Sierra 107 grain SMKs

[BD1]

Midway had these at a reasonable price so I bought 500. I've had excellent luck using the 77 grain .223 SMKs for years, thousands of them. I built this 6mmARC to replace a .223 heavy barrel AR I've been competing with that is a 1/4moa rifle, but I'd lose matches in high winds with those 77 grainers. Anyway, I tried some LVR loads from the higher end to the mid range with so-so results, so I shot a load ladder using Varget, (and a couple of higher end LVR loads), and had better results with the Varget. I wrote the info on the sheet in the garage on the hood of my old jeep and the picture isn't great, and while I had a string of 4 shots close and one a little out, I think I have a good load at 26.1 grains, and again at 26.4 and 26.5 grains.  26.4 grains had an SD of 2.5 I had racked the rifle for 15 minutes prior to shooting the load at 26.4 as the barrel was getting pretty warm. It through the first shot high left after the cool down. 
The 107 SMK is touching the lands at 2.275, so I started with 2.260 COAL for this ladder.
Next weekend I'm going for a 10 shot shoot off between the 105 Berger over LVR and the 107 SMK over Varget at 1/4 mile.

[BD1]

i finally got around to doing the shoot off between the 107 SMKs over Varget and the 105 Bergers over LVR. The 107 SMK over 26.1 grains of Varget was the clear winner at 1/4 mile. 10 shots into 1/2 moa, 8 of them into 1/3 moa.  I doubt I can shoot as well on a target without a clear center , (like the 1" orange dot on this plate), but I think I could do even better on a fall day without the mirage.  Now I need to work on my ability to read the wind and mirage as the wind is always a factor here, and the mirage is usually in play during the summer months.

[SpeyRod]

I spend more time spotting for friends than I do shooting. Really improves your wind calls. Today we shot 600 yards and I helped 3 people get on target giving wind calls. There is a 4” target that is the bane of everyone’s existence. Twice today they said “give it a try!” Twice today I made first round hits and one time I was able to follow up with a second.

Spot for your friends and be honest about your calls. You will gain the confidence to shoot in the wind.