Maybe it's age, but the more I shoot, the less concerned I get about a lot of things.
Squeaky clean bores, itsy-bitsy groups and high muzzle velocity are just three things that no longer seem paramount to me.
I still like to put together nice accurate loads, but my "window" of what constitutes accurate keeps getting wider. The same goes with "fast" and "powerful" I guess.
Right now, I'm testing a new cartridge (to be introduced by Savage). It's a .20-cal and it launches 40-gr bullets at 3800 fps with less than 30 grains of powder. Some other testers have managed to launch 30-grainers at 4700 fps - but they disintegrate in flight.
Me? I'm unwilling to punch them that fast. Somwhere around 4200 is plenty, I think. Safer, too.
What may be even more telling is that when all this is done and my article gets published, I'll be sending the rifle back to Savage. I have no need or interest for a cartridge like that. I once thought so, but not any more. Of course, that may change when I see what it does in a prairie dog town, LOL!
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