Ladder test 26 nosler

[wind gypsy]

1.5 moa isn’t going to very good at distance. I’ve got other guns that are just for plinking. I want a gun that will reach out and touch something. I should have done more research before buying this gun, I think I would have gone with something like a .260 Remington or maybe even 6.5x47. I do agree with everyone who says the 26 nosler is just way too much over bore.

The idea that you're going to "tune" a load to a barrel that has it's bore condition changing so rapidly just doesn't make sense to me. You'd be in a state of constant tuning. Agree with what @ResearchinStuff said above.

Sub 1.5 MOA 10 shot group is pretty solid for a factory rifle despite what the internet might tell you. Maybe not for a 3 shot group but for 10 or more I wouldn't bother with minor tweaks thinking you're going to find much better. Confirming you actually found something better takes more than a couple 3 round groups and if you're actually shooting statistically relevant #'s of shots you'll get most of the way through the barrel life by the time you prove something is best.

 

[6.5notcreedmore]

Maybe I’m wrong but all I’m trying to verify with 10 rounds is a charge that has a stable velocity. If the velocity is consistent then I can move onto other variables to fine tune like seating depth and such.


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[ResearchinStuff]

listen to the podcast. you're torching the barrel chasing things that are extremely unlikely to yield repeatable results.

 

[6.5notcreedmore]

The podcast isn’t too hard to understand. Basically shoot larger sample sizes and if I don’t like my results, change either the bullets or change the powder. Now I am kind of curious why everybody bother taking out their chronograph when they are trying out a load of it doesn’t mean anything. On a side note I did load up 10 more rounds using 140 gr sierras. I’m planning on shooting again tonight. I’ll post the results and we can find out. At the end of everything I do like the test and verify aspect of reloading and I don’t like how inconsistent even match grade factory ammo is.


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[ResearchinStuff]

Because most people don't understand what they are doing, and most of the "experts" on the topic from the last century were either stupid or uninformed, leading the public astray. Potentially both.

 

[dirtytough]

You are going to torch your barrel before you find a load. With something like a 26 Nosler I would be loading in 1 grain increments. 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, etc. When I see pressure I would load up 10 at the previous charge. If the 10 shoot decent I would call it good.

 

[JF_Idaho]

People use a chronograph so they know when they hit a velocity they are trying to achieve and to get a muzzle velocity for calculating firing solutions. You can also check loads for ES/SD consistency, etc. With a barrel burner cartridge I would record that data while using it for its intended purpose whether that be long range shooting (which the nosler cartridge is intended for) or whatever simultaneously as to not waste barrel life.

The 26 is going to have a 500-1000 shot barrel life depending on quality of barrel and rate of fire, so everyone is saying that if you do an extended load development you will burn out a large percentage of your barrel life.

If it's going to be a hunting rifle, sure maybe 100-200 round development would be ok. And then a recheck of your zero every season, a hunt or two and it will last a long time.

 

[Mike D Texas]

US869 is temp sensitive enough I won’t mess with it but it does give good velocity. It can get a little squirrelly if you’re loading near the top and shooting in warm temps.

If it groups good with that 84.3 I don’t know how keen I would be on pushing much higher with the velocity it’s giving. Shoot a few progressively warmed up rounds and make sure when the weather gets hot you won’t be getting into the danger zone if your going to be hunting/shooting in hot weather.

If the groups aren’t to your liking I think I would try N570, it’s hell on throats but with a 26 Nos everything is so I wouldn’t worry about it. StaBall HD might be worth trying also, it’s been available and seems pretty stabile in the little bit I have played with it.

I’m waiting to have my 26 Nosler chambered, but Quickload shows Hodgdon H50BMG to be ideal with 156 EOLs. That powder is in their extreme line so it should be temp stable.


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[wyosam]

Okay… I measure my powder charge with a rcbs charge master light and I verify with a hornady pocket scale, if the don’t measure the same I dump the load back into the charge master and throw another load. I feel like maybe I’m not getting exactly the load I think I am but that all of my loads are very consistently charged. For my case prep I full length size with whidden gunworks bushing die and I shoulder bump .003 and then I trim to 2.575 and I am using federal gm 215m primers. I am on my 4th firing on this brass. Currently I am not in possession of an annealer. When I get one I will start over with new brass and will anneal after each firing.


Perhaps I could perform another ladder test and up my charges by .5 gr increments but I am already way above the velocity predicted in the loading manuals.


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If you keep messing with load development, you’re just going to chase your tail and chase the barrel into the trash. I love to tinker with loads, but doing so with cartridges as overbore as the 26N is just futile.


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[wind gypsy]

Maybe I’m wrong but all I’m trying to verify with 10 rounds is a charge that has a stable velocity. If the velocity is consistent then I can move onto other variables to fine tune like seating depth and such.

A couple tenths here or there isn't going to take a round from wild velocity spreads to being consistent and if it did, your data from 2 or 3 rounds isn't likely to reliably show it. You already have a pretty good idea of what velocity is going to average so the 10 rounds should be to check accuracy and get an even more solid # on average velocity to use in ballistic solutions moving forward.

You're dealing with a monster here that if there were such a thing as "tuning" a load, it would be perpetually changing anyway. I've seen 7-10 thousandths per 100 rounds throat erosion quoted for 26 nos so by the time you "fine tune" your jump it's not going to be the same as it was when you started.

 

[grfox92]

You mentioned that it's an x bolt so you will likely only get this one barrel out of this action. If that is because of the myth that you can't re barrel am X Bolt, I just want you to know that, that is only a myth. Any good gunsmith will be able to rebarrel your rifle.

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[6.5notcreedmore]

I’ve tagged out to a few local gunsmiths and they told me that they don’t touch them. Maybe I’ll look a little further away. I’m not sure what I could rebarrel on this action though.


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[grfox92]

You mentioned that it's an x bolt so you will likely only get this one barrel out of this action. If that is because of the myth that you can't re barrel am X Bolt, I just want you to know that, that is only a myth. Any good gunsmith will be able to rebarrel your rifle.

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There was recently a thread where the topic came up and someone has asked a few reputable gunsmiths and was told no problem. I can't remember exactly where it was brought up. If I find it I'll send you a link.

Edit: Pierce has done a bunch. There is a thread in Long-range hunting and their name came up several times as having rebarreled X Bolts.

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