Kent Goldings
.357 mag
As you may know, I've been working up a Varmint load for my Savage Axis 2 223 Remington for possible coyote hunting.
The load is Hornady 55 grains V-Max with 24 grains of Hodgdon H4895. The load itself is very accurate. I've been able to repeat 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards.
I took the load to Sheepdog Warrior to measure the muzzle velocity and the stretch it's legs.
The average muzzle velocity was 2,923 fps. This is about 40 fps less than the reloading manual suggests. I figure that was because it was below freezing.
Nevertheless 2,923 still seems a little timid. Yet, the load shoot accurately and the when I tested the BDC reticle for the load, it was pretty much spot on. I was able to hit targets using the BDC with no elevation adjustments.
My question, do I go with this load or do I go back to the drawing board with a different powder? I have some CFE-223 on hand, the reloading manual suggests that I might get as much as 3,200 fps. What would you do?
The load is Hornady 55 grains V-Max with 24 grains of Hodgdon H4895. The load itself is very accurate. I've been able to repeat 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards.
I took the load to Sheepdog Warrior to measure the muzzle velocity and the stretch it's legs.
The average muzzle velocity was 2,923 fps. This is about 40 fps less than the reloading manual suggests. I figure that was because it was below freezing.
Nevertheless 2,923 still seems a little timid. Yet, the load shoot accurately and the when I tested the BDC reticle for the load, it was pretty much spot on. I was able to hit targets using the BDC with no elevation adjustments.
My question, do I go with this load or do I go back to the drawing board with a different powder? I have some CFE-223 on hand, the reloading manual suggests that I might get as much as 3,200 fps. What would you do?
