Quote Originally Posted by big honkin jeep View Post
Keep looking, there are loads, there are good loads and there are fantastic loads.
Many sell themselves short and stop at good,while others keep looking till they find fantastic.
Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to get there.
I have one 30-06 model 16 in particular that shoots about 6-8" groups with factory 125gr ballistic tips. darn thing is lucky to hit a pie plate with that load.
That same rifle has put a best 10 shot group of .446 on the paper with 165gr SGK HPBTs and IMR4350 with a CCI BR2 primer, and shoots 5 shot groups of that load consistently under 1/2 MOA. (But everyone on the internet knows the 30-06 is antiquated and not nearly as accurate as insert latest whiz bang cartridge here)
Same thing with several other rifles including a 111 in 25-06 that took a whole lot of load development to figure out that RL22 110gr Accubonds and Winchester LR primers was the ticket.
Then again maybe it was the rattlecan paintjob :)
I do know that 75gr V maxs are not on the menu for that rig.
Then there's a 12BVSS that the load just fell in my lap on about the third load I tried with 55gr Vmax Varget and a Fed 210. That load went from 2" to watch me shoot a hole through the center of this dime, with nothing more than a primer change.
Then there's a 111 in .270 that needed nothing more than factory 130gr Federal blue box power shock (the cheap stuff) to shoot stupid accurate.
I see a lot of guys throwing tons of money at rifles of all stripes and none of them shoot worth a dime with the wrong load and haven't found a Savage yet I couldn't get to shoot very well indeed with the right load.
I always recommend that someone looking for accuracy start with a basic hand loading kit which is way way cheaper than swapping even one aftermarket barrel.
Some of you guys crack me up with the thin barrel fat barrel and long barrel stuff. All of my hunting rifles turn heads at the range once load development is complete and often embarrass high dollar braggarts and tactifools. (insert excuses here) A shooter is a shooter. Keep looking for the load. It's there.

Sometimes it's quick and easy, but most often it takes a lot of trial and error, and sometimes a whole lot, to find fantastic.
If you stop once you get under 1" loads you'll never find the 1 hole load.
Good luck
Or, I can just give up, call you a liar and tell myself and everyone in the world it can't be done. Meanwhile, all of your rifles shoot, and mine don't. At least I don't feel like I failed at something.