Well I went to the range today to try out some different load recipes for my 6.5x284. I've been shooting Berger 140 VLD's all along, but I ran out of them and no one in my part of town has any. Bruno's said they won't be back in stock until NOVEMBER!

So I went back to the Sierra 142 MK's that I tried before, without good success. I had similar results today, couple of OK groups, but with a flyer or 2.

I also tried a box of Lapua Scenars in 139 gr that I've had sitting on a shelf in my shop for over a year, since I bought the rifle. I've never tried the Scenars before.

I shot some really good groups with those. These are all 5 shot groups @ 100 yards.



This one is 49.0 grs of H4831sc, bullet seated 10 thousandths off the lands and Fed match primers. Group measures .285 center to center vertical greatest spread.




This one is 50.5 grs of same recipe. Group measures .285 center to center horizontal greatest spread.

I also tried some "on" the lands



Once again this is 49.0 grs same powder and primer, but on the lands. This group was .313 center to center



This one was a nice one holer for first 4 shots, then I pulled the last shot, and called it pulled before I saw the target. This group was .448 center to center including the #5 pulled shot. The first 4 shots went into .178!

I think I found a suitable replacement for my Bergers! Gotta go buy some more of those Scenars. Bruno's has them in stock.

Oh, and I forgot to mention I had picked up another 100 ct box of Lapua 6.5x284 brass, in the "new" plastic box. I had heard the new brass was different on a few BR forums. I wasn't very happy when I went through it and found all the primer flash holes had burrs in them and the case mouths were all chamfered unevenly. So I had to prep all the new brass, and FL size it of course, but all was forgiven when I shot those groups.

It'll be interesting to see if the groups shrink any when the brass is once fired and neck sized, as opposed to new and FL sized.

I love this gun! Have two of them and I just "shot-out" the barrel of my 2nd one. Mine too were 6.5-284. I found it to be very finicky in both of my model 12's and required a bit more load development than the average rifle/round. One rifle ate H4831 w/SMK 142 and the other dined on 760 w/120 A-max. I don't know if you have done any tweaking to your rifle, but I re-set the barrel to max/min, polished and clipped the trigger springs and placed a lambs wool rest under the barrel. I used Norma match cases with the above loads and damn near set a new 600 yard record (my goal). BTW, Savage owns the 600 yard this year with the same rifle. In any event I love this gun for both BR and F class. I have since re-barred my first with a custom select match grade Shilen in .308 (going to use it for open palma) and I will get the same barrel but in 6.5-284 Norma for BR & F. With a little tweaking, this is an awesome rifle. Your groups look great and will only get better. Remember however, the down side is that this is a pretty hot round and stresses the throat more than any other (small bore) round I know of. With that, a barrel change at 1600 to 2000 rounds is normal, but a bummer..(

The only thing not box-stock on my rifle is the barrel. It wears a McGowen drop in barrel. I haven't touched the trigger or the bedding.

Some very impressive shooting Slowpoke!

I bought one of these guns, in 308 (well, very similar), and it too shoots pretty well.