on sniper hide have programmed the trickler to auto dispense until desired weight...


It's pretty slick

This is neat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eCIM8GQkWU

Been happy with Omega. Throw 0.2 gr under on a Chargemaster and then finish with the Omega ana a Redding beam. The beam really reveals the inconsistency of the Chargemaster.

That's pretty neat to be that exact, but why/what real need is it for? Bench rest or other type of precision shooting? For your average, above average hunter is this necessary? Not saying it's a waste of time but this level of precision weighting is geared for what type of rifleman?

It eliminates vertical stringing at ranges over 600 yards. I use a regular RCBS electronic scale that measures only .1 grain. It does work pretty good, but I want low ES for a few of my custom rifles. As for hunting my regular scale suffices good enough, but when you like to take it to the bench, I like better stuff.

Stan,

the issue with the RCBS scale is that the weight shown is not necessarily the true weight. The scale tends to "drift" over a loading session. As an example, pick a bullet to use as a check weight. After callibrating the scale, weigh the bullet. Check the bullet weight periodically and you may see a different weight displayed after 30 minutes or an hour. The bullet obviously does not change weight, but the scale is no longer showing the true weight. I've had a few of the RCBS scales and they all start off ok, but with time tend to drift, up to 0.3 gr over one loading session. Depending on what is being loaded, 0.3 gr difference makes a noticeable difference even at 200 yards, which is well within expected hunting distance.



Bass,

To my mind, shot placement is the single most important factor for making a clean, humane kill of an animal, and we as hunters owe that to them. I really do not want an animal to suffer.

I do not own a benchrest rifle, but strive for the best possible performance I can out of the rifles I do use.

I want the bullet to go where I aim, not kind of in the neighborhood of where I aim.

There are four critical components to making an accurate shot - the rifle, the scope, the ammo, and the shooter. All have a role in accuracy.

Ammo is an easy place to increase accuracy, and an easy place to lose accuracy.

Here is a typical practice target at 100 yards using my main hunting rifle, a 308 with a bipod and rear bean bag. It definitely not a benchrest setup. It is a long way from perfect, but striving for consistency and proficiency, which increases the odds of making a clean, humane kill on the animal. The practice is to shoot with a quick followup, stand up and move back from the rifle, then get back on it shoot two, stand up, repeat. This forces practice of getting on the rifle in a consistent manner. The difference in position can be seen, especially on the third line, second group on the right. The quality and consistency of ammo can show up even on this 100 yard target.



Better precision yields better field results. My wife is doing the shooting on the deer, I was running the video, but this is what we strive for with every shot.

how many shots are in those groups and at what distance?

ok I see 100yrds with an Accuracy International

Correct.

One shot per 1" dot.

The goal is not the size of the group per se, but practicing accuracy - hitting the intended point of aim.

The smaller the setup will group, the more likely it is to hit close to the point of aim.

100 yards is good for practicing form as the influence of wind is reduced, although it still remains a factor.

Here is a link to print out lots of nice targets for free.

http://mytargets.com/

You are correct, my RCBS scale does wonder off at times, I double check, and re-calibrate every few charges and its a slow process. I like to fill the bowl and let it sit and trickle until it gets to a tenth of a grain less than my charge weight, and just add a kernel or a few till the number hits, so it " could " be on the low side of the tenth of a grain charge I am using. When I double checked, about 30% of my cases were a tenth of a grain short or over. It's why I ordered the FX-120I for a more precise weight. Just found a tidy load today for my lightweight 7 Mag / Shilen 26" barrel with 140 VLD Hunt for deer season, printed a nice .25 MOA cloverleaf and velocity is a strong 3240 fps with no pressure signs. For a big case like the 7 and 300 Mags, a tenth of a grain scale is OK for me as long as you double check and re-calibrate often.
Nice shooting JeffBird.