I appreciate the depth of knowledge and experience represented by All of Your replies, (I'm the OP), and it basically proves to me that ANY statistical information is better (maybe ,only really useful,) with bigger statistics. Back to my simple logic question, before I burn out my barrel; I am trying to find a short-cut around discovering, then weeding-out, the likely culprit of aberration statistics in a small-section analysis of one gun, and one bullet, while fine-tuning, or re-trying a previously successful powder charge, as a way of finding more consistent "predictability" with less wasted experimentation.
I do not rely on low ES or SD as the pinnacle statistic for accurate shooting, but I do see it as a significant sign of accurate reloading. Actually, I too have occasionally gotten my best groups with a wider SD, and that's usually the load I went to the field with. I am assuming here(.., and here's the simple logic part,) that my reload "node" was wider with the wider SD, while still giving me the consistent P.O.I. accuracy I want, thereby offering me a greater range of flexibility and success in my imperfect reloading process.
Small matters, consistent groups across +/- 3% powder charge = Winner (for me)! Most of my really stellar groups have been hard to recreate consistently (but I have had some tantalizingly consistent ones). This is why I continue to struggle along wither ladder tests at my measly 150 yd range. They rule out the the totally useless powder/bullet/rifle combos that the reload manuals and internet statistics say should work great. Does quick-load do a better job at weeding out these aberrations?
Thanks again All!! I really appreciate You gun-nuts taking the time to consider this sort of question seriously. I can easily slip down the rabbit-hole of over-thinking, and it's reassuring to find a full house when I get down there!
I may have missed it, but have you stated your goal? what accuracy at what distance and with what gun/type of gun/custom or not etc?
IMHO if you think you had a better load but can't duplicate it, most times you never had that good of a load. Hence some of the threads on 2 -10 shot groups. We shot 22 shot groups in competition and that would really tell you what you had. The one time I had a tube I was working on that produced some 1.25 inch 5 shot groups at 600, I knew good and well it would likely be a hot tube but more like a .5 moa gun at 600 rather than .25 moa or so... even though I had a number of tiny groups. Not enough to be statisical though.
