Deputy,
I looked thru my other load results & back in 1991 with a 22" Ruger 77 ( I think was the pre-warning 77 I had for years), the 200 gr Hornady Spire Pts, 47 gr IMR3031, WW brass from the old 200 gr S-T factory loads & a WLR primer gave me 2450 fps & put 3 shot groups under .75". The same Ruger with 49 gr. 2015BR gave me 2650 fps & equivalent accuracy with same brass, bullet, & primer. All at approx. 50* F. The 49 g. load equaled factory base expansion so I called it max.
Now... I'm unsure where the 49 gr of 2015BR load came from. I didn't just pick it out of a deep dark hole. The original load development for this gun started at 46 gr & went up 1/2 gr at a time while checking for base expansion. The original Accurate Loading Guide #1 from 1994 (the big red book) says 41 gr. is max but it only gives 41,600 cup. SAAMI says 52,000 is safe. The newest Sierra VI book says 47.2 with the 200RN & 43.4 with the 225s is max out of a 20" BLR. The only thing I can figure is that those small free booklets powder companies used to provide said 46 was a safe starting load, which it was for me using my particular lots of stuff. Just wanted to clarify that so nothing gets broken.
It's funny, the guy I got my 1st 358 from said he used 748 for all bullet weights. It worked very well for me until I got a chronograph. None of the deer knew the difference either. Go figure.
