DOGMAN243-- Sorry I haven't been reading this thread lately so I didn't get my range test results posted. I'll get that deficiency solved right now.
I did test some IMR 8208 XBR powder in my slightly used Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger back on April 8, 2010. I purchased this rifle from one of the classifieds on an Internet Board. It has a 26" stainless steel super match grade Pac-Nor barrel on it with a 1 in 11" twist and three grooves.
I used brand new full length resized WW brass and fully prepped it. The primers I used were the Remington 7½. These were the first shots I fired from this rifle, but they weren't the first shots down the barrel. The previous owner told me he had about 325 rounds down the barrel. Before shooting it, I cleaned it super-good and decided to go with hBN coated bullets for my tests since it surely must be "broken in" after 325 shots. Once I shot two shots on paper at 50 yards and did slight adjustments to the scope, I shot three more scope-adjustment rounds at 100 yards using 35 gr. FBHP Bergers and 27.7 gr. of 8028 XBR and did a little more dialing on the windage and elevation knobs. I did not have my chronograph set up, but will definitely have it operating on my next trip to the range.
After getting the scope adjusted, I shot 5 shots using 28.0 gr. of 8028 XBR and the 35 gr. Bergers. I was impressed with the accuracy of the group made first three shots--the group measured .066" center-to-center. I almost didn't fire shots 4 and 5 because I usually mess up on one of the last two shots and turn a potentially super-nice group into an ordinary group. Well, shot 4 definitely enlarged the group
However, shot #5 was tucked in pretty close to shots 1, 2, & 3. If I drop out shot #4, then the other four shots measure .188" center-to-center. The five shot group wasn't too bad, measuring in at .313" center-to-center. I think that would be minute-of-prairie dog load even without further load development.
I also shot a 4-shot group using 28.5 gr. of 8208 XBR and the 32 gr. V-Max. Not a super-good group, but I'm sure I can get a load figured out that will shoot better.
I also wanted to see how the 40 gr. V-Max would do in this 1 in 11" twist barrel because that's the bullet I wanted to use in this rifle. The fellow I bought it from said the 40 gr. V-Max didn't shoot worth beans in this rifle. I'm glad I decided to try them. I used 26.8 gr. of 8208 XBR with this bullet. This is only a 4-shot group, but it sure seems to me to show some promise:
Next range trip, I'll also try a couple different loads of 8208 XBR with the 39 gr. Sierras, a couple more loads with the 40 gr. V-Max and a couple more loads with the 35 gr. FBHP Bergers as well. The inside of the new, once-fired WW casings I used still had some shine on the inside walls, so I figure the powder wasn't too terribly dirty, but that's a guess on my part. The barrel, after 18 shots, definitely had some burned powder residue in it and there was a tiny bit of copper when I cleaned the barrel, but I'm happy with it.
We have had pretty steady 20 mph winds with gusts as high as 45 mph up here for nearly a week and I'm getting tired of it. I can't shoot this rifle right now though, because I sent the bolt off to Gre-Tan Rifles LLC to have the bolt bushed. I don't like to see the cratering effect on the primers and with the loads I was using, I'm pretty doggone sure the primers weren't cratering because of undue high pressure. My other Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger doesn't have the cratering problem, so I figured I'd get it fixed NOW rather than wait until prairie dog shooting season.