I was working up some loads yesterday with my 204. I have tried BLC-2 with CCI 400 primers. The best pattern was 29.7 but it was flattening the primer. I switched to the CCI Mag. primers and started at 27.5 to 29.5 going up by .5 for each load. Had poor patterns. Most were from 2 to 3 inches.
I also loaded up a few Varget with the CCI 450 Mag primers. Much better pattern. The best was 28.5. No signs of excessive pressure.
I did this after coyote hunting with about a 5 to 10 MPH wind and I didn't have a benchrest. I was shooting off the hood of the pickup with a bipod. Patten was just over 1". My Varget loads got better as I increased the powder. 29 grains is a compressed max load. I'm going to try that one next. I like volocity but mostly looking for accuracy. That's why I bought a 204.
I have had good results using Varget in my 223 Ultra with CCI 400's and 26 grains Varget for both 50 grain Vmax and Speer TNT. I can pick of P-dog at 300 yds plus with this load.
I found more info on Graymist 204 home page at
http://www.geocities.com/graymist44/. You might want to take a look at it. He's using a CZ not a NEF but might help in finding an accurate load. Looks like XMR2015 was his best load for Hornady 32 Vmax. His factory ammo results aren't all that great but not bad.
Have you shot any factory ammo out of you NEF?
