"Johnny's Reloading Bench" did an experiment with the position of the powder in the case a few years ago with subsonic 300BO. He got wildly different results with powder by the bullet base, vs even-ish, vs by the primer. Case fill definitely makes a big difference. More full more better(appropriate powder and charge weight obviously). Definitely a good thing to try to fill the case when possible. Thanks Mark!

It's funny how the good shooters nearly always come to the same conclusions and results. Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge

Great information from Mark and Sam as always. The most trusting no BS channel on KZfaq elr. Shooting. 113 fahrenheit!!!! Yikes! Tough people those Australians.

I could not agree more Mark! I’ve had my best shooting groups with full cases. Corn starch and very fine sawdust has worked well in my experience. Thanks for all your hard work and excellent content, you two are the best on the interwebnet! Cheers from Michigan!!

It’s important to hold your mouth in the right way, and sometimes I make a little noise just before the bullet seats. Works every time. Cheers. Great info as usual.

Mark, you are a wealth of knowledge..I've learned soo much from watching your channel. Thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks Mark, your advice is greatly appreciated. I spent years chasing my tail with nodes, seating depths etc, etc. I then started just picking a powder working out max pressure coming back a bit and happy days. You’ve now given advice on a couple more improvements I can make. Thank you greatly appreciated

Very good and thoughtful vid. A couple of real world reloading tips for anyone who doesn’t have all the top gear. And some food for thought. Enjoyable thanks Mark.

Thank you so much for sharing unconventional considerations for us to use in our own pursuits. Great video M&S

I’m so glad you made this video, Mark. It makes a lot of sense. So far I have used wadding to get consistency in 44 Magnum and 45 LC cases as they are copious and often result in inconsistent velocities due to powder position. Will eventually try this in rifle cartridges. Cheers!

Good Hints Mark thanks I've used Kapok as a case filler and it works good .

That actually makes perfect sense. Keep up the good work. Much appreciated.

Absolute genius in simplicity 👏🏼

I'm not an expert at reloading but have learned a lot the last few years, the conclusion most good honest shooters come to is the load density. You nailed it again Mark. One thing I will say is I trust your advice.

Makes sense Mark. Good advice as usual. Hopefully it settles down so you and Sam can get some shots in soon. 👍👍

Great video as always and enjoy watching and rooting for you. The information is invaluable and appreciate all the sharing and the tips and tricks from you and many others. This community is very good about going over what works and what does not for them so you have several things to try and test. Thank you again for the video and keep up the good work. The 30 Sherman looks fun and working on a 300 PRC myself and it does come with some challenges and this is the information that helps find the balance and makes it fun.

Good info buddy, cream of wheat is what is used in cap and ball revolvers to bring the bullet to the top of the cylinder with light loads, thanks again 🤠

Makes good sense, as powder vs. air volume, or powder position relative to primer is going to affect the timing and pressure. Great video, Mark.

Great advice! This makes total sense.

Great advice Mark. As usual!!

Never had a go at rolling my own ammo, will have to have a go at it I reckon, thanks for the info Mark, take care and stay safe cheers Yogi ✌️🤙

Very interesting on the packing of a case. I’ve got a very accurate load for my 30 Sherman that is just shy of a full case. I’ll give the packing a try and test that on paper across the chronograph for consistency and accuracy and again at long range. Great video!

Much appreciated Mark. Stay cool.

One of the things I like about Quick Load software is the case fill % information. Many times I find vastly different information in the reloading manuals for the same bullet powder combination. I have found the best results with nearly filled cases, so I think your points are well taken. Biggest variation seems to be cases from different manufacturers. Measured case volumes are often quite different. Thanks for another great video.

Great content. Hello from British Columbia

Love your video's mark keep up the good work

Thanks for sharing this information

as always great job!! thank you Sir

Great info Mark,, thanks again 👍

Awesome advice!

The Ultimate Reloader has a YT video where he interviewed Bryan Litz. Bryan's load development is essentially the same as yours. He said he increased the charge weight until he sees pressure signs and then backs off the charge by a grain or two. That's his load! Good job with your video!

For powder, I use hornady manual, and use the powders toward the bottom of the list and typical on the higher charge end, seems to work well

Good practical information

It was -48 this morning when I woke up. Warmed up to -34.

I use cigarette paper to hold the reduced load against the primer. Good results from this method.

👍really good information 👍

Wonderful video! I'm a Lapua/Vihtavuori/CCI/Berger guy when it comes to precision shooting. Pick a powder with an appropriate burn speed that should get the velocity I want and roughly fill the case. Work up a load, see what happens, and adjust from there. Worst case scenario I'll try a different powder or a Federal GMM primer, but the loads I end up with always end up testing well on ES and SD. I used to do triple ladder tests, OCW testing, and all kinds of other side by side comparisons but never got repeatable results so I gave up on that. Using good components loaded with care gets me ammunition that shoots better than I can. If I ever get better maybe I'll do more. Cheers from the US! PS I love the new Garmin chrono! Got mine a few weeks back and couldn't be happier. It's a chunk of change but considering what we all spend on bullets, barrels and brass I thought I'd give it a go and I'm happy I did

I understand that extremely light loads can result in detonation- the powder distributes along the bottom of the case (lengthwise) exposing a large area of powder to the primer flash. An otherwise slow burn becomes a bomb. Packing the case with something to hold the powder at the primer end can avoid this risk.

I’ve read some of the older gun scribe’s articles on the subject and I remember them referring to Dacron and Cream of Wheat as preferred case fillers for lightly charged loads.

very interesting, thanks!

Berger bullets are my favourite. Very hard to come by these days though

Good info for everyone, brother!

On the subject of fillers, be careful of Dacron and cotton wool. I used to use it for subsonic loads in .308 and .223. Sometimes the powder csn migrate up into the above fillers, causing far worse inconsistency, to the point where I once had a load that varied from slightly supersonic to sticking a bullet in the barrel. I also ended up with toilet paper as probably the best option. Except on straight-wall cases I use a wad cut from polystyrene (mushroom punnets and the like).

we use to dip 220 swift in 870 but 870 is slowest of slow....Great vid 👍👍👍👍👍👍

I think the big difference comes in the rifle. You use very high end barrels and precision actions for the most part. A high end custom rifle is not going to be as finicky as a factory rifle where it comes to loading, but if you're trying to make a factory rifle shoot well then that's where all of the load development and brass prep work comes into play. Many factory rifles can be made to shoot as well as a custom, but it takes a lot more work to get it there.

Cream of wheat for bullet filler has been used. I believe that is what Mark was thinking about.

I think that's why I run h1000 in my 243 for heavy bullets Thanks for your work

Toilet paper sounds good...some people use oat apparently... Excellent info.

My favorite part about the 6.8 sig is that I load up till the primer blows and then back it off 2 grains. Can't hurt the steel case head before the primer blows and bolt lugs get set back. It's a little scary though, the usual warning signs just aren't there until things get bad. I've been hearing this/your methodology for reloading for a while. It's.. good..? reassuring..? to hear that again that it's really just that simple. No witchcraft, just the basics.

I agree, the seating depth & barrel tuner dorks can get a bit irritating at times. I don't mean to be disparaging to them, but often, at least to me anyway, it seems tech & kit are more important to those types than the holes in the target are. I've watched an awful lot of them over the years shoot the finest rifles, scopes and ammo money can buy and still struggle to put consistent groups down range as close as 200 yards. Just my own two cents on it

Not only too much powder, but also too little powder can be dangerous, see SEE (Secondary Explosion Effect). Reduced charges can also be dangerous, as the burning rate (due to a larger powder surface exposed to the ignition jet) can increase dramatically. It is therefore highly advisable to fill the empty space with inert materials as described for reduced charges with less than 80% volume charge.

Hey Mark, one thing I have noticed over the years is that a well built rifle will shoot everything well ... with in reason. A well built rifle combined with good components used for loading and good loading process is key to accuracy, the weak link is the shooter

Have used quilting batting myself. Was concerned mainly with hunting ammunition, and concerned that the powder charge would “mill” itself, for handling and vibration, over time, if allowed to tumble around freely in the case.

Thank You

Ive only been reloading shy of 2 years, but I've noticed case fill can make a difference in some cases. I notice alot of the high case fill loads I've worked work tend to do better with lower Standard deviation& extreme spread. Be it in 204, 223, 22-250 as of recent, 25-06, 6.5 creedmoor, 308 and a few more as well. My old rem 788 in 22-250 as of recent had been struggling with lower SD & ES. I tried benchmark, varget, viht n140, and h4350. I got this hunch to dig out the tub of Winchesters Staball Match I had under my bench that I hadn't touched really at all since I was doing development on my 223. Well at 36.2gr of powder (just almost to the bottom of the neck in my SIG brand brass) with a 55gr sierra SBT gameking bullet at 1.980" base to ogive, I got a SD of 0.8fps and ES of 2fps on my initial tests. I have yet to go and see if it's repeatable, that's the plan this weekend. The only exception for me was with my pedersoli sharps in 45-70, when I was loading 535gr lyman postell cast bullets. I was only loading... 23-25gr of accurate 5744 powder, VERY low case fill. And I was getting some of the lowest Standard deviation and extreme spread I'd ever saw. Was getting Standard deviations of 7,8,9fps in 10-15shot groups. My groups were MOA at 100yds with the simple pedersoli ladder sights that comes with the rifle.

Enjoyed

used to use Cream of wheat breakfast cerial.

Fascinating. There seems to be so much "do it this complicated way" advise out there. You explain the engineering of what you do, and I find that so much better. I like the concept of keeping it as simple as possible. "Simple" means less to go wrong in most cases. I am wondering how your "methodology" wound work for shorter distances. Shorter distances should mean greater "accuracy". Afterall, 1 MOA is 1 MOA, no matter the distance.

Cold and wintery here in Maine.

I as a Hunter that uses Supressors and shorter Barrels sometimes have to Work a bit different when it comes to Powders i want 100% Burnrate so i have to sometimes use not optimal Powders for Cartridge (some Calibers like 308 with 46 to 51cm Barrels is easy and you have many choices of Powders / others like 6.5x55SE or 30.06 with 51cm Barrels are more challenging to find the wright Powder that gives you both) but i allways look to get at least 90 to 95% Casefill

lol wonderful tools

Thank you for your awesome tips and knowledge. I sure hope the price of toilet paper and cotton wool will not go up as much as other reloading materials!😂

Personally I love your video's even though they aren't too relevant to my own shooting but then this video is relevant in that it demystifies some of the reloading stuff and relates well to my own reloading. Do you guys hunt? If so what and what style?

Firstly I want to thank you for your excelent videos. Butt. I tried youe toilet paper to fill the void in my case trick and got interesting results. My sd got real low around 10 much better than my normal loads. Buttt my groups at 100 yards went from 1/2 moa to 8 inches or 8moa. They were spraying in every direction but the aim point. I think in my rifle at least the toilet paper trick was a terrible idea. I'm using a 6mm creesmoor Hornady 108 eld H4350 powder 40 grains Alpha brass once fired case Cci small rifle primer I filled the case with 40 grain of powder and put a bit of toilet paper rolled up in there even then the load wasn't compressed and got wild results. Just thought I'd share

I use that theory where I choose a powder to fill the case. I curios on your speed with the 220. My rum 33” barrel Is 3140 for the 245 and 3260 with the 230 with one grain more powder. That 220 is going to be screaming

I only load pistol cartridges. My method: Progressive press, load by head stamp, throw ‘em in the vibrator w/ walnut medium for several hours till fairly shiny and clean inside. Then to the seven stage press: de-prime and size on the press, TITEgroup powder, Federal, CCI or Remington primers; always the same powder load , check the powder throw bi-monthly, always the same CPHP projectile, leave them a bit long, light crimp and only 50 at a time so I can pay attention to the powder cop and case for potential issues. I do visually and tactilely check the primer for proper seating depth as well as the case itself as I box them up. I usually will never run more than 200 at a sitting. And thank God, I never have any issues. They always shoot as they should. I shoot competitively, and while others are having all kinds of issues - squib loads and the like I simply don’t. I’ve been doing this for years and shooting about 1000 rounds a week. Call me stupid; call me careless; this works for me and I trust my work. I also trust my press to do its job meticulously . It’s not for everyone. For my circumstances, I don’t find it necessary to go through a lot of hoops to be overly cautious or overly concerned. The “thinking” part has already been done, including knowing my mean bullet speed and BC. I’m sure I would be doing things differently if I were into long range Precision or precision pistol target shooting. My interest and limitations lie in tactic, defensive and competitive shooting, mostly steel matches and USPSA.

Bits n Pcs yes sir 🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯

Great info as usual 😊👍 ...and looks like you just talk to the camera without notes of any kind 😎

Beware the barrel wear, but this aligns with my experience with a 284win , 180gr bullets, and N560.

Ullage is the terminology for (air space) in the case. A drop tube would help with getting stick powder to stack more evenly in the powder column. Speaking of cases, do you have a preference in brass manufacturer? Keep up the great content!

I crossed a cartridge with cast load data to create a efficient load with a jacketed bullet to help with barrel fouling /leding .( This type of shooting reminds me of targeting with an oversized pellet gun .another thing is that most loads are easier to silence like this !🤔😏🙄🤐😎

I use the same method of reloading and I get sun moa groups at 600 yards my weatherby mark 5 in 6.5 cm will do 2” at 600 yard.

Interesting video Mark, thanks. Oh, and don’t look now but it looks like the Russian doll is sneaking up on Germany 😁

I've heard of that or similar loading method but have never tried it.

You are the smartest person considering ballistics I've ever seen. But doesn't it ultimately come down to the guy who's pulling the trigger.

Mark… Have you tried any type of vibratory tool to settle powder in each case ? When done it goes a long way to aligning powder kernels guaranteeing as much uniformity as possibles…

My understanding is you may get a high pressure spike at the beginning of the burn if you have too little of powder in the case. I think the intuition that was behind this is more powder is exposed to the initial primer flame. I intuitively imagine a case half full on its side that allows a primer to, not only ignites the powder next to it, but torch off the whole top of the powder column. But maybe thinking this way is flawed. After some though, I suspect the primer creates a huge disturbance in the case such that all the kernels get kicked around, hence the flame might just cook more of them if there is more space between them. I thought exactly the same as you. Could you just put a relatively light wadding (and I was also thinking toilet paper) there to jam the kernels next to the primer; however, maybe when the primer goes off this wadded space might immediately compress and effectively add space again between the kernels before they start burning. What I'm saying is I would be very cautious about reduced loads using a wadding. On the surface it seems like a great idea, but the dynamics of how the kernels get kicked around before they light up might be quite different than we think Like you said, I would recommend trail boss, that stuff is definitely safe for reduced loads.

Ever load with black powder and jacketed or cast bullets .the amount of powder that's burned is much less for the pressures created inside of cartridges .this type of load doesn't actually permit for higher velocities but for efficiency within powder consumption and as to the distance most animals are hunted ,such as deer may only be a couple of hundred yards .the amount of loads averaged out of a pound of powder can keep a person firing at the range much longer 🤔😏 try that for shits and giggles!🙄😎

Mark, you just opened a spurting can of pressurised worms! I'm a fanboy of slower muzzle velocities that fly the seeds sufficiently well in a 10mph at X distance, usually 600-1760. So, the bullet mass/shape for caliber weighs (oops) heavily in that insoluble equation. Given that oxygen (air) empowers every explosion, there must always be an optimum volume of oxygen (aka casefill %) for every powder and bullet in an enclosed volume. Inert fillers make sense and are well used. However, my gut is that the powder/oxygen % is the real key to a consistent pressure generated for any powder within any case and its chosen bullet. Des O'Neill, Sparta, TN.

Good afternoon. very interesting videos on your channel! A huge request to tell you about the subsonic cartridge .308win (V = 310-320 m/s). How to put gunpowder into cartridges if there is not enough of it? Is it necessary to use wads or not? Which type of row is better - cotton wool, synthetic padding, balsa wood, sawdust, starch...?

With sharp shouldered bottlenecked cartridges, using a filler can be very bad. Depending on the filler, it can pack very densely at the shoulder and create a blockage just long enough to create drastic pressures. This does not happen in straight walled cartridges, or even in ones like 300 Blackout as there is no, or almost no shoulder. The filler just becomes part of the bullet.

Cream of wheat maybe. Its common in the states lol. Or whatever we can find around the house 😂

You get consistent ignition with full case fill. Benchrest theory

I say from my experience, that the right powder charge is more of the right recipe of the accuracy ammo, than the bullet depth seating lenght. Chasing the lands is stupid.

Im curious about this packing the case with some inert material to keep the powder tight. I do have some ? About it, does it effect pressure is the most important, like as in could it case pressure to spike or be higher than it normally would. I ask because ive been testing with benchmark because varget has gotten expensive and benchmark is available and cheaper, im using it in my .308 rifle. The load itself does not fill the case like varget and does not produce as good groupings as varget. If packing the case with something as simple as toilet paper could get the ignition more consistant would work id be more than willing to give it a shot. Second ? Is the rifle barrel the most important part of the precision equation, ive heard everything from seating depth of primers, the powder you use, the bullet and seating depth, to the action, i ask because i have a ruger american, a relativly cheap rifle, that ive been trying to build into a good long range rifle just to say i did, lol. Ive put a byods at one stock on and its nice i must say, ive polished things to make the function better, ive installed a clamp on brake so i can shot it more at one sittting without having to reinsert my shoulder back into socket. It is capable of shooting 1 1/4 easily but fails at longer distance. Ive went thru the will maybe its me issues, but i find it hard to say its me when my .308 can shot moa at the longer distances and i cant with a rifle that should be able to outshot the lesser ballistically capable rilfe. So i have ordered a .900 heavy taperless precision barrel and im hoping its the piece of the puzzle im missing. Love the video, very informational, thanks. I will try the paper in my next loads with benchmark, but i will say it does kinda spook me a bit.

😊😊😊😊😊

Don't use polyeser or synthetic fillers if you use a suppressor. Unless you like cleaning them. Oatmeal.

How do you gage your maximum chamber pressure to begin with? Best regards from Brazil 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

Mark, do you ever reload for a 25.6, and if so any recommendations?

I'm using lapua brass for my 300PRC. Do you re anneal brass after so many shots through it?

Will you do the toilet paper thing on a long rifle? Another thing, will the paper plug a suppressor? Thanks allot!

I have zero experience with case fillers, but was under the impression that they should only be used with straight wall cases. (from reading something MANY years ago) Are bottle-neck cartridges fair game, as well?

with all the different cals you have, you must spend a lot of time reloading/developing etc.

🥳🎉✌️👍‼️

malt o meal to fill up case

How do you load with no primers ? 🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊

Don't suppose fillers will work well with moderators.

For the US of A, that would be called, "Arizona hot."

I find case fill to be very important as well. Much better results with a full case at the correct pressure.

Cream of wheat as filler with a paper wad