I have a sako 85 finnlight in 300 win mag and my velocities are low. With 200 grain accubond/partitions and H1000 I am approx 125 fps slower than the nosler manual lists. with the 180 partitions and h4831 is also 125 to 150 fps slower than the manual. My chrony is correct. Has anyone had success with sako 85 and different powders.
Thank You
Scott

Hey Scott, 125-150fps can be as simple as the Altitude, other environmental factors, Lot-to-Lot variation in every component(Case, Primer, Powder and Bullet) and how hard you yank the trigger(well, maybe not the last one ).

That is one of the main reasons I always recommend leaving the Chronograph at home. If you did not know the Velocity was very slightly different than what the Manual listed, you would have been happy and continued on your way. Just forget about the Velocity for the time being and get a SAFE MAX Load - from a Pressure perspective - which also has the best accuracy. Then go shoot the Load at the distances you will take shots at Game, create a Drop Chart and by then you will realize that knowing the actual Velocity serves no useful purpose and tells you nothing at all about Pressure.

There are some Chronograph type devices that "claim" to tell you what the Pressure is, but that is only true when they are properly Calibrated with Calibration ammunition(aka Reference Ammo released by SAAMI) and used inside a controlled environment Lab. Otherwise, they are a $$$HIGH$$$ joke on the purchaser.

If you want to know the best way to tell about Pressure, that would be the always reliable, time proven, never fail, repeatable, relatively inexpensive, good old CHE & PRE.

Best of luck to you.

Scott,
Most of the Sako's I have owned have had 22 to 23 inch barrels. Your manual may reflect velocities out of a 26" pressure barrel. I do not have an 85 in 300 win mag so I can't comment directly. Chances are since its a finnlight, your not engaging in ultra long range hunting. At 300 yds and under, 150 fps will probably not mean as much as accuracy.
AS to chronys, I chrono everything. Personal preference. I enjoy being able to compare the velocity to book and know what the deviation of the different load densities and powders are for a particular load in relation to accuracy. I see chrony's as one more tool I can employ.
Although I am not a long range shooter, given a velocity and a ballistic co-efficient, I can estimate point of impact at a given range. I do however, shoot at increments up to 300 yds. to prove my rifle/loads.
An example, one particular 20 caliber chambering IIRC, there is a velocity differnce of +/- 500 fps between reloader 10x and 2015br. The 2015 br load shoots one bughole 3 shot groups. The Re-10x shoots 3/4" at 100. Gives me the choice of accuracy vs velocity for a particular application.
GWB

If you go to the end of the barrel and look closely, there is a "barrel speed" screw with an arrow indicator. Get a small screwdriver and turn the arrow in the direction stated as "barrel speed" increase. This should compensate for the 125 FPS you are missing. Cheaper guns don't have this feature but yours might!

Vapo,
now you've gone and taken all the fun, excitement and mystery out of the equation.
Shame on you.
GWB
PS: I've disabled that feature on all my Sakos.