What did you do in the reloading room today?

[Slick8]

We have some great afternoon weather tomorrow so I stuffed 18 rounds to test charge weights.

7PRC and 180 Hybrids over H1k.

 

[Sandhills]

Test run of 5 for my 7 mm wildcat using 140 grain Barnes TTSX and 56 grains of H4350, Winchester LRM primers

 

[Ophidian]

Took some inventory realized I need to get some bullets brass and dies for 7 prc. Found a factory load for lead and copper that shot well so going to start building up loads for development.

 

[kkp005]

Loaded up some more of the unicorn 6mm 95gr tmk’s… dang Sierra neeeds to put some more out, I’m getting low

 

[Torque]

Quarterly update:

I built and installed our under bench drawer cabinets, shelves, inline fabrication wall mounts and made a storage rack for brass. We are moving things in, slowly. I am currently in the process of acquiring a 60 gallon flammable cabinet, from a laboratory that shut down, for the powder storage. The electric raceways are going in next. I plan on using a dual receptacle every foot along the benches.

We are slowly but steadily getting there.

 

[Slick8]

Man, that's not a loading bench, thats a ballastics lab that hornady would be jealous of.

Congrats on seeing a great vision through.

 

[Conrad101st]

300 win mag, 175 LRX at 3066 fps.
80.5 grains of H1000

 

[waspocrew]

Quarterly update:

I built and installed our under bench drawer cabinets, shelves, inline fabrication wall mounts and made a storage rack for brass. We are moving things in, slowly. I am currently in the process of acquiring a 60 gallon flammable cabinet, from a laboratory that shut down, for the powder storage. The electric raceways are going in next. I plan on using a dual receptacle every foot along the benches.

We are slowly but steadily getting there.

Killer set up for sure!

 

[CKING88]

Got a few pieces of 6.5 Creedmoor sized. Worked on the new bench a little while they were tumbling.

 

[BigDog00]

What kind of dumb s**t have you done at the bench?

Not today, but a few days ago I loaded a few rounds to test pressure. Went to the range tonight to shoot and the very first round gave me the dreaded "click" and no bang. Now, mind you, I had a couple rounds fail to fire about a week ago that I caulked up to bad primers, so this didn't surprise me. Well, I go to extract the round to inspect and low and behold it was definitely a primer issue.....meaning, I didn't prime the dang cases. So, I've got some loaded cases minus primers.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

OK, I'll play.

Tonight I loaded up an initial 2 round 30-06 178 ELD-X pressure test for the MP 635-1 powder I recently picked up 8 lbs of. Supposedly is "similar to" N160 (hint, it's not, at least not in burn rate).

Shot them over the Magnetospeed in the back yard, and got 2735 FPS at 55 grains and 2784 FPS at 56 along with an extra flat Win primer.

+/- 2700 FPS was my target velocity anyway, so I backed down to 54.4 and loaded 10 to accuracy test next trip to the "real range". Case fill is right at 99% ish.

My earlier test with this powder and 150 grain bullets yielded excellent ES/SD and great accuracy (and very clean burning) - so in that sort of way, it's VV like - but 55 grains of actual N160 should have got me like 2500 FPS and extra round primers in tonights test, not 2735.

I also loaded up a batch of 34 (last of that box of bullets) 6.5 PRCs for a buddy of mine's Weatherby First Lite (140 Accubonds over 57.3 grains of H1000).

 

[Ophidian]

My ADG brass arrived today for 7 prc
Monday I’ll get projectiles (100 eldx, 50 160gr LRX). I’m working from home so I plan on sizing and dialing in after I find the jam in my seekins. Hopefully I’ll make it to the range by the end of the month.

 

[Ophidian]

Loaded up the following for my next range trip:

7 PRC ADG brass
160 LRX with Staball HD .050 off the lands
74/73.7/73.4/71.1gr
175gr ELDX with Staball HD .030 off the lands
70/69.7/69.4/69.1gr

Will be shooting out of the 22” seekins ph3

 

[Sandhills]

Loaded a few of the 7 mm wildcat using IMR 4350. 59 grains, WW super speed 338 cases necked to 7mm, 140 grain Sierra. The guy I got the gun from used that and IMR 4831 but based on his notes he had them things packed to the brim.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

Messed with pressure testing a few powders for my new Tikka 7mm-08 with 140 grain Sierra Tipped Game Kings at 2.825 OAL (max mag length unless/until I get a M+ mag)

Varget - 42 grains hit 2864 FPS - no pressure signs and good es/sd. Gonna start here for accuracy testing.

Staball 6.5 - 2 grains down from max, hit 2800 FPS and has to be waaay over pressure - spent primer blown out table-top flat and expanded till it looks like a mushroom. WTF, I thought this was supposed to be the magic sauce that made 2,900 plus FPS at less than 60kpsi? Nope, not even close. The streak continues, I still have no use for this powder in any cartridge I load for - makes way too much pressure way too soon, and accuracy has been horrifically bad with 30-06 and 7x57 (only two I ever shot for accuracy with it).

Hunter - a bit slow for this purpose, but thought I would try it, it also made some really flat primers (but not as bad as the Staball) at disappointingly low velocities. May revisit this with heavier bullets.

N160 - (or similar to, says American Reloading - it generally seemed a bit faster than n160 to me, closer to 4350). Unless I wanted to compress the hell out of it, 2700 or so FPS is about the top. Might be worth visiting for accuracy, as the es/sd looked good, but that's pretty slow for a 140. Will def try this powder with heavier bullets tho.

 

[WhoGarrDen]

Messed with pressure testing a few powders for my new Tikka 7mm-08 with 140 grain Sierra Tipped Game Kings at 2.825 OAL (max mag length unless/until I get a M+ mag)

Varget - 42 grains hit 2864 FPS - no pressure signs and good es/sd. Gonna start here for accuracy testing.

Staball 6.5 - 2 grains down from max, hit 2800 FPS and has to be waaay over pressure - spent primer blown out table-top flat and expanded till it looks like a mushroom. WTF, I thought this was supposed to be the magic sauce that made 2,900 plus FPS at less than 60kpsi? Nope, not even close. The streak continues, I still have no use for this powder in any cartridge I load for - makes way too much pressure way too soon, and accuracy has been horrifically bad with 30-06 and 7x57 (only two I ever shot for accuracy with it).

Hunter - a bit slow for this purpose, but thought I would try it, it also made some really flat primers (but not as bad as the Staball) at disappointingly low velocities. May revisit this with heavier bullets.

N160 - (or similar to, says American Reloading - it generally seemed a bit faster than n160 to me, closer to 4350). Unless I wanted to compress the hell out of it, 2700 or so FPS is about the top. Might be worth visiting for accuracy, as the es/sd looked good, but that's pretty slow for a 140. Will def try this powder with heavier bullets tho.

Staball 6.5 - Sounds like you're getting 100fps faster than reloading data that uses as 24" barrel despite you using a (presumably?) 22-inch barrel. And blowing primers 2 grains below max? What grain weight are you referencing as max?

Hunter - Surprised to hear that given that Nosler lists hunter as faster than Varget and N160 (at least with a 150gr bullet), and Hodgdon shows it neck and neck with H4350 and Varget with a 140gr. What loads/speeds were you getting with flat primers?

What are you leaning on the +/- 100fps for? Does your ballistic app put that in make or break territory for terminal performance at your max personal range? Sounds like Varget is your clear winner all around regardless.

@Pharmseller has a lot of experience with Big Game if you're looking for some of the best velocity in a 7mm-08. Nosler reloading data also has it out front as well with a 140gr. It's given me fantastic accuracy and good velocity, but the ES/SD aren't amazing. Again, I guess it depends on what range you plan to shoot at.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

Staball 6.5 - Sounds like you're getting 100fps faster than reloading data that uses as 24" barrel despite you using a (presumably?) 22-inch barrel. And blowing primers 2 grains below max? What grain weight are you referencing as max?

Quite the opposite (and then some). Hodgdon reloading data says I should get 2975 FPS in 24 inch barrel at 59kpsi with a 140 - if that be correct, I should get at least 2925 FPS in my 22.44 inch barrel at more/less 59kpsi (I would expect more, actually, since the bearing surface of my bullet is lower than theirs, and I'm seating .075 longer OAL, increasing the size of the combustion chamber, with a 0.100 inch jump to the lands which will also reduce pressure). However, at 2800 FPS (technically was like 2796 or somesuch), 2 grains below book max, and I got primers so flat I'm confident I'm up around 70kpsi.

I don't care if I'm getting that velocity or not, I was just commenting that my results are not as advertised.

Hunter - Surprised to hear that given that Nosler lists hunter as faster than Varget and N160 (at least with a 150gr bullet), and Hodgdon shows it neck and neck with H4350 and Varget with a 140gr. What loads/speeds were you getting with flat primers?

I was surprised by this as well. Hodgdon lists 51.5 grains and a 140 Swift A-frame at 2871, 49.5 for a 150 SMK at 2817. At 47.3 I got 2700 FPS, and primers plenty flat to convince me I didn't want to keep going. (not that primers flat are like the be-all/end-all of pressure testing, but once they start looking like a mushroom when you pop a spent one, your chances of being over-hot are very very good, LOL).

What are you leaning on the +/- 100fps for? Does your ballistic app put that in make or break territory for terminal performance at your max personal range? Sounds like Varget is your clear winner all around regardless.

I was not/am not leaning on nothing - even 2800 FPS is plenty with a 140 TGK to touch 500 yards north of 2k FPS, which is plenty plenty for me. I was just commenting that Staball 6.5, per Hodgdon's data, is the magic sauce that would (in theory) knock a 140 up into the 2900's at relatively low pressure, and it does not even remotely come close to that in my experiment just now.

@Pharmseller has a lot of experience with Big Game if you're looking for some of the best velocity in a 7mm-08. Nosler reloading data also has it out front as well with a 140gr. It's given me fantastic accuracy and good velocity, but the ES/SD aren't amazing. Again, I guess it depends on what range you plan to shoot at.

2860 with Varget is more than plenty for me - even 2770 or so would be plenty - I'm not chasing velocity here, I'm looking for accuracy. The ES/SD from the Varget experiment at 42 grains were excellent (SD of 6, max spread of 18 - and I am sure I can tighten that up with paying closer attention to precision when measuring). I tested some lower charges that came in with nearly double the SD/ES numbers, so right about there looks like 'money' to me - in so far as good ES/SD contribute to accuracy - we'll see what the target says when I get a chance to hit the range and accuracy test em.

Again - My post you are replying to was just keeping with the theme of commenting on my reloading adventures and the results thereof, I wasn't meaning to imply anything else.

 

[WhoGarrDen]

@NorthIdahoDude those are some interesting figures. I did double-check Hornady's data suggesting a 0.5gr increase in max from Hodgdons (49.0 vs 48.5), but a much lower velocity of 2,900 (unfortunately I can only pick 139gr bullets, and they don't differentiate copper vs cup and core loads, etc). Nothing wrong with playing it safe with the primers though. I wasn't trying to be argumentative, just genuinely curious. For whatever reason, my Tikka 7mm-08 has stiff bolt lift before flattened or mushroomed primers. First 400 rounds were factory loads before I started handloading.

Thanks for sharing the data and experience! I've only played with Big Game, H4350 and Varget, but have a pound of Hunter on the shelf I'm going to try in the next set (I don't know why...I have ~1 MOA 10-shot loads with all 3 of the powders listed above - probably wanted to tinker more and it was cheaper than buying a new rifle in a new cartridge).

 

[Tahoe1305]

Installed a new vice setup! Happy not to have to swap the press out for the vice now.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

@NorthIdahoDude those are some interesting figures. I did double-check Hornady's data suggesting a 0.5gr increase in max from Hodgdons (49.0 vs 48.5), but a much lower velocity of 2,900 (unfortunately I can only pick 139gr bullets, and they don't differentiate copper vs cup and core loads, etc). Nothing wrong with playing it safe with the primers though. I wasn't trying to be argumentative, just genuinely curious. For whatever reason, my Tikka 7mm-08 has stiff bolt lift before flattened or mushroomed primers. First 400 rounds were factory loads before I started handloading.

Thanks for sharing the data and experience! I've only played with Big Game, H4350 and Varget, but have a pound of Hunter on the shelf I'm going to try in the next set (I don't know why...I have ~1 MOA 10-shot loads with all 3 of the powders listed above - probably wanted to tinker more and it was cheaper than buying a new rifle in a new cartridge).

Happy to share, such as I know, and happy to hear your Tikka 7mm-08 is a hammer. I am really hoping mine turns out to be too (hopefully with the Varget and the 140 TGKs - I have 1k of those bullets on hand and enough Varget to load them all).

This is my first 7mm-08, about my 9th or 10th Tikka, and around the 30th or 40th rifle I've loaded for over the years. I have loaded a lot of 7x57, which in theory should be similar, but in practice so far, it seems is not (it's a H4350 and slower powder game, and likes heavier bullets more).

I was pretty surprised by my results here. I do still expect the Hunter and N160 and 4350s and the like will do well in the 7mm-08 with heavier bullets tho, and I have some 160 Speer SBTs to try them with later.

Random note on the primers - I am using win primers at this point, which are pretty soft compared to CCI or the like. They will get good and flat before heavy bolt lift (heavy bolt lift being around 75kpsi, or so I assume, based on crap I've read on forums, LOL).