Re: 5@200. Requesting critique.
What are your goals with this load? Is it to shoot groups at 200, or to shoot long distance?
I ask for two reasons-
1: the 168 SMK is less than ideal at distances longer than 600 yards. It certainly CAN do it, but it doesn't do as well in the wind, and it starts to run out of gas in a hurry.
2: Have you run this load over a chronograph? Because what looks good on a group at 200 yards might not fare well in a longer distance shoot, where ES and SD are king. Also- I would try this load at varying temps as well. It might shoot well at the current temp, but a 30 degree increase or decrease could entirely ruin this rounds accuracy.
Most of this advice is repeated from competitors who told me how to develop my load. The end result in my load development grouped like that at 100 yards, not 200, but has an ES of 20, single digit SD, is stable and shoots well from 0 degrees F to 90 degrees F (had ammo in a climate controlled environment,) and recently went 13 for 13 on a 1.5 moa target at 933 yards.
It all comes down to what you want to do with it.
As for the quality of your groups at 200- they are very good, but there is no doubt in my mind that you knew that before you posted them.
