Does anyone use the factory loaded Lapua ammunition or is everything hand loaded?
I bought two 50-round boxes of factory loaded 308 155s a couple of years ago. They had a great sale price and in my mind provided me with inexpensive Lapua brass. I loaded them into my Bergara Premier Mountain rifle and that particular combination of rifle and ammo is the most accurate I have ever used. I have attempted to duplicate those factory loads, as best I could, using my chronograph. I've come very close and am quite satisfied with my results.
I broke my old reliable & faithful 308 out of its decades long storage after reading Pat's Scenar threads and decided to get some Varget, 155 Scenar's & Lapua brass. As Bob in NH always said, "I've got a lifetime supply."
Took these components to the range and did something I've never tried. Arbitrarily I loaded charges into the cases without running them thru the sizing die first. Virgin cases, right out of the box, produced one hole groups right off the bat. I was only partially suprised. I bumped the powder charge up to 48.5 gr's & simply push the bullets down until they won't go any deeper. This creates an ever changing seating depth. With everything about this load being outside of normal loading rules it puts round after round into the same ragged hole. This load runs the 155's at 2885 fps.
Ultimatley, I think the velocity is unnnecessary for my hunting & will soon back that load down to just over 2800 fps average. Just enough to gain powder space for a repeatable bullet seating depth. I have yet to try any resized Lapua 1X fired in the gun. But, I will.
Bottom line for me, this combination defies the norm. But, it works and I don't argue with it until it don't.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day that a U.S. president would raise an army to invade his own country." Robert E. Lee
