Some entries out of my notebook.
-With new Lapua brass, Federal GM215M primers do not seat below flush. Must use primer pocket uniformer.
-Compared 50x 300gr Sierra SMK's to 50x Lapua 300gr Scenar's. Found the SMK's to have tighter tolerance in weight and diameter. The SMK's stayed closer to 300.0gr where the Scenar's where 299.9 and varied more. The SMK's dia stayed very close to 0.3379" where the Scenar's stayed near 0.3382". Just found that interesting.
-Hogdon Retumbo, burns very dirty, groups sensitive to charge, accurate but only near max charge. Random stuck cases even when the charge does not show any other pressure singes and well under max charge?
-VV N-570, burns cleaner (leaves grey graphite residue but it wipes off the case neck), not as sensitive to charge, very consistent groups, best groups just under max charge, no pressure signs even at book max. Never a stuck case or stiff bolt! Makes a nice crunching sound when seating bullet with a full case. Easy to achieve 2800+ fps with 300gr projectiles.
-Reddings Comp seating die RULES! Reduced my run-out significantly.
-A concentricity gauge is cool for about the first 5 min. After you get a Redding Comp seating die it's only a short matter of time before your realize you dont need it.
-Expander balls are great for fixing dented brass after it misses your hand and hits the concrete floor. Otherwise if you have proper bushing neck die, they are not that useful.
More to come...
-With new Lapua brass, Federal GM215M primers do not seat below flush. Must use primer pocket uniformer.
-Compared 50x 300gr Sierra SMK's to 50x Lapua 300gr Scenar's. Found the SMK's to have tighter tolerance in weight and diameter. The SMK's stayed closer to 300.0gr where the Scenar's where 299.9 and varied more. The SMK's dia stayed very close to 0.3379" where the Scenar's stayed near 0.3382". Just found that interesting.
-Hogdon Retumbo, burns very dirty, groups sensitive to charge, accurate but only near max charge. Random stuck cases even when the charge does not show any other pressure singes and well under max charge?
-VV N-570, burns cleaner (leaves grey graphite residue but it wipes off the case neck), not as sensitive to charge, very consistent groups, best groups just under max charge, no pressure signs even at book max. Never a stuck case or stiff bolt! Makes a nice crunching sound when seating bullet with a full case. Easy to achieve 2800+ fps with 300gr projectiles.
-Reddings Comp seating die RULES! Reduced my run-out significantly.
-A concentricity gauge is cool for about the first 5 min. After you get a Redding Comp seating die it's only a short matter of time before your realize you dont need it.
-Expander balls are great for fixing dented brass after it misses your hand and hits the concrete floor. Otherwise if you have proper bushing neck die, they are not that useful.
More to come...
