Hey guys, first post here. Should be taking delivery on a JP LRI-20 anytime here in the next week or 2 (a week past a 16 week lead time) so fingers crossed. But this is my first gas gun in 6.5, what kind of loads are you guys running through these with good luck? I have the 22” super match barrel.
JP LRI-20 load
- Thread starter Stingertrey
- Start date
I have the LRP-07 which has the same barrel. Here is the load I settled on. I get 5 shot groups typically around .625" at 100yards. No problem banging steel out to 1000 yards. It is a fairly mild load, but that makes it easy on the brass so I can reload it more before it gets thrown out. Good luck finding components!
Lapua small primer brass
40.3 gr H4350
Hornady 140 gr ELD-M
CCI 450 primer
2660 fps
OAL: 2.810
Lapua small primer brass
40.3 gr H4350
Hornady 140 gr ELD-M
CCI 450 primer
2660 fps
OAL: 2.810
I just recently built one with this barrel in it. I’ve had success with 123 SMKs and H4350. The load I settled on is 43.1 grains giving me a velocity of 2877.
I’ve prolly got 12 pounds of 4350 currently, and 500-600 140 ELD-M projectiles. I’ve got bricks of federal 210M’s as well.. luckily I stocked up for my bolt guns ages ago
I did 7 different powder charges into 3/4" at 100 yards with varget and 130 ar hybrids at 0.010" off.
Only about 400 rounds wear and was barely inside asc magazine.
I went no farther cause would be beyond magazine length in no time.
Could probably use the berger method to find a longer jump that fits the magazine.
130 eldm 0.030 off were half inch with 40gr varget but hornady was hopeful on the bc. Fell apart past 600 yards.
Only about 400 rounds wear and was barely inside asc magazine.
I went no farther cause would be beyond magazine length in no time.
Could probably use the berger method to find a longer jump that fits the magazine.
130 eldm 0.030 off were half inch with 40gr varget but hornady was hopeful on the bc. Fell apart past 600 yards.
Awesome question. When I had JP build my valkyrie, I was also in the process of building a .260 rem gas gun at home. I knew before I started that precision ammo for it would be expensive at best and tough to find. The readers digest version is that my barrel choice (20” lilja drop in) had no feeding cone cut into the barrel. This, plus the width of the feed ramps created pressure issues where any VLD style bullet would pass through the feed ramp and strike the barrel at the 7 or 5-o clock position prior to achieving enough lift to clear the barrel. These were all seated at least .20 thou under mag length. This would cram the bullet into the case creating pressure issues. I panicked because I had a comp coming up in roughly a month.
I remembered one of the JP guys telling me that he still ran and reloaded for .260. So I hit him up. The dude sent me his recipes and I have never looked back. He recommended any polymer tipped round for gas guns. He was running lighter eld-m bullets. I went from the natural tendsncy of trying to push a heavier 6.5 bullet to super charging a lighter 123-130gr faster to offset the lower BC. The shorter ogive length allowed for flawless feeding. Also, to off set the pressure he was seeing with H 4350 he recommended the even more elusive RL 16. Great recipe. Not the most awesome group, but it works. Barrel pic below too. Resolution on it is garbage at best
On another note, any machinists want to be millionaires? Make 6mm and 6.5 mm barrel extensions for ARs and I think your set
I remembered one of the JP guys telling me that he still ran and reloaded for .260. So I hit him up. The dude sent me his recipes and I have never looked back. He recommended any polymer tipped round for gas guns. He was running lighter eld-m bullets. I went from the natural tendsncy of trying to push a heavier 6.5 bullet to super charging a lighter 123-130gr faster to offset the lower BC. The shorter ogive length allowed for flawless feeding. Also, to off set the pressure he was seeing with H 4350 he recommended the even more elusive RL 16. Great recipe. Not the most awesome group, but it works. Barrel pic below too. Resolution on it is garbage at best
On another note, any machinists want to be millionaires? Make 6mm and 6.5 mm barrel extensions for ARs and I think your set
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My LRP-07 has the older gas system (not the +2" gas system they're currently using) and if you want your brass to live more than 2-3 reloads you have to back things down quite a bit compared to a bolt gun. The +2" gas system should be a bit easier on brass and allow you to push things a little farther than the shorter gas system on my rifle, have but I have no firsthand experience with the +2" gas system.
I'd also suggest using the heavy weights in the SCS buffer to slow down the bolt velocity and be easier on the brass if you care about getting more reloads out of it.
140 ELDs with H4350 & RL16 were very accurate but were particularly hard on the brass and primer pockets when pushed above 2650fps or so, they had to be backed way down to make the brass last more than 2-3 reloads. With H4350 or RL16 and the 140s start around 39.5 grains and see what it likes. Velocities won't be great, probably in the low to mid 2600s, but it should be accurate and brass life should be decent. My rifle was very accurate at the next higher node around 2750fps but the primer pockets were done in 2 firings... oops.
123s and 130s are a better match for the semiauto and brass life IMO, with 123 Scenars being my rifle's favorite. Great accuracy, good velocity, much better brass life with the 123s compared to the 140s. You can push the 123s to decent velocities with H4350 or RL16 and still get 5-6 loads out of the brass before the primer pockets start to loosen up. H4350 and RL16 both provided the best velocity and accuracy. With 123 Scenars my rifle is happiest with 41.6gr of RL16 or 42.6 H4350, both running about 2870 fps. The rifle was very accurate at a higher node with 43.1gr RL16 at 2950fps , but it was rough on the brass.
Varget or AR Comp can also work with the light 123s and are accurate, but you'll run into pressure signs with Varget or AR Comp long before getting close to the velocity of H4350/RL16. The faster burn rate of Varget and AR Comp does lower the gas port pressure compared to the slower burning RL16 & H4350, and the rifle will recoil smoother from the lower port pressure and resulting slower bolt velocity... the slower bolt velocity is also easier on the brass.
I had planned on using 130s as they are a good compromise in the gas guns being lighter than the 140s but higher BC than the 123s-- but my rifle didn't group as well with the 130s (Berger and Hornady) as it did with the 123 Scenars and 140 ELDs.
Note: my brass life observations are with Hornady brass, which obviously doesn’t live nearly as long as Lapua brass. I just haven't felt like feeding my semis expensive Lapua brass since they're so much harder on brass... Once fired Hornady is cheap and I don't feel bad tossing it after 5-6 reloads when the primer pockets start to loosen up, the case heads are looking a bit rough by that time anyways. If Lapua could last 10+ reloads it may be the cheaper option in the long run.
I'd also suggest using the heavy weights in the SCS buffer to slow down the bolt velocity and be easier on the brass if you care about getting more reloads out of it.
140 ELDs with H4350 & RL16 were very accurate but were particularly hard on the brass and primer pockets when pushed above 2650fps or so, they had to be backed way down to make the brass last more than 2-3 reloads. With H4350 or RL16 and the 140s start around 39.5 grains and see what it likes. Velocities won't be great, probably in the low to mid 2600s, but it should be accurate and brass life should be decent. My rifle was very accurate at the next higher node around 2750fps but the primer pockets were done in 2 firings... oops.
123s and 130s are a better match for the semiauto and brass life IMO, with 123 Scenars being my rifle's favorite. Great accuracy, good velocity, much better brass life with the 123s compared to the 140s. You can push the 123s to decent velocities with H4350 or RL16 and still get 5-6 loads out of the brass before the primer pockets start to loosen up. H4350 and RL16 both provided the best velocity and accuracy. With 123 Scenars my rifle is happiest with 41.6gr of RL16 or 42.6 H4350, both running about 2870 fps. The rifle was very accurate at a higher node with 43.1gr RL16 at 2950fps , but it was rough on the brass.
Varget or AR Comp can also work with the light 123s and are accurate, but you'll run into pressure signs with Varget or AR Comp long before getting close to the velocity of H4350/RL16. The faster burn rate of Varget and AR Comp does lower the gas port pressure compared to the slower burning RL16 & H4350, and the rifle will recoil smoother from the lower port pressure and resulting slower bolt velocity... the slower bolt velocity is also easier on the brass.
I had planned on using 130s as they are a good compromise in the gas guns being lighter than the 140s but higher BC than the 123s-- but my rifle didn't group as well with the 130s (Berger and Hornady) as it did with the 123 Scenars and 140 ELDs.
Note: my brass life observations are with Hornady brass, which obviously doesn’t live nearly as long as Lapua brass. I just haven't felt like feeding my semis expensive Lapua brass since they're so much harder on brass... Once fired Hornady is cheap and I don't feel bad tossing it after 5-6 reloads when the primer pockets start to loosen up, the case heads are looking a bit rough by that time anyways. If Lapua could last 10+ reloads it may be the cheaper option in the long run.
