Post by GLSHOOTER on Jun 15, 2015 13:16:00 GMT -8
After looking at my lonesome unfired 6.8 Savage barrel setting in the corner of the safe the past few months I thought maybe I should give it some range time. This one is a Black Hole 18” 1:11 three land polygon barrel. Nothing real fancy but nestled in that big Savage long action stock it is pretty diminutive.
I mounted up a Bushnell 4X12 that came with the purchase of the rifle. I wanted to shake the scope down as I had never used. Not one of my normal test scopes but since this was a base line get some brass trip I wasn’t overly concerned. I knew going out that mirage would be a real bugger as no wind and 85+ was in the cards.
I didn’t have any fired cases so I just loaded the rounds to a safe 2.260 rather than chase the lands right off the bat. I used some once fired FC bras that had been FL sized with a .299 bushing. I picked load data out of the current Hodgdon loading magazine. I just loaded two levels so did not really put much effort in trying my normal load development regimen. I decided to take a quick peek at everything from 90 to 130 grains of various flavors. I definitely found a couple that I am going to revisit.
Here are a few targets that I put together. No real screamers but I think that once I start adjusting seating depth things will get exciting. I did notice that none of the loads showed anything in the pressure world. Primers were nice and rounded as were the firing pin marks. I really want to look at the 9o-110 levels as I think they would do well on coyotes and jack rabbits here since deer tag as are as scarce as hens’ teeth and there are no hogs in the lower part of the state.
I did find that the 130’s didn’t like what I fed them but it was the only load that I picked off another site from Hodgdon. I think I’ll be doing some pioneering on the 130’s and some other powders. On this outing everything but the 130’s were shot with Benchmark as I wanted a baseline with Hodgdon. I knew going in it was not going to give the fastest speeds but I wanted to start somewhere and not start challenging the basic pressure loadings from the get go.
I’ll be giving this one a work out over the next few months given all the other projects in process as I type this.
Greg
I mounted up a Bushnell 4X12 that came with the purchase of the rifle. I wanted to shake the scope down as I had never used. Not one of my normal test scopes but since this was a base line get some brass trip I wasn’t overly concerned. I knew going out that mirage would be a real bugger as no wind and 85+ was in the cards.
I didn’t have any fired cases so I just loaded the rounds to a safe 2.260 rather than chase the lands right off the bat. I used some once fired FC bras that had been FL sized with a .299 bushing. I picked load data out of the current Hodgdon loading magazine. I just loaded two levels so did not really put much effort in trying my normal load development regimen. I decided to take a quick peek at everything from 90 to 130 grains of various flavors. I definitely found a couple that I am going to revisit.
Here are a few targets that I put together. No real screamers but I think that once I start adjusting seating depth things will get exciting. I did notice that none of the loads showed anything in the pressure world. Primers were nice and rounded as were the firing pin marks. I really want to look at the 9o-110 levels as I think they would do well on coyotes and jack rabbits here since deer tag as are as scarce as hens’ teeth and there are no hogs in the lower part of the state.
I did find that the 130’s didn’t like what I fed them but it was the only load that I picked off another site from Hodgdon. I think I’ll be doing some pioneering on the 130’s and some other powders. On this outing everything but the 130’s were shot with Benchmark as I wanted a baseline with Hodgdon. I knew going in it was not going to give the fastest speeds but I wanted to start somewhere and not start challenging the basic pressure loadings from the get go.
I’ll be giving this one a work out over the next few months given all the other projects in process as I type this.
Greg