Recent content by lotech

Varget is an excellent powder for many applications and not just in .223. I haven't tried Varget or H4895 in everything but have found H4895 provides at least slightly better overall accuracy generally (not always) making it a bit more versatile than Varget. Worth trying if you haven't done so.

I've seen very good accuracy with the 65 GK and H4895 In three Colt ARs with 1 in 7" barrels and a CZ Bolt-action with 1 in 9" barrel. I realize the CCI-400 primer is not often recommended for .223 loads, but it, alongside the CCI-450 and the Remington 7 1/2 all work equally well.

A few years back at different times, I bought three new Extreme Weathers (two .30-06s and a .308). Sold them all. Good accuracy , but nothing special, straight-out-of-the-box.

I got five in 2017: a Mil Spec HB .308, a Mil Spec HB .300 Win. Mag., a heavy barrel syn stock 260 Rem., a Sendero .264 Magnum, and a Sendero 7mm Rem. Mag. The .260 shot poorly and the .264 was mediocre for accuracy but adequate for hunting. The other three were very accurate...

Buy current Sierra and Lyman loading manuals as the very minimum and read about handloading before purchasing any equipment. An understanding of the entire process is of the greatest importance. Much better way to begin than getting an abbreviated and second rate YouTube/ Internet handloading...

For bullet weights of 150-180 grains, H4895. Velocities are comparable to Varget, but with slightly better accuracy.

I use a Hart pedestal rest, about twenty pounds with a leather Protektor 1 1/2" front bag. In the back I use a leather Protektor bunny bag. I'm pretty your groups will be better with such a setup than using an attached bipod but won't argue the point. In the hunting fields I've had very good...

Many of us may have plenty of one primer type but are short on another. I had no trouble trading several thousand large rifle primers for large pistol primers at a gun show several months ago in Ft. Worth. This was with a dealer and we traded even. Worth considering if you have any large shows...

Vista has owned Alliant for some time, way before all the happenings of the last three or four years.

I've hunted for years in brush, mountains, open country, etc. with barrels ranging from 20" to 26". I can't tell any real difference in handiness between the various lengths.

From an old but comprehensive GUN WORLD article from the the 1980s devoted to 3100 powder, Accurate's chief ballistics guy at the time, Marty Liggins, stated that the burn rate of 3100 was between IMR-4831 and H4831. Not a great revelation based on what's been mentioned in this thread thus far...

I believe the 3100 burn rate has changed at least slightly over the years; maybe several times, depending on the manufacturer. I used some 3100 when I first noticed it's availability, well over thirty years ago as I recall. According to my old notes for .25-06 loads, it was just a slight bit...

I've been using a Hart pedestal rest for many years with a Protektor 1 1/2" wide leather bag . For a rear rest I use a Protektor leather bunny bag. I've yet to outgrow this setup and I've used it several times a month for more than thirty years. With the bag in place, the Hart pedestal rest...

I've used a Redding and a 10-10 for about forty or more years, but there are probably many beam scales made today that will work fine. Get a set of check weights, too.

The one I had worked pretty well; may not optically compare with the better scopes we have today, but still a decent scope.