Loading for the 280 Ackley...

Finally got some 10 round groups fired at 100, 300, and 600 yards...61 grains RL26, 160 AccuBond at 3,020 fps.

100 and 300 were .47 MOA
600 was .51 MOA
Those are fired from a concrete bench using a Bulls Bag rest and a rear bag.... Not field positions.

Velocities with Reloder 26 are proving to be very stable...todays temp was 75 degrees...the 19 degree drop from 94 to 75 didn't change the velocities any at all...none.

By the end of my shooting today groups were beginning to open up a little, to about .7" MOA....I think she's trying to tell me it's time for a cleaning (~70 rounds since the last one)... Or it could just be me getting tired.

Either way... I'm gonna clean it now.
 
That's awesome speed for a 160 AB. Can't see where that load won't do anything for you. Talk about a perfect all arounder...
 
SJB358":37s90lr4 said:
That's awesome speed for a 160 AB....
Click to expand...

It is a few FPS more than I expected...and it IS a very warm load in spring/summer temps no question about it...but using all the tools I have available to me, best I can tell it is the safe MAX for my rifle...those "tools" being reading brass, MagnetoSpeed, and QuickLoad very well calibrated to my rifle and components.

Gotta be careful with this powder though (RL26)...it will get even more speed without obvious pressure signs (near 3,100 fps)...I defaulted to generally accepted max speeds and QuickLoad...I gave up on reading brass in the Ackley, the traditional pressure signs don't show themselves in the Ackley until you're up around 70,000 psi.
 
Sure. Anything over 2900 with the 160 AB will hunt well. That's a sleek bullet and it'll work great. I'm running the 160 AB at 3200 from my MSM and it is like a varmint bullet.
 
I sure love the sound the 160 AccuBond makes when it hits steel at 600 yards...at around .75 seconds of flight time, and about 1.5 seconds for the sound to travel back to the shooting position...it takes approximately 2 seconds to hear the bullet smack the steel (y)
 
It's a great bullet. One of my favorite ABs. It's tough as well. I'd have 0 issues with smashing one through a bullet elks front leg joint.
 
I just put in an order at Cabelas for an 8# jug of RL26, I don't even have my 280ai yet!!! Hope it works, if not, my 300 win mag may like it.

I'm starting to stress about the next presidential election, so I want to have plenty of components prior to my 280ai build. Nothing would be worse then a new barrel, but can't find stuff to shoot due to panic buying (which is I guess what I'm doing). :roll:
 
Cold weather velocity/temp stability data coming soon (tomorrow)...

After the range trip in the morning I will have tested Reloder 26 in temps ranging from 94 to 28 degrees.

We're about to see if this stuff is what it says it is...

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
Its not as cold this morning as I thought it was gonna be... Looks like it'll be around 40 when shooting hours roll around....

But in truth, a data point at 40 isn't a bad thing.

I'll test it again when I'm off work in December... Since today is gonna be 40, I'd like the next round to be at least 20 degrees.
 
So, to recap...between 94 and 37 degrees Reloder 26 loses .09 fps per degree, below 74 degrees.

For simplicity sake...call it .1 fps per degree (1/10th fps per degree)...that'll do!
 
Thanks for documenting your test results here. I haven't tried RL26 yet, but have 10#'s of the stuff.

I'm hoping to try it in my (still un-fired, newly re-barreled) 280ai with Berger 168 VLD Hunting, and Barns 168 grn LRX.
 
Lynn, are you having any problems with the BR-2 primers? When I tried them in my 280AI it left like a hang fire. I started with CCI 250's and didn't have the groups at a hundred yards even thou the ladder I shot show I was at a node. Went with CCI 200 and had great groups, tried some BR-2 a friend had. Now that was a different lot of RL-22, and have not tried them with this 5 lbs jug yet. Bought some WLR's at Cabela's and tried them and found that the load gain 112 fps. I'm shooting 62.5 grs of RL-22, Nosler brass with 71.5 grain of H2O. Quickload shows 62.7 for node 4 with a 26 inch barrel. Adjusting Quickload BA for the WLR's is showing 60.7 grs. All this info for just asking about the problem I'm having with extreme spreads. Keep up the info for the RL-26, have a nice loads for 162 Amax's and 168 Berger VLD's, but only running 2900+ and 2900+ respectively, and have a 1 lb jug. Thanks for letting me be long winded.

BuddyT

PS. Thought I would let you know I got to meet Dan Newberry in WVA.
 
I've never had a problem with BR2 primers...

Your case capacity seems a little small.... 71.5 grains is 280 Remington capacity, you're not the first person I've seen with a capacity that small.

My case capacity with Nolser brass is 73.9 grains.

Extreme spreads are often caused by neck tension, ignition, and/or inconsistent seating depth.

And 2900+ from 62.5 grains of RL22 at 71.5 grains capacity? That seems a little slow too...

What are the specifics of your rifle? Barrel length, make, model, etc...

I've never met Dan despite living pretty close to him (~90 miles).
 
I have 2 280AI, one is a Ruger M77 MKII with a SAMMI camber McGowen barrel and the other is a Ruger No 1 with a Pac-nor barrel that is marked 280 improved 40 degree. Fired brass measures the same at the datum line and there is .025 difference in land depth. I weighed 10 cases that averaged 197.63 and with water level with the top averaged 269.21. I tried to weight the cases as describe on page 64 for the quickload help file that saids level with the case. I know you said in the quickload forum that you should have the meniscus over the top of the case, but I don't think it would make that much difference. I also weighed one of the Remington fireformed 280 brass for 71.8. Both barrels are 26". The 62.5 grains load is with a 139 SST average of 3150 fps, the 162 Amax was a load of 60 grains at 2900+ and the 168 VDL was 58.7 grains at 2800+. I have never match the speed of the Nosler No 6 books with Rl-22 or IMR 4831 in the M-77 and never tried to go that high with the No 1.

BuddyT
 
Ahhh... OK, 62.5 grains of RL22 with a 139 grain bullet.... I was thinking 160 grain bullets.

On the case capacity measuring... Its been a while since I read the help file, but I could have sworn mine said to measure it with the meniscus.

And it does make some difference, it will change the outcome of your Ba value... Which isn't really a big deal as long as you always do it the same way...it will make some difference though.

If I were to work up a Ba using your rifle and powder....it would come out slightly different from yours.
 
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