Chrono'd some loads out of my 700P

[PH Racing]

Got to the range finally and chrono'd my loads....all done on a stock Dillon 550B press
I chrono'd two handloads and Winchester factory 168gr match.
The Win. Match went over the screens at
2600
2637
2629
2661
and one didn't read.

The first handload group was 42.5 Varget, 175gr SMK, Rem brass, Fed. Match primer, 2.800 OAL
2428
2464
2468
2436
2433
2378
2428
2394
2404
error
2350

The second was 44.3gr Varget, 175gr SMK, Rem brass, Fed. Match primer, 2.800 OAL
2678
2656
2666
2677
2657
2677
2673
2682
2679
2684

All the above loads went into a single group that was around 1/4" at 50m (yeah I know but it was the only range I could chrono on at the time)
Later I tried each load at 100m and they all came in around 3/4"

Temp was 13 degrees C, very little to no wind.
Rifle is a stock .308 Rem. 700P 24"bbl, EGW 20MOA long base, EGW Med Tactical 30mm rings, Bushnell 6500 2.5-16X42 Mildot.

 

[RePete]

Looks like the 44.3gr Varget is the better load. ES of 19fs, whereas the 42.5gr Varget has a 118frs spread.

You need to try them at 300yds now.

 

[maynard]

Just for ####s and giggles throw 20 charges with your Dillon 550 and weigh them. You will see why I don't use my 550 to load match rifle ammo.

 

[PH Racing]

I weigh

I did just that before loading these batches and was getting .1 grain variation +/- given the spread on the 44.3 gr load and the groups, I'm not going to worry about it too much to be honest.

 

[maynard]

Your lucky, my 550 throws +/- about .5 grain
.1 gr +/- is .2 gr variation. Doesn't mean much out to 300 yards. Might start costing V bulls at 500-600 and will cost points at 800,900 and 1000 yards.

 

[PH Racing]

Agreed, but so will my equipment. A stock 700P and Bushnell 6500 are not ideal match equipment, but it will get me out shooting and I'd far rather spend my time putting rounds downrange that putting them together at home. Wayyyy more fun too

 

[GSoD]

How did you settle on those two loads? I'm just putting together my first handloads for my 700P in .308 (with 26" barrel though) and am working my way up in batches of 4 from 42g to 45g in .3 increments to see if I can find my sweet spot.

 

[gushulak]

My sweet spot in my 700P is 43.0gr. of Varget, Win case, 175SMK and Fed 210M primer. Have yet to find a more accurate or more consistant load and I've tried almost every combo out there. Works great in my rifle.

 

[PH Racing]

To be honest I worked up the same way. The two loads ended up being the high and the low. I tested loads until I saw the first traces of pressure (very slightly lightened primers) then backed off 2/10ths until I could chrono.
I wasn't looking for a sweet spot to speak of. I was looking for an acceptable velocity for shooting long range coupled with acceptable accuracy. All I wanted was a group on or under 1 MOA with a decent velocity to minimize drop and wind. I would rather spend my time shooting a decent load and getting range time to learn all the other factors involved in long range shooting, then spending time experimenting with loads to get a marginally better group. Guess I'm not much of a gear geek.

 

[maynard]

Agreed, but so will my equipment. A stock 700P and Bushnell 6500 are not ideal match equipment, but it will get me out shooting and I'd far rather spend my time putting rounds downrange that putting them together at home. Wayyyy more fun too

I agree that shooting them is a lot more fun than loading them. My point is where do you draw the line between shooter/rifle/ammo and wind as far as accuracy goes, if the ammo isn't the very best you can make?

 

[PH Racing]

Same could be said for buying/building the best rifle and topping it with the best scope...then folks wonder why no new shooters get involved when it gets too expensive/difficult to keep up with others expectations.
I'd rather start slow and learn from experience.

 

[maynard]

Exactly what the F(M) class was designed for. It stops the equipment race by only allowing off the shelf rifles with a few mods. It does not matter if you shoot a factory rifle or a full custom F(O) class rifle, your ammo is one of the things you can control. If you are shooting a $5000 rifle and feed it garbage ammo you can't expect it to shoot sub MOA at long range.
If you make the best possible ammo you can there is a better chance of coming out on top of those that don't.

 

[roberti11]

I used my dillon for 2 years to load ammo for my 308. I learned a lot, and eventually decided to move to a single stage press for rifle and leave my dillion for pistol ammo. But it was a great start and I learned alot. average group size was 0.8. Once in a while I would get a flyer, likely related to a bit more or less powder than expected. But it was a great way to start. Keep on trucking, there is no downside to learning, and any day at the range is better than a good day at the office !