270 Win with Sierra 140 gr Gamechanger

[weisenbu]

Hi. I’m planning to load some Sierra 140 gr Gamechangers for my 270 Win. I am using Hornady brass and Federal 210M primers. I’m trying to figure out which powder to use. My local store has H4831SC and N560. I’ve used H4831 (not the SC version) in my other 270 Win with good results with 130 gr Bergers. Based on the attached chart, I’m liking the potential extra speed of the N560. Any thoughts or guidance from those with experience loading for the 270? I’ve been looking for Reloader 17 with no luck…

Thank you!

 

[gerry35]

I tried H 4831 sc with the 140 gr TGK's so that's what I would choose It's the classic 270 Win powder for a reason so I would give it a go first and see how it does. You might give up a little bit of speed but it should be consistent.

 

[Steve O]

H4831 is always available and goes with 140g 270 Win loads like peanut butter goes with jelly…

 

[weisenbu]

Thanks for the replies gents.

 

[S-3 ranch]

When I reloaded for my 270 it was 54gr 4831 and sierra 140gr game king HP
( before they were tipped)

 

[weisenbu]

When I reloaded for my 270 it was 54gr 4831 and sierra 140gr game king HP
( before they were tipped)

Thanks for that. Do you know what speeds you were getting? When I was using H4831 with the 130 gr Bergers, I was at 57 gr and getting just north of 3100fps.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Thanks for that. Do you know what speeds you were getting? When I was using H4831 with the 130 gr Bergers, I was at 57 gr and getting just north of 3100fps.

2970-3000

 

[rcook10]

H4831sc is a 270s dream. I'm getting 3150 with 129gr LRXs out of mine. Every load I did during ladder testing was at or below 10fps SD.

Also sierra data is always pretty slow/conservative. I use barnes and nosler exclusively and have never had a problem.

 

[TxLite]

Here is what the Sierra reloading app shows for that bullet in 270 for min/max charge weight with h4831.

 

[JoeB]

I'm using 4831sc with the game changers great accuracy and awesome performance on deer.

 

[Highvoltage1]

I load this combo with reloder 16. It shoots amazing in my rifle. I believe the velocity is in the 2950 range but I’m not standing on it either. I can’t attest to the in game performance but that bullet flat out shoots for me. Best wishes

Mid south shooters supply also has some data for this combo if I remember correctly.

 

[weisenbu]

Thank you all for the replies! The app load data from TxLite was extremely helpful as well. It looks like I should stick with H4831SC as it is readily available and appears to be a great option for the 270 Win - no need to reinvent the wheel I guess. I would like to try RL16 or RL17 one day if I can find them locally... Sierra's load data shows they are very promising (backed up by Highvoltage1)... Once I get things developed, I'll try to remember to post my results.

 

[bonepoint]

The last 3 lbs pounds of H4831sc I have used (different lots) have taken around 2g more powder than the book to match velocities and pressures. This has been in 3 different 270s, and all tracked very close to published data for RL16 and Hunter. You may just keep that in mind if your velocities are much lower than expected with newer lots of H4831sc.

 

[weisenbu]

I finally got to the range with the Sierra Gamechangers. I loaded multiple iterations between 55.0 and 57.0 grains. All shot decent, but not what I was hoping for. The group sizes ranged from 0.5" to 1", with most in the .7-.8" range. There wasn't any noticeable node, but 56.0 seemed to produce the best groups, but not by much. I would need to do more testing to verify. I also did not test seating depth. All were seated as long as possible and still fit in the factory Tikka magazine.

I would like to try another bullet to see if I can do better. I'm trying to decide between the Barnes LRX 129gr, the Hornady ELDX 145gr, and the Berger Classic Hunter 140gr (all are currently available). Any thoughts? I like the idea of the copper LRX, but I've read that folks have a hard time getting them to group. I have had good luck with achieving good groups with the 130gr Berger Classic Hunters in a different 270Win, but haven't been overly impressed with the terminal performance.

The rifle will be hunting whitetails 90% of the time with an occasional antelope and elk. Most of my shots are within 200 yards, but I do on occasion take shots up to 500 yards if the conditions are right.

As stated above, I have Hornady brass, Federal 210M primers, and H4831sc powder.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.

 

[TxLite]

I finally got to the range with the Sierra Gamechangers. I loaded multiple iterations between 55.0 and 57.0 grains. All shot decent, but not what I was hoping for. The group sizes ranged from 0.5" to 1", with most in the .7-.8" range. There wasn't any noticeable node, but 56.0 seemed to produce the best groups, but not by much. I would need to do more testing to verify. I also did not test seating depth. All were seated as long as possible and still fit in the factory Tikka magazine.

The rifle will be hunting whitetails 90% of the time with an occasional antelope and elk. Most of my shots are within 200 yards, but I do on occasion take shots up to 500 yards if the conditions are right.

If your shots are 500 yards and in then 1” groups would be completely fine. Shoot it at 500 yards and see what it does.

 

[waldo9190]

How many shots per group? And what are you trying to accomplish that a 0.5" to 1" group can't?

 

[bonepoint]

I sure would try a few different seating depths before deciding to move on to a different bullet. Especially if you are already under an inch.

 

[weisenbu]

I shot multiple three shot groups for each load. I know three shot groups aren’t ideal. I’d like to do larger groups but my range time is limited. I would be happy with consistent .5” groups with any particular load. I found that for any particular loading, I’d get a .5” group and then the next group would open up a bit. For my other rifles, I've always been able to find a load that would produce consistent .5" groups.

I fully admit that I could be the problem. I have a good understanding of shooting fundamentals, but as stated above, I don't get the repetition needed to be a skilled shooter.

 

[waldo9190]

As discussed here ad nauseum, some of those .5" groups you've shot historically likely wouldn't stay .5" after 5/10/20 rounds, but would still be 100% serviceable for a 500 yard hunting gun. I'm not going to tell anyone to stop chasing smaller groups, but eventually the juice ain't worth the squeeze.

For the record, I've got 50 of the 140 gamechangers loaded up on top of RS Hunter and H4831 (25 each) waiting for a day to get to the range and see how things shake out.

 

[weisenbu]

I totally agree. I have always done smaller groups to determine what the rifle appears to prefer, and then do 5-10 shot groups to narrow things down (seating depth, small changes to the number of grains, etc.) to determine my final hunting load.