Happy (almost) 4th, everyone.
I am looking for a little insight, especially from those with direct experience.
I have had a Savage 112 BVSS (26", 10 twist) in 300 WSM sitting around which I've finally begun load work for. This is my first 300 WSM and first Savage that I have done any hand loading for. I've run into a couple peculiar issues thus far. The purpose of this rifle is primarily elk hunting, i.e. no bench or comp work. The components I have settled on using for this year are:
190 VLD Hunting
RL 17
215M
Fed or RP brass
I have plenty of options on primers, but I will likely stick with RL 17 and the 190's this year due to time, performance, and availability.
On to the questions...
Regarding the chamber, I am consistently measuring the lands at 2.261". In addition to the 190s, I had also loaded 185 Classic Hunters, and that throat would allow a COAL of only 2.859", or .001" less than recommended. Thankfully, being that the VLDs prefer to be at or near, loading the 190s to 2.258" OGL has worked in my favor so far. For those with knowledge and experience with Savage rifles or 300 WSM chambers, is this a typical throat length? In my experience with the calibers I load, this is an awfully tight configuration and a quick Google search didn't yield much info.
Heeeeerrreeee is where it gets a little wild. I completed my initial range work today. Lack of load data dictated my starting point; one which I was comfortable using. I knew RL17 was a fairly hot powder, but I was surprised to see extreme speeds and slight to mild pressure across the board. Atmosphere as follows: 90 deg F, 39% RH, 27.82 inHg unadjusted.
The biggest surprise came while shooting the 190s. Over 64.5 grains of RL 17, I saw an average speed of 3094 FPS with excellent ES. The attached image is of one of those groups, 0.298 MOA. There were certainly pressure signs (sticky bolt, light extractor marks), but not nearly as extreme as I would have thought to see at those speeds. I saw speeds as high as 3188 FPS out of the 185 CH, with similar pressure, although the groups sucked (more restricted OAL(?)).
Next week I will be working down (counter-intuitive...) and hoping the group remains tight and the load stable.
Any thoughts are appreciated. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. To see performance like that out of a factory barreled action is very encouraging, and I am not one to post a thread every time I get speeds a little higher than expected; but those velocities are insane to me.
Happy shooting!
Scott
I am looking for a little insight, especially from those with direct experience.
I have had a Savage 112 BVSS (26", 10 twist) in 300 WSM sitting around which I've finally begun load work for. This is my first 300 WSM and first Savage that I have done any hand loading for. I've run into a couple peculiar issues thus far. The purpose of this rifle is primarily elk hunting, i.e. no bench or comp work. The components I have settled on using for this year are:
190 VLD Hunting
RL 17
215M
Fed or RP brass
I have plenty of options on primers, but I will likely stick with RL 17 and the 190's this year due to time, performance, and availability.
On to the questions...
Regarding the chamber, I am consistently measuring the lands at 2.261". In addition to the 190s, I had also loaded 185 Classic Hunters, and that throat would allow a COAL of only 2.859", or .001" less than recommended. Thankfully, being that the VLDs prefer to be at or near, loading the 190s to 2.258" OGL has worked in my favor so far. For those with knowledge and experience with Savage rifles or 300 WSM chambers, is this a typical throat length? In my experience with the calibers I load, this is an awfully tight configuration and a quick Google search didn't yield much info.
Heeeeerrreeee is where it gets a little wild. I completed my initial range work today. Lack of load data dictated my starting point; one which I was comfortable using. I knew RL17 was a fairly hot powder, but I was surprised to see extreme speeds and slight to mild pressure across the board. Atmosphere as follows: 90 deg F, 39% RH, 27.82 inHg unadjusted.
The biggest surprise came while shooting the 190s. Over 64.5 grains of RL 17, I saw an average speed of 3094 FPS with excellent ES. The attached image is of one of those groups, 0.298 MOA. There were certainly pressure signs (sticky bolt, light extractor marks), but not nearly as extreme as I would have thought to see at those speeds. I saw speeds as high as 3188 FPS out of the 185 CH, with similar pressure, although the groups sucked (more restricted OAL(?)).
Next week I will be working down (counter-intuitive...) and hoping the group remains tight and the load stable.
Any thoughts are appreciated. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. To see performance like that out of a factory barreled action is very encouraging, and I am not one to post a thread every time I get speeds a little higher than expected; but those velocities are insane to me.
Happy shooting!
Scott
JohnnyK.
