300 winmag and 200 Hybrid results

[Minesweeper3433]

Finally got to do my first test with my new batch of norma brass and berger hybrids. I wanted to find a lower recoiling load so started at 68.0 grn's and worked up in .5 grn increments all the way to 71.5. Powder was H4831SC. I was having miserable results starting at 68 grn's and was kind of disappointing until I got up to 69.5. It finally started to tighten up from 3.5 inches down to an inch. However it kept tightening down untill I managed to get a three shot group at .245 at 200 yards with the max of 71.5. At this accuracy should I not worry about anything else and just load up the rest of the brass with this load or should I tinker with it more. It more than meets my requirement of 3/4 inch at 200 but I have never stumbled across a load like this so fast. What would you do from here?

 

[ShootDots]

First, what are you intending to use the rifle for? If it is 600 - 1000 yard competition of sorts, you need to find out what velocity you are getting and what the e.s's are. If your e.s's are in excess of say 18+f.p.s., that's where you need to concentrate your efforts on. Once you do that and you get your e.s.'s under control, you might want to play with the seating depth somewhat.. Sometimes that can tighten your e.s.'s AND groups, and it can just as easily work the reverse>>>you will not know til you try.. Then once you are satisfied you have reached about the best you are going to get from your rifle, take it out to a range of 600 or so and see what it is really capable of doing.

 

[jonbearman]

At this point I would play with seating depth to see if it tunes even better which will be hard to beat. Make sure you write down the seated length you are using before you forget.

 

[Minesweeper3433]

First thing I did after these results was make sure everything was written down that I would need by only using the instructions I had recorded to load against to see if I could load them "by my notes". I was missing a few things but notes are far improved now.

On the chronograph, mine was messed up with an arrow a while back and I havn't replaced it yet. The local long distance range in the area happens to have a caliber restriction that they morph and change to what they want depending on the mood. I was told 300winmag was not allowed but anything smaller was. Then I watched as they stopped a gentleman from shooting his 300win short mag while still allowing him to zero his 7m STW for elk? Have to say that this one rule has turned me off from the only long distance range I know of in my area. Because of this I am still on the look out for a place to shoot eastern slopes Colorado springs area. So for now I will load up another test batch of 20 rounds at that great load and try again when I can find a further distance place to shoot than just 200 yards.