26 Nosler

[jacklikesbigbores]

Looking for any info that anybody has on using the 120g Nosler E-tips and Hornady 120g CX bullets in a 26 Nosler for long range, 1000y plus.
Coal's, accuracy, ED, ES, powder types and MV's. Also curious to know how well the tips hold up at long ranges.

 

[diggler1833]

Not that you can't shoot that for fun, but have you ever run the ballistics for your rifle/bullet combo at 1K yards? Even at 3,300 FPS, the 120gr E-Tip is down to ~1,600 FPS and 675 ft/lbs at 1K yards... so it'll hit like a FMJ if you intend on hunting. And the 120 CX is even worse.

I'm assuming you are interested in hunting with it, because very few people choose a cartridge with 750 round barrel life and take it to the range to plink with while using a hunting bullet. I'm with you though, I have a 300 PRC that is necked down to 7mm...but this is a hunting rifle.

I take it you are limited to all copper bullets for hunting in your area?

If you're just shooting for fun at distance, give it a try and report your results for the rest of us to see.

 

[jacklikesbigbores]

Not that you can't shoot that for fun, but have you ever run the ballistics for your rifle/bullet combo at 1K yards? Even at 3,300 FPS, the 120gr E-Tip is down to ~1,600 FPS and 675 ft/lbs at 1K yards... so it'll hit like a FMJ if you intend on hunting. And the 120 CX is even worse.

I'm assuming you are interested in hunting with it, because very few people choose a cartridge with 750 round barrel life and take it to the range to plink with while using a hunting bullet. I'm with you though, I have a 300 PRC that is necked down to 7mm...but this is a hunting rifle.

I take it you are limited to all copper bullets for hunting in your area?

If you're just shooting for fun at distance, give it a try and report your results for the rest of us to see.

I responded to your inquiry but couldn't send it because of a technical hang-up, if I can get that email into a file I'll attach it here.

 

[jacklikesbigbores]

Not that you can't shoot that for fun, but have you ever run the ballistics for your rifle/bullet combo at 1K yards? Even at 3,300 FPS, the 120gr E-Tip is down to ~1,600 FPS and 675 ft/lbs at 1K yards... so it'll hit like a FMJ if you intend on hunting. And the 120 CX is even worse.

I'm assuming you are interested in hunting with it, because very few people choose a cartridge with 750 round barrel life and take it to the range to plink with while using a hunting bullet. I'm with you though, I have a 300 PRC that is necked down to 7mm...but this is a hunting rifle.

I take it you are limited to all copper bullets for hunting in your area?

If you're just shooting for fun at distance, give it a try and report your results for the rest of us to see.

I built this to be a long range varmint rifle, I know of its short barrel life, but I only drag it out for shots over 600 yards, my "normal" rifles in 6mm ARC and 6mm Creedmoor do the job 98% of the time, Last year I only fired 18 shots with it, the year before about 30, so far this year only 3 but the season is just starting. This gun is built on a BAT Machine model L action with a very heavy 34" Lija barrel with 1-8" twist, the first testing I did showed that NO lead core bullets could handle the speed and twist, most of them either didn't make it to the target or made it in little tiny pieces. So, I settled on a load that uses a Lehigh 110g DCC solid copper, hollow point with a BC of .405 that exits the barrel at 4045fps. I also treat these with Dave Tubbs Boron Nitrate process which cuts down the copper fouling to near none and increases the MV considerably. I been pondering moving up to a heavier, higher BC bullet that will give me more range, I started out on this project with the hope of using Sierra's 150 grain MK with a BC of .715 in the MV range of 3400fps but the bullets just can't stand that much force, I did manage to throttle them down to around 3200-3250 being the max, anything above that they get sketchy, but the reduced loas opens up too much air space in the case and vel's and accuracy falls off. This is why I was asking about the all copper pills that Hornady and Nosler make but I'm not sure if the plastic tips will hold up out to 1000y and beyond. I saw the other day that Lehigh is now making a 130g DCC HP with a BC of .476, so I ordered a box to try out, I figure in my gun I should be able to get about 3950 or so which will make them "effective" out beyond 2K yards, not that I would ever get a shot like that.