Looking for some advice. I'm not new to reloading but I don't have as much knowledge and experience as many on here do. I had a new carry hunting rifle built chambered in 7RM. Bartlein #3 24" 1:8. I recently started load development for 160 Accubonds pushed by H1000. After a couple OCW tests I have 2 good accuracy nodes… a lower one at 65.3 grains (2,869 fps) and an upper one at 69.0 grains (3,015 fps). At 69.0 the primers start showing the slightest sign of flattening but not much. In the photo, the 69.0 case is on the right and the 65.3 case is on the left. I don't notice any other signs of pressure… although I had the bolt cerekoted and its brand new so still not worn in silky smooth yet and I'm not sure I would notice a little sticky bolt lift?? It certainly shows no signs of noticeable heavy lift.
I have not gone beyond 69.0. Both loads are sub MOA with the 65.3 load having a slight advantage at a solid 1/2 MOA. I was really hoping to find a good node in the 67.5 to 68.5 range like I have with previous 7RM's but it's not there with this one. Looking for advice on what load to move forward with. My goal is to focus on a specific load and that's the one for this rifle. It will be used 80% for hunting and 20% for occasionally banging steel, rarely over 800yds. The rifle should easily outlast me. I'm not sure how "hot" the 69.0 load is, but barrel life, case life, and rifle wear and tear is a consideration. At the same time, I feel I'm sacrificing a lot of the advantages of the 7RM to move forward with an under 2,900 fps load.
Anyway, please talk me through this and what load to move forward with and not look back. Thanks!!