Do you load differently from 100yds to 200yds and why ? Do you think there are rifles that shoot better at 200yds than 100yds and if so why does this happen ? - Multiple
Bart Sauter
Do I load differently for 100 and 200 yards? No.I use the same load for both. Do some rifles shoot better at 200yds then 100yds? I have seen one barrel (owned by Billy Stevens) which I believe shot better at 200yds. The best the barrel was capable of at 100yds was low 2s. However it would consistently shoot the same groups at 200 yards (not 4s but 2s). We theorized (SWAG) that somehow the bullets were stabilizing a little later in then normal.
Walt Berger
We shoot the same load at 200 as 100. If it shoots at 100 it will shoot at 200. If you see a problem at 200 I will bet it was not shooting as good at 100 as it should have been. Yes there may be some barrels (or other related factors) that make a particular rifle shoot better at 200 than 100 but I am not sure it will ever be a competitive rifle as I feel it has a problem that needs correcting. Some times that is selling the rifle.
Bill Giel
What works at 100 usually works at 200. Can't fit any more powder in the case, anyway :-)
Again, I think a rifle that shoots well at 100 will shoot well at 200. Not enough difference in the yardage. Now, at 600 yards, it might be a different story. Unfortunately, my rifle has a loose nut on the trigger, and does not shoot well at any yardage.
Tom Rollins
Do you load differently from 100yds to 200yds? No. However, I do know some that do and need to. That goes into your next question.
Do you think there are rifles that shoot better at 200yds than 100yds and if so why does this happen? Yes. I guess I'm lucky as both of mine seem to shoot the same MOA at both 100 and 200 yards. However, I know some that have to either seat their bullets to a different depth or change powder loads from 100 to 200 yards in order to get the same MOA size qroups at both distances. I think this has a lot to do with barrel harmonics which reflect a lot in what when and where a bullet stabilizes. With some barrels, that harmonic point falls in an area where there is no difference in the stability of the fired bullet at 100 or 200 yards from an identically loaded cartridge. On other barrels, those harmonics must be changed to get the same MOA group size at one distance that you get at another. To change those harmonics, you change your pressure by either different seating depths or changing the powder load or even a change in primer. I have learned that it is not the load that a gun likes, its the load that the barrel's harmonics likes for a given projectile for a given distance which relates into at what distance do you wish that projectile to be its most stable. Again, That point is the same for my two guns at both 100 and 200. However, I do have to change for 300 yard shots to keep the same MOA that I have at 100 and 200 yards with both rifles. I actually have to shoot with LESS pressure at 300 to get that same MOA. Not good for bucking the wind but great for stabilization at that distance. BTW, that same 300 yard load shoots awful at 100 and 200 yards, about as bad as the 100 and 200 yard loads do at 300 yards.
Mike Bryant
I don't load any different from 100 to 200 yards. When I tune my load I do it at 200 yards mainly because it is easier to see whether your load is progressing at 200 than at 100. All of your bullets hitting together at 200 is a good group but at 100 it may not necessarily be very good. I have noticed though that almost all of the small group plaques that I have have been won at 200 yards. I was talking to Larry Baggett and Skip Otto at the Buffalo Shoot and they both told me that they shoot a lighter load at 100 than they do at 200. For the coming up season, I will probably tune for 200 and then back up to 100 and try minor variations in my load and see how that works.
As far as a rifle shooting better at one yardage or another, I really don't know. The barrels for my rifles tend to be either they shoot well or every once in a while you will get a barrel that is not competitive.
COL Billy Stevens
I do not load differently for 100, 200, or even 300 yard matches. I have in the past and at least for me it was a waste of time. I would try to load a little hotter and even try different bullets at 200/300 yards. Now I try to determine the best load for a particular rifle/barrel and stick with load regardless of the range. Seems as though if a load works well at 100 yards, it will be the best one for the 200 or 300 yard range also. Changing loads in the middle of a match is generally a bad plan (other than bumping the powder up or down a click or so) and is a sure sign that I am not a threat to walk away with very much wood at the end of the match. I believe there are shooters that shoot better at 100 yards than 200 yards or vice versa but not necessarily rifles. It stands to reason that if a rifle shoots well at 100 yards that it should shoot well at 200 yards. If it doesn't shoot at 100 yards, I see no reason to expect it to shoot when you move to 200 yards. Probably just going to be a long day at the range.
Ron Gailbraith
I use the same loads for both yardages. I don't believe that increasing the powder charge for 200 yard distances will be all that beneficial. The real trick, for me, will always be to read the conditions better at 200. No load will save one from disaster if he or she misses a reverse or pick-up. Some shooters tune their rifles to shoot well at 200 yards and use this load for all distances. Seems to make sense, but I suspect that this is not a hard and fast rule. I find that my load developed at 100 yards works fine at 200 as long as I do my part. I do think it's possible that some rifles shoot better at 200 yards than at 100 but I have never really heard a definitive argument as to why this may be so. I suspect that this may somehow be dependent on the rate of rifling twist and its relationship to any particular bullet . Some say if the bullet takes longer to stabilize out of a particular barrel it may shoot relatively better at 200 yards than at 100, the theory being that once the bullet "goes to sleep", it will fly more true beyond the 100 yard marker. This may be true in a perfect world (read: no wind ). I've always had a little trouble with that concept, though, as once a bullet is pushed off its intended path during its initial de-stabilized period, subsequent stabilization will not reverse or minimize any "push" from the wind. Laws of kinetic motion say that any initial angular offset will be maintained at a constant rate during the entire flight unless offset by an opposing force ( ie., wind ). For instance, a wind push near the muzzle that results in a 100 yard deflection ( drift is not the proper term ) of .250 inch will result in a 200 yard deflection of at least .750 inches, regardless of the state of stabilization . This is a physical law that will hold true even in the absence of any further wind push along the way. Therefore, all other things being equal, the 200 yard deflection should always be relatively worse than that at 100 yards. However, gyroscopic flaws in the bullet that make it behave differently at varying rotational RPM's may be another matter entirely. Such flaws may induce true "drift" that varies as the bullet passes through different levels of stabilization. Maybe this could affect group sizes in a manner dependent on the yardage distance. I have one barrel with a 1-13 twist that shoots very well at 200 yards but so far has been less than stellar at 100 yards. This has really got me wondering why this is so. Maybe 200 yard distances benefit from a little more initial stabilization, or maybe it is slightly over stabilized at 100, further magnifying the effects of any gyroscopic flaws in the bullet. It could be neither of course; I will probably never know. But hey ... part of the fun will always be trying to figure out why.
Mickey Coleman
I load the same for either yardage. I think I can shoot 200 yards better than I can shoot 100 yards. It's probably between my ears but I usually shoot better at the longer yardage and I usually shoot better at the bigger shoots than I do the smaller ones. Go figure! I don't really believe some guns will shoot better at one yardage than another...I mean, how do it KNOW???
Bob Terry
I don't load any differently at 100yds than at 200yds. All of my load development is done at 200yds. At this range it is easier to read the target. I get a better understanding of what I need to do to tune the load for this rifle.I belive that if I tune my rifle at 200, it will shoot good at 100 also.
Do some guns shoot better at 200yds than at 100yds? Mine doesn't. Other shooters claim that there guns do. I have heard other people say that some bullets don't completely stabilize until they get past 100yds. I have never run into this problem myself.
Ray Wight
Yes, I think there are rifles (or more accurately, barrels - or maybe even more succinctly, loads) that shoot better at 200 yards. I quite often use a different load at 200 yds ,especially a specific bullet that seems to shoot better. For instance, I have a 62 grain Meyer bullet that just seems to like to shoot at 200 yds. Why? I don't have the foggiest. Perhaps it has something to do with velocity/rpm's/stabilization and the like.
On the subject of whether a specific rifle shoots better at 200 vs. 100 yds., my opinion is that it certainly seems so. I recently bought a used Panda/Hart rifle from a shooter in Iowa. Others who have shot against this rifle expressed to me that this was one heck of a 200 yard gun! Now, I never got it to really hum at either 100 or 200 although I did win some yardages and Aggs with it before I shot out the barrel. Was it really better at 200? I never noticed it, but maybe so!
J. D. Denoff
I sometimes load differently depending on the weather. Usually 1 full number on the NJ (Culver) measure. Yes I do think some guns shoot better at one yardage verses another (I've had a few). The reason being (My opinion) is Barrel harmonice and Bullets, If you find a sweet spot on the velocity high end (3400 FPS) that shoots good at 100 yds. it most likely will shoot at 200 yds. without any change in load. Not all Bullets will shoot both yardages either. Thats why I've gone through 6 bullet dies in the past 7 years, Seems the DIE Detsch made for me is very consistent up to 300 yds.
Ken McGinnis
What a timely question,as I've just been spending the past month trying to tune loads for both my heavy and light guns at 200yds. under the assumption that they both would work better at 100yds. if fine tuned at 200yds.Now with this question,I'm beginning to think I may have wasted some time and money,tell me it ain't so Joe. Surprisingly using the same load in both guns i.e. same bullet,powder,primer,neck tension,and 53clicks-n133 is giving most consistancy. This is being observed even though there is 5 inches difference in barrel lenghts two different reamers and two different OAL's as seating depth is the same on both loads? Any idea why I'm experiencing this? Both barrels are basically new. So to answer your question as soon as I get another day at the range hopefully next week I'll move back to 100yds. and find out if there has been any change in performance.
John Whitley
No I don't load for 200 now. I am going to experiment though. Speedy Gonzales told me his 200 yd scores have gone up since he started loading for 200.
Yes I do think some rifles shoot better at 200 yds. Don't no why. Gift from the God's maybe. It may be the barrel. Would like to hear some discussion on this. Maybe it is the bullet?
Rich Griffin
I know that a lot of people have different loads for 100 and 200 yards, but over the years I have mainly work up loads at 200 yards. I put more importance on shooting at 200 yards because that is where the match is won. That's not to say that 100 yards isn't important, but I feel that if the gun shooting at 200 yards it will shoot at 100 yards.
I have had guns that shoot better at 200 or 100, but I can not explain the reason why, it may be due to the barrel, powder load, and, may be the shooter. I have found that the barrel with a 1-13 twist tend to shoot better at 200 than 100. I can not explain the reasons why, but again may be due to various factors.
Allen Arnette
I sometimes load a little different from 100yds to 200 yds.I mostly start 200 where I shot 100 and then make changes as needed.
I'm not sure if some rifles shoot better at different yardages or not but I think they are harder to tune at 200.In my case it might be I'm just not very good at it.
Wilbur Harris
I don’t load differently from one yardage to another. I am certain that there are rifles that shoot extremely well at 200 yds but are mediocre at 100 yds. I can not make the same statement for the reverse situation. I have no evidence to support the reason why but have heard and read that a bullet will orbit the line of departure for some distance, converging on this line until it stabilizes and then follow the line to impact. In theory the resulting group would be ring shaped prior to stabilization. In any case, a rifle like this is an expense I dont need and should be fixed to shoot at any distance.
