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300 PRC

TripleBull

This one goes to 11
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Feb 13, 2017
    5,868
    46,010
    Sunny Colorado
    I decided to mine the 300 PRC thread in the ELR subforum for handload data ahead of starting to work up a load for my rifle, working backwards from recent posts. I think I fully mined that thread as of today (11/27/19) but if I missed any please plug them in or post your own load data. I know I could have added this to the earlier 300 PRC depot thread, but considering it withered on the vine and referenced the ELR thread, I decided to start anew.

    ------------------

    Here's the load LakuNoc is testing (posts 1868 & 1894 on page 38 and post 1945 on page 39 and also look at post 1835 on page 37):

    78.5Gr of H1000
    230 A-Tip
    RCC brass

    I went to range today with RCC brass and 230gr A-Tip to see how will brass hold pressure.
    This is my load and in my rifle, please be careful because it might be different in your rifle.
    RCC Brass loaded with H1000, CCI BR-2 primers and 230gr A-TiP.
    Like i said in part one i will do concentricity of rounds loaded and i did, not to write out all numbers but out of 10 rounds 8 rounds where with 1 thousands of an inch and 2 rounds were runout of 1.5 thousands of and inch. In my books that's very good.

    My Weather 40 F, 28.6inHg, 64% Humidity My Altitude 1030ft

    76.4 GN = 2869 FPS no pressure
    76.7 GN = 2876 FPS no pressure
    77.0 GN = 2896 FPS no pressure
    77.3 GN = 2899 FPS no pressure
    77.6 GN = 2890 FPS no pressure
    77.9 GN = 2913 FPS no pressure
    78.2 GN = 2940 FPS no pressure NODE
    78.5 GN = 2938 FPS no pressure NODE
    78.8 GN = 2945 FPS no pressure NODE
    80.1 GN = 2966 FPS no pressure

    Now some Comparison here with Hornady Brass.
    HORNADY BRASS Same powder, bullet, primers everything same but HORNADY BRASS
    77.9 GN = 2859 FPS
    78.2 GN = 2863 FPS
    78.5 GN = 2879 FPS
    78.8 GN = 2899 FPS
    80.1 GN = 2919 FPS PRESSURE Signs at 80.1GN, bolt lift started being slightly
    heavy/injector mark this is on Hornady Brass just to be clear.

    I run out of time today because i did lots of reloading on one case to test primer pocket on RCC brass, but i did get chance at the end to load 3 rounds of 78.5GN and numbers were amazing!
    2941 FPS
    2941 FPS
    2939 FPS
    I will load 10 rounds of 78.5GN and confirm this load. Will keep you guys posted how i do with 10 rounds.

    As you can see difference from RCC brass to Hornady Brass 46FPS at 78.8GN of H1000.
    RCC brass holds pressure much much better than Hornady Brass. At 80.1 GN with RCC brass no pressure of signs at all. I have been loading 80GN of H1000 and shooting of my back porch same round over and over and over. At 20 firings from same case and RCC primer pocket still tight! This is impressive and that's where i stop at 20 firings.
    Big question is RCC brass worth $5.65? To me YES and i will explain why. I payed with shipping for 100 rounds right around $600. Comparing that to Hornady brass is big difference but Hornady brass primers were falling out after 4th firing and i could not get Extreme spread under 15FPS. Thats due to very inconsistent internal case volume that i my self measured and it was very inconsistent. h2o test on my scale was + or - 29 GN. I did turn necks on Hornady brass annealed it did primmer pockets flash hole i did everything i could to it and it was no where close to quality to RCC brass. I love long range/precision shooting and to engage small target consistently shoot after shoot past 1400 yards you want you extreme spread to be low as you can get. Many guys that compete in long range shooting they want to be under 10 FPS extreme spread.

    And from post 1803 on page 37:

    I think reason i can push 230 A-Tips faster and go up to 80.6 gr with H1000 untill i hit maximum pressure is because i coat them with Hex boron Nitride (hBN).

    Post 1798 on page 36:

    My neck thickness will be at .014 i will be using 230 A-Tip. Will tell you what happens later this week i will begin testing. Try different neck bushing put more pressure on it or try bumping powder up untill you reach max pressure. I find my node always right under max pressure. But again be careful, H1000 max is right about 80.6gr with 230 A tip and hornady brass and ES was under 10FPS. I’m at 1100 feet 40 F temp.

    ----------------

    From jwknutson17 in post 1893, page 38:

    I have been shooting 215 bergers. Hornady Brass. CCI250. 79.26 gr of H1000 (1gr over max) 2980 FPS. Haven't used RL26 on it yet as I'm shooting out this lot of H1k before I switch. I had a really good node at 3012 fps and will try to find it with RL26. Was too hot for H1k so I backed down a bit to save my primer pockets. Was only getting 4 loads on the brass when I was at 80 to 80.5grs and had pressure signs.

    Edit. My COAL is 3.705. My lands are at 3.727. So puts me 22 thou off.

    Post 1765, page 36:

    26 inch tube here... 215 berger at 2980 with 79.26 gr of H1k without pressure even though 1gr over max. I would say you should get it without issue. Only one way to find out, right?

    Post 1258, page 26:

    Report on the Hornady brass..

    Consensus is... it's terrible. I'm using a lot of 100 that was factory ammo once fired to start. After 2 loadings, and on a third, I have already thrown out 25 pieces of brass from loose primer pockets. A few of those were from my ladder test finding pressure before I backed down. I will most likely see over half of the brass has too loose of primer pockets to use after this loading. (4 times fired). Most of the loadings were 79.0-79.25 gr of H1k. I see zero pressure with these loads with the 215 berger in this rifle. Also, Neck thickness is not consistent at all. I first noticed this when sizing and my .305 mandrill would be tight on some and just barley scoot by on the inside on others. Using a 335 Redding bushing in a Redding type S custom die. I'm disappointed once again in Hornady brass. I may be just shooting other rifles in the meantime til some other brass comes along. I could drop it down another 75 FPS to 2900 and see if that helps with brass life. But at that point I'll just spin back on the 300 win mag barrel and get 2900 fps with the 215 Berger no problem with H1k and have all the quality brass I need. Lot of time spent and having this brass give way before/at the 4th firing is pretty terrible.

    I'm going to shoot these 75 rounds and then most likely stick to factory ammo for the time being or spin back on my 300 win mag barrels and use quality brass for the time being.

    I know there is great potential here in the 300 PRC. But the whole brass thing seems like I'm wasting my time right now for not really much gain.

    ADG, Peterson, Lapua, if your listening, I need some brass. Please!

    Post 1196:

    I narrowed it down to the 2 best grouping loads of 79, 79.5. They we're just about the same FPS in a higher node I found. So I just split the two and shot with it. Higher then 79.5 I saw a larger increase in FPS and below 79 dropped off slightly. Splitting it gives me a little room on each end while maintaining the same velocity.

    Post 1189 on page 24:

    Range report with H1k and 215 Berger's. Hornady brass. Cci250 primers. 26 inch tube and TB Ultra 7. Setteled on the below load for now..

    79.26 gr H1k shot pretty well. .46 inch 5 round group. Average 2975 FPS. SD was 2.6. ES was 6. 3.007 COAL

    Going to shoot these again and see if I can duplicate results. Had a few loads group in the high .3s but SD and ES were not close to the above load.

    Post 1182 on page 24:

    For the Hornady 225s I am at 3.700 at the lands. 215 Berger's at 3.727

    Post 1129 on page 23:

    Ledzep said:
    Got mine on paper tonight at 100 yards. I tried 77.0, 77.5, and 78.0gr of H1000 behind some 208 ELD's. 1 of the 3 groups (5 rounds each) had 2 holes, the others all piled into 1 hole; 0.25-0.5" groups judging from the scope, I didn't go down and recover them. About 25fps ES and upper single digit SD's with 77.0 and 77.5, and a little worse with 78.0. I have 25 rounds through the barrel at this point so I imagine it will pick up a little speed as things progress, but the 78.0gr load gave an avg. of 2981fps in my 31" barrel. Cases/primers look fine, super easy extraction, and I think there's still room to boost it up if I wanted to.

    Up next I'm going to try RL26 and 225's I think. At this point I'm just trying to get 50 fire-formed cases first before I start any serious load development. So far things are looking very promising, though.
    Click to expand...
    I think you have a lot of room with H1k. Few guys I know run 80+gr of H1k with 215 Berger's over 3k in 26 and 28 inch tubes with no pressure. I have settled in right around 79.0 range. Still playing a little in there. 26 inch tube with 215s at 2950 now the barrel sped up a little. Hit first pressure in one of my guns at 81gr H1k with the 215s. 3050 fps.
    I would think with a 31 inch tube and 208s you should be in the 3100 range. I would keep going til you found pressure and back down.

    Post 1094 on page 22:

    I ordered the type S neck bushing full length sizing die. Had to go the custom route as they aren't making the type S for retail yet. 176 bucks for a die plus shipping... but it's worth it.. I've also found the 334 neck bushing is working the best with the Hornady brass.

    Post 1072 on page 22:

    So with the leftover sized and primed Hornady Brass I had before parting ways with the Hornady Dies, I just did some workup with 215 Bergers today with H1k in .5 gr increments. CCI 250 Primers. Loaded with an fx120i with 419 auto setup. (these things are awesome by the way). Brass was full length sized with a neck bushing with 2 thou tension. Used the Gurard trimmer on all the brass also. Loaded to 20 thou off the lands for testing with the Berger 215 Hybrids. COAL 3.700.

    Rifle is a 26 inch proof Suppressor was a TB Ultra 7. Magnetospeed V3 Chrono. 85 degrees in the shade with no direct sun. 20% humidity. Allowing rifle to cool between 3 shots at a time roughly. Shot two foulers after a clean rifle. Let cool, and then began. Started low as I didn't know what to expect.

    UPDATED with my sweet spot

    H1000 ___ FPS
    79.26 _____2975 SD of 2.6. 5 shot groups under .45

    From post 537 on page 11:

    Haven't had a chance to shoot anything but the factory stuff. Between what Dave posted for his lighter hunting load with h4831 and the 212s and what the factory stuff measured with H1k you should have a starting point with those two powders at least.

    I have some loaded up with H1k starting at 74.5 gr through 76.5 gr to start. Guessing I'll be able to get higher even but starting on the lower end. With 225s, 215s and the 212s. Will be at least another week. This thing called work gets in the way.

    Hopefully Hornady will come out with something more official soon.

    Post 498 on page 10:

    Factory 225 and also the 212 ammo both have 75.2 gr of H1000.

    Post 436 on page 9:

    I pulled a bullet on the Factory 225 eld and it had 75.2 gr of what looks like to be H1000. That's what I am starting at and working up with the 225.

    ------------------

    From Cauld in post 1855, page 38:

    I put together a 300 prc in April but didn't draw any hunts. A friend used it for a hunt in Wolf point Montana this weekend. 26 inch Bartlein 10 twist is from Greg at SPR. We used a 200gr Barnes LRX, 80.3gr H1000 COAL 3.570 for .045" jump. 200 yard broadside hit on his left and the bullet was in the hide on his right with some shattered ribs. Lungs were liquefied.

    Post 1245 on page 25:

    Harleydog my fired case necks measure .341 I got the barrel from Greg at SPR, he used a JGS reamer. No interference on bullet shank to chamber wall. Haven't had a sticking bolt on factory or reloads.
    Bullets hit lands at,
    Barnes 200LRX 3.615
    Hdy 212 ELDX 3.655
    Hdy 225 ELDM 3.720

    A2A.jpg


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    From Merovingian in post 1853, page 38:

    For obvious reasons I may not be the best reference on this but mine were 2.577 out of the box, first round growth was .010-.013. Trimmed to 2.575 and bumped the shoulder .002 on 2x growth was .007-.009. Trimmed them back to 2.575 again for consistency and reduced bump to .001. Growth stabilized and after 4X all are 2.577 to 2.579. 2.580 is long for a 2.5874 chamber, you'd be trimming every time or risk crimping on the shoulder.

    Post 1847, page 37:

    Thx guys for any pics. Much appreciated. Forgot to add: Nailed down two loads. 230 BHT's / .030 off / 77.4 H1K / 2860 - 21 ES / .496 @ 200 +++ 215 BHT's / .020 off / 79.6 H1K / 2898 - 17 ES / .31 vertical + 1.3 right horizontal string @ 200 (got rushed because some instructor showed up wanting to start a class and I strung em...yeah yeah...excuses are like aholes….but the bullet width vertical at 200 made my day. Best vert spread of 4 pills and 40 + combos.

    Post 1797, page 36:

    What did you order your neck thickness at? Reason I ask is I'm having trouble keeping 230 BHT's below .75 but this happened after I turned the necks down to .014 (neck variance <.0005, neck runout <.001, concentricity <.001, ES 24). Thinking I maybe should have accepted the .003 variance but kept the lot closer to .016 / .340 OD. Oddly enough the 200 SMK's aren't exhibiting the same variance holding easily <.5 with a higher ES.

    Post 1771, page 36:

    Trimming to 2.57" - Starts right above 2750 regardless of 200g or 230g pills. Didn't split a case on 3X despite pushing fairly hard (H1000 - 200s @ 3020 / 230s @ 2870). Hoping it's as simple as the brass. Can't wait for ADG to get up an running so I can find out, RCC just isn't in the budget. We already spun a 2nd barrel trying to resolve. Base to datum first one was on the long side of specs (2.21), new one is on the short side (2.197). Same brass sign on both, cut with two different reamers. Interesting Notes : 230 BHT's are better above .080 than below .020. 200 SMK's as expected .010 to .020. 230 SMK's truly need a 1:8. Obviously your results may vary.

    Post 1749, page 35:

    1x fired - Not resized - Same result on 225 MATCH & reloads w/ virgin brass (except very bottom end of the ladders.) - **1st Pic - Bases are true, that's camera distortion** OEM/Virgin was -.003 to -.004 at the shoulder and 2X was bumping -.002. No material change to the wall thickness on 2X. Finally got to a point I have to start running 3X but I'd like to see what others are experiencing. I've got a lot of experience rolling my own (.308, .223, 300BLK, 6.5CM, 44Mag, 357 Mag) but this my first bottle neck mag. I'm not used to seeing this before resizing and it makes me twitch.

    Post 1660, page 34:

    230 Berger, 230 SMK. CBTO jam on both fall where I’d expect between 2.8368 - 3.005 (actually almost dead center) but once there, COL is beyond 3.70. Jump at 3.70 COL: 230 Berger .013, SMK 230 .140 (yeah 1-4-0). Disappointed to lose that much seating depth flexibility. Noticing short CBTO’s at max COL with any pills?

    ----------------

    From b2lee in post 1818, page 37:

    I wanted to post this little tidbit of information on my reloading. Yesterday I got around to reloading 21 pieces of brass I shot the other day on a load work up. 1 piece was a retail round, so this would be the first loading. I resized and trimmed to 2.565". I then resized the other 20 pieces and went to trim....and nothing. I mic'd and found that I had zero growth on these 5x fired brass. Primer pockets were still very snug as well.

    Even the piece marked at 80gr of N565 had zero growth and the primer pocket had the same snug feel on seating a new Federal GMM #210. Originally I trimmed 50 pieces of new brass, loaded and shot....and on the first reload I had about 8-10 thou of growth....but nothing since then.

    Also, after the next firing...I will most likely have to anneal them. However, they still seem to have consistent neck tension.

    And another thing. Zero'd the rifle using 230gr A-Tips and Vihtavuori N565 on a 70F day. This morning it was 18F. My shots were within an error factor that could just be me and the cold. MV averaged with 20fps difference than the 70F day with and SD of 8.

    From post 1784 on page 36:

    I went to the range today to get the 308 ready for hunting season...and while I was there I decided to shoot some of my load developments for the 300PRC.

    I decided to just do a 6 shot test looking for an accuracy node. I used the 225gr ELD-M's instead of the 230gr A-Tips because I have a few hundred ELD-M's that I'm not really going to use...but I can use them in these kinds of tests. I did NOT remember to take the chronograph since I more interested in simply getting the scope on the hunting rifle dialed in at 100yds and as a last minute thing decided to take the 300PRC for the load work up.

    So, I did take a few retailed 225gr ELD-M's to see how much different in impact height it was from these work up loads...and to re-affirm Zero. First shot was within half a bullet of zero vertically..so it was good to go...wind was about 20mph right to left.

    So fresh target....I shot in order of 75gr, 76gr, 77gr, 78gr, 79gr and 80 grains of Vihtavuori N565. My previous accuracy node using Retumbo on these 225gr ELD-M's was 75.5gr. As you will see...N565 and Retumbo...atleast in my rifle...acted very close to each other.

    Looks like the VihtaVuori N565 is ready to play. That accuracy node at 75-77 grains looks really sweet. Probably load some up at 76 grains and work on some seating depths.......but I should be good to go with this load. Brass showed ZERO pressure signs. I'm wondering how far north of 80 grains I can go. Maybe another accuracy node up there with MORE speed... :)

    One side note though.... The N565 was noticeably dirtier than ole Retumbo...which was surprising to me.

    Post 1703, page 35:

    230gr A-tip....I'm running them exclusively now. I will probably sell a few boxes of the 225ELD-M's because I don't intend to use them.

    I'm currently running them with 80gr of Retumbo and getting great speeds and accuracy. HOWEVER...I'm loading them to magazine length...and not to what many of you would call a good jump to the lands length. Due to geometry difference between the 225 ELD-M and the 230gr A-Tip...there is a different jump to lands distance you can achieve....when loading to somewhere less than 3.75 COAL.

    I won't argue with the accuracy though. I've read many times of some Bergers and others VLDs liking a 150 thou jump...that to me sounds wrong...real wrong...but you can't argue with what the bullet/chamber/barrel combo likes.

    With the tight tight specs on the 300PRC at .3088"...I don't know if you will find much difference on most rifles with different seating depths.

    Post 1634, page 33:

    Bartlein 28" 1-9tw running 80.5 grains was averaging 3040fp/s across 2 different chornos. I should have my Labradar back soon....I...err....dropped it.

    Post 1593, page 32:

    My Bartlein 1-9tw at 28" finished....is stabilizing the 230gr A-Tips very well.....with 78.5gr of Retumbo...at 900+ ft of elevation...60% humidity...80F....while standing on my left leg only and holding my lip to the right.

    Post 1526, page 31:

    Continuing on from the above post. You'll most likely be asking about speeds.

    1. Retail Hornady 225-ELD-M - 2909

    Retumbo and 230gr A-Tips

    2. 68.5gr - 2701

    3. 70.0gr - 2817
    4. 71.5gr - 2825
    5. 73.0gr - 2849

    6. 75.0gr - averaged 2884

    7. 78.0gr - averaged 2925

    8. 78.5gr - averaged 2947

    9. 80.gr - said 3041...but only shot one.

    As always....every chrono will measure differently...on different days....in different conditions....so take those speeds with a grain of salt I guess. Next week should be some H1000 load development with hopefully a new scope.

    And...does anyone know where the hell I can get some RL-26?

    Post 1525, page 31:

    Ok...load development update...with a SERIOUS caveat. First, since I'm now poor after this purchase I don't actually have a scope that is valid for this setup....so....after the first monkey spank group I heard a metal on metal clanking and I broke the borrowed scope. So the other 2 5shot groups opened way up and you can't invalidate them as accurate...because the scope went to crap.

    Details:

    Cartridge: 300 PRC
    Bullet: Hornady 230gr A-Tip
    Brass: Hornady once fired....shot yesterday
    Primer: Federal Gold Match Large
    Powder: Hodgden Retumbo
    Barrel: 28" Bartlein 1-9 Twist with a Lil'B brake, Heavy Varmint, spiral flute.
    Action: Defiance Deviant Tactical, Fluted, 6mil rail
    Trigger: TriggerTech Diamond - set to 6 ounces
    Scope: (laugh) Vortex Crossfire (/stop laughing)

    Distance: 100 yards
    Temp: 80F
    Wind: 10mph from 10o'clock - Steady
    Mirage: Negligible
    Elevation: 910ft
    Shot angle: Even ground...very flat
    Shooting position: Very steady benchtable with solid seat, front rest and rear small bag.

    Reference following loads with pic of target below

    Ammo:

    1. Factory 225gr ELD-M - reference load

    -----Start of 230gr A-Tips with Retumbo-----
    2. 68.5gr - shot way low, audibly softer, recoil softer, felt like a wimp load

    3. 70.0gr - came up near the factory load with similar audible and recoil.
    4. 71.5gr - basically same damn hole. Audible and recoil weren't discernible from #3
    5. 73.0gr - basically same dman hole. Audible and recoil weren't discernible from #3 or #4

    These three different powder loads shot a 3 shot group under a 1/4MOA...to me..that is a nice node

    Reloaded in blocks of 5 for the next groups

    6-10. 75.0gr Group - Shift the windage to pull the group left of the other group. Measued .473 with a dial mic. Target is .018 thick cardboard and flaked around the holes...hard to measure. For a gun with less than 30 rounds to this point....this group made me think naughty thoughts.

    11-15. 78.0gr group - Again, shifted windage to pull the group away from the previous.
    First shot I heard a metal on metal clang...didn't know what it was.
    Second shot went way low and then the adjuster ring for the parallax slid down the tube toward the elevation knob.
    Third shot I noticed an artifact in the lens.
    Fourth Shot I noticed something like extra scope shadow in the bottom left.
    Fifth shot didn't seem to get any worse

    This group can't be covered by a Quarter...It isn't the loads fault...I'll be able to buy the Razor GenII in a few weeks and revist this load again.

    16-20. 78.5gr Group - Same issues with the previous group and about the same results. I shifted everything left again to pull the group out of the path of the other group. I'll revist this load when I get the new scope.

    21. 80.0gr - OVER SPECS - Shift windage back to original wind zero and it shot high. Audible and recoil were very noticeable but brass appeared fine. When I de-prime I'll take notice of any primer pocket issues...and when I reprime, I'll see if it is loose or is noticeably easier to insert.

    ---------

    From dukerugger25 in post 1804 on page 37:

    Got the 300PRC to the range finally for ladder testing. Used 225gr ELDM'S, RL-26 and 215m primers. Barrel is 26" and 9.5tw.

    Found two nodes: 74.1gr - 2856fps, 76.0gr - 2937fps. Slight ejector swipe at 77gr (2974fps), primers were still round and no noticeable increase in bolt lift. Stopped there. I will load up some for seating at both nodes and test accuracy in a few weeks. Still have a late season archery tag to fill.

    Factory 225 loads were shooting at 2880fps for comparison.

    --------------

    From pengilly in post 1736, page 35:

    Testing 212s with RL26 28" Bartlien barrel 1:9 CCI BR primers basic case prep. Worked up tp 81 grns of 26 3200 had light ejector mark no stiff bolt. One ragged hole super low SD. Im going to do another ladder and look for a lower node in the 3100s.

    ---------------

    From Dschapp in post 1617, page 33:

    Just ran the 230 OTMs and 230 SMKs with H1000 and R26 thru the 300 Sherman mag. The summary is 3000 FPS with R26 and 2900 FPS with H1000. Both bullets ran within 30 FPS using identical loads.

    Post 1594, page 32:

    I went the 300 PRC improved by rich Sherman route. It’s been talked about earlier but just got time to do a ladder with the 215 Berger’s. No pressure at 3100fps using H1000

    Post 911, page 19:

    I’m using. 26 inch kreiger M24 countour and .020 off the lands. 76.5 grains of H1000. It was built by northwest action works and that was the load they recommended and they weren’t wrong.


    Edit- just double checked my book. Velocity was 2970 after barrel break in. Coal is 3.552

    --------------

    From Rocketmandb in post 1598, page 32:

    I bought the hydro die to form 8x68S (the die on the left with the water bottle) and the custom die because I'm having consistency issues with the Hornady die I've been using.

    For the 8x68S, I use a .341 bushing to do the first sizing, then I ream out the inside of the neck to get rid of the extra brass that got forced in there from the sizing, then I use a .336 to get .002" of neck tension for the final. I've got two videos on YouTube showing how to do all this. Honestly, it's very easy to fire form 8x68S, and the RWS brass I use is much, much more consistent than Hornady and lasts a lot longer.

    I actually have a full set of 30 cal bushings going from .329 to .341.

    Post 1591, page 32:

    Thought I'd give an update on my 8x68S brass adventure.

    - I decided to try out Berger 230s. Me likee.
    - I ran them at 10 off the lands and think I found my load with RL-26. Remember that the case has a little less volume than Hornady.
    - 72 gr of RL-26 gave me 2849 fps average, an ES of 6 and an SD of 2.6 over 5 shots.
    - Will be heading out this weekend to validate the load some more.

    Post 1531, page 31:

    doctordoctor said:
    Great videos. What's your powder load for fire forming
    68gr H1000 with a 200 gr bullet and BR-2 primers

    Post 1527, page 31:

    For anyone who is interested, I've redone my fire forming videos and reposted them on YouTube - I lengthened them, and added a disclaimer up front (lawyers... my wife is one). By slowing them down and adding some new commentary, I think they are easier to follow and better depict how easy fire forming 8x68S brass is for the 300 PRC.

    Post 1483, page 30:

    I've switched over to BR-2s for use with my RWS brass and RL 26 for my load development. I got better results with them on my 300 WM than I did with 215Ms. I lost a little velocity with them, but with RL 26, velocity is not a problem.

    EDIT: I should note that I don't live in an area where I'll be doing cold-weather shooting.

    From post 1451, page 30:

    Another range report, this time with fire formed 8x68S:

    The last time I went to the range to test out 8x68S brass that had been fire formed, it was a bit of a bust because, even though I lowered the powder load to accommodate for the thicker brass, it fired a lot hotter than I thought it would. I'm going to the private range on Saturday to run a ladder test, but I went to the local 100 yard range this evening to break in the barrel on my brand new 6mm BRA - so I figured I'd play around with 4 loads of RL 26 in 8x68S with my 300 while I was there.

    I ran 4 groups at 72, 72.5, 73 and 73.5 grains of RL 26 with 225 pills.

    The 72 grain group was poor, with a relatively large ES/SD and poor group. It averaged 2843 fps.

    The 72.5 and 73 grain groups were both excellent. The ES on the 72.5 gr group was 7 and the SD 4.2. On the 73 it was 10/8.0. Both groups were essentially each one big hole. The 72.5 average was 2870 fps and the 73 was 2879 fps, which is closer than they should be on a linear comparison, leading me to believe that the sweet spot lies in this range. The ladder test will hopefully confirm.

    Not coincidentally, this is the same fps range where my 76.2 gr of H1000 is performing best in Hornady brass.

    Long story short: the 8x68S brass is performing well, and I haven't even dialed it in yet.

    Post 1316, page 27:

    I just added my two-part video to Youtube on fire forming 8x68S for the 300 PRC. The instructional parts total only about six minutes in total, then I add a minute or so of range footage.

    I highly recommend going this route. Here are the key points:

    - It doesn't take a ton more time to prep an 8x68S case for the 300 than it does a Hornady 300 PRC case. You have to do one extra sizing, more trimming, and the inside neck turning (reamer).
    - I fire these fire forming loads for fun and they're accurate.
    - RWS cases come in at about $42 per 20, so they're not cheap. However, they are far more consistent and (I hear) will last a lot longer. I got Norma brass on sale for half that.
    - The Forster trimmer and reamer I use during prep will run under $200 with shipping

    Post 1309, page 27:

    I have both, primarily because I found a bunch of Norma on sale, but I'm saving the Norma for later. Right now I'm concentrating on the RWS.

    I was hoping to do a ladder with it this weekend, but this week sucked, and I didn't have time to load. It has less volume than Hornady, so runs hotter. A few weeks ago when I was playing around the upper end of the scale with RL 26 with I was getting 3000+ fps with 75.2 gr (225 bullet).

    I've decided that I don't want to play there any more, and I think my barrel has a sweet spot at 2850 fps-ish. That's the realm where my H1000 load of 76.2 gr lands. I'm going to start the ladder at like 73 gr of RL 26 and find 2850 with the RWS.

    The long and the short of it is that I'm sold on 8x68S. I go through everything in the videos I'm working on (part 1 is done, part 2 in work - 2-video series), but the nice thing is that there's not a significant amount of additional prep. After I get the neck all set, I'm seeing less than a thousandth variation - and the primer pockets... I've said this before, and I know it's weird to get some kind of zen feeling over primers, but it feels so nice to have real brass to seat primers in again.

    I think you guys will like the videos. I'm starting a channel and web site called Two Minutes to Target where I do videos and short posts on all things precision. A pet peave of mine in the shooting world (one of a number of them) is that so many of the videos are way too long. So every thing I do will be under three minutes - hence why I had to split this one into two. These two are the inaugural vids.

    Post 1269, page 26:

    Last weekend I ran my first fire formed 8x68S back through the barrel as 300 PRC. The only issue I had was that the pressure was higher (likely due to smaller volume - 75.2 gr of RL26 ran about the same as 75.6+ in Hornady cases. Otherwise, they were sweet, and they cleaned up nicely. I'm going to have to do another round of load development with these.

    I also ran 8 more new rounds through to get more fire formed. I took down my Labradar before these rounds (I figured, why use it?), aimed at steel at 850, guess at the bullet drop. With 225 gr @ 2650 fps with 76.2 gr H1000, it was 15.5 MOA. These were 200gr ELDX and 68gr H1000, so I figured I'd try 18. Six o'clock low. Raised to 21 MOA... gong! Next 6 shots landed within an MOA at 850. Again, this was 8x68S, non-fire formed. I literally laughed at every hit.

    Here is my process for prepping the brass:

    - Size the brass in my 300 PRC die with a .339 bushing (I just ordered a .440 and .441 and will play with those next).
    - At this point, all that brass from pushing down/in the shoulder is on the inside of the neck.
    - Using my Lyman trimmer and power shank, I use a drill to trim the brass down to my 300 length and chamfer a bit to clean up the outside rim of the neck.
    - Using my Forster trimmer and their .308 reamer, I ream out the neck (using my hand to turn, not a drill). If you don't do this, or alternately use an expander to push the neck back out and neck turn, you might have issues chambering the round - and you have to get rid of the extra brass at some point - I FAR prefer the reamer to neck turning, and it gets me very consistent neck thickness.
    - I then do final chamfer and deburr and resize the neck using a .335 bushing - this gets me roughly 1 thousandth neck tension. .336 gives none. This is a similar drop when I do this to Hornady brass - initial size is .335, ream, final size is .331 for 1 thousandth NT.
    - Finally, I load with 68 gr H1000, 200 gr bullet, and seat the bullet so it's touching the lands.

    I'm very happy this is working out. I had to toss 10 Hornady cases during loading for this trip due to loose primer pockets. I've only got about 5 firings on them. I've never used Hornady brass to failure before, so I don't know if that's par for the course, but it's way short of what I'm used to with Norma. There was something oddly satisfying about priming the RWS cases - that extra little umph it takes to press the primer in, and no anxiety about whether it would stay.

    EDIT: I might do a video of this.

    Post 1184 on page 24:

    Another range report.

    Temp: 85
    Wind: 15 mph and gusty @ ~30 degrees right of front

    I ran primarily Reloder 26 @ 75.6 and H1000@ 76.2, both with 225s. The extra temp definitely made all rounds run a little hot. The RL 26 load showed minor pressure signs and was not very accurate. Luckily, I had loaded 7 rounds at 75.4 and these yielded similar velocities to the 75.6 load at 70 degrees.

    I also fire formed 10 RWS 8x68S cases using some extra 200 ELDs I have on hand. Lastly, I tried out CCI BR-2 primers with both H1000 and RL26. All shot at 300 yards.

    76.2gr H1000 w/215M Primers:
    As with all loads today, this ran hot. I think the added temp took it out of the accuracy node. The ES and SD bore that out.
    Shots: 5
    Avg: 2889
    ES: 32
    SD: 14.1
    Notes: This load is typically in the 2860-2870 range.

    76.2gr H1000 w/BR2 Primers:
    Avg: 2872
    ES: 13
    SD: 5.2
    Notes: Much more in line with where my H1000 loads were shooting before. Wind was pushing it side to side, but vertical spread was .82" @ 300.

    75.6gr RL 26 w/215M Primers:
    Shots: 5
    Avg: 2985.2
    ES: 20
    SD: 6.6
    Notes: More in line with the 75.9gr load I did earlier. I got some minor pressure signs.

    75.4gr RL 26 w/215M Primers:
    Shots: 7
    Avg: 2969
    ES: 12
    SD: 5.0
    Notes: No pressure signs

    75.6gr RL 26 w/BR2 Primers
    Shots: 5
    Avg: 2953
    ES: 12
    SD: 5.3
    Notes: RL 26 has a much more substantial drop in velocity using these primers vs the H1000. Similar ES/SD to the 75.4 load.

    Lastly, the fire forming. I used 72gr H1000 and a 200gr ELD. Below is a pic of a new 8x68S case (left), a fire formed case (middle), and a fired Hornady 300 PRC case.

    Of note: I had to toss 5 out of 68 Hornady cases due to primer pockets this go. Those RWS cases have very tight pockets.

    Post 1125 on page 23:

    Brass update:

    I just got 20 RWS 8x68S cases. Everything looks like this brass will work well. I was able to trim, neck it down easily enough (got neck thickness of .0145 - .0155), and test extraction from my action. It works fine. Next weekend I'll be fire forming 10-20 rounds using some extra 200 ELDs I've got laying around - I'm pretty sure I can get those to jam for forming.

    I've never seen RWS before - the brass is very well done and consistent.

    I'm confident enough from what I've seen (and read earlier on this thread) that I ordered a custom hydro-forming die (3-4 months out).

    P.S. Speaking of brass (cleaning, it more appropriately), I just started using the Bore Tech case cleaner in my ultrasonic. Hands down the best I've ever bought or been able to concoct myself.

    Post 1108, page 23:

    Another range report - this time with RL 33.

    I did groups at 82.5, 83. 83.5, 84, and 84.5 grains of RL 33. None were particularly impressive .

    The best from a spread perspective was 83 gr, which had a 19 ES and 7.9 SD with an average of 2862 fps. I might play around a little more around this load, but I'm not going to do too much more with this powder.

    For anyone interested, here are the average fps of each load:

    82.5: 2837
    83.0: 2862
    83.5: 2875
    84.0: 2897
    84.5: 2917

    EDIT: I started getting mild compression loading at 84.0, and a little more at 84.5, which is why I stopped there.

    I also played a little more with RL 26.

    Best loads came out at 75.4 and 75.6.

    75.4: Avg - 2970, ES 15, SD 6.2 - 5 shots
    75.6: Avg - 2971, ES 10, SD 5.5 - 5 shots

    Groups were hard to come by as the mirage was fierce. The 75.6 load was also one of my better ones from the last trip, so I think I'm going with this as the "champion" load for this powder. I'll also be playing a little on the lower end - probably high 73s to low 74s.

    Also, I did another neck tension test, this time with RL 26. Again, the lower neck tensions did better. I'll be loading at .001 neck tension in this rifle with both H1000 and RL 26 from here on out.

    From post 1090, page 22:

    Harleydog said:
    What primers are you using?
    Federal 215M

    Post 1078, page 22:

    I just got back from the range where I did my big Reloder day (mostly RL-26). So, if you're thinking of trying RL-26, and can find it for sale somewhere, I wouldn't buy it. Instead, let me know where it is, and I'll do the precision shooting population a big favor by taking it out of circulation.

    Two words: OH. MY.

    Let's get to the meat of the day first: Reloder 26.

    My first load was 74.1 gr. All groups today were at 300 yards and with the 225 gr ELDM (as always). I had expected this load to fall in the mid-2700 fps range. When I fired, I almost missed the target - as in the WHOLE target - because it fired high. The Labradar registered 2907 fps. The total group averaged 2913 with a 13 ES and 6.7 SD. Wow. Group size was 1.27" at 300 yards.

    Here is all the data:

    74.1 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2913
    ES: 13
    SD: 6.7
    Group Size: 1.27"

    74.4 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2926
    ES: 21
    SD: 8.8
    Group Size: 2.42"

    74.7 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2932
    ES: 16
    SD: 9.2
    Group Size: 1.48"

    75.0 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2950
    ES: 29
    SD: 13.9
    Group Size: 1.82"

    75.3 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2965
    ES: 7
    SD: 3.1
    Group Size: 1.32"

    75.6 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2979
    ES: 5
    SD: 2.3
    Group Size: 1.52"

    75.9 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2999
    ES: 25
    SD: 10.9
    Group Size: 2.33"

    76.2 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 2994
    ES: 12
    SD: 5.6
    Group Size: 1.28"

    76.5 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 3021
    ES: 31
    SD: 13.6
    Group Size: 2.8"
    Slight pressure signs

    76.8 gr RL-26:
    Average FPS: 3031
    ES: 21
    SD: 10.5
    Group Size: 3.21"
    Slight pressure signs

    I am very surprised by the velocities I got with this powder - well above advertised. I am also happily surprised by the consistency of certain loads (75.3, 75.6, 76.2). Clearly this powder well outperforms either Retumbo or H1000 in my rifle.

    Next, I did my neck tension test. I ran groups at .001, .002, .003, and .004 inches of neck tension. I'm not really a fan of .001, but it clearly won the spread contest. This test was with 76.2 gr of H1000.

    .001 Neck Tension:
    Average: 2856
    ES: 8
    SD: 3.6

    .002 Neck Tension (what I ran all other tests at):
    Average: 2874
    ES: 16
    SD: 8.6

    .003 Neck Tension:
    Average: 2871
    ES: 25
    SD: 11.1

    .004 Neck Tension:
    Average: 2875
    ES: 44
    SD: 19.8

    Lastly, I ran a two rounds each at three different RL-33 loads to see what they'd do:

    79gr RL-33
    2690 fps
    2699 fps

    81gr RL-33
    2770 fps
    2776 fps

    83 gr RL-33
    2851 fps
    2857 fps

    Observations:
    - Granted it was only two shots per "group" (I didn't have enough brass ready to do everything I wanted), but at each load, the velocities were close
    - There didn't seem to be as much impulse from firing even the 83 gr round. It seemed "smoother" to fire.
    - This powder warrants further attention. I'll be doing work up with this next, probably starting at 82.5 and going to like 85 (if the case capacity will allow)

    Overall, another great day at the range.

    From post 1022, page 22:

    Update from the range:

    I ran two sets of work ups today. One with a retry of Retumbo (see below as to why) and one with seating depth using my current "champion" load of 76.2 gr H1000. The second set was seating depth at 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 thousandths off the lands. I also sighted in and used my new Razor HD 4.5-27 for the first time - quite happy with it.

    First the Retumbo: after returning from my last time out, I noticed that two of the screws on my rail were loose - think that had something to do with my accuracy issues? So I decided to retry Retumbo. This time I started at 76.1, and went up to 77.3 at .3 gr increments.

    All groups were 4 shots at 200 yards using ELD 225

    76.1:
    Group: 1.07"
    Average: 2846
    ES: 12
    SD: 5.6

    76.4:
    Group: .76"
    Average: 2860
    ES: 15
    SD: 7.0

    76.7:
    Group: 2.01"
    Average: 2863
    ES: 21
    SD: 8.6

    77.0:
    Group: 1.15"
    Average: 2886
    ES: 32
    SD: 11.5

    77.3:
    Group: 1.22"
    Average: 2892
    ES: 21
    SD: 9.5

    I'm liking the 76.4 gr Retumbo load quite a bit. I'll probably pit it against the 76.2 gr H1000 load next time out and see which wins.

    On the seating depth test, one group stood above. It had one flyer that took the group size out to 1.08" - but the other three were touching with a group size of .355" center to center. The average velocity as 2866 ft/s, ES of 5, SD of 3.6. This seating depth was 12.5 thousandths off the lands.

    Post 948 on page 19:

    PRC Update from the Range:

    I went up to the 750 yard range today and a great time - again, 70 and bright blue skies. There was about a 10 mph coming in at about 30 degrees front right. My purpose(s) of the trip:

    1) Load test Retumbo
    2) Test my rifle's new trigger
    3) Put my new attempt at a portable steel target holder to the test - one that can take being on a hill and absorb a 225 gr bullet hitting it at 2000 fps.

    Load Test Retumbo
    I started the ladder at 77.5 gr, which I thought would get me close to the equivalent of 76 or so of H1000. I was wrong. The muzzle velocity of the first load averaged 2891 fps, with an ES of 14 and a SD of 5.9 - nice! The group? Not so nice. It was all over the place. Okay, so not a good (or even decent) group, move up to the next load. It was worse than the first. The best group I got was 1.7" at 200 yards = ouch. It was so bad that I thought my scope might be loose, or that mucking with the trigger screwed up the joining of the action to the stock. I stopped my development and switched ammo over to my 76.2 gr H1000 load. I averaged 2853 fps and shot a .73" (.365 MOA) 5-shot group. I'm not ready to give up on Retumbo, but clearly the upper end of the spectrum isn't working for me.

    Post 940, page 19:

    doctordoctor said:
    I believe a call to hornady is warranted. We are having issues. Is there anyone else out there with issues?
    I did call Hornady.

    Notes from call then my steps:

    - The guy was perplexed as to why this was occurring.
    - I use a turreted press (Redding T-7) and I used a Lee turreted before that. He said movement in the turret could be to blame. I told him I'd give them that on the Lee, but the Redding is rock solid and there is absolutely no play. I'm an ex-Space Shuttle engineer, and I know a little bit about structural mechanics and dynamics. The press isn't the issue, especially because I don't have this problem on other case types.
    - He mentioned to try camming over the die more, and I told him I'd try that.

    My steps:
    - Adjusted the die to provide more cam-over, and used a varying-height holder set to adjust case length.
    - The variation tightened up significantly, but still exists.
    - Using the Hornady head spacer gauge to measure, my ideal case should measure out at 2.1925". I got 9 that ranged from 2.189" (just one, a few at 2.190") on the low side to 2.1935" on the high side. About 1/3 of the cases that were in the acceptable range measured 2.192", the remainder were 2.1925"
    - Even re-pressing the high side cases, I could not force them into compliance. I even told them, "you have fifteen seconds to comply," but that did no good either.

    I'm not too worried about 1/2 a thousandth (2.192 vs 2.1925), but I don't at all like spitting out a case that's 3 thousandths too short.

    EDIT: Before I did the cam-over adjustment, I was getting as much as 6 thousandths short on the low side. Also, cleaned and recleaned the die to make sure there was no grease or debris inside.

    Post 936, page 19:

    I'm still having some small consistency issues on FL resizing. It can vary as much as a few thousandths for me - about 1 out of 6 falls outside +/- .0005. On the plus side, I found a couple pounds of Retumbo (bought them out of their last 2), so I'm heading out to the range tomorrow to run through 6 loads and see how it does.

    From post 913, page 19:

    I just got off the phone with Jeff at RCC Brass. This is related to my earlier cryptic post about doing something that by many standards would be considered somewhere up on the stupidity scale.

    For those of you who don't know RCC, they machine brass in all sorts of wonky (and not so wonky) calibers - he told me they're making shells for the 75mm gun of a Sherman... This is not stamped brass, it's machined out of solid brass rod, and done so to very tight tolerances. Anyway, I asked Jeff if he could make 300 PRC brass, since it's not on their web site, and he said that since it's got a SAAMI spec, they can make it for $5.65 a case. That's a lot per case, but then the brass isn't worked much during forming, so it lasts longer. Even if it only lasts 50% longer, you're getting it for the equivalent of just over $3.75/case. Still a lot, but then you're also getting cases that measure out at +/- .1 gr of water per case, according to Jeff, so very consistent.

    I ordered 100 cases. I'm going to run extensive tests after I receive them. Unfortunately they are a little backed up and I have to wait about 8 weeks. As always, I'll post the results. I'm looking forward to tinkering with them...

    Post 889, page 18:

    More data from another day at the range.

    Temp: 68 F
    Range: 200 yds
    Bullet: Hornady 225 ELD
    Powder: H1000
    Loads tested: 76 - 77 gr, .2 gr increments
    # of shots/group: 4

    77gr - group size: 1.258" - ES: 17 fps
    2883 fps
    2887 fps
    2893 fps
    2876 fps

    76.8 gr - group size: 1.073" - ES: 16 fps
    2876 fps
    2887 fps
    2889 fps
    2873 fps

    76.6 gr - group size: 1.115" - ES: 26 fps
    2875 fps
    2863 fps
    2879 fps
    2853 fps

    76.4 gr - group size: 1.008" - ES: 28 fps
    2864 fps
    2875 fps
    2847 fps
    2859 fps

    76.2 gr - group size: 1.038" - ES: 15 fps
    2866 fps
    2867 fps
    2869 fps
    2881 fps

    76 gr - group size: 1.481" - ES: 15 fps
    2862 fps
    2860 fps
    2859 fps
    2874 fps

    Notes:
    - Muzzle velocity is up over last visit.
    - 76.2 gr looks like a good place to play, 76.8 is similar
    - Not sure why my 76.2 gr loads have a higher average than 76.4...
    - Still having some consistency issues on full length resizing. Called Hornady, they are at a loss too. Going to try a few things.

    EDIT: Also dropped 3 out of 4 in about a 4" group on steel at 750 using 76.5 gr. 4th took group to about 7"
    Also also, was shooting steel to test my new portable steel hanging setup - worked like a champ. Unfortunately I didn't take any pics. Will set it up in my yard and take a few. Boy do these 225s move the plate and sound the gong.

    Post 863, page 18:

    I went to a private range today for some load development. Good and bad on this front.

    Bad:
    I am having serious consistency issues on full length resizing. I've never had this before and am not sure what's causing it. Lengths are varying by as much as 6 thousandths. As such, I was only able to have 15 rounds that were consistent. I did 5 3-round groups at 75.5, 76, 76.5, 77 and 77.5 gr of H1000 with the 225 gr ELD.

    Good:
    It was 70 degrees today, not a cloud in the sky (ok, a few whispy ones), and I was in the hills by myself popping off rounds (after LD and also with my 6mm CM) at 600 and 850 yard steel targets. The operators also said there are places where they think I can get out to a mile after things dry out a bit.

    Anyway... here's what data I could collect. All groups shot at 200 yards.

    77.5 gr - Group Size: 1.32
    2858 fps
    2873 fps
    2879 fps

    77 gr - Group Size: 1.25
    2873
    2862
    2871

    76.5 gr - Group Size: 1.09
    2834
    2845
    2835

    76 gr - Group Size: See attached pic
    2826
    2807
    2842

    75.5 - Group Size: 1.41
    2781
    2814
    2791

    I'm loving the spread on 76.5 and 77 grain loads, and am surprised at the group on 76 with the spread it has. I'll probably do another load development day (hopefully I can get my consistency issue figured out) going from 76 to 77 at .2 gr increments. This range seems to yield the best spread, and groups were likely impacted by consistency, even after sorting.

    Post 763, page 16:

    Update from day 2 at the range:

    Good news and bad news here - fortunately the bad news is more about data collection than anything going on with the build.

    Bad news first:
    My Lab Radar was failing to pick up a fair number of shots. I'm pretty sure the blast from the Little Bastard brake is knocking it around. I love the Lab Radar unit, but my biggest issue is that they have crappy solutions for mounting it, especially for use with larger caliber rifles with brakes that blow backward. I think I'm going to have to craft something that clamps it in and allows sand bags to weight it down (current thinking is just getting a drill press vise, and mounting it to piece of plywood).

    The main issue with this is that of my nine neck-turned, annealed rounds, only three registered, so there's just not a big enough sample size to gauge the difference vs. other.

    Here are the muzzle velocities I was able to capture (working backward):

    2956
    2928
    2950
    2933
    2945
    2935
    2950
    2943
    2932
    2934
    2943
    2945
    2931
    2924
    2945
    2954
    2925
    2932
    2924
    2930

    The three neck-turned/annealed rounds I was able to capture
    2936
    2953
    2930

    There's still a big ES, but the numbers tightened up considerably. If I had already done load development and was getting the spread I'm getting here, I'd not be happy, but this isn't bad considering.

    More notes:

    Versus first set, average velocity ticked up slightly from 2935 to 2938 (roughly .1%), and standard deviation went down to 9.9.

    Group size decreased. Best was .34 MOA, with most hovering near half MOA. I expect these to go down with load development. I will also probably

    No signs of overpressure on any brass.

    Load: 78.5 gr H1000, 225 gr ELD-X, Federal 215M primers.

    Post 748, page 15:

    I haven't begun load development yet as I want to get a good baseline of data. I'm using close to what the factory ammo load was purported to be. Mine is 78.5 gr of H1000 along with a 225 gr ELD-X. Primers are Federal 215M. My scale is an Ohaus that goes down to .02 gr accuracy, and I get all cases loaded with the scale showing 78.50 or 78.52, leaving me with a theoretical load ranging from 78.49 to 78.529 (or thereabouts).

    As mentioned earlier, I REALLY want to try RL-26, but it is like a ghost at this point - I've heard stories, but can find no proof of its existence.

    Post 745:

    UPDATE:

    I had been asked earlier whether I saw any signs of overpressure. I just found one casing where there is an extractor mark - I missed it when inspecting the casings pre-cleaning. I'm guessing it was one of those that jumped up ~40 fps. I found it because when I was priming, the primer didn't sit snug.

    I've just cleaned, sized to 2 thousandths back, trimmed, and loaded 32 rounds. Why 32? Because I ran out of H1000, and my order to replenish is held up at the retailer for some reason. I found that Brownells has it, so I ordered a few pounds from them that will hopefully arrive this week. What is it with getting powder these days?

    I also have 9 additional rounds that I also neck turned and annealed. I wanted 10, but one of those cases was the overpressure one - which of course I found after I'd neck turned and annealed.

    I had planned to go to the range tomorrow to test better prepared brass vs my last numbers vs neck turned/annealed, but I might get rained out. As soon as I have more data, I'll post.

    From post 699, page 14:

    Just got back from my first day at the range with my newly rechambered 300 PRC. With 78.5 gr of H1000, 28" barrel, 225 gr ELD-X, I averaged 2935 ft/sec. Groups were sub-MOA, but not great - though with no load development, and minimal brass prep on first-fire Hornady brass, I'm not unhappy with the results.

    Round by round:
    2927
    2932
    2978 (ouch)
    2934
    2918
    2926
    2929
    2920
    2931
    2926
    2934
    2935
    2936
    2940
    2935
    2932
    2917
    2928
    2928
    2934
    2975 (there we go again)
    2923
    2932
    2927
    2935
    2943
    2936
    2930
    2936
    2934
    2938
    2931
    2933
    2933
    2935
    2933
    2946

    ---------------

    From 8nbait in post 1540, page 31:

    I’m finished with load development on my 300 PRC with 9 twist, 26” 3B bartlein

    Two loads
    78 H1000, 215 primer, 215 hybrid at .030 shoots 2900 FPS

    79.8 H1000, 215 primer, 215 hybrid at .030 shoots 3000 FPS

    Both loads are very accurate.

    76 and 78 of RL26 were also accurate but I haven’t shot them enough to verify completely.

    The Hornady data for a 200 eldx seem to mirror my results with a 215 hybrid.

    ----------------

    From Coltonlrs in post 1508, page 31:

    Well guys with n560 I started to see pressure at 73grs with 225gr eld m bullets but here’s a group with a load that I came up with with 72.2 grs the group that has a vertical string was shot at 200 yards

    ----------------

    From Evolved Ballistics in post 1507, page 31:

    So I wanted to add to the conversation here...I just got done with load development with my 300 PRC, I am shooting Warner Flatline 198's at 3123 with no pressure at all. I am using 85 grains of N570 and have an ES of 9...so far it is looking pretty good, group is about a 1/3 MOA which is fine...bullets won't feed, but this is for fun. I will probably develop another load with a jacketed that does. The Hornady brass only showed slight pressure signs at 86 grains, so far it is doing good. The bullets have an OAL of 4.018 and we had to use a 30 Nosler die to seat them because the ELDM seating die for the 300 prc was too short for the Flatline. I will take them out to distance soon and see what kind of results I get, on paper I should be supersonic to about 1800.

    ---------------------

    From doctordoctor in post 1504, page 31:

    I've settled on 74.4 gr RL 26. SD was 2.7. MV 2920 225amax

    Post 1303, page 27:

    Ok gang I finally found a morning to shoot. It was hot and the mirage was like the Sahara desert! But here is some load data with hornady new brass and RL26.
    Gun is a DT
    Barrel is 30" spun up by Dane @DMR rifles
    Amax 225gr
    Cci 250
    3.66" COL

    74gr = 2908
    74.4 = 2920
    74.8 = 2940
    75.2 = 2960
    75.6 = 2969
    76 = 2992

    From post 1031 on page 22:

    I don't have a ton of time to post but I went out for round 2 with my 300 prc.... More or less frustrating. The used brass that was 1x fired in my gun last round still caused ejection issues. However the 10 pieces @Rocketmandb donated to the cause all worked flawlessly! So it must be a brass issue as suspected. So it wasn't a complete waste of a trip to the range. My velocity was around 2850 using 74.8 grains of H1000. 225eldm bullets. Cci250 primers. All 10 rounds fit into a quarter

    So if my brass would show up and i could find powder and primers... I'd be more than happy.

    Post 869, page 18:

    So I got to try out my 300 PRC. It's always a joy to shoot but I had a sticky bolt no matter the charge weight.

    I loaded 1x fired brass from D. Tubbs that I bought. FL resized with the hornady match diet set.

    225 eld pills

    a3A.jpg


    COL = 3.66"
    Cci 250 primers

    Top row is Retumbo bottom is H1000.

    OCW ranged for Retumbo 76.9 to 79.4
    H1000 74.8gr to 78.2gr

    What say you? OCW charge and why the sticky bolts. I had to mallet every round out!

    ----------------------------

    From Ledzep in post 1501, page 31:

    74.0-74.5 gr of RL-26 at SAAMI COAL with a 225 has done very well in all of the 4-5 300 PRC's I've seen in the wild.

    Post 1297, page 26:

    Sorry in advance for the novel...

    A year or two ago I got the chance to conduct some pressure and velocity testing with a legit pressure test barrel and it kind of opened my eyes as far as "seeing pressure". At the point you see pressure signs in a well-made custom action, you're probably in the 68,000-75,000psi range. SAAMI max for this cartridge is 65,000. So somewhere in between when you see a flat primer, or an ejector swipe or whatever it is, and the actual SAAMI max is 3,000-10,000psi unaccounted for. Max published loads tend to follow that SAAMI max avg. pressure pretty closely (this is where SAAMI chambers, the same brass, bullet, etc... plays a part-- deviation from what was tested causes deviation in pressures).

    Anyway, there are a couple reasons I don't typically exceed those loads. The first is that things work better. I almost never get a stuck case, sticky bolt, etc.. Cases briskly extract and eject without issue. Cases last 10-30 firings-- in my last 6.5 barrel I averaged 22 firings on Hornady cases. Once you stretch the case out from too much juice, the primer pockets don't "heal" over time, they're toast. So my price per shot for brass goes to almost nothing. And finally there's the barrel. If you run the stress/strain equations for a thick-wall pressure vessel with a typical barrel contour for the first 4-5" of bore @ 60,000psi internal pressure you'll see that it's on the edge of yielding (plastic deformation) in the ID of the bore. Granted, a firing event isn't the same as static internal pressure loading, but the moral of the story is that the hotter you load, the higher the pressure, the more work is done to the bore. The wider the bore expands each shot before contracting back to original dimensions, the more work is done to the material, the sooner it will work harden and develop cracks (the last sentence purely theory on my part, but it does seem intuitive and appears to hold true if you look at guys loads vs. round count to burnout).

    Long story short you get more case life, more barrel life, easier running, safer system, at the expense of 50-100fps. Run the numbers out to 2500yd and see how much 100fps at the muzzle helps you in wind variability. If I want that speed back (in this case I do), I get it through barrel length. If you read a few pages back here you'll see at least one poster that smoked primer pockets in 3-4 firings without seeing pressure. You see the same thing in 6.5 SAUM and 6.5 PRC cases-- Hornady makes their stuff to handle SAAMI pressure and not much more. You can get away with more with some other brands but it doesn't necessarily mean you're "safe" or that you're doing your equipment any favors. YMMV, to each his own, etc...

    So with that said, I think shortening up the throat would increase pressure-- as a general rule that's what happens. I don't know if it would increase velocity, but it might, slightly.

    I was around 3.715-3.720" COAL for 225's to touch the lands. Ran them at 3.700" COAL. They go 2940 fps with 74.6gr of RL26. Doing a linear interpolation for bullet weight vs. velocity, the 5gr of difference in bullet weight would make up about half of the ~35 fps change from 225 to 230 both with 74.6gr of powder (2905 vs. 2940)... So yeah, jumping an extra .080" probably has something to do with it, about 15-20 fps worth maybe.

    This is really subject to individual barrels, but I did not find a satisfactory grouping load over 75.0gr. 75.0 was similar to the above picture, but SD was around 8 or 9 IIRC. Figure your ES is usually about 3x your SD so 1.5 up and 1.5 down-- past 1500 MV spreads start producing really significant POI changes.

    Post 1295, page 26:

    With RL-26, 2894 (74.3gr) to 2953 (75.9gr) with 230's is what I'm getting in a 31" barrel. Touch lands at 3.845 +/- a few thou (SAAMI spec reamer). Loaded to max mag length around 3.748" jumping almost .100, doesn't seem to care. SD of 5fps,

    Post 1190 on page 24:

    So in the indoor range with built-in optical chronographs I'm getting 2920fps avg with 74.6gr RL26 and a 225 ELDM. I got outdoors today to set/check zero and was averaging 2946fps with the same load from a Labradar. I tend to trust the Labradar more. 8-shot group plugged them all into .571" with 12 fps ES and 5.4 SD. Should be able to get on some steel this weekend. I think I'm just going to stick with this load for the time being until I can try out the A-tips.

    Post 1179 on page 24:

    In the vicinity of 3.715-3.720" COAL for 225's to touch the lands.

    From post 1131 on page 23:

    RL26 with 225 ELD-M @ 2.680" COAL
    31" Bartlein 5r, 1:9.5-1:9 gain twist
    Virgin Hornady brass, CCI 250

    Rounds 26-50 on a new barrel:

    -74.0gr SD 12 ~0.6" 4 shot group (fouler omitted for SD and group)
    2860 <---fouler
    2884
    2881
    2900
    2910

    -74.2gr SD 13 ~0.7" group
    2866
    2882
    2894
    2901
    2898

    -74.4gr SD 8 ~0.4" group
    2905
    2902
    2888
    2910
    2893

    -74.6gr SD 4 one big knot, 0.25"
    2910
    2914
    2919
    2913
    2921

    -74.8gr SD 6 ~0.35" group
    2922
    2935
    2923
    2924
    2918

    Got all of my cases fired, so I'll resize them, bump the shoulder as little as I can manage and test again around 74.4-74.8, then take it out to stretch its legs. Might be a week or three before I get around to it all.

    Post 1130:

    No doubt. I haven't really pushed the limits with anything yet. The first 10 rounds were 178's over 78gr of H1000. Shot 5, cleaned, shot 5 cleaned, then tested for accuracy today, just kind of playing around with odds and ends. Going to get serious about it in the coming week or two and see what it does with 225's. From published 24" data I'm consistently floating 100-125fps faster, and I suspect as the barrel breaks in that will increase a little.

    Running the numbers on JBM it's kind of a wash between the 230 and 250 Atips. Wind is practically identical to beyond 2000yd, elevation is flatter with the 230's, supersonic range is very similar. I think I'm going to develop with and shoot the 225's for now and transfer over to 230's when I can get some.

    Post 1128 on page 23:

    Got mine on paper tonight at 100 yards. I tried 77.0, 77.5, and 78.0gr of H1000 behind some 208 ELD's. 1 of the 3 groups (5 rounds each) had 2 holes, the others all piled into 1 hole; 0.25-0.5" groups judging from the scope, I didn't go down and recover them. About 25fps ES and upper single digit SD's with 77.0 and 77.5, and a little worse with 78.0. I have 25 rounds through the barrel at this point so I imagine it will pick up a little speed as things progress, but the 78.0gr load gave an avg. of 2981fps in my 31" barrel. Cases/primers look fine, super easy extraction, and I think there's still room to boost it up if I wanted to.

    Up next I'm going to try RL26 and 225's I think. At this point I'm just trying to get 50 fire-formed cases first before I start any serious load development. So far things are looking very promising, though.

    Post 1048, page 22:

    One thing people need to understand about Hornady brass is that you just can't hot rod it. It's perfectly fine if you stay under 65ksi (And I'm not going to say an especially soft lot never makes it through). If you're running on the upper end and something causes a spike (piece of carbon fell down the muzzle from your suppressor/brake and got in the neck area, for example, or carbon builds up in the throat or neck), then the cases exceed the yield strength and plastically deform. Primer pockets open up, sticky bolt, etc... I believe that's largely the problem with the GAP 4s brass they make/made. Some sort of interference between the brass, sizing die, and the chamber that makes pressure spike. I do believe the 1st lot of 4s brass got an over zealous annealing cycle, though.

    The other thing could be a die sizing issue. That's as simple as doing a cerosafe mold of the die and micing it out to see if it's doing what it's supposed to. In that event, the BEST thing you can do is let whoever made it know so they are aware and can address it.

    All teething problems that happen with anything. Don't buy the first year of production of any vehicle, motor, etc... etc... if you're not willing to accept the risk of some unforseen issues.

    --------------------------

    From Supersubes in post 1496, page 30:

    Just an update, the .334 worked well. Shot a bunch of groups today testing seating depth, and all loads combined (same charge weight, different seating depths) had an SD of 10.


    Edit: Not super duper by any means, but very consistent across a wide range.

    I had a mix of rounds left over so I shot them into one group. .020 to .040 jump.

    4E7E3C50-CBE3-474F-9E57-136EA0B93833.jpeg


    From post 1478:

    Shot a narrow OCW test at 513 yards today. Probably should have gone wider on the charge range. It appears there’s a super wide velocity flat spot between 74 and 75 grains. On the last outing there was a 23fps spread between 74 and 75 grains(only single shots at each charge), and today it was 3 fps. Charges were double weighed, so not sure what happened, but that seems too close a spread. ES in the individual charges sucked for two of the three, which probably played into the low ES across the range. Since this was the first go round loading the fired cases, I learned that my neck bushing isnt small enough. The Hornady brass necks have a tapered wall thickness, and my .335 bushing doesn’t size them down enough to for a mandrel or expander ball to uniformly establish the ID. So the base of the neck is sized and gets kissed by my mandrel, but the top of the neck was oversized. So the necks are essentially funnel shaped on the ID. Neck tension was all over during seating. I have another bushing inbound.

    (see images in post for details)

    Post 1476, page 30:

    DAVETOOLEY said:
    You've got ejector pin marks so you've exceed the yield point of the brass.
    Normally I’d agree, but everything does it, even the lowest starting charges and factory ammo.

    There’s no expansion above the extractor groove until 78 gr with the 208, and 76 grains with the .225. The 208 load peaked at .0004 expansion, and the 225 load at .0006. Pretty soft loads by those measurements. Hodgdon considers max .0008. I’ll keep an eye on it though, and I dont plan on pushing past these charges I reached today.

    Post 1471, page 30:

    Went out again today to do 208 and 225 eld pressure test with H1000. For the 208’s no sight adjustment was made from the last outing, but the barrel had been removed and fully cleaned. I dialed .3 up for the 225 test. Interesting how the 208 trends down through the charge escalation. .8” total vertical through the whole range. The 225’s had almost exactly .36” of vertical through the whole range.

    C4EC40A4-139F-42F6-805D-F026EDE02F0E.jpeg


    From post 1449, page 29:

    Below that are two ladders with 230 and 215 hybrids in half grain increments of H1000. All virgin brass and bullets jumped .030. Charge weight and velocity is written under each dot. Not sure what happened to the last round of the 230 at 76 grains, but it was oddly slow. Shot 19 was a ND. I interrupted my trigger squeeze to do a breath cycle, and capped a round off. Doh!

    Edit: Just realized that I didn’t write the 215 charges or velocities on the target. It was 75-77.5 grains, and topped out at 2947FPS.

    A1A.jpeg


    I’m still a grain or two from max for both bullets with H1000. Primer pockets are like new. Case head expansion numbers for both bullets maxed at .0003-.0004, which indicates the pressures were pretty soft. Now that I’ve got a little Experience with the PRC, i’ll go out and do a 500 yd OCW. I also have some other bullets to test, as well as RL26.
    ------------------------------

    From gnochi in post 1466, page 30:

    Here’s the Flatline data (26in barrel, they also have a data sheet for 30in): https://www.warner-tool.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/300PRC_198Flatline_26inbbl.pdf

    From post 1165 on page 24:

    maksim said:
    Oh YES! Looked for both 565 and 570. I think a place around here had 560. IIRC I saw somewhere that 565 looked exactly the same as Reloader 26... or was it 560?
    Looking at the 198 Flatline / 300 PRC chart, 560 and RL26 are very similar. 570 runs out of fill before it runs out of pressure, so if 565 is a decent mix of 560/570 properties it should be fantastic.

    On a related note, is there a way to reliably mix multiple powders without it blowing up in your face?

    From post 1146 on page 23:

    TnDoc said:
    I'm wanting to load 230 Berger hybrids...got a bunch of H1000....any guidance on good powder charge? I know to start slightly lower to be safe...
    Per Hornady’s reloading guidelines for 300PRC, the max load for a 225-230gr with H1000 is around 77.5gr.

    ---------------------

    From high right in post 1411 on page 29:

    Bought 200 230 gAy tips to try in mine along with 200gr Sierras, 215 Berger's.
    All testing was done at 850 through a Chrony. Retumbo, Rel26, H-1000. Cycling through 50 pieces to see end of life. The 230s shot ok @2920 but never as good as the 225s, Bergers, or for that matter, the 200 grain Sierras.
    Finally got the SD down to 4 and ran the gAy tips and 225s out to 1650. Easy button with the 225s @2900 with Retumbo. I have 150 230s left if someone wants to play with em.
    PM me. I'll be out of town till mid August, then I'll list and ship.. I have several other Samplings of 30 Cal bullets I tried as well.

    From post 1136 on page 23:

    Not exactly, I'm running the 215 hybrids with 79 grains H-1000, CCI mag primers @2975. ES of 7. Virgin brass.
    Very accurate out to 1350. That's as far as I've taken it. I'll have to figure a load for the fired brass after I get it all fired once. It will be different.

    ------------------

    From Scrav223 in post 1270, page 26:

    Range report:
    Savage 110 rebarreled by Cresent Customs 26" barlien 1:8.5 M40
    Manner T-4A
    Load testing: 225ELDM
    H-1000 77.2 Hornady Brass
    Testing primers
    10 loads each with GM215M and WLRM

    Fired two (3) shot groups each and the GM215 had highest velocity at 2875/Ave and best groups but both primers shot well. Got first round hits at 553yards with 9.75moa Going to do some neck turning and will update.

    From post 1163 on page 24:

    Savage 110-Bartlien 26" 1-8.5
    Hornady neck bushing .333 Range results with H1K and 225ELDM and 210VLD's:

    Target 1: 225ELDM 77.2gr. H1K
    T.L. 3.680
    Ave. Velocity 2890
    S.D. 7fps
    Target 2: 210VLD 76.7gr H1K
    No velocities taken
    Target 3: 210VLD 78.2
    Ave velocity 2945
    S.D. 6.7

    Looking promising

    From post 1116 on page 23:

    While patiently waiting for my Savage 110flp 300win to be rebarreled by Moon Roberts at crecent customs the 300prc was released, lucky me. I had him put a 26" M40 bartlien on it and I decided to switch it to 300PRC. I let him pick the twist rate and he talked to Frank at Bartlien who advised him go 1:8.5 twist. So I've broken it in with 225Hndy Match which shot about 3/4". Tested hand loads yesterday with 225ELDM H-1000 77.8gr max charge @2880fps
    Best (3rnd) group was .300" at 20K off lands TL=2.680 but it showed pressure signs so I need to back it off.
    My issue is I don't have CIP bottom metal so my best mag fed loads were 0.5" at a TL=3.630 and 77.8gr H-1000
    More to follow soon?

    ----------------

    From Harleydog in post 1235, page 25:

    Ledzep said:
    Diameter, not length. Have him measure the reamer and compare it to the published SAAMI print.

    PTG is notorious for effing up dimensions on reamers. Last year they sent a friend a .223 reamer with ZERO body taper, just went from shoulder diameter straight back...
    He just called and said he lengthened the throut .020”. Both factory ammo shot and extracted good. Loaded one case with 74.0 g rl26 and bolt still sticks. Sounds like he’s pointing finger at powder causing the pressure and that’s that!?

    Post 1233:

    Got a call from gunsmith. He says legnthening the throat he thinks will solve it. I’m wondering if it’s a length or diameter problem? He used a ptg reamer. All bullets have around 1/4” of scuffing when ejected. Ideas??!!

    Post 1231:

    Even with hornady seat depth gauge deal I can’t tap the bullet past the free bore to find the lands that tight would cause pressure correct?

    Post 1229:

    My local gunsmith did the work. I’ve been chasing pressure problem since new. Factory 225 match go in with a little effort. If you pull them they will have a scuffing all the way around the bullet. Been having sticky bolt pull for a while on all reloads. 74g-76g rl26. Betting this is the pressure issue?

    Post 1226:

    For the gunsmiths out there. Having pressure issues with sticking bolt since new. Free space area has always been very tight. Like solid marks around the whole bullet if pulled out. Today I was going to run some FACTORY 212 precision hunter rounds. First 2 were hard bolt close and pulled the bullet from case when tried to eject. VERY tight freebore area cause big case pressure?

    Post 1207:

    What was it doin? I’ve had same problem sometimes. New brass works great, full size after firing, fire again and sticks when I pull back. Barrel is broken in and speeding up tho. 74.0 grains of rl26 is giving me 2935fps! Might be pressure sign I’m thinking.

    Post 1067, page 22:

    Harleydog said:
    H1000 I started at 74g and went up to 77.5 in .5 increments. 77.0 was the winner in that powder so I’ll narrow down from there. I had73.8 in rl26 work really well Monday so narrowed the steps and found 74.0 to give the groups I posted.
    Should also mention. 215m primers, necks turned with .002 neck tension and seated to factory length. 26” 1:9 m24 Bartlein barrel. Hope this helps.

    Post 1053:

    Got to shoot some rl26 and h1000 today. Didn’t get chrono but rl26 did good. Had decent groups on h1000 but need to work a bit on it. Here’s 2 groups of rl26 at 74g. 215m primers and eldm 225.

    Post 1051:

    I’ve had good luck with rl26 around 73.8. 26” 1:9 barrel. Got the sticking bolt taken care of today. There was the tiniest ridge in the chamber that needed polishing a bit. Tested 2 loads at the higher end and functions great. Have some h1000 and rl26 loaded up to test maybe tomorrow.

    ---------------

    From senna.bra in post 983 on page 20:

    I am a fan boy of the Berger 230gr OTM.

    Loaded H1000 and 230grs 0,020 jump. Using regular rifle Federal primers.

    75.9gr H1000 2849 FPS SD9.4
    76.2gr H1000 2859 FPS SD 5 “some pressure”
    76.5gr H1000 2875FPS SD 7.8 “pressure”

    5 shot lots, all three were one big hole at 100 yards.

    1.9 twist 28” barrel

    I am here to tell you that the Hornady Factory loaf ain’t with H1000 for what I can tell.

    I am getting 2930 FPS with Hornady 225gr ELD with NO pressure at all.

    ---------------------

    From Dave Tooley in post 544 on page 11:

    Hornady loads H1000 with 225's. I use 4831SC in my hunting rifle with 212's. Anything in between those will work. Personally I lean towards a fast to middle of the road burn rate.

    Post 472 on page 10:

    I'm not defending Hornady here. This nothing they don't know. There are a bunch of target shooters there using this round and it's nothing I haven't mentioned to them over the years.
    When it comes to maximizing performance for the most part, we and I mean all of us are going to load to pressures that are just below or equal to the yield point of the brass. Every manufactures toughness differs and every lot can be different. So if you want primer pockets to last you make adjustments. I want reasonable longevity and precision. They are not exclusive. It's just that simple. If you want 300 Norma performance then build one. I'll agree the necks aren't as uniform as I would like. Norma and Lapua usually vary a .001". Sometimes less. I've measured PRC brass and it varies .0015" on some cases. Probably 35% are that way. That was with a very early lot. I neck turn it for my target rifles. I think a light skim cut on the necks would be the first thing I would do if I was concerned about uniformity. That would apply to any manufacturer. I shoot it as is in everything else. No one can convince me we can accurately measure internal capacity and then show me on the target that it matters. It gets lost in the noise.
    Then let's talk price. 300 PRC is less than $1 ea and everything else mentioned is over $2.
    Get 200 pcs and wear the barrel out.
    In a perfect world RWS would make me PRC brass. That stuff lasts forever.
    YMMV

    Post 438 on page 9:

    jwknutson17 said:
    Would you mind letting me know what load you are using with the H4831 (assuming your using H and not IMR). I have about 15lbs of H4831 sitting here I need to use for something.

    Thanks!
    72 Grs. 4831SC w/212's @2825
    mild load but the 212's work.

    Post 436:

    Depends on which power. I use 4831 in my hunting rifle because I'm not trying to get all the velocity possible. For the sake of argument that's probably good in 24-26" barrels. My rifle has a 25" barrel. Slower powders need more barrel length to get maximum velocity but everything is a compromise. I wouldn't go longer than 27" for most applications but if all I was going to do is shoot ELR and velocity was important to me I would go 28-30" .
    Complete powder burn probably never happens.

    Post 360 on page 8:

    W54/XM-388 said:
    Quick question for you Dave, what die set for .300 PRC have you had the best success with?
    I'm using Hornady dies I had made 5 years ago. Not sure if anyone else has started making them. I have two sets of 30's and one set of 338 left. Both bushing type FL dies.
    I use a Hornady FL die and Wilson seater for my 1K BR rifle.

    Post 359:

    COAL with Flatline 198's

    I can't touch the lands with the 198's. It would take a freebore length of .000" to have a chance of running through a mag. Not that I would with that bullet.

    Post 350:

    b6graham said:
    No one here has an ogive measurement for a 198 flatline compared to a 225 ELDM or 215 or 230 hybrid? Doesnt matter if it's a 300WM or 300NM. It's all relative anyways
    I have some Flatlines. I won't have time to make up a dummy round until probably Tuesday.

    From post 301 on page 7:

    COAL 3.730" with a 225 about .010" off.

    One thing you do need to do with virgin brass. Expand necks and chamfer . Because of the way Hornady trims their brass there is a bit of ring on the case mouth. In some chambers it's enough to cause an interference fit.

    From jascent in post 373 on page 8:

    For those of you looking for better brass
    I’m shooting a 338/375 ruger. I use 8x68s Norma or RWS brass and fire form it to my chamber. The head is a bit smaller so some actions may not be able to extract but with a sako/ m16 style extractor it works great! I hate the cow fire forming so I shoot cheap bullets to fire form. I neck up to 375 then down to 338 forming a false shoulder with a slight crush fit. It is much stronger than Hornady’s primer pockets. For the 300 prc you could prob just trim to 2.600 the neck down to 308. Left to right: Hornady 338/375, Norma 8x68 fireformed, 8x68 ready to fire form

    From 110len in post 65 on page 2:

    No, just a regular guy. No involvement with AI other than owning a few. 300PRC is nothing new, just a new name. 30-375 and, IIRC, 300AI. AI has had involvement with this cartridge for awhile as has Mr. Tooley. Thanks again Dave, - it's shooting extremely well btw.

    Post 62 on page 2:

    Hornady 225gr ELD-M OAL 3.630
    Hornady brass
    Fed 215M
    RL 26 77grs
    Bartlein 8 twist 26in
    2923fps

    *hot load, choose wisely
     
    Last edited:
    Hornady Brass: I think I'm guilty of Group Think Bias. Let me show you a pic:

    300PRC225N565.png


    Yesterday I shot 50 rounds of 78.5gr Vihtavuori N565 with 225gr ELD-Ms using FGMM #210 LRP....Not Magnum Primers....35F. This was firing #6 it seems after checking my logs. The above pic is my first 5 shot group. I did 10 5 shot groups and saved the data and this morning I looked at it.

    For 50 shots my slowest was 2925 and my fastest was 2939...for an ES of 14 for FIFTY shots. Of the 50 shots I had only one at 2925, one at 2927, one at 2936, one at 2937, one at 2938 and one at 2939.....other than those six...this stuff was TIGHT. Of the 50 shots... 35 of them were measured at 2931fps.

    Now, let's be real here. A traditional optical chrono would error out if you shot back to back 2931's....I show strings of 6 in a row at 2931....wish I would have snapped a pic of that. So...if the online Standard Deviation Calculator is correct...over 50 shots...we had a SD of 2.26274 That is insane!

    So my question is this....if I had 'better' brass....what would that do for me? Would it simply remove all the headache and prep work I did to get here? If so...it really wasn't that bad. I've only lost one piece of brass so far and that was after...ahem...pushing things too far on a load work up and shooting a piece I knew was beyond pressure range....yea...stupid. The primer just falls out with a light tap...so it becomes a future brass hammer.

    Like I said, for years I've been on the 'Hornady brass is crap' train...and yea...some of that is warranted with some of the calibers I've shot....but 300PRC may not be as crappy as we think. I know it isn't going to hold up like machine turned brass...and it might be inferior to Lapua, Peterson, ADG and whom ever else comes to market....but all these "I'm not going with the 300PRC build because it has crappy brass" comments are starting to look like complete bovine excrement.

    So, I'll hop off the group bias train that is anti Hornady brass at the moment...because my numbers tell me that until brass that is both better and affordable comes along....I'll stick with what I got and enjoy my 300PRC with no nagging questions in the back of my mind.

    I hope everyone has a wonderful day and gets the chance to get out and Shoot!!!
     
    I drove up to Thunder Valley Precision today. Only about a 3hr 20min drive from N.KY. It was COLD. About 30F when I got there. The following is the data I collected. I want you guys to talk to me about the 250gr A-Tip data down below....but first:

    225eldmn565.jpg


    Above pic shows data for 225 ELD-M's with 79gr of Vihtavoruori N565. These are a half grain hotter than Friday's load. I think I'll back down the half grain to where I was. My SD's Friday were insane. This wasn't bad over 24 shots....but the other was way more consistent. With this load I was hitting 1000yds with 6.2 Mils dialed on the scope. Also, it was way too easy. Dialed 16.58 Mils for 1760. First shot was 2mils right and dead center vertically. I corrected my wind hold for a 10-12mph wind at 7 o'clock and bang. Sadly...too easy....well on the 36" plate...didn't try the smaller plates. Only at 15 power today.

    230atip785.jpg


    The above pic is for the 230gr A-Tips. This is 78.5 grains of Retumbo. Seems Retumbo didn't like the cold according to numbers I have from when it was MUCH warmer. Slower speeds...but better BC than the ELD-Ms....my 800yd numbers and closer were pretty much the same. 1760yds I held 17.9 and forgot to hold wind. I don't think the 230 A-Tips give 2 ducks about wind...hit right edge.

    Now to the exciting part: 250gr A-Tips!!!

    250atipRL33.jpg


    Only loaded 5 rounds. Started at 76gr and worked my way to 80gr of Reloader 33.
    76.0 grains = 2574fps
    77.0 grains = 2574fps <-- what??
    78.0 grains = 2608fps
    79.0 grains = 2669fps
    80.0 grains = 2698fps Slight swipe/ejector mark. Very minor

    This was the worst of the three powders tested. RL-33 can stay in the cabinet for now.

    Next: Retumbo

    250atipretumbo.jpg


    Only loaded 5 rounds. Started at 76gr and worked my way to 80gr of Retumbo.

    76.0 grains = 2746fps
    77.0 grains = 2768fps
    78.0 grains = 2812fps
    79.0 grains = 2841fps
    80.0 grains = 2894fps Slight swipe/ejector marks. Very minor. Depriming was still showing tight primer pocket.

    Now we are getting somewhere. I was happy with this load....until I did some Vihtavoruori N565.

    250atipn565.jpg


    Only loaded 5 rounds. Started at 76gr and worked my way to 80gr of Vihtavoruori N565.

    76 grains = 2801fps <- started checkinf for pressure right away at that start speed. No pressure.
    77 grains = 2817fps
    78 grains = 2872fps WHAT!!!!
    79 grains = 2900fps Holy Jebezus No Pressure signs
    80 grains = 2939fps and I almost fainted. Very very light pressure swipe marks. Less than the other two powders at same load.

    I think for my gun... N565 wins hands down....no contest. A little info:

    Temp was about 30F
    Wind was about 10-12mph switching between 7 and 8 o'clock.
    It was cold, damp, and miserable...but I had fun.
    I seated these to where the start of the boat tail married up with the flare from neck to shoulder. Just like I do with the other weights....however, this made them too long to magazine feed and had to be individually hand loaded.

    Once I hit 78grains of N565, I was slamming the 300, 400, 500 yd 8 inch steel targets with the same dope I had for the 230's. I'll load up more next time to see how they perform at distance. I will also load some up and take to a closer range to me....to shoot a few groups. But I'm really interested in seeing how they react at long distance. See how stable they are in my 1-9tw Bartlien at 28 inches. See if I can get some consistent impacts at 1000yd+

    Well, I hope this data helps some of you.

    Hope you enjoyed your weekend and shot well.
     
    Last edited:
    250s in the 2900s??? That’s cookin!

    That is some serious kerosene on the rotisserie chicken.....yes it is. I will try to get my hands on some RL-26 and some H1000 and do some loads with them. Pretty sure I can get some H1000...but the RL-26 is like Unicorn Dust.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Joeydias3
    Using a AMP Annealer with AZTEC Mode, a #31 Pilot and AMP's listed Pilot Code #31B. I got AZTEC code of 174 for RCC Brass.

    BRASS - RCC (Machined Brass)
    AMP AZTEC
    Pilot #31
    Pilot Code #31B
    AZTEC CODE = 174
     
    Ran some tests on RCC brass over the weekend. Only loaded up 20 cases.

    10 Cases with GM215M Primers
    10 Cases with BR2 Primers
    H1000
    74-76.7gr in 0.3gr increment
    Barrel: 25" M24

    GM215M:
    Total number of shots
    10​
    Units velocityfps
    Units distancesm
    Units kinetic energyft-lbf
    Units weightgrain (gr)
    Stats - Average
    2800.69​
    fps
    Stats - Highest
    2860.56​
    fps
    Stats - Lowest
    2730.78​
    fps
    Stats - Ext. Spread
    129.79​
    fps
    Stats - Std. Dev
    41.76​
    fps
    Shot IDV0
    1​
    2762​
    2​
    2731​
    3​
    2764​
    4​
    2769​
    5​
    2819​
    6​
    2820​
    7​
    2812​
    8​
    2823​
    9​
    2861​
    10​
    2846​


    BR2:
    Total number of shots
    8​
    Units velocityfps
    Units distancesm
    Units kinetic energyft-lbf
    Units weightgrain (gr)
    Stats - Average
    2778.99​
    fps
    Stats - Highest
    2846.79​
    fps
    Stats - Lowest
    2711.77​
    fps
    Stats - Ext. Spread
    135.02​
    fps
    Stats - Std. Dev
    51.19​
    fps
    Shot IDV0
    1​
    2726​
    2​
    2712​
    3​
    2739​
    4​
    2767​
    5​
    2788​
    6​
    2818​
    7​
    2835​
    8​
    2847​
    **LabRadar didn't pickup the last 2 shots. Probably too much muzzle blast from the brake. Will need to move LR a little more forward of the muzzle/brake.
     
    I'm going back to the 300 PRC ELR thread to look for loading specs for ADG brass and 230 A-Tips with VV N565 or H1000 or RL26. If you've got loads worked up for any of those combos, I'd appreciate seeing your data.

    OK, I found this on post 2652 by aaronk:

    (not ADG brass)

    Here's my data so far, no signs of pressure at 78.0g so running up to 79.0g next. Gun is a Seekins Havk with 26" barrel. I'm hoping to get upper 2800's, as I'm not trying to push it too hard. The factory Hornady 225g ELD Match is shooting at 2,883fps out of my gun, which seemed fast, but I'll take it!

    This is with Hornady brass, not ADG.

    Screen Shot 2020-03-07 at 8.15.22 AM.png


    -------

    Rcoketmndb in posts 2653 & 4:

    ADG brass:

    - External neck diameter of a loaded round is .3365 - .337.
    - I also used a mandrel to open up the necks, then...
    - I used a .335 bushing to size them back
    - If I have time, I'll get external neck size of all loaded rounds (first 50)
    - External neck diameter of a new case is .333

    Weighed 25 ADG cases post-prep (slight material loss from chamfer/deburr, but not really relevant):

    Weight in grains

    257.64
    257.14
    256.6
    258.4
    257.8
    258
    257.92
    258.8
    257.54
    257.9
    257.86
    258.2
    257.68
    257.52
    258.38
    257.7
    258.58
    257.56
    257.08
    257.7
    256.44
    258.04
    257.86
    258.18
    258.02

    Average: 257.7816 gr
    SD: .5398 gr

    --------------

    NVScout in post 2670:

    Went out and ran a ladder with the new ADG/N565/ 230 A-Tips . Velocity was outright amazing , accuracy was the worst I thing I have ever seen out of any of my rifles EVER !! Not even sure the last time it was cleaned as it has been on the back burner for so long. I guess I should have ran a mandrel through the new brass as well , it was running about .003-.004 neck tension out of the box. I know the rifle will shoot as it would easily hold 1/2 with RL-26 and 230 A-tips with Hornady brass .....

    Proof 26” prefit
    Elevation 4650
    Humidity 43%
    Temp 46F
    OVERCAST
    Coal 3.810 @ .020 jump

    Velocitytaken from LabRadar

    76gr /2836/10/5.5
    76.5gr/2872/31/16
    77gr /2889/46/19
    77.5gr/2908/23/18
    78gr /2925/30/15.1
    78.5gr/ 2946/17/8.5
    79 gr /2960/ 10/4.5
    79.5gr/2963/10/4.6
    80gr /3005/9/4.3
    80.5gr / 3023/20/9.4

    -----

    Rocketmandb in post 2671:

    As mentioned above, did the range thing today.

    RL-26
    Brass: ADG first-fire
    Temp: 50
    Elevation: 600'
    28" 1-9 barrel
    EDIT: Bullet: Berger 230

    First group of 15:
    71.2 - 2789 fps
    71.4 - No register
    71.6 - 2795
    71.8 - 2800
    72.0 - 2817
    72.2 - 2808
    72.4 - 2807
    72.6 - 2822
    72.8 - 2835
    73.0 - 2850
    73.2 - No register
    73.4 - 2849
    73.6 - 2858
    73.8 - 2860
    74.0 - 2869

    Second group of 15:
    71.2 - 2790 fps
    71.4 - 2790
    71.6 - 2795
    71.8 - 2797
    72.0 - 2807
    72.2 - 2809
    72.4 - 2828
    72.6 - 2834
    72.8 - 2841
    73.0 - 2837
    73.2 - 2853
    73.4 - 2855
    73.6 - 2858
    73.8 - 2862
    74.0 - 2868

    My shots with my semi-arbitrary 72.2 load:
    Average: 2815
    Highest: 2826
    Lowest: 2807
    ES: 19
    SD: 6.6
    Shots: 13

    I was a little low guessing my load. I'll probably play at 73.4 for now.

    ------------

    b2lee in post 2706:

    I will be out of the office today doing load development for my new ADG Brass. I'll be using both N565 and RL-26. Bullet will be the 230gr A-Tip. I had to make some guesses on some 5 shot loads. loaded up the following for both N565 and RL-26

    1. 76.0
    2. 76.5
    3. 77.0
    4. 77.5
    5. 78.0
    -----------------Most like see too much pressure with the lower case volume----------------------
    6. 78.5
    7. 79.0

    Then... 5 shot loadings of 77.0 and 78.0. I may be a little high...I may need to go back and revisit 76.0 and below if it gets too crazy due to decrease in case capacity. We will see. I should be able to post data later tonight.

    This load testing will be done on virgin...non-fire formed brass. I will revisit and see the differences between these and fire formed. Using FGMM 210M primers. Weather looks like it may be 55F and a 3mph wind at time of testing...hopefully.

    This should give me a good start for developing my loads for some upcoming ELR matches out to atleast 2500yds.

    (and post 2710)

    Well...back from the range with some data. Today didn't go like I thought it would. First off...let's look at some speeds...and let's clarify the environmentals.

    Temp: 49F
    Elevation: 913ft ASL
    Pressure: 30.13
    Humidity: 68%
    Winds: 7mph steady right to left....full value wind.

    Brass: ADG Virgin brass. Was full length resized mostly due to the necks being a little small...a little too tight for the the bullets.
    Bullets: Hornady A-Tip 230gr
    Primer: FGMM 210M
    Case Over ALL Length: 3.8050"
    Gun: 300PRC Defiance Deviant with 28" Bartlein 1-9tw. TriggerTech Diamond. Lil'B brake. MDT ACC Chasis.
    Scope: Vortex Viper PST Gen2 3x15 EBR-2C

    Ok...now let's talk about powder. I took Vhitavouri N565 and Reloader 26 and loaded 76-79 grains in .5 increments. Then I arbitrarily before hand loaded 5 of each powder at 77.0 grains and 78.0 grains. Now let's look at the numbers.

    Vhitavouri N565

    1. 76.0gr 2863fps
    2. 76.5gr 2853fps <-- weird
    3. 77.0gr 2882fps
    4. 77.5gr 2898fps
    5. 78.0gr 2917fps <-- ejector marks
    6. 78.5gr 2916fps <-- ejector marks
    7. 79.0gr 2940fps <-- ejector marks and a swipe

    All above shot at large center of middle diamond.

    Next a 5 shot group of 77.0 grains of N565

    1. 2877fps
    2. 2879fps
    3. 2877fps
    4. 2878fps
    5. 2879fps

    Ok...incredible SD's there....man that looks good....but had a flyer...could have been me...but during loading, some of the seating pressures were extremely tough compared to others. Being virgin brass...I'll give the low flyer a pass...but the group looked promising. Group is located in the upper right diamond.

    Next a 5 shot group of 78.0 grains of N565

    1. 2924fps
    2. 2921fps
    3. 2922fps
    4. 2919fps
    5. 2915fps

    Again...nice consistent velocities for virgin brass....but small sample size....however...the group is horrible. Top left Diamond. Looks like a shotgun pattern. Not one single hole touching another. Barrel was cooled between all groups today. I'm not liking the looks of that group vertically.

    N565 Target Pic:


    IMG_20200311_153502625.jpg



    What's that in the bottom right? It is a 'control' group...heh...actually it is 5 rounds of mixed powder and bullets that I was fouling the barrel with. I had just done a good scrubbing of the barrel the night before. You don't see 5 holes? The first shot was off paper to the right due to not looking at my scope dials and having the windage turrets moved 2 mils. IT's good to have those mistakes when not on the clock...when it doesn't matter.

    Now....let us look at Reloader 26. The super unicorn stuff that I haven't had the pleasure of running in a 300PRC with a 230 grain A-Tip.

    Again....loads from 76 to 79 grains in .5 grain increments. On target: Center large diamond.

    1. 76.0gr 2932fps <---Well hello
    2. 76.5gr 2946fps
    3. 77.0gr 2964fps <---check for pressure...pressure ok
    4. 77.5gr 2984fps <---check for pressure...still ok
    5. 78.0gr 3005fps <---check for pressure....still ok...hmmm
    6. 78.5gr 3033fps <---check for pressure...slight swipe visible.
    7. 79.0gr 3071fps <---Holy crap....check for pressure...slight swipe visible....the last two the recoil had more of a snap.

    Ok...I thought N565 was the answer to all my ills...but this RL-26 Unicorn Dust is looking like the real deal...so let's go shoot some 5 shot groups.

    5 Shots of 77.0 grains of Reloader 26. On target: Bottom right hand diamond.

    1. 2976fps
    2. 2965fps
    3. 2976fps
    4. 2980fps
    5. 2975fps

    Well I can live with that. Pretty tight group...I know I caused that flyer by slapping the trigger...called it when I shot it.

    5 Shots of 78.0 grains of Reloader 26. On target: Bottom left hand diamond.

    1. 3028fps
    2. 3031fps
    3. 3029fps
    4. 3031fps
    5. 3030fps

    Well...the speeds look fast...and consistent. I like that. The group looks pretty good too. The flyer wasn't me this time...well it could be...but I didn't call it when I shot...and everything felt good. Recoil pulse felt good. All brass looked good.

    Reloader 26 Target:


    IMG_20200311_153447463.jpg



    So...this is a VERY small data set. However, RL-26 with these 230 grain A-Tips look real promising for the upcoming ELR events. I'll take this now fire formed brass and do some more load development in the coming week and see if the data stays the same or changes slightly.

    It was a fun day....kinda cloudy and a chill in the air...but it beats having to go to work today.

    (post 2719):

    Purchasing a string gauge is on my list of things to buy....Trying to be a good steward and help with powder development for the GordonsReloadingTool software.

    I am backing down from the max I tested. As you can see below... 79.0 grains of N565 and RL-26 is no bueno.

    pressure.png



    N565 on top....RL-26 on bottom

    (post 2722):

    Length grew by 2thou on the RL-26 and 2.5thou on the N565. Base...I can't see any measurable expansion in any other direction...if anything...since I didn't measure these exact ones before firing... half a thou?

    Might be two good candidates for a cross section cut.

    My load will most likely be in the 77.0gr area...but as it warms up outside...I may have to go lower. I never keep ammo long enough to worry about seasonal changes from stored precision rounds.

    (post 2803)

    Range day

    First, the good news. It was absolutely beautiful here in Northern Kentucky today. Sunny, 72F, no wind...birds chirping...geese flying over heading north...squirrels having fun....just a post card day today.

    So, today I was doing another round of testing with some ADG Brass, Reloader 26, three different bullets...and a seating depth of magazine length. The other week I ran some 230gr A-Tips and did some powder testing with RL-26. Things went fairly well but my testing was with COAL's that were not able to feed into a 3.850 CIP Mag. So, today I loaded them up with a few thou of clearance and headed to the range.

    First up was some 225gr Match...non-ELD-M's. The BC is a lot lower on these and won't be considered for ELR...but let's try them out. With virgin ADG brass and 77 grains of RL-26 I got average of 2883fps with a 10 round SD of 2.4.....but two groups were embarrassing. both were barely under an inch at 100yards. Virgin brass....bullet seating depth had me lower muzzle velocity than I expected...didn't get any warm and fuzzy's with this load combination.

    Second up was 225gr ELD-Match. Compared to my N565 and Retumbo loads...these were average 2917 with a SD of 4.2 in a 10 round string. Wasn't happy with the results either... .75" and .90" groups. A growth in group size and lower velocity than the same bullet, in Hornady Brass, with same load. Wasn't happy with this load combination.

    Third up was 230gr A-Tips. Velocity jumped due to seating depth and more pressure. 2961 average with a 10 shot SD of 3.6. I shot one .55" group and one .75" group. So...maybe it was just me today....but usually I can cherry pick a nice .25" group. So...I rechecked all my ring screws, action screws....everything...and everything was tight. I never felt comfortable behind the rifle today...so maybe it was just a bad day.

    I did shoot one group of the 230's longer than mag length and it was a .75" group...and one group with 225ELD-M's and Retumbo and it was a .60" group....and I've shot some really good groups with that. Velocities all looked good....borescoped the barrel and chamber when I got home...everything looked good before and after cleaning...I think it was just me.


    So....anyone ever have the most beautiful day of the year...where you are so happy to be outside and doing something....and shoot a disappointing session?

    I'm going to keep the velocity data....but I'll retest RL-26...especially now that the brass has been fireformed....and revisit next week some time. It was such an enjoyable day...sure beat going to work.....I'm averaging about 70hrs a week right now.

    Have fun, stay safe and enjoy beautiful days while you can.

    ----

    ErikJS on post 2752: (Hornady brass)

    Just got my PRC, went shooting in South Africa. 4 out of 5 hits on 1.794 meters.

    Using 78 grains of N565 behind the 230gr A-Tip, with 1,5mm jump (...), this is the 100 meter 5 shot group. Speed (in SA) 876 m/s.

    -------------

    jwknutson in post 2777:


    Quick few rounds today to break in the 22" PRC. The factory hornady 212s were at 2770, 2778, 2787, etc etc .

    The RL26 with 215s were...

    76.6 gr. 2871 fps
    76.9 gr 2916 fps


    Only shot about 10 rounds total so take it for what it's worth until I can get some more rounds through the rifle. This was Hornady brass and loads from another rifle.

    The two rounds of ADG brass with 75 gr of RL 26 with the 215s were at 2840, 2844. I dropped it down two grains about from the Hornady load, because I like to start lower. Will see what it likes when I work it up.

    (post 2865)

    Was chronoing some loads yesterday in the 27" AXMC Tooley barrel. Virgin ADG brass. RL26, CCI250 primers. 215 bergers seated at the lands at 3.702 coal. Ammo was 75 degrees when shot. Just a data set and nothing else. Just was looking for pressure in this new barrel.

    RL26--FPS
    74.4---2907
    74.7---2942
    75.0---2949
    75.3---2940
    75.6---2988
    75.9---2996
    76.2---3012
    76.5---3015
    76.8---3020
    77.1---3046
    77.4---3046. Very very small ejector mark. Had to look hard to see it. No hard bolt, or flattened primer.

    Should have loaded more on the top end to 78 to see when I got more pressure for the test but didn't load them to test out. Loaded up a test pack last night to shoot for accuracy testing with various loads between 75-77.2gr.

    (post 2936)

    Doing some load workup today in the AXMC quick in some 5 round test groups..

    Best 5 round group was 76.6 gr of RL26 at the lands at .45 for 5 rounds. Started at 75 gr and went to 77.2 in .4 grain increments. This is new virgin PRC brass.. Mirage was really weird coming off the ground but this group was good enough for now. Seating the 215s at the lands. When I have more time ill work up some more 5 round test groups at 10 and 20 thou off and also shoot some of the ones that were over the .5 moa when I'm not in weird mirage. And use some once fired brass. No pressure at all even at the 77.2 but didn't shoot the best.

    ------
    Mk32784 in post 2862:

    Just shot the 300 PRC today. I am excited. Factory 225 ELD pushing 2840fps.

    78gr of Retumbo in ADG brass topped with a 230 ATip is pushing 2860. No pressure signs.

    Barrel has 30 rounds on it so I expect some speed up. Groupings at 100 yard came out okay I think...
     
    Last edited:
    I finally got around to shooting an OCW for the 300 PRC.

    AX-MC 30" Bartlein, 1:9
    ADG brass, 1st firing
    VV N-565
    Federal 215M
    Hornady A-Tip 230 grain
    BTO: 2.886"

    After chamfering and deburring the mouths, I ran a .3055 mandrel, then loaded them up. BTD ran spot on down to about 1 thousand under on the Whidden gage. I'll re-measure the shot cases when I get time. Concentricity out near the intersection of the copper an the tip aluminum ran 1 to 2 thousandths across 50 rounds

    I waited for the heat of the day to shoot the OCW. Temps ran from 82F at the beginning to 88F at the end. We shot at about 5000' ASL. MV's are from a Labradar.

    In terms of target POI, it looks like there is a node in the area of 78 - 78.2 grains. Here's the MV chart:

    ChargeMVSt DevES
    77.2​
    2937.7​
    8.7​
    10.0​
    77.4​
    2951.3​
    3.1​
    6.0​
    77.6​
    2965.8​
    12.0​
    31.0​
    77.8​
    2973.7​
    5.1​
    11.0​
    78​
    2982.7​
    1.5​
    3.0​
    78.2​
    2992.7​
    5.1​
    10.0​
    78.4​
    3005.7​
    2.1​
    4.0​

    We had minor primer cratering in the higher charges but no ejector marks or swipe. We had a very minor bolt lift on one of the 78.4s. I kinda wish I'd loaded up a 78.6 set. On a hot day, factroy Hornady ELDM 225s run about 3025 to 3050 FPS through this barrel, so I'm not certain I topped out the OCW. The best 3-shot group was for the 78.4 load at 0.36 MOA. Factory Hornady ELDM 225s tend to run around 0.5 MOA at best. I have not measured jump to the lands but will do that soon then load 10 each at 78 grain loads while varying seating depth. I think I'll also load 5 at 78.6 just for shits and giggles.
     
    • Like
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    @TripleBull Today I reworked up my load for next weekends events. We run similar loads.

    Today was a nice cool summer day.... 78-80F during the session....no wind....sunny. 900ft ASL Using a Magneto Speed V3.

    Some of my groups and velocities I tried loads on....sucked compared to my set in stone load...but at the end of the day I found a new load.

    First...my barrel has 1034 rounds through it now...so things change. I will rebarrel and most likely go back to my old load...which is almost identical to your probable load.

    So here is some specs.

    28" Bartlein 1-9
    ADG Brass 3rd firing
    VV N565
    A-Tips 230gr
    Federal 215M
    OAL came out to 3.850"

    I jumped from 78.0gr to 78.5 grain. I also...GASP...went from an LE Wilson neck sizing die....with a .334 bushing...to a Full Length sizing die...with the same .334 bushing. I bumped the shoulder back 2 thou. Everything was freshly annealed. Neck tension 2 thou using a Sinclair Mandrel. Bullets seated with an LE Wilson Arbor press die....K&M arbor press.

    so...over 1000 rounds down the tube... here is my new load:

    Max speed of 2952fps
    Min Speed of 2939fps
    AVG speed of 2946fps
    Standard Deviation of 5.7

    Group size on said group: 0.34" at 100 yards.

    I may have breathe just enough life into this thing to get me through a few more comps....then a rebarrel. We will see if I was successful at 1 mile and 1000yd tactical
     
    • Like
    Reactions: TripleBull
    How many rounds are you guys shooting before your barrel speeds up?

    I'll be joining the 300 PRC club this week with the arrival of an AXMC, which will have its 300WM barrel change to a 26", 300PRC WinTac (believe those are Bartlein blanks). My plan is to shoot factory Hornady 225s to gather some data and let the barrel settle. Once it speeds up, I'll start load development with N565 and RL26 using Berger 220s and H225s. I'll post the data to the thread once I can get the powder in hand (found it, just awaiting order fulfillment and shipping).

    I looked through the thread (thanks OP) but did not find data for the Berger 220s - if anyone has been shooting the 220s - please post it up. TIA.

    ETA - This thread needs to be tacked to the top. :)
     
    I noticed my 28" 1-9tw Bartlein speeding up in the first 50 rounds....then after a 100 or so...it was locked in. I thought it was still speeding up...but it was more me using different powders and stuff.

    I also didn't do any stupid barrel break in procedures.
     
    I noticed my 28" 1-9tw Bartlein speeding up in the first 50 rounds....then after a 100 or so...it was locked in. I thought it was still speeding up...but it was more me using different powders and stuff.

    I also didn't do any stupid barrel break in procedures.

    Appreciate the reply. I do a wet patch the first five rounds just to see if there is any fouling, if not (and there usually isn't) I just keep shooting.

    I also shoot an AX in .260 and did a lot of load development with differing powders and bullets. I'm going to keep it simple for the PRC and stick to RL26 and N565, and the 220 Bergers and the 225 ELDs. I made the mistake of buying the rifle before I bought any components, so the search was a pain and the processing / shipping delays are killing me.

    I still haven't located any ADG brass so I'll shoot the Hornady for a while, then adjust loads once I get a stock of the ADG. Found some primers locally (note the "good" price) and bits and pieces are arriving daily, including a Dave Tooley AXMC 300 PRC barrel. And wouldn't you know it, but I totally forgot to order a darn shell holder, which won't be here until Saturday.

    IMG_5155-1601485.jpg


    IMG_5089-1597176.jpg


    This plot is the first 140 rounds of factory ELDM 225 through our barrel. The peak of the hump was a very hot day and the last day was cooler in the fall.


    View attachment 7430335

    I appreciate data and the chart, which reminds me I should try and shoot the same ammo through break in. I have 200rds of the H225s coming from two different sources, 60rds of the 212 ELDX Hunter (just because I wanted to shoot something!) and I ordered 100 rds of 220 Bergers in Hornady brass with 215Ms using IMR 7977 (they were out of ADG brass) from Unknown Munitions. I need to temper my schoolgirl giddiness on joining the magnum club and do this right.

    Gratuitous picture of the Quantico ranges, where I get to shoot every weekend. Yes, known distance, square range, but it will be great for data and get me ready for the mile shoots that happen every other month or so up north.

    IMG_4886-1530284.jpg


    Okay, I'll stop clogging up the thread now.
     
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    Wouldn't you know it, literally the minute I go out to mow the lawn before it storms, I get an alert about RL26 being in stock. By the time I actually finish the lawn and see it, it's sold out.
     
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    In case anyone is shooting these powders in their PRC:

    Midway has N550, N555, N560 and N565 in stock.

    MidSouth has IMR 7977.
     
    Spoke with the Burger folks today about a load for the PRC using the 220gr Hybrid Target:
    300 PRC
    220gr Berger Long Range Hybrid Target
    3.700" OAL
    26" Test Barrel
    Vihtavuori N565
    75.2grs @2635fps to the max of 82.6grs @2887fps.

    They did not have any load data with RL26.

    Use at your own discretion and with the usual disclaimers.
     
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    @Onewolf42 If you haven't already....download the GRTools software. Most of the initial N565 data on Velocities, loads, pressures, seating depths were done by me...I initiated the cartridge to be included. I also took measurements on the 'new at the time' Hornady A-Tips in both 230gr and 250gr. For my rifle...it has been very true to real world conditions... 28" Bartlein with 1-9 Twist. You will most likely find that lower speed node to be very accurate around 75.0gr of N565. While I play above that in the next speed node...I don't recommend it for your barrel life...and probably your face and fingers as well.

    When everyone else was pimping H1000, RL-26, and even Retumbo....my secret sauce for the longest time was N565....now...not so much a secret since I posted all my data.

    Enjoy your 300PRC....and tell us how many rounds you get on that barrel before you decide that you need a new one because 3/4 MOA is horrid and you need to get back to accuracy ;)
     
    Anyone have a solid starting point for 212’s with RL26 and Retumbo in Hornady brass?
    May have missed it but didn’t see anything in the posts above.
     
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    I just picked up my Bergera hmr pro from my ffl I got Hornady brass from my local Sportsmans warehouse, dies from midwayusa. Sling from aim, night force base and nx8 scope from euro optics. Ready for a new adventure
    buddy picked me up some imr 7977 to try. Sadly the heavy bullet I have is a 215 Berger then 208 Hornady
     
    @cruze5 Where you shooting that 300PRC around Lexington? You shooting with the group that shoots suppressed near the horses?
     
    Have you guys tried Ramshot Magnum? I got a good deal on a pair of eight pound tubs and thought it may workout for the PRC.
    Regards,
    -d
     
    I took the AXMC with the new Dave Tooley barrel out to Quantico today to get some rounds out and start to speed it up. Factory Hornady 225s were averaging 2850fps, but considering they were factory, there were wild swings. Once it speeds up, I'll start working some loads.

    @DAVETOOLEY Thanks for a great barrel Dave - it's a shooter! Rounds 16-20:

    IMG_5255-1618331.jpg
     
    Mine is also .341 but after 2 firings I reused someone’s brass they left


    todays range trip:
    hornady brass
    215 primers
    74 grains of h1k
    hornady 200 ELD -X loaded at 3.575

    first shots ever out of the rifle
    2998
    2976
    2991
    3007
    3022
    2986
    2999
    a few of the odd numbers the 3k i did not check and readjust the magnettopeed strap it moved sightly so it explains why the numbers where off a bit

    i loaded some 7977 powder but they were seated too long 3.6 . i do not have the OAL tool yet for this caliber yet so i loaded them just a tad longer and they were scuffing up the projectile...
    this shot a clover leaf once i got it zero'd with the new setup
     
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    @cruze5 don't worry about the OAL tool....save your money. In the last year or two I've learned...that what I learned over the last 30 years is either wrong or unnecessary or unnecessarily wrong. People are strongly denying or arguing against the Erik Cortina methods....but it works and is right.

    1. Find your velocity node. Load up some rounds starting low and going up in charge 0.3 grains and putting them over a MagnetoSpeed or a Labradar...something that is known to be super accurate. Shoot these loads into the dirt....don't even shoot a target...all you care about is the speed reading. Find where across a full grain or more...the velocity is about the same for the differing charge weight. Pick the middle charge. That way if it gets warmer in the summer...you go to the high side of the node....when it gets colder in the winter...you go to the low side of the node. You stay in the speed node.

    2. Find your seating depth node. If you are going to be feeding these in a magazine...simply start at your longest length you can reliably feed in your magazine....and go 3 to 5 thou shorter for three shots each. Make a paper target with little black circles for an aiming point but dial your scope to shoot either high or low....so you don't obscure your aiming point. Fire the first two. If they aren't touching...don't bother firing the third...save your ammo and your barrel life.

    Keep firing your groups until you find where the groups get smaller...then get larger....pick the group in the middle for your seating depth. WARNING. Don't have a one hole group with two crappy groups on either side of it....that is a false node and it will cause head scratching for years!. Find a great group between two good groups with a wide margin of seating depth on either side. Also make sure that all the shots across these groups are on the same vertical plane. This will be your seating depth group.

    3. Since you changed seating depths....go back and confirm with shooting some loads 0.3 grains to either side of your load to re-verify that you are still in an accuracy node.

    4. Go win some contest...because the gun is dialed in....and if you miss a target at range...it is you...not the ammo....
     
    Mine is also .341 but after 2 firings I reused someone’s brass they left

    Neck OD after 1 firing in my chamber - .341

    Being new to the 300PRC, I was wondering why the fired neck diameter seemed so loose, I can drop a Berger 220 right down into the case. Mine measures the same 0.341, so I'll just have to use the right bushing when I reload.

    @cruze5 don't worry about the OAL tool....save your money. In the last year or two I've learned...that what I learned over the last 30 years is either wrong or unnecessary or unnecessarily wrong. People are strongly denying or arguing against the Erik Cortina methods....but it works and is right.

    I just don't know if I'm on the Cortina train yet...
     
    Being new to the 300PRC, I was wondering why the fired neck diameter seemed so loose, I can drop a Berger 220 right down into the case. Mine measures the same 0.341, so I'll just have to use the right bushing when I reload.



    I just don't know if I'm on the Cortina train yet...
    I'm in the process of testing deeper seating depths and I've got one foot on the train. Got to .060 off and and shot a .461 group with new Hornady brass. Have 2 more 5 round sets to fire, one at .080 off the lands and one at .100 and then that's the end of the new brass. Then I plan on using the once fired processed brass to retest the the top 3 loads and see where they fall.
     
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    I am just starting load development for my Ruger RPR 300 PRC. When I bought the rifle the only powder I could find was 2 lbs of Viht N565 and Hornady brass. The only decent bullets I could find were A-Tip 230s. $ ouch. I have been using these to get the rifle "sorted out". Just as a 'plinking' load I've been running 75.0gr N565 @3.685" COL. This resulted in consistent 0.75" 5 shot groups which I found pretty amazing given how uncomfortable I have been behind the rifle and my unhappiness with the factory trigger.

    I have subsequently replaced the factory trigger with a Timney which is much better. I also bought a LabRadar and my plinking load tested at:

    2759, 2748, 2740, 2745, 2746, 2741

    ES = 19
    SD = 6.2

    Which is pretty good (albeit about 100 fps slower than where I would like to be eventually).

    I measured the neck on a loaded round and following Redding's advice I got the 0.337 neck sizer. I notice that when I use the (Hornady) neck sizer die with 0.337 that when seating bullets (Hornady micro seater with A-Tip 230/250 seater stem) it feels like there is almost no neck tension (however the bullets seem have 'enough' tension when manually checked).

    I subsequently found 8lbs of H1000 (thanks FB "300 PRC" group) so I just started doing some actual load development with H1000, Hornady brass, 230 A-Tips, CCI LR Mag primers.

    My first load test was 73.5, 74.5, 75.5. 76.5, and 77.5 gr of H1000. Velocities were 2585, 2626, 2675, 2715, 2751. No pressure signs at all.

    I plan to run another test with 77.5, 78.0, 78.5, 79.0.

    I'm hoping to come up with a good load in the 2850 FPS area.
     
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    I went back to the range this afternoon to try some more load development. Unfortunately I'm still trying get my LabRadar figured out, but it was not cooperating at all this afternoon. That was strike 1.

    I loaded 2 rounds each at 77.5, 78.0, 78.5, 79.0, 79.5, and 80.0 (H1000, Hornady brass, A-Tip 230, 3.685", CCI LR Mag primers). One of the 78.5 rounds would not completely close the bolt and I have not had a chance to get out the calipers to figure out what it's issue is.

    The wind was blowing hard and gusty so I decided to shoot at 100 yards instead of 200 yds. That was strike 2.

    Without any velocities and being at 100 yds (looks like one giant node. LOL) there was very little 'learned' today.
     

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    image#3.jpegIMAGE@2.jpegIMAGE#1.jpeg I CURRENTLY HAVE A LOAD AT 73 GRAIN AND 2760FPS THAT WILL PRODUCE THESE GROUPS AT 300 YARDS WITH A RUGER 300 PRC. I AM REALOADING WITH BERGER 220 HYBRID LONG RANGE BULLETS, RELODER 26, HORNADY BRASS AND 215M PRIMERS. BUT I BELIEVE I CAN DO BETTER AND FASTER!
     
    I’m looking to start up some load data for the 230 Bergers since I want something a tad heavier than the 215s. This information should help! Thanks guys
     
    Doing some load development. Ruger RPC, H1000, Hornady brass, Hornady Match sizer die with 0.334 neck bushing, A-Tip 230s, CCI 250 primers, 3.685" COL. 200 meters.

    Not sure why 78.5 offset to the right so noticeably.

    Edit to add: I wasn't running my Labradar as I am still working on a mounting solution that works well when shooting the 300 PRC, however previous tests showed 78.0, 78.5, 79.0 were all in the 2800 +- 15 FPS range.

    300PRC_20201123_173836.jpg
     
    I am just starting load development for my Ruger RPR 300 PRC. When I bought the rifle the only powder I could find was 2 lbs of Viht N565 and Hornady brass. The only decent bullets I could find were A-Tip 230s. $ ouch. I have been using these to get the rifle "sorted out". Just as a 'plinking' load I've been running 75.0gr N565 @3.685" COL. This resulted in consistent 0.75" 5 shot groups which I found pretty amazing given how uncomfortable I have been behind the rifle and my unhappiness with the factory trigger.

    I have subsequently replaced the factory trigger with a Timney which is much better. I also bought a LabRadar and my plinking load tested at:

    2759, 2748, 2740, 2745, 2746, 2741

    ES = 19
    SD = 6.2

    Which is pretty good (albeit about 100 fps slower than where I would like to be eventually).

    I measured the neck on a loaded round and following Redding's advice I got the 0.337 neck sizer. I notice that when I use the (Hornady) neck sizer die with 0.337 that when seating bullets (Hornady micro seater with A-Tip 230/250 seater stem) it feels like there is almost no neck tension (however the bullets seem have 'enough' tension when manually checked).

    I subsequently found 8lbs of H1000 (thanks FB "300 PRC" group) so I just started doing some actual load development with H1000, Hornady brass, 230 A-Tips, CCI LR Mag primers.

    My first load test was 73.5, 74.5, 75.5. 76.5, and 77.5 gr of H1000. Velocities were 2585, 2626, 2675, 2715, 2751. No pressure signs at all.

    I plan to run another test with 77.5, 78.0, 78.5, 79.0.

    I'm hoping to come up with a good load in the 2850 FPS area.
    Hi,
    same here running load development for a ruger rpr but using adg brass and n565, I did check with vihtavuori ande they are going to publish official load data soon. I’m currently using 230 Atip and 80 gn of n565 loading at mag length oal. I’m abou to test larger oal because in my rifle thre is a 2mm jump from mag length to touch the lands. In my current tests I’m averaging .5 moa group size.
    Regards from Switzerland.
     
    Hi,
    same here running load development for a ruger rpr but using adg brass and n565, I did check with vihtavuori ande they are going to publish official load data soon. I’m currently using 230 Atip and 80 gn of n565 loading at mag length oal. I’m abou to test larger oal because in my rifle thre is a 2mm jump from mag length to touch the lands. In my current tests I’m averaging .5 moa group size.
    Regards from Switzerland.


    Wow...that is one hot load.... you might want to dial that back down no more than 78.5 or less....I was thrashing primer pockets with those loads after only 5 firings.
     
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    I’m running 79.5 gn of N570 with 230 A-tips. Velocity is right at 2950fps and the accuracy has been excellent. I have more room for velocity, but at 79.5 gn it works so well I haven’t been bothered to see what the max load is.
     
    I’m running 79.5 gn of N570 with 230 A-tips. Velocity is right at 2950fps and the accuracy has been excellent. I have more room for velocity, but at 79.5 gn it works so well I haven’t been bothered to see what the max load is.
    The max load is definitely a good bit below that.

    edit: well, maybe I spoke too soon. 2950 is too fast with H1000 and N565, but the pressure curve is flatter with N570. Who knows. I should try it.
     
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    The max load is definitely a good bit below that.

    edit: well, maybe I spoke too soon. 2950 is too fast with H1000 and N565, but the pressure curve is flatter with N570. Who knows. I should try it.

    Problem is finding that powder. Availability of it has always been spotty. Made worse due to the current state of affairs we’re in.
     
    Wow...that is one hot load.... you might want to dial that back down no more than 78.5 or less....I was thrashing primer pockets with those loads after only 5 firings.
    I forgot to mention that I’m coating my bullets with HBN, that softens the pressure curve, average speed is 875 m/s (2870 fps), I have been using the same set of ADG brass for all my tests to find out if primer pockets get weak and after 5 firings that is not the case. But anyway thanks for your advice, I will look at the results and try to find a lower node.