Varget or RL17

[41rem]

Loading some 200 grainers for my .308 Winchester M-99 Savage. Looking for reasonable operating pressure & accuracy over velocity.

What's the consensus?

 

[loneranger04]

Varget would be my first choice but RL17 is a great powder for the heavies too. For my way of thinking RL17 is better for increasing speed for the big bullets.

 

[jim_k]

Ditto loneranger.

 

[jonbearman]

Keep in mind the 99 has limitations as to legth. Is there a reason you need such a heavy bullet? Does it have the right twist to stabilize the heavy bullets?

 

[searcher]

I'd go Varget

 

[Jay Christopherson]

Just say no to RL-17. It'll show you the money, then break your heart at post time.

 

[william5409]

I'd go Varget

 

[amlevin]

Don't know about your Savage but the RL-17 is good stuff in my Remington as long as I use a bullet 185 gr or more in weight. Extra neck tension or a good jam helped too. Of course it helped that I could seat the 185's long enough in my Remington to keep the bottom of the bullet above the case wall/shoulder junction and not have it displacing powder capacity.

 

[Down South]

Varget

 

[41rem]

Is there a reason you need such a heavy bullet? Does it have the right twist to stabilize the heavy bullets?

My Savage m-99 shoots the Speer 180 grain Mag tip/ Varget combination quite accurately, so i think the 200 will spin fine.

I'm just looking for a little more kinetic energy so employing the Nosler partition @ 200 grains.