185 Berger load advice

[barefooter56]

Haha thanks Joe. I've only been reloading for a couple of years. I've gone above max before but always slowly and keeping in mind it will be hot here in the Texas summers It's a stock 1:10 24" barrel. These 185s we're coming out around 2650. The 155s I am pushing around 2950 in the same 24" barel.

My main question was is it reccomrecom to go up in load first or mess with seating depth first. It grouped well already but the velocities weren't consistent enough for 1k shooting and the velocity was too slow to make the heavy bullet better in the long run so I think that answers the question illI work the velocity up first and if it isn't grouping well at the top end I can play with seating later.

Find your bullet seating depth accuracy node first using the starting powder charge. Then work the powder charge up slowly checking for pressure signs and accuracy till your find a velocity accuracy node you want to use.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

42.5g - girls load! Keep goin' you are well under the load that you need. Hodgdons give a max of 44g Varget . I would start at 43 and go up in .2's to look for your node. But that's me and my rifle.

 

[D-4297]

Since Varget got scarce ; and I had some A-4064 , I developed a load for the 185 Jugg OTM , that produces very good results at both 600 , and 1,000 . But you might want to consider having your FB extended a bit . Mine is .180 , so I can load typical TR lengths . This load is giving me consistent mid to high 190's at 600 , and high 180's to low 190's at 1,000 . If my wind calls were better , my scores would be , too .

 

[JB10]

Not same bullet, but i shoot 175 vld hunting seated at touching lands. Way too long to mag feed, its single load. Lapua brass LRP with imr 4064 at 44gr of powder. Im just over 2670fps. Does great out to 700 yards. 1k was ok untill wind picked up. My luck with berger vld in several calibers has always been toucking the lands for seating depth.