Hi All,
Just about to start reloading after 7 years of factory ammo and the last few months researching and reading about it - including on here and finally after a demo, earlier on the year from IanF.
My Sako A7 (1-11 twist) .308 with 20" barrel is quite ammo fussy - loves 150g Federal soft points and Winchester Ballistic Silver Tips, hates Geco, PPU and so on.
The purpose is for woodland stalking for muntjac, roe and fallow, with 200 yards being a rare shot and most within 100 yards - the usual.
I'd like to find the ideal long range foxing/roe load with c.130g, the ideal load for woodland fallow and anything else at 150g and then a heavy bullet (170/180g) for the occasional North Cornwall and Devon (or scottish) Red deer.
I know 150g will do it all if you shoot it in the right place, but I thought it would be fun to try something a bit different.
So, newbie question - which do you choose first - the bullet weight and then the type of the type/make and then weight of the bullet?
Will reloading enable me to choose a bullet and then modify the load until the rifle likes it, or will the rifle ignore my efforts and only like a particular make and weight of bullet, that I need to find by trial and error?
I'm hoping to avoid trying loads of expanding bullets I then can't use and have to sell to avoid using up my FAC allowance, but I accept there will be a road to travel, before I reach Nirvana....
Advice/comments/derision welcomed.
Just about to start reloading after 7 years of factory ammo and the last few months researching and reading about it - including on here and finally after a demo, earlier on the year from IanF.
My Sako A7 (1-11 twist) .308 with 20" barrel is quite ammo fussy - loves 150g Federal soft points and Winchester Ballistic Silver Tips, hates Geco, PPU and so on.
The purpose is for woodland stalking for muntjac, roe and fallow, with 200 yards being a rare shot and most within 100 yards - the usual.
I'd like to find the ideal long range foxing/roe load with c.130g, the ideal load for woodland fallow and anything else at 150g and then a heavy bullet (170/180g) for the occasional North Cornwall and Devon (or scottish) Red deer.
I know 150g will do it all if you shoot it in the right place, but I thought it would be fun to try something a bit different.
So, newbie question - which do you choose first - the bullet weight and then the type of the type/make and then weight of the bullet?
Will reloading enable me to choose a bullet and then modify the load until the rifle likes it, or will the rifle ignore my efforts and only like a particular make and weight of bullet, that I need to find by trial and error?
I'm hoping to avoid trying loads of expanding bullets I then can't use and have to sell to avoid using up my FAC allowance, but I accept there will be a road to travel, before I reach Nirvana....
Advice/comments/derision welcomed.