How much velocity are you willing to give up for good accuracy in a hunting rifle?

Honestly, I am chasing accuracy anyway. Now that being said I better be getting velocity close to what the caliber i am shooting is supposed to. My 20" 308 load shoots around .5-.75" and I only get about 2750 out of it. I can get 2850-2900 but it stresses the brass. I used to get caught up with speed. Now if I want more speed I get a bigger case. Why stress my 308 to get 2900 when I can get 3000 with a 30-06 and not make it breathe fire?

Accuracy is better than velocity.A quality hunting bullet@2600 fps is tons better than a target bullet@3500 fps.Townsend Whelen had it right "Only accurate rifles are interesting".

I've got a 7 SAUM that's shooting 160 grain Accubonds at 2835 fps. The 3 shot group is the size of a penny with a SD of 5.0 and a spread of 10. I can get in the 2900s with a different powder and good accuracy. After seeing Nosler's loaded ammo with a muzzle velocity of 2850 listed on the box, makes me think the 2900+ may be a little much in my factory 22" barrel.

Would you be happy with the 2835 fps or what do you think it should be getting?

Nosler's data is from a 24" barrel and they're only showing 2900 or a touch above. I'd be pretty dang happy with that accuracy and speed. I bet a 160 accubond at that speed hits like Thor's hammer.

Thanks for your thoughts and expertise.

Here's the load's grouping.

Yeah I think you got a winner. I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep worrying about that one.

Since I'm a speed demon and chase every fps I can get usually I will say that nearly every caliber has a sweet spot in speed for each bullet weight. And that all depends on the rifle, but most shoot their best with a certain bullet at a certain velocity kind of across the board.

I have a book full of loads that I can put in about any gun of the same caliber and barrel length off any ole gun rack... and with that load the gun will shoot about as good as that particular gun will ever shoot.. Always can be tweaked but if the rifle is gonna be a shooter it'll shoot it well.

So in my experience it is better to get a bigger gun than to try and make a slower cartridge go faster.

And I don't think a deer ever cared about 100fps. So I've got rifles that might shoot a little slower and I'm ok with that. As stated I'd rather have an accurate rifle than a fast one that doesn't shoot as good. I'm always pushing for as much as I can, but I dial them in for accuracy not speed in the end.

Care to share those "magic" loads? I got a 300WSM, 7mm-08, and 270

One reason I've liked W748 for my .308 is that the closer I got to the max load, the better it shot. I stopped .5g below the max and was getting moa groups at 2915. I been shooting that load with 150g bullets since early 90s and long ago quit experimenting on it.

But I seldom read of anyone else using W748, so maybe my gun is unusual. Good luck with it.

If you load based off your Ogive you can go for speed and accuracy no problem. I don't go by what factory loads say

You will see significant increases in velocity and accuracy if you start neck sizing your brass instead of full length sizing

I don't own a chrono. I shoot at distance and stop at a load that groups well. I would love to attain the max speed out of my calibers but all that does is lesson brass life. Speed has no substitute for accuracy.

It does with the Barnes ttsx.

Get a chronograph if you want to play speedracer,then spend the money for the .22-378 weatherby wildcat.The PPC series shows the accuracy velocity issue.

How much more velocity and accuracy would you expect to see from neck sizing in this load?

My .243 gains 70 fps with an 80 grain Barnes going from virgin brass to fireformed brass

Is that with Laupa brass?

I should have said that I am getting the numbers I posted using previously fired brass from the same gun and then neck sizing only. I doubt my rounds would fit in most guns.

Norma Brass. It's good and thick like lapua brass though