Hi guys just to say thanks very much for all the input on this.
I tried the 8208 XBR yesterday, and the three different loads all shot under MOA with the Sierra 55 SBTs #1365. Best group was .46 and that was a gusty day here in windy Wellington. That group was doing 3550 in round figures so that's very much where I would like to be. Reckon I have a good load here and with a bit more experimentation and a still day it would probably shoot even better. So thanks for the suggestions on that powder - a step up. (Although by going slightly over max I got similar speed and group out of 2206H. But better not to be over max)
The 60 gr partitions were a dead loss - clearly not stabilising with 3-4 inch groups, so I won't persevere with them. I figure that the shorter barrel, 14 twist and relatively modest speeds of this rifle mean it isn't going to stabilise anything heavier than 55 gr. If you're going to do that with a 14 twist you probably need a longer barrel to get the velocity up as that would also increase the rpm. Does that sound plausible?
So it looks like the 55 SBT is the go, although I will be testing some Norma 55 Oryxes (and a big shout out to @Tech who had a few left over for me to try) I'll let you know how those go. I am thinking that they might be better on heavier animals.
Anyway, thanks again guys.
Will
Bookmarks