SmallCaliberCentral

I do mine differently in that I run an OCW. 3 rnd each, round-robbin in .2-.3 gr increments across the load band. That's around 6-7 load values for the powders I've tested. I usually leave out the min load. I've found that I will miss an accuracy node if I pick a larger increment. Especially since m...

Silverfox - Thanks for the post. Initial tests with the Nosler 40s are showing promise with 27.6 of H4895. About the same velocity, as well. I have some seating adjustments to check out and then a 10 shot string for speed data. Interesting that they shot higher than the SBKs. I've got a string of b...

Savage.
I have a Mod 12 FCV and love it. A bit heavy for walkabout but, there are other models. Barrel swap is easy and you can do it yourself. Bolt face can be changed if you decide to go to another short action caliber.

Thanks for the replies, guys. Way too windy the last few days to check out the loads. But, it's nice to know that Noslers are in the game.
I'm hoping they shoot well in my rifle.

Nice shooting, Rick! You, too Fred! That 200 yd. group is really sweet.

I see that most .204 shooters use Hornady, Sierra and Berger bullets. Can't seem to find any comments about Nosler.
Anyone use them and, if so, how do they perform for you? I have some I'm planning to test and of Hornady, Sierra and Nosler, the Noslers are, by far, the most uniform in dimension.

Very bad news if you touched it off.

Aside from keeping the ammo distantly separate, you could use a red marker on your .223 bases as a reminder to check which barrel you're using.

You can't ... directly. You need to use something like Photobucket and put the link in your post.

GaCop - What load are you using in your Savage with the 39 gr. SBK? What velocity are you getting? I've tried a few loads with no success. Last load I tried was 26.8 gr. H4895. Bullets key-holed and had sticky bolt and some primer cratering. Similar results with 8208 XBR. The 40 gr Vmax I can push ...

I second GaCop's recommendation. Surprisingly, though, the little seater that comes with the Lee die does a more consistent job in seating than my micrometer seater. Go figger

Thanks for the reply. I've worked up a load of VGs for my wife to pop gophers with. Ambles along at 4100fps and she can hit dimes at 100 yds with it. I figure it's a good 200 yd gopher round. I'm not so sure about JBM. I ran one of my 40 gr. loads through it using the basic and the twist drift versi...

Good idea, Silverfox. I'll look for a set next time I make a run to town.

I can already tell the difference when using the level. What I thought was, wasn't.

That is a small node. I run OCW tests to try to find a load that will keep groups to one hole with charges of +/- .2 gr. But I'm finding that's not always easy. It's more like what you've found. When I shoot this barrel out (which I'm likely to do with all this experimenting) I think I'll order a Sh...

Thought you might be interested in seeing what a difference changing seating depth makes. Might be useful when you start reloading. I'm experimenting with a different load using H4895 and 40gr. Vmax bullets. The thing about the Vmax is that it has a secant ogive. More efficient ballistically but sen...

My anti-cant device arrived today and I've got it installed. (what the heck were they thinking....screw heads on the bottom!)
Other than that it's pretty sweet. The engineer in me sees a couple of things I might redesign into it after playing with it.

Thanks for the load data. I'll check it out. Interesting situation you had there. What do you think caused the problem? Seems odd that just firing a different bullet would lead to a change in accuracy with another. Not something I'd heard of before now. You got 4700 fps out of the 26 gr. VGs?!! :eek...