Posted by Michael Bell on Aug 15, 2017; 12:06am
URL: http://oldforum.flyshooter.com.au/Savage-BRX-tp5709390p5709444.html

Hi Peter,
Having shot the BRX for the last 6 or so years in both light & heavy categories I'll weigh in on this.

Like you, I've asked myself many times about the value of shooting an improved case at unimproved velocities.
There are many things to consider when thinking about muscle velocity. Bullet brand & weight, powder type & powder lot & barrel length to name a few.

Every one of the half dozen 6 BRX barrels I've used in competition was finished at 27 -28 inches & was most accurate  between 2980 & 3030 fps using 103 grain mollied copperheads & 2208 powder. Mollied 105 grain Bergers were also accurate  between 2980 & 3000 fps in a couple of these barrels with 2208.

In the early days I used 2206H to good effect with naked bullets but needed to run the 103's a little slower at about 2940 or so.

In high pressure testing I have run up to 3100 fps but this was absolute top end with no margin of error & was hammering the cases.
It's likely that every 1" of barrel length will equal up to about 20 fps in difference meaning that a 26 " barrel will run a bit slower than a 27" etc & different lots of powder can also quite easily make 20 fps of difference....so...there's a bit to consider.

I've used a variety of barrel brands & I reckon they were all within about 15 fps of each other when loaded with identical recipes & factoring in the small differences in barrel length.

Every barrel, with one exception, was capable of scoring 250 plus if the conditions were right when loaded to the previously mentioned velocities.

Peter, if you have a 28" barrel I would be using the 2980 muzzle velocity as a starting point when using 2208 but if you need to go 20-30 fps either side of this mark to get premium accuracy then I would take it.

Regards,
Belly