Berger 109 LR Hybrid and Lapua Scenar 105’s

[BD1]

    Sorry that I haven't checked back in, but I've been very busy. I did get time this weekend to try the LVR a little more under the 109 Bergers. I took the best load, (28.5 grains under the 109 Berger at 2.30 COAL, still in brand new brass) and played with the seating depth. The best result was that load at 2.290 COAL, so I loaded up 30 of them, mounted my new Nightforce benchrest 12-42x56 and went to the range intending to get it sighted in, zero'd at 200 yds and dialed in at 440 yards for next weeks 1/4 mile shoot. Unfortunately the range was busy for fathers day and I didn't get much farther than getting on paper until everyone but me left at 12:30. folks cleared out mostly due to the mirage, VERY evident at 42 power, But, after one shot to verify I had dialed onto the paper, I was rewarded with an 1-1/2" group at 440 yards in a 5 mph 12:00 headwind in spite of the mirage. Of course then the wind started gusting and changing direction and by the time I got back to the bench it had swapped all the way around to 6:00, gusting 10- 15 mph and the next five shot group opened up to 3-1/2" and printed 2" higher on the target.  But I think I have a usable load. I'll post a pick when I get some time. I added a pic of the target, and looking back on it, I think I probably dialed in some correction before shooting the second group, so the extra elevation may not all have been due to the wind shift. The velocity of this load at 2.30 COAL was 2611 fps I haven't chronied it at 2.290, but I believe it must be faster as when I dialing in for 440 yards from my 200 yard zero (doing the MOA math in my head as I didn't have a range card for this load), the first shot was 9-1/2" high. The correction for that put the second sighter in the black vertical below the orange dot. The true value of MOA, (1.047 as opposed to "1" which I used doing it in my head), only accounts for about 4-1/2 " so the other 5" may well be higher velocity from the shorter OAL.