Range: 100 yd Cartridge: 308 Winchester Bullet: Hornady SST 150 gr. Powder: Varget First 5 was 42 gr Average 2513 ES 34 SD 12 Next 5 was 43 gr Group is climbing... Average 2593 ES 55 SD 20 Next 5 is 44 gr. Climbing even higher but looking better... Average 2653 ES 26 SD 10 Last 5 is 45 gr Adjusted the scope 8 clicks down to keep it on the paper, the gun likes this one... Average 2693 ES 38 SD 13 This is the max load in the Hornady manual but the Lyman manual shows 47 as max. Not sure if I should try any higher.
Looks like the 45g is it. Maybe tweak it a bit by tenths but looking good. What's your OAL? How far off the lands?
I may try a half of a grain either way but I like this now. I am not sure what the over all is. I will look when I get home. I also did not check what it is off the lands. I seated to the manual and checked that it was not too long. It is seated to the cannelure.
I took it out again this weekend with the same load of 45 gr of Varget and a 150 gr Hornady SST. It still looks good at 100 yards. This is 3 consecutive shots. 2 shots are in the same hole at 3 o'clock. This is 5 shots at 200 yards with the same load.
On your next range trip, try placing the sandbag under the receiver. Resting the fore end on a firm bag is like resting the barrel on the bag. If you insist on resting the fore end on a rest, use a rolled up sleeping bag for the front rest. It will be too soft for recoil to bounce the gun around.