<First off I appolgize for posting this in the Depot earlier I am a dumbass...>
Hey all,
I have been playing with the .338LM Hornady 285gr ELD-Ms in my Savage 110 EP (30" barrel 1:9 twist). Did a ladder test last week and according to the V3 I found a node between 103grs and 104grs of Ramshot LRT. FPS was 2860 with 103 and 2859 with 104 (2885 with 105.0) and thought I would just try 103.5 and see what what would shake out. Loaded 10 rounds (a small sample I know) and went to the range. Sunny, 72F, and no wind. First shot was 2864 and the next 4 held an ES of about 11. I need to pull the card to verify but things were looking good. Then the next two shots velocity jumped into the 2880's (I brushed this off as my reloading skills need work but I thought it odd), the next two were in the low 2900's with the last shot (#10) clocking in at 2960 for an ES of 94. Now I readily admit I need to work on my reloading skills but that seems extreme. I am running an RCBS ChargeMaster Lite (can be wonky) but it seems like I would need a goodly amount more powder to get that kind of increase and inspecting the cases and primers seem to indicate no pressure issues. I returned that afternoon with another 10 rounds at 103grs and the first four clocked at 2856, 2861, 2852, and 2866. Then the speeds started creeping again and by the end I was in the mid 2900s again. For reference I was letting the barrel cool for about 2 minutes between shots with a rifle kuhl running. Loads are with once and twice fired AGD brass bumped .002" and trimmed to 2.714", Fed 215m match primers, and the ELD-Ms are seated .020" off the lands. A few weeks ago I ran 100grs of the same powder under 300gr Scenars and averaged 2835 with an ES of 21 and an SD of 8.4. So... What gives? Does the rifle hate the 285s? Did my Magneto Speed take a shit? Did the CM Lite take a shit? Did my brain take a shit?
Looking back in my log I don't see ANY other loads that approach the big ES that I saw today... Any advice or chidings are welcome and I appreciate the help!
P.S. I did check battery status of the magneto speed (running CR-123s) and it said 5.6V. I popped in new ones and saw 6.2V so I don't think weak batteries are the issue...
Hey all,
I have been playing with the .338LM Hornady 285gr ELD-Ms in my Savage 110 EP (30" barrel 1:9 twist). Did a ladder test last week and according to the V3 I found a node between 103grs and 104grs of Ramshot LRT. FPS was 2860 with 103 and 2859 with 104 (2885 with 105.0) and thought I would just try 103.5 and see what what would shake out. Loaded 10 rounds (a small sample I know) and went to the range. Sunny, 72F, and no wind. First shot was 2864 and the next 4 held an ES of about 11. I need to pull the card to verify but things were looking good. Then the next two shots velocity jumped into the 2880's (I brushed this off as my reloading skills need work but I thought it odd), the next two were in the low 2900's with the last shot (#10) clocking in at 2960 for an ES of 94. Now I readily admit I need to work on my reloading skills but that seems extreme. I am running an RCBS ChargeMaster Lite (can be wonky) but it seems like I would need a goodly amount more powder to get that kind of increase and inspecting the cases and primers seem to indicate no pressure issues. I returned that afternoon with another 10 rounds at 103grs and the first four clocked at 2856, 2861, 2852, and 2866. Then the speeds started creeping again and by the end I was in the mid 2900s again. For reference I was letting the barrel cool for about 2 minutes between shots with a rifle kuhl running. Loads are with once and twice fired AGD brass bumped .002" and trimmed to 2.714", Fed 215m match primers, and the ELD-Ms are seated .020" off the lands. A few weeks ago I ran 100grs of the same powder under 300gr Scenars and averaged 2835 with an ES of 21 and an SD of 8.4. So... What gives? Does the rifle hate the 285s? Did my Magneto Speed take a shit? Did the CM Lite take a shit? Did my brain take a shit?
Looking back in my log I don't see ANY other loads that approach the big ES that I saw today... Any advice or chidings are welcome and I appreciate the help!P.S. I did check battery status of the magneto speed (running CR-123s) and it said 5.6V. I popped in new ones and saw 6.2V so I don't think weak batteries are the issue...
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