Posted on 07/28/2020 8:13:34 PM PDT by TermLimits4All
I've been looking for RL17 powder for my rifle and it seems it's all out of stock.
My apologies for misreading your question. RL15 is a ball powder but it seems RL17 is a extruded powder. I’ve never used it. Give us a range report when you get some loaded and fired. :)
What rifle are you launching from?
Might want to check, but pretty certain all the RL series is extruded stuff. 15 certainly is, as I sit here looking at a cap full.
sorry I just saw this.
It’s a Mauser 6.5 Creedmoor with Leupold VX-5 HD 3-15×56 optic.
Yes sir. Should get the new powder sometime next week. Will test rounds next weekend.
I wish Reloader 12 hadn’t been discontinued. I’m down to my last pound. It’s ideal for my .308.
L
Loaded H 4350 into Hornaday brass with Accubond 140gr bullets. 3 rounds with first shot cold barrel. Sub 1/2” moa at 88 yards.
Same brass and bullets with RL 15 was almost a 1” mod at 88 yards. One round could have been a flyer as first two were a two shot same hole at 88 yards.
Still haven’t gotten a ship date on the RL17 but my Lapua brass should be here Wednesday. If the powder comes ill load up some rounds and test this weekend. If that powder works, apparently is more temperature friendly, will be a good thing. If not I may have to find someone who wants it.
Did you get that just on the first load or did you tune the load for your barrel? I usually break in a barrel with a series of loads for one or two of my preferred powders and load nine or ten rounds of each ‘load’ to get three good groups to measure for each ‘load’. Its a more effort, buts its also an excuse to shoot more. :)
So for a given bullet weight from a given lot (usually seated 10 or 15 mm back off of ogive), I might load and shoot ~45 rounds (3 groups of 3 each for a ladder of 5 loads from min to max load). I keep records for each gun so I know what works best for any given bullet type, and a given powder. Its interesting to see how the barrel harmonics can appear out of nowhere in a given ladder.
I only had time to test 3 powders with 3 rounds each.
H4350 was sub 1/2”
RL 15 right at an inch with what I believe was a flyer
100v was at close to 2 inch.
All same Hornaday brass and Accubond 140gr bullets
I remounted my optic and am sighting back in. Over next weekend I’ll be doing probably 7 rounds of each except for the 100v. Do t think my gun likes that powder as much.
Will go to my hunting property in 2 weeks where I can shoot at 200 and 300 yards. I’ll pre-load at home as I don’t have the equipment easily transportable. Honestly though I’m not a professional long range shooter. I hunt deer, hogs and coyotes on my properties. Never shot a deer at range longer that 200 yards.
I was really impressed with the 4350 performance this weekend though.
Where is that at? I want to join you on a hunt sometime. ;)
I have a few hundred acres in Tenn I lease to a hunt club, but I've never hunted it myself. I'm in the Rockies now so its too far from home. But I need to acquire something closer to home for both hunting and setting up my own range. Havent saved enough yet to make that investment. Property is a little more expensive in my area.
My property is in S. Georgia
Its stifling hot this time of year but I have to get down there a couple of times Turing the summer or the limbs and brush get out of control. I’ll start refilling my feeders when I go down next time. I have 500 acres on one side of main road and 200 on the other that my buddies and I hunt. We have a timber lease on both sides that keeps the taxes paid.:)
I lived in Utah years ago, property was certainly more expensive there. Saw a few weeks ago the house I owned, at the 5500 foot mark of one of the mountains, listed at 750k. Should have kept it I guess. We purchased it at 255k and sold it for almost 85k higher than that. Its beautiful out west. I do miss the mountains, I don’t miss the taste of the mule deer.
Small world. I grew up in N. Ga.
Always thought I’d retire there but now that I’m settling in for the last 3 years in CO, I am not sure I’ll leave. I dont miss chiggers.
SO I got my RL 17 powder and loaded 5 rounds each of different loads. Hornaday brass, 140 gr Accubond bullets. 42.0 grain of RL-17 powder.
Cloverleaf on 3 rounds and I shot a 4th which could have been the table I was using (unstable), me or a flyer. If taking the 3 rounds only was a 1/4” moa at 100 yards. 1”moa if you count the 4th round.
I also loaded 43 grain powder but was low and left of bullseye. I’m still at my hunt property so I’ll need to get the ogiv measurements and oal measurements if anyone wants them for a 6.5 Creedmore round.
I’m satisfied with the 42 grain bullet and will be pressing out 5 more to test at my house with a more stable table and weights on my sled. Satisfied for Deer season that is.
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