I've finished brass prep on all 500 cases and found weights all the way from 162.0 to 168.3 grains for empty cases. A bit disappointed with the weight spread for the lot, but I am pleased with the quality of work/prep done by Remington on the primer pockets and flash holes. All flash holes were round and matching diameter, needing no touch up. All primers seated consistently just a few thousandths below flush with the case head. Glad I didn't have to do any prep work on those areas.
Predominantly, the case weights seem to lie around 165.0 to 167.0. I've got about 350 cases in this range, maybe 375. I grouped them into 0.5gr lots.
I love being able to trim 500 cases in a little over an hour. Awesome.
The Giraud seems to bog down a little bit on the nickel cases, where it has no problems at all with brass cases. Glad I went with the Giraud instead of the Gracey trimmer, since the Gracey has a weaker motor and the cutter is only high carbon steel rather than carbide.
I've only loaded 100 cases so far. I have about 100 more A-MAX bullets before I run out, but I ordered 750 more of them last week and they should arrive soon. I'll finish the remainder through the rest of the week and I'll have match fodder to last me through the summer at 1 match a month.
I'm
REALLY excited about this... I hadn't done good load development before and judging by my experiments above... the load I was shooting in matches was at best a 2MOA load. I was holding the 9 ring (3MOA) on a 2MOA load. Each X or 10 I scored was offset by the occasional 8 that just missed the 9 line. Typical slow prone scores for me are 180-185 right now, with maybe 3 to 5 X's.
Now I have a 1/2 MOA load. In theory, that "should" translate into a 1.5MOA score. The 10 ring is 2MOA across.
ETA: My slow prone is my best score on average. I am "just about" as good on rapid prone though the scoring rings are a bit bigger for rapid prone. My seated, I tend to average about 80-85 and my standing is awful... about 70-75. I'm about a 400/500 shooter, give or take a few points one way or another, from my last match. I've made improvements to my seated position since last match (my weakness for that is technique, not ammo quality) and I still need to work on standing and find a way to hold that stinking front sight still and on target without a sling.
I'm hoping on this match to hit 430/500, with at least 10 X's.