Working up load for 300WM

[MMH]

I am beginning to work up loads for a 700 Long Range in 300 WM. This rifle has a 26” barrel w/ a 1:10 twist and a deep throat. I have allot of once fired brass (mostly R-P & Barnes). This brass will chamber in my rifle w/o sizing (although there is some force required to close the bolt handle. Anyway, here are the steps that I am intending to follow.

- Size the neck w/ a Lee collet die. I will use the standard diameter decapping rod.
- Size w/ Redding body die. Adjust die such that bolt will close (on empty case) w/ a very slight drag. Eventually I will get a Larry Willis collet die but don’t have one now.
- Clean/Uniform primer pockets, chamfer necks from inside/outside & prime the cases. Should the primer be a magnum primer or standard? I heard that standard primers result in a lower SD.
- Starting loads will be 71 gr. H1000 & 74 gr. Retumbo. Each load will be individually weighed.
- Hornady 220 gr. ELD-X bullets will be loaded & be seated w/ a Forster micrometer seating die to where the bullet is 0.020” off of the lands. This will result in a COAL of approximately 3.60”.

I will only load 5 rounds of each. If cases are OK will go up by 0.5 grains on both powders & load 10 more. Will do this until I get to a max load (looking at primers for pressure signs). Is my intended procedure correct? Any other words of wisdom?