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Loaded some precision prepped DAG berdan primed brass for my Savage 110 in .308. I think this works.
43.5 gn Varget under a 150 gn fb target bullet seated to a CBTO of 2.301 to just touch the lands and set off with TULA KV-7.62N primers. 10 rnds shot at 100 yds. Low shot at 6 was operator error. Whatta Hobby!
Great results, NF1E! Very consistent with 9 of 10. Good shooting.
I hate those "Shooter Induced Variations". We all have them, don't we.
For me, Varget works great in my .308s. Your's seems to really like it, too.
Come to think of it, Varget works great with 69 to77 grain bullets in my .233 also.
Bullet choice also seems to depend on the barrel.
I have two Savage .308s, both with 24 inch barrels - one with a muzzle brake.
Both shoot about the same size groups but one prefers 150 & 155 grain bullets and shoots 168s almost as great.
The other likes 175 to 200 grain bullets and shoots 155s not so good and shoots 168s almost as great.
For all 7 of my Savages, each barrel has its own bullet weight and powder preferences.
Nice shooting!
I enjoy the results with Varget. Target show is with my 110 .223 using 23 gn of Varget under a 73 gn Berger bt target bullet in Starline cases. Whatta Hobby!
I love it when load work up comes to bear fruit.
Varget also does well in my 12bvss 22-250 with 55gr Vmax.
Its a versitile powder that definitely has a place on my shelf.
That is a great group! I am new to reloading and have been looking for Varget but it has been very evasive for me to find.
Just have your pocket book ready when it shows up. I just recently stocked up from Powder Valley.
Shooter's World Precision is said to be equal, or very nearly so, to Varget. Bought a jug to play with just haven't had the time.
The nice thing is there are several powders that work well in the .308. But, I also like Varget. I got lucky and found a jug of it last year so am ok for a little while.
One of the things the pandemic has forced on me is developing loads using other powders. And, yes, I keep a bit of money set aside for when I find a jug of powder that I use a lot.
charlie b, I'm doing the same thing.
Bought some N540 a while ago and found that it gives Varget a run for the money in accuracy and gains a bit more velocity doing it.
If you are trying to gain MV for long distance shooting, it might be worth a try.
But N540 is more temperature sensitive (0.8 fps per 1 deg F.) compared to Varget (0.032 fps per deg F.)
With a .223, using the same Exit Time for each bullet-powder combination (equivalent time for the bullets to leave the muzzle - 1.361 msec. for a 26 inch Savage barrel - at pretty close to the same temperatures)
With 69 gr SMKs, N540 was 1.72% faster (44 fps)
With 73 gr ELD-M, N540 was 1.62% faster (43 fps)
With 77 gr SMKs, N540 was 1.72% faster (48 fps)
With a .308, using the same Exit Time for each bullet-powder combination (equivalent time for the bullets to leave the muzzle - 1.343 msec. for a 24 inch Savage barrel with a 2.25 inch muzzle brake - at pretty close to the same temperatures)
With 168 gr SMKs, N540 was 1.12% faster (28 fps)
With 175 g SMKs, N540 was 1.06% faster (26 fps)
Thanks for that. I like 4166 but it looks like a lost cause at this point. Used some AA4064 and it was OK but not better. Am using N150 in the 6BR so will see what N540 is like for both.
I maintain that Varget works best for me with my shooting discipline because of it temp stability. Have noticed with others that if a rnd is chambered in a hot chamber and allowed to sit for any period of time the poi can vary considerably, not so with Varget. Maybe just the way I shoot, but I like to be sure when I pull the trigger. Most of my shooting is not timed so a rnd can remain chambered for 30 seconds or more between shots. Whatta Hobby!Quote:
Originally Posted by CFJunkie
I found I can't let a round sit in a chamber for long no matter which powder I use. When shooting my Garand I was having fits because of this so I had to resort to a single shot clip.
During summers out here it is hard to keep the barrel temp cool at all. The barrel frequently gets over 130 deg so I learned to not chamber a round until I am on target and ready to shoot. I also have to use some sort of shade over the bench to keep the ammo from getting hot out in the sun as well.
Even if I can keep the temp stable, during the summer I get a bit higher vel than winter. For some powders that means changing the load slightly.
I keep a MagnetoSpeed barrel cooler close at hand and use it between courses of fire.
I've used barrel coolers before. One guy out here had a cooler with a long hose that went through an ice chest.
I just wait a bit, don't chamber until on target, and shoot.
CFE 223 is also great in .308 if that is easier to find
Little off topic, but here in Denver, I keep ammo in a small ice chest. In fact, it's my ammo carrier from the house to the range. Been known to put a blue ice in it for good measure. My club gun range is covered, but shooting out at the home ranch is just out in the sun. But the cooler seems to keep it relatively cool.
-West out
+1 on the Shooters World Precision if you can't find Varget