Bergara Premier Highlander .300 Win Mag Reload Recipes

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
Does anyone out there have a good starting point for a Bergara Premier Highlander in .300 Win Mag?

I was thinking Berger 215's and H1000 - has anyone used a similar load in their Highlander? Not sure where to start load development, Berger recommends starting .015 off the lands and working back into the case all with 70.5gr of H1000. 70.5gr kind of seems light to me to start with, but I could be wrong
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
21
70.5 seems light for h1000 and 215 gn berger. I shoot browning x bolt but all bullets I've shot 199 to 215 gn shoot best with 77.0 to 77.2 of h1000. You could always start at 70.5 and work up to pressure.
 
OP
dmossu

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
70.5 seems light for h1000 and 215 gn berger. I shoot browning x bolt but all bullets I've shot 199 to 215 gn shoot best with 77.0 to 77.2 of h1000. You could always start at 70.5 and work up to pressure.
I agree, was thinking of starting with 72 grains and .015 off the lands.
 

Trippy

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
263
Location
SW Wisconsin
What is .015" off measure for COAL though? In my Tikka that's 3.585", is that 3.340" in your Bergara, less than 3.340"? If you're following through with Berger's full instructions on seating depth testing by going to .130" off...how much does that reduce the volume in the case or rather how much does that increase the pressure?

Either way, it's just the seating depth test part of this. Berger's offering advice to you on what to do vs the internet ;)
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
8,172
Depends what brass you use and how much freebore, leade angle, etc. Bertram has 8.5 grains less h20 capacity than norma 300 wm brass so you'd obviously use less powder.

If using Norma brass or something close in case capacity i wouldn't even go as low as 72.

good info:
 
OP
dmossu

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
Depends what brass you use and how much freebore, leade angle, etc. Bertram has 8.5 grains less h20 capacity than norma 300 wm brass so you'd obviously use less powder.

If using Norma brass or something close in case capacity i wouldn't even go as low as 72.

good info:
Using Norma brass - man Bergers loading data they sent was so wrong. They had me starting at 70.5 grains. I think I need to be closer to 75 grains of H1000.

I think I need to reverse what they told me. I think I will seat out to slight jump from lands, then work powder up until I get optimal velocity and accuracy and no pressure, THEN change seating depth.
 

Trippy

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
263
Location
SW Wisconsin
Using Norma brass - man Bergers loading data they sent was so wrong. They had me starting at 70.5 grains. I think I need to be closer to 75 grains of H1000.

I think I need to reverse what they told me. I think I will seat out to slight jump from lands, then work powder up until I get optimal velocity and accuracy and no pressure, THEN change seating depth.
Is this an educated statement or just your brain talking?
 

Marble

WKR
Joined
May 29, 2019
Messages
3,219
Using Norma brass - man Bergers loading data they sent was so wrong. They had me starting at 70.5 grains. I think I need to be closer to 75 grains of H1000.

I think I need to reverse what they told me. I think I will seat out to slight jump from lands, then work powder up until I get optimal velocity and accuracy and no pressure, THEN change seating depth.
I used to do this then started doing seating depth first. Seems like it was quicker, cheaper and easier.

For me, I would look at the book info and start slightly above minimum and just shoot a few to work up to max. Find out what the gun likes then fine tune.

My last gun shoots 2 grains below max, doesn't and can't take more pressure, but shoots chronograph speeds faster than book max with a jump of .050. It's super weird.

It's not a long range gun so I dont care.

Get your gun bedded, trigger set, scope adjusted for you, barrel broke in and you'll be good. It'll take a bit of time but it will be worth it.

I dicked around with my .300wm for a year. Haven't had to adjust anything with the load since. That was 2010 or 2011.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
 
OP
dmossu

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
I used to do this then started doing seating depth first. Seems like it was quicker, cheaper and easier.

For me, I would look at the book info and start slightly above minimum and just shoot a few to work up to max. Find out what the gun likes then fine tune.

My last gun shoots 2 grains below max, doesn't and can't take more pressure, but shoots chronograph speeds faster than book max with a jump of .050. It's super weird.

It's not a long range gun so I dont care.

Get your gun bedded, trigger set, scope adjusted for you, barrel broke in and you'll be good. It'll take a bit of time but it will be worth it.

I dicked around with my .300wm for a year. Haven't had to adjust anything with the load since. That was 2010 or 2011.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
How did you decide on what seating depths to test first?
 

Trippy

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
263
Location
SW Wisconsin
Let's say you find the powder charge your gun likes first and it just so happens to be right under max pressure for the gun. You did your seating depth at .015" off for the powder tests. Now you move to changing seating depths and find the combo likes .130" off the best. Now you're probably over max pressure since you reduced the case volume a bit so you have to redo the powder tests. You wasted time and materials that are hard to find for most these days, even when it's easy to get you still lost time and money.

I follow Berger's approach at or under minimum powder loads and it's easy to see/find the depths that give the best groups for different bullet and gun combos. I've done it both ways and Berger's method has been faster for me. They both got the same end result though.
 
OP
dmossu

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
Let's say you find the powder charge your gun likes first and it just so happens to be right under max pressure for the gun. You did your seating depth at .015" off for the powder tests. Now you move to changing seating depths and find the combo likes .130" off the best. Now you're probably over max pressure since you reduced the case volume a bit so you have to redo the powder tests. You wasted time and materials that are hard to find for most these days, even when it's easy to get you still lost time and money.

I follow Berger's approach at or under minimum powder loads and it's easy to see/find the depths that give the best groups for different bullet and gun combos. I've done it both ways and Berger's method has been faster for me. They both got the same end result though.
So you think I should be testing seating depth first at only 70.5g of H1000 to find which groups the best, then work up til I see pressure/get the best powder charge?
 
OP
dmossu

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
Let's say you find the powder charge your gun likes first and it just so happens to be right under max pressure for the gun. You did your seating depth at .015" off for the powder tests. Now you move to changing seating depths and find the combo likes .130" off the best. Now you're probably over max pressure since you reduced the case volume a bit so you have to redo the powder tests. You wasted time and materials that are hard to find for most these days, even when it's easy to get you still lost time and money.

I follow Berger's approach at or under minimum powder loads and it's easy to see/find the depths that give the best groups for different bullet and gun combos. I've done it both ways and Berger's method has been faster for me. They both got the same end result though.
Also which seating depths do you usually start at? .010 and work back into the case?
 

Trippy

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
263
Location
SW Wisconsin
I do this but 5 shot groups instead of 2x 3shot groups, .010 to .130 off;


I use book min loads for whatever bullet I'm testing to check seating depth. I only have Berger's 210 VLD page that shows 71.5 grains H1000 for starting load so I wouldn't think 70.5 is too low. They've told me they use Quickload for the book numbers, for whatever that's worth.
 

Marble

WKR
Joined
May 29, 2019
Messages
3,219
How did you decide on what seating depths to test first?
I loaded at .010 out to .060, .010 between loads, shot them in one session and looked for the node, where several came together. Then started in the middle of the node with seating depth. So if .040, .050 and .060 all shot close to each other, I then shot .040 through .060 in 3 shot groups. Continually working towards the best accuracy. If I found one shooting 3/4 or so MOA, I stopped, I would then move to my powder charges.

I'm not a super precision shooter. I'm a hunter and I look for sub MOA performance with the fastest/heaviest bullet combo that works. My goals with these guns are to kill animals at 600, sometimes further, under favorable conditions.

Occasionally I’ve had a large velocity difference. I turned necks, annealed the brass which is actually super cheap and easy and it seems to solve the issue. Once I do my initial load building I only shoot the gun just prior to season. So the recipes for accuracy has been good for years. No throat erosion or excellerated barrel wear.

I hunt year round and do not target practice so my barrels last and I don't have to reload too much each year for my guns.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
 
OP
dmossu

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
I do this but 5 shot groups instead of 2x 3shot groups, .010 to .130 off;


I use book min loads for whatever bullet I'm testing to check seating depth. I only have Berger's 210 VLD page that shows 71.5 grains H1000 for starting load so I wouldn't think 70.5 is too low. They've told me they use Quickload for the book numbers, for whatever that's worth.
Yeah this is what he sent me.

My question is, once I find the best seating depth, won't that change when I adjust up to that normal 74/75 grains of powder? I mean that's 4-5gr jump.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20210512-095025_Yahoo Mail.jpg
    Screenshot_20210512-095025_Yahoo Mail.jpg
    145 KB · Views: 12

Trippy

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
263
Location
SW Wisconsin
Yeah this is what he sent me.

My question is, once I find the best seating depth, won't that change when I adjust up to that normal 74/75 grains of powder? I mean that's 4-5gr jump.
It really hasn't for me but anything's possible. I suppose if your barrel is really picky on powder charges and it's harmonics you could have a hard time. I've just done what that link says first to get really close then powder. There's usually been around a .020-.030 seating depth range that seems to work well for the bullets I've tried; Berger, Nosler, Barnes, and Sierra. Get in that range or maybe even down to .010 variation then switch to powder if you want to. Get the powder down to a small range (maybe .5 grain?) then play with seating depth again to fine tune it if you need to. You could keep going back and forth but I'd ask myself "is this good enough for what I need" while considering barrel life and (monetary and time) expenses.
 
OP
dmossu

dmossu

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
111
It really hasn't for me but anything's possible. I suppose if your barrel is really picky on powder charges and it's harmonics you could have a hard time. I've just done what that link says first to get really close then powder. There's usually been around a .020-.030 seating depth range that seems to work well for the bullets I've tried; Berger, Nosler, Barnes, and Sierra. Get in that range or maybe even down to .010 variation then switch to powder if you want to. Get the powder down to a small range (maybe .5 grain?) then play with seating depth again to fine tune it if you need to. You could keep going back and forth but I'd ask myself "is this good enough for what I need" while considering barrel life and (monetary and time) expenses.
Perfect, good to know.

I will adjust seating depth first, because I have already reloaded some shells .020 and .030 off the lands @ 70.5gr. May do another group of .010 off (not sure if these will feed through the magazine, so I will have to double check). I know those Bergers do not like much jump at all
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
8,172
I know it's not good form to say disregard the book but I say disregard berger's book. The fastest load in that chart is 2836 FPS, if going above that is dangerous maybe someone can advise me to why berger sold a pile of factory 215 300wm ammunition with an accurate advertised muzzle velocity of 2886. Also, I pulled a bullet on one of their factory rounds and it had a heavier charge weight than anything in the posted chart.. I'd follow Ryan's advice on the posted LRO cartridge guide.

I'm not saying it's the right way but here's what I'd do with a fresh barrel and fresh brass in a 300 WM:

Load the first firing of 100 pieces of brass with bullets lightly jammed. The shoulders of the brass on your first firing of a belted magnum will probably move forward 0.012-0.024" on your first firing. A light jam helps prevent excessive case stretch in front of the belt. During this time you should be able to get a fair picture of where you see pressure, where you get consistent velocities, etc. On a fresh barrel/brass i'd bet $ that your once fired brass in a barrel with a 100+ round count will have different results (faster, higher pressure) than virgin brass on a barrel with less than 100 rounds.

Once you start loading once fired brass and settle on a charge/velocity note, adjust your seating depth back from the lands in the manner you see fit.

Edit: Trippy's method of seating depth testing first is intriguing and I may try that someday too.
 
Last edited:
Top