I have received advice from a few of you guys on working-up a load for my Savage Mod. 11 .243. I got new Win. cases; 70 gr. Sierra Blitz King bullets and am going to start out w/ IMR 4350 power + CCI 200 primers.

I will be neck sizing only and would like to hear some reccomended overall length ie, bullet seating lengths for the Savage. I realize every action/gun is different but a starting point would be helful. Also if anyone can re-post some reccomended power charges it would be great because my Speer Manual No 9 only has charges listed for 75 gr. and higher bullet weights.

Not sure if you guys like this power for this load, but I need to fire-form the cases anyway. Also, I could use the same info for Sierra 100gr. Game King loads - same gun.

Thanks,

dr

Dave

I loaded the 70gr Blitz Kings for my Tikka, and for my buddies Model 11 Savage. I can't find the exact load data, must be in another manual, but if I remember correctly I seated the bullets so they were as long as could be an still feed reliably in the Savage.

IMR 4350 - 41.6 @ 3000fps min load - 44.5 @ 3300fps max load

100gr Sierra

IMR 4350 - 35.2 @ 2500fps min load - 41.7 @ 2900fps max load

I will look when I get home but the Sierra book suggested COAL worked great with the 70gr. BK in my .243 Savage. Varget and IMR4064 both worked great with that bullet.

If I were you I would invest in a OAL gauge,this will save you a lot of time and headaches! Check out this link...

http://www.larrywillis.com/OAL.html

PaJack - Thanks that's a clever idea. An old buddy of mine who is now gone Bob Jacobs, taught me a similar method.

He'd partly neck size a case just enough to hold the bullet. Then just slightly seat the bullet of choice. (no power & no primer of course). With the bullet seated way out he'd blacken the bullet using a the smoke from a wax candle.

The round would be slowly chambered and the bolt closed. When the round is extracted the lands would leave a slight mark in the soot colored bullet. THis is the point of contact w/ the rifling. From there you back the round of .005 making sure in fits in the magazine and also that it doens't get caught in the rifiling (which it shouldn't if done carefully).

I'm slightly puzzled by the 2nd part of your method. Measuring to the ogive. Why not take the slotted case w/ the newly seated bullet and mark the bullet at the top of the case neck. Marking is to assure the seater doesn;t shove the bullet in deeper that you want it. Now can't you put this in your neck sizer die and slowly adjust to reproduce the desired seating depth? You may not derive an actual measurement but you will have the seating depth. And since the seater rides on the ogive and not the tip it should work out right?

On my Ruger .270 the long seated bullet points get deformed a tad from recoil/collision w/ the inside of the ammo sleve in the gun. You don't discover this while shooting off the bench as usuall you feed one round at a time. Anyway the slightly flattend tips had no real apparent effect on accuracy.

The '07 Hodgdon's annual manual (magazine) doesn't list any 70 gr. loads calling for IMR 4350. Their discussions on powers suggest the 4350 is a heavy bullet power. I thought I could use the same powere as w/ the .270.

I guess it won't hurt to break-down and spend a few bucks for another can of power. But, there's so many - H414, Varget, H4895, H4350 ?? I will be shooting 2 loads one med bullet (70 gr.) for long range yotes/varmit and a 100 gr. deer load.

Any thoughts?

I do not think you will be able to touch the lands with that bullet, if you want to use the magazine. If you wish to NS only and touch the lands-then I would buy a follower and shoot it single shot only. If you wish to use the magazine I would slightly bump the shoulder with my FL sizer, and that will also NS the brass. Your rifle will function alot better, and I doubt if you will notice any accuracy difference. You must decide-single shot or repeater. I only have one Savage right now, it is a model 12FVSS in 300WSM, I have afollower in it, and shoot it single shot only. It will sure shoot.

I use the Sinclair inside neck madrel only, I do not size the brass at all. I only size the inside of the neck for consistent neck tension. I also orient the casing into the chamber the same way every time(the WW at 90 degrees). Tom.

Tom's absolutely right. I got a little nuts several years ago when working up a load for one of my 270's and forgot all about magazine constraints. Had it shooting great, but found myself in the woods the first day of deer season with a single-shot bolt action as I was unable to load the magazine due to the bullets being seated out too far. I was dumb enough to admit it on here, and Mossy33oak put the rasberries to me, which I certainly deserved. A word to the wise......

I found my load data when I played with a few boxes of Blitz Kings. I loaded to the Sierra manuals reccomendation of the "accuracy" load.

H322
Fed 210M
33.8 grains
3100fps
1600ft lbs

H322 lists this in the manual
Min load - 32.8 @ 3000fps - Max load - 34.8gr @ 3200fps

I didn't take an OAL of this load. I ran it as long as my magazine would allow. Accuracy was great.

If you are not loading the heaviest/longest bullet for that calibur, then you have a little more freedom when seating the bullet. As a rule I try to seat mine, at least,to the dept of the diameter of the bullet. However, I found that using a StoneyPoint COAL guage is the best idea. I could not do with it now. Then you know just how you are loading/seating the bullet.

Peace of mind is worth it.

Before loading very many rounds, check to insure that a bullet will 1) chamber OK (careful here),2) will fit in the mag well and 3) will eject from the chamber.

I loaded a bunch one time that I had to shoot single shot.