Satterlee Test
A single-shot-per-charge velocity ladder used to find a stable charge quickly, though its small-sample statistics are debated.
The Satterlee test, popularized by Scott Satterlee, is a quick form of load ladder in which the shooter fires one round at each charge weight, stepping up in small increments, and records every velocity over a chronograph. The handloader then looks for a stretch of three or more consecutive charges whose velocities cluster tightly together, treating that velocity flat spot as the place to settle the load. Its appeal is speed: a working charge can emerge from a single short string of fired rounds.
The method is openly debated because one shot per charge is a very small sample, and statisticians note that random velocity variation alone can produce a convincing-looking plateau. Supporters counter that the test is only a screening step, with the chosen charge confirmed afterward through fuller load development. Described neutrally, it is a fast first pass whose results deserve verification before they are trusted.