OK...I'm a seasoned reloader with a little over a month into the hobby!! I guess that makes me only somewhat dangerous!! 
I have been having a blast..(no pun intended) trying different recipes and configurations of loads!! My wife loves my new hobby for it gets me out of the house and into the garage, where she is left with the TV all to herself. Now she can watch all those intellectually stimulating shows such as "Say Yes to the Dress" and "The Cake Boss" that I cannot stand!
I have a inexpensive Savage .308 Model 10 w/ the fluted 5R bull barrel and threaded crown. It was a special run by Savage and I'm glad I took advantage of the purchase. I was not expecting much from the rifle in the way of accuracy or quality, for it is pretty cheap..at $749. I added a Konus Pro Mil 30 4.5 x 16 for $280 which again is cheap again compared to the Nikons and Leupolds I have mounted on my hunting rifles.
I was trying out different loads for my .308 and have been listening to many opinions on this forum..and taking each one as a serious consideration. I started out using Federal MK 168g and RE-15 with CCI LR primers. I don't have the grain count for I'm at work screwing around...! The accuracy was very good! This was the load that Sierra listed as their ACCURACY LOAD! I was reading more of the forum and getting opinions about RE-15 and that a great quality substitute was IMR-4895 or H4895. Some thought they were characteristically the same..some did not. I bought some. Better accuracy by a tad..but worth the purchase. However..in every IMR4895 vs. H4895 arguement, there was always one poster that would chime in and brag about Varget. I did some research and decided to give it a try. I used the Hornady AMAX and Sierra MK 168 as a test dummy. I also used CCI BR-2 primers. Again..I don't have the weights available to me at this time.
The difference in the accuracy is fantastic!! My rifle has found its match!! Shooting off a bipod with a free floating butt at 100 yards, the groups closed up. I wasn't really concentrating THAT much on the placement or was I stabilizing the rifle with bags and stands. Even on flinches..the bullet hit close on the target. I call a flyer, one that misses group by over 3/8 inch.
I have posted one of the targets that I happened to have a picture of. It's not the best..but I happened to take the picture before I shot any more. These are 4 shot groups. One of them is 6 shots. You can tell which one. Am I wrong to assume or to expect...with a standard, stock, Savage rifle..that it is possible to put 4 rounds in to the same hole? I have been told that the results I'm getting with what I have is about the limit and that I will have to step up to a more specialized rifle to get tighter groups. The groups with this rifle have always been good...but Varget made a HUGE difference in MY eyes with tightening up the groups. Thanks for the reccomendations!!!!
I have been having a blast..(no pun intended) trying different recipes and configurations of loads!! My wife loves my new hobby for it gets me out of the house and into the garage, where she is left with the TV all to herself. Now she can watch all those intellectually stimulating shows such as "Say Yes to the Dress" and "The Cake Boss" that I cannot stand!
I have a inexpensive Savage .308 Model 10 w/ the fluted 5R bull barrel and threaded crown. It was a special run by Savage and I'm glad I took advantage of the purchase. I was not expecting much from the rifle in the way of accuracy or quality, for it is pretty cheap..at $749. I added a Konus Pro Mil 30 4.5 x 16 for $280 which again is cheap again compared to the Nikons and Leupolds I have mounted on my hunting rifles.
I was trying out different loads for my .308 and have been listening to many opinions on this forum..and taking each one as a serious consideration. I started out using Federal MK 168g and RE-15 with CCI LR primers. I don't have the grain count for I'm at work screwing around...! The accuracy was very good! This was the load that Sierra listed as their ACCURACY LOAD! I was reading more of the forum and getting opinions about RE-15 and that a great quality substitute was IMR-4895 or H4895. Some thought they were characteristically the same..some did not. I bought some. Better accuracy by a tad..but worth the purchase. However..in every IMR4895 vs. H4895 arguement, there was always one poster that would chime in and brag about Varget. I did some research and decided to give it a try. I used the Hornady AMAX and Sierra MK 168 as a test dummy. I also used CCI BR-2 primers. Again..I don't have the weights available to me at this time.
The difference in the accuracy is fantastic!! My rifle has found its match!! Shooting off a bipod with a free floating butt at 100 yards, the groups closed up. I wasn't really concentrating THAT much on the placement or was I stabilizing the rifle with bags and stands. Even on flinches..the bullet hit close on the target. I call a flyer, one that misses group by over 3/8 inch.
I have posted one of the targets that I happened to have a picture of. It's not the best..but I happened to take the picture before I shot any more. These are 4 shot groups. One of them is 6 shots. You can tell which one. Am I wrong to assume or to expect...with a standard, stock, Savage rifle..that it is possible to put 4 rounds in to the same hole? I have been told that the results I'm getting with what I have is about the limit and that I will have to step up to a more specialized rifle to get tighter groups. The groups with this rifle have always been good...but Varget made a HUGE difference in MY eyes with tightening up the groups. Thanks for the reccomendations!!!!
