A Step Towards Cartridge Perfection
Do you want to shoot at distances far exceeding typical hunting ranges? In addition to top-tier rifles and gear, you’ll need premium ammunition. We’ll guide you through how to tailor your rounds to match your rifle perfectly.
Requirements for accuracy in hunting rifles and ammunition are quite individual. Theoretically, it makes sense to aim for the highest possible precision, but a hunter who exclusively shoots “at the feeder” from 50 meters away definitely doesn't need sub-MOA groups (26 mm at 91 m). On the other hand, some shooters demand maximum accuracy—either out of necessity due to the environment or simply as a matter of principle. In any case, approaching perfection requires extensive training, the right rifle, scope, mounts, and other equipment—and crucially, precision-made ammo. The most suitable and accurate loads, you’ll need to craft yourself.
Let’s state upfront: with higher accuracy demands, both financial and time costs increase rapidly. You could say that if your goal is to hunt within, say, 300 meters, you can get by with basic tools and components. But another 300 meters will require better dies, a higher-quality press, a scale, premium bullets, an eye for detail, a lot of measuring, and no small amount of experimentation. Anything beyond that enters the realm of “alchemy”—a topic we’ll only touch lightly. Our primary focus will be the second step, from which you can continue further on your own. We’ll go through the essential procedures, mention some of the more advanced operations for further exploration, and introduce some of the key equipment. Keep in mind, opinions differ among reloaders on the "best" method. So take the following as conclusions drawn from my own long-standing experience.
"Each cartridge must be identical. From case length to powder charge to bullet concentricity.“
Next, ensure all cases are trimmed to the same length—you’ll need a case trimmer for this. Upon firing, pressure and heat cause the case to stretch slightly, especially into the neck area. Measure your cases and trim any that exceed CIP specifications, removing excess material from the neck. I’ve had great results with the universal case trimmer from Frankford Arsenal (approx. 2 753 CZK), which mounts to a drill, is highly precise, and easy to use—but other options are available. After trimming, you'll need to chamfer and deburr the case mouth. There’s a dedicated, but much simpler, tool for that. Less is more—remove only the necessary amount of material.
Universal case trimmer by Frankford Arsenal."When buying dies, you must consider whether you want to resize the entire case or just the neck."
Accuracy requires measuring and sorting.Operations for Perfectionists
A whole range of operations can be applied to the primer pocket. Scraping out any debris and chamfering the edges should be considered the basic step. Personally, I especially recommend getting a flash hole deburring tool. Additionally, you can calibrate the primer pocket with a special swaging die, or even go further with milling operations used by some high-end reloaders. Some of these advanced reloaders also anneal their brass to restore its elasticity. This allows the case to withstand more reloading cycles and creates more uniform tension in the neck area, improving the bullet's grip and thereby contributing to accuracy. How much it contributes is up for debate, but among top long-range shooters who reload their own ammo, annealing has become almost standard (with a few exceptions). On the other hand, it's a demanding process that requires suitable—and not exactly cheap—technical equipment. For hunting shots up to 600 meters, you don’t need it.
The same applies to sorting cases by weight (after all prep work) and by headspace, to resizing brass to match your chamber’s headspace (shoulder bumping), and to neck turning to ensure uniform neck wall thickness. You can also sort by concentricity, neck thickness uniformity, and neck wall consistency—discarding or reserving outliers for less demanding shooting. Tools like the RCBS Case Master (approx. 5 379 CZK) help you identify brass with excessive deviation and sort them out. How big a deviation matters is again very individual—depending on how much inaccuracy you’re willing to tolerate.
What to Load the Cartridge With
When choosing powder, you can go with the best, like Swiss, but you can also get excellent results with much more affordable Vectan powders. Either way, you’ll need to test a range of load configurations to find the one that works best in your rifle. This means selecting a specific powder type, determining the correct charge weight, and finding the ideal bullet seating depth. This process can be time-consuming and component-heavy, but the results can far exceed anything you’ll get from factory ammo.
To select the right powder, it’s best to use a dedicated ballistics program—don’t rely solely on manufacturer load tables, which don’t account for many critical variables. I personally use GRT (Gordon’s Reloading Tool), which runs on both Windows and Linux and is available for free. You input your cartridge, barrel length, and bullet. If your exact bullet isn’t listed, choose a similar one and manually enter its length and weight. Next comes the powder. The system can suggest suitable options, but due to market limitations, it’s often better to go through available powders manually and use the output tables to determine the best fit. You want a powder that burns completely within your barrel length, but “just barely” so that it delivers energy smoothly and efficiently to the bullet. As a hunter, you’ll also appreciate a flatter ballistic trajectory from higher muzzle energy.
Sample output from the GRT program.A Few Recommendations
Reloading is impossible without quality components.
Proper Resizing
When purchasing dies, you need to decide whether you want to full-length resize the entire case or just neck size. In the latter case, the rest of the case essentially resizes itself under chamber pressure during firing. Theoretically, this makes it better "matched" to your chamber, although it’s the die that handles all the resizing, which may (arguably) reduce case life and also requires lubrication. In practice, things aren’t so black-and-white, and full-length resizing is slightly more common among top-tier shooters. Personally, I’ve had slightly better but measurable results on target by neck-sizing only—but that doesn’t mean your rifle and its variables won’t favor the opposite.
As for choosing dies, you’ll want something better than a basic Lee set. You’ll appreciate features like a micrometer seating die, allowing for precise control over bullet seating depth, and interchangeable bushings for neck sizing. Over-crimping the bullet can negatively affect group size. Naturally, the bullet must be held firmly enough in the neck to withstand routine handling and recoil in the magazine before it’s chambered. Excessive crimping, however, can be detrimental—though opinions vary. Some shooters even crimp additionally, though in precision shooting this is often avoided. Different rifles respond differently to various solutions. Personally, I lean toward light neck tension using just the sizing die. With interchangeable bushings, you can choose what works best for you. Again, this is an added investment, as you’ll need to purchase and test several bushings.
RCBS MatchMaster dies include a system that ensures precise bullet alignment with the case axis.
Advantages of a Powder Dispenser with Integrated Scale
Before buying bushings, measure the wall thickness of the neck on your fired brass (randomly select three cases, measure the neck in three spots on each, and calculate the average), then multiply by two. To that, add the bullet diameter and subtract 0.025 mm. Bushings are sized in inches, so in my case, the equation looked like: .015 x 2 + .264 - 0.001 = .293”. Bushings are made in 0.001” increments. You should order the result plus one or two bushings slightly smaller, then experiment to find the best combination of neck tension and accuracy.
In this regard, I highly recommend top-tier RCBS MatchMaster dies (6 036 CZK), which also allow you to insert bullets through a side window and hold them perfectly aligned during seating. This prevents minor misalignment that’s hard to detect by eye but can still affect accuracy. To check alignment, you can use tools like the previously mentioned Case Master.
The MatchMaster neck-sizing die includes not only an interchangeable bushing but also a decapping pin and sizing section.You Can’t Do It Without a Press
Choose a solid, heavy, single-stage press with a sturdy cast-iron frame. You can’t go wrong with brands like RCBS, Redding, and Dillon. Progressive presses may occasionally deliver surprisingly consistent results, but they’re mechanically more complex and prone to issues. Turret presses are a middle ground—they lack the rigidity of single-stage presses but save time by not requiring you to switch dies, reducing the chance for user error. The Zero Press by Area 419 has an outstanding reputation, though it’s not currently available locally. From personal experience, I recommend the RCBS Turret (14 715 CZK), which I started using even for precision handloading after comparing its accuracy with a single-stage press. I’m able to produce rounds grouping as tightly as 0.5 MOA, which is plenty for my needs.
Top-tier Turret Zero press from Area 419.
"The bullet must be firmly seated in the neck to withstand normal handling without shifting."
Bullet Seating Depth
A crucial aspect of tuning your load is finding the ideal bullet seating depth. Although each cartridge has a specified "maximum overall length" (OAL), when handloading, you don’t have to—and often shouldn’t—stick to it. Some bullet/barrel combinations are most accurate when the bullet is almost touching the lands, others prefer standard OAL, and some require a significant "jump" (a larger distance from the lands). But this comes with two caveats: pressure variations and determining how much room you have to “maneuver” in your chamber. The rule of thumb is: the deeper the bullet is seated compared to OAL, the higher the pressure—conversely, more jump generally means less pressure. You may need to adjust your powder charge to stay within safe pressure limits. Reloading software can help with this—but remember, programs have limitations and shouldn’t be your only reference. Always leave a safety margin from maximum pressure values. The same applies if the bullet is seated close to the lands; engaging them during firing increases pressure.
To measure how much space you have in your chamber, you can use specialized tools or a simple method: take a case without powder or primer, seat a bullet loosely—say for a .308 Win with an OAL of 71.1 mm, seat it to about 72.5 mm. Mark the bullet with a marker, chamber the round, and close the bolt. Remove the round and check for land marks. If you see them, seat the bullet a bit deeper (e.g., 72.0 mm) and repeat until the marks disappear. Once they're gone, you’ve found your rifle’s maximum OAL for that bullet. Then check that this longer cartridge still feeds properly from the magazine. You can now use this value as a reference point. Personally, I test three configurations: one seated just off the lands, one at standard OAL, and one with a 2 mm jump. I load two sets of six rounds for each, take them to the range, and determine which setup delivers the tightest group.
You can also fine-tune your powder charge. I typically test two charges: one at 90–93% of max pressure, the other around 85%. Of course, more configurations can be tested—it all depends on how much time and money you want to invest.
You can purchase the tools mentioned in this article at STROBL.CZ s.r.o. For more information, visit strobl.cz.
Photo credits: Author’s archive
Author: Tomáš Prachař
Originally published in Lovec magazine by Extra Publishing