Hey guy's, as the title states I'm trying to work up a good load with my Bergara Wilderness HMR for some long range plinking. The problem I'm having is, I have started load development at .020 off from kissing the lands and 75gr of H1000 and have worked all the way up 80.2gr and have hit 3002 fps with the 225eld-m with absolutely no signs of over pressure and no flat spots in that wide of charge weights, accuracy has been awful as well, nothing under MOA with 3 shot groups. The factory Hornady hunter eldx 212 shoot sub half out of the gun, but have an awful SD, I have taken those out to 1050 but they're all over a 36" plate. I tried the factory load at 1785 and they just walked all around the target never impacting it. Can anyone send me in the right direction of a descent load with the 225 or what velocity I should be around with these? 3002 fps is smoking out of this pipe with a 225 I feel like, and I'm not trying to smoke this barrel just yet. Brass is hornady and gm215m primers.
- Thread starter Tofasgt
- Start date
You’ll drive yourself nuts trying to make a bullet, that the barrel doesn’t like, shoot well. Get some 212 ELD-X or try a different option.
I have a wilderness HMR that I worked a load up with h1000 for. It’s a hunting rifle for me so I wasn’t chasing a sub half moa load but I started at 74 grains and went up to 76 grains, basically everything was sub moa but most pretty close to an inch, I settled on 75.5 grains of h1000 with hornady brass and federal gmm 215m primers under a 225 eldm, 5 shot groups consistently at about .7 inches with that combination. Velocity is 2825 with an SD of 9. This load won’t be acceptable for bench rest standards of course but it works just fine for hunting and the occasional steel plate at distance. I may be mistaken but book max was 77.5 grains of h1000 and factory loads run about 2850fps. So 3000+ fps is really moving for that bullet might want to see if it groups better at a slower speed.
You're dead on with everyone I've talked to about this, 75.5 is what everyone is running with 225 eldm and having great success but this gun will not shoot that combo under an inch. And you're correct, the book max is 77.5. I've slowed it all the way down to 2740 and worked back up to 2900 and nothing in between will hold honest under an inch. Yes I may get 1 charge that will group good, I'll load a 5 shot string up at that charge to see and it goes to hell. Lol
It could your rifle just doesn’t like that bullet, my buddy has an HMR in 300 prc also and the rifle handles 212’s and 225’s well, his load is almost idental to mine for the 225’s and shoots well. If a different bullet doesn’t work maybe Bergara can do something to replace the barrel.
This thing will hammer the factory 212 eldx rounds, but obviously the ES and SD of the factory loads are not what im looking for to shoot out to over a mile. But these 225s are just not cutting it. The crazy thing is, pushing these 225 at 3002 fps with absolutely no pressure signs.
I've been working up a load for the same bullet. I'm using 225gr. ELD-M, Lapua brass, CCI 250's and H1000. I also settled right in the same area as quite a few others and went with 75.8gr. I'm running a 24" carbon Proof barrel, so it's a bit slower than the 26" and 28" barrels. I'm averaging right around 2720 ft/s, not sure if it will speed up more yet or not since I only have ~100 rds on the barrel.
Here's some results from the seating depth test I did this past weekend. The first time around I tested .010", .050", .090" and .130" off the lands. .010 was real good, .050 was ok and then .090 opened up and .130 started to get better. The next test I loaded .005, .015, .025, .035 and .045 off and the .005 to .015 range was the best, but they were all easily under 1".
Here's some results from the seating depth test I did this past weekend. The first time around I tested .010", .050", .090" and .130" off the lands. .010 was real good, .050 was ok and then .090 opened up and .130 started to get better. The next test I loaded .005, .015, .025, .035 and .045 off and the .005 to .015 range was the best, but they were all easily under 1".
going to probably be trying a very similar load:
225gr. ELD-M, ADG brass, Federal LRP Magnum and H1000, although atm looking like I might also look a N565, can get it, can get it at a good price.
also in a 24" barrel for now, but looking at rebarrelling onto a 28", the gun is only to be used for ELR, thinking is I will swop to 250gr A-Tips at that point
G
225gr. ELD-M, ADG brass, Federal LRP Magnum and H1000, although atm looking like I might also look a N565, can get it, can get it at a good price.
also in a 24" barrel for now, but looking at rebarrelling onto a 28", the gun is only to be used for ELR, thinking is I will swop to 250gr A-Tips at that point
G
Ya, I’d say try the 220 ELDX and see if it likes that. My 300WM likes it so far with 76.2gr of H1000 and the GM215M.
