I was wondering if anyone has any load data for .260 Rem with Reloder 16? I was able to pick up a couple pounds locally and would like a starting point for 140 ELD-M, only data I could find on line was for the 142 SMK.
Reloder 16 for .260 REMINGTON
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Thanks a lot for that Layton. I think I'll start at 37.5 and work up slowly to around 42 or until I see some pressure signs. Everyone has told me to use H4350 but I could not find any, as others have found. Was told that RE16 is very close, maybe with slightly higher fps, we'll see and I'll report back.
Timely thread! I just picked up a lb of rl-16 to try in my 260. I had been using IMR 4451 which does work very well. I just wanted to see how rl-16 does. I would like to use 147 elds but can't seem to find them in stock so I'll play with the nosler 140 rdfs.
What did you use as your start and max for the imr 4451?
I know all guns are different so I will start low. Just seeing where to start since none of my books nor online covers this powder along with imr 4350, h4831sc, or reloaded 17
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For the 147s with IMR 4451 I worked up from 40 to 42.3. 42 and above are defiantly hot loads in my rifle. The primers still had rounded edges but there was some slight cratering. Also the bolt lift was a little stiff. I settled on 41.9 which I suspect is still a hot load considering hodgdons site lists 41.5 as the max load for a 142 smk. I'm getting 2800fps with that 41.9 load out of a 30 inch barrel.
One of the reasons I picked up rl-16 was to see if it would push these bullets a little faster.
Curious to hear what kind of accuracy you get with RL16. I think VV N550 might also be fast for .260.
Finally got a chance to test RL-16 in my 260 with the Nosler 140 RDFs. Started at 40grs and worked up to 42 grs in .4 increments. I don't have data for 40.4 due to a problem with the Chrony on that string. Each string is five shots.
Velocities are low, lower than what I was hoping for, especially for a 30" barrel. I stopped at 42 based on the quickload data that was shared. There were no signs of pressure at 42 so I think I'm going to push out to 43. The goal is to find a node somewhere around 2850-2900 fps.
Group sizes were okay, nothing special. 41.6 was the best group at 1/2 moa, the rest were right at or slightly under 1 moa.
Compared to IMR 4451, The ES and SD numbers look better than what I've been seeing with IMR 4451. Velocity seems a little slower for equal charges. I might be willing to trade a little velocity for more consistency, assuming I can get the velocity up enough.
Data:
Velocities are low, lower than what I was hoping for, especially for a 30" barrel. I stopped at 42 based on the quickload data that was shared. There were no signs of pressure at 42 so I think I'm going to push out to 43. The goal is to find a node somewhere around 2850-2900 fps.
Group sizes were okay, nothing special. 41.6 was the best group at 1/2 moa, the rest were right at or slightly under 1 moa.
Compared to IMR 4451, The ES and SD numbers look better than what I've been seeing with IMR 4451. Velocity seems a little slower for equal charges. I might be willing to trade a little velocity for more consistency, assuming I can get the velocity up enough.
Data:
| Charge | Velocity fps (avg) | ES | SD |
| 40 | 2647 | 12 | 3.7 |
| 40.8 | 2665 | 45 | 16.11 |
| 41.2 | 2699 | 16 | 6.1 |
| 41.6 | 2741 | 12 | 4.7 |
| 42 | 2786 | 9 | 3.7 |
I finally got out to do load development on my new .260. Ended up settling on a load of 42 gr of RE16 and BTO of 2.20 for the 140 gr. ELD-M's, primers were CCI 200. In my rifle, Remington 700 with 22" 5R, I got a average velocity of 2699 fps with a SD of 5 and ES of 14. I found no signs of pressure up to 42.5, where I stopped, using resized .243 Remington brass. Group sizes were pretty consistent at under a MOA across the board but 42 gr was around 1/2" for 5 shots. I'm sure a more patient or experienced shooter could have done better.
I am pretty happy with this since the elusive H4350 is no where to be found. I was able to shoot out to ~ 700 yards and using the data imputed in to the Hornady 4DOF calculator, it appeared to be accurate.
I am pretty happy with this since the elusive H4350 is no where to be found. I was able to shoot out to ~ 700 yards and using the data imputed in to the Hornady 4DOF calculator, it appeared to be accurate.
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Great feedback, how much is the case fill with 42? Are you getting crunch or is there space? Do you think you are getting full ignition or any flash? I have been using IMR4350 but see the 16 available locally.
Definitely getting a little crunch at 42 gr. with the 140 ELD-M and I believe that I'm getting full powder burn.
