Hunting Forum

My hunting partner and I have pretty much used up all of our older Barnes bullets so this year I had to build new loads for just about everything.

Here are some of the results.

Mine

30-378 Wby Mag - 1 inch

338-06 - 7/8 inch

222 - 3/4 inch

His

300 Savage - 3/4 inch

6.5x55 Swede - 7/16 inch

The 300 Savage he uses is a model 99A.  Pretty good for a lever action.

Also I was runnung short on time so when I reached the one inch grouping I stopped.  Good enough to hunt with. Hopefully I will be able to tighten them up a little next summer because I don't test loads in the winter.

All of your loads should shoot the same in summer and winter.. Do you use a factory crip die if not you should because it makes them all the same pressures and ft per sec.. and for your friends 300 savage he could be loading them to hot or to lite and not using a factory crip die .. The die does make a differance in the way the round fires and shoots.. try it you will see the differance.. best of luck to you this year hunting..

Not allways so cherokee. To some degree, all powders are temp. sensative, some more so then others. In a area that has drastice temp. swings, a load developed in the summer, depending on velocity, can loose as much as 2---300fps in sub-freezeing weather.  I found the hard way, that I really don't want to develop my loads in the winter, when I have nothing better to do. What I considered a safe load, dureing the heat of the summer turned into a dangerously excessive load!

I wish Barnes still made the "X" bullet they had more BC and created more Velocity than the "TSX".   Good luck.

Don't know about velocity as each rifle and load is different but if you want a higher BC, then use the Tipped TSX (TTSX). Same bullet, just has a polymer tip.

Dale

I don't test loads in the winter because I live in Saskatchewan and I don't enjoy freezing my fingers

I'm not a bit surprised at your friends accuracy/group with his Savage. I have 5 myself. 3 1899 tds, and a 99c and a 99e. With the loads that I have developed for each gun, they are superbly accurate.  2 of my 1899s, a .22 Hi-power and a .25-35, I expect them to consistantly to be able to make a good neck or head shot, and they have not ever let me down!
Allen

My experience with 99s is also good. I have my dad's 99 in 300 Savage, although I have not actually hunted with it. I also have a 99C in 243 which used to be my number one gun. Once when I was tracking a friend's wounded deer I saw it watching me from behind a tree. So I shot it in the eye.
Alan