What Did You Do In The Reloading Room This Week?

[MaduroBU]

How are you measuring velocity at 300 yards but not the muzzle? Won't a LabRadar give you a distance vs velocity plot? I may be missing something.

In other news, I built a bunch of rule bending loads for USPSA. I got an extended and ported Barsto .40 barrel for my X5, and loaded 135 gr Nosler JHPs with 9.6 of Longshot, which gets me about 1300 FPS. That's better than a 165 power factor, but it's pushing a bullet only 10 grains heavier than the 9mm shooters. My idea is that the extra gas through the ports will stabilize muzzle jump, much like the unlimited guys with .38 Supers and huge comps.

Last week I finished a 6.5 Creedmoor build for my dad on an old M700 action, and worked up a load. It puts 5 shot strings of 143 grain Hornady ELDX bullets into 0.3-0.5 MOA groups. I made dad 200 rounds, and will get it to him once Leupold finishes the custom dial.

I also finally got my model 70 back, and will soon start loading for that. I am really excited.

[Beiruty]

How are you measuring velocity at 300 yards but not the muzzle? Won't a LabRadar give you a distance vs velocity plot? I may be missing something.

In other news, I built a bunch of rule bending loads for USPSA. I got an extended and ported Barsto .40 barrel for my X5, and loaded 135 gr Nosler JHPs with 9.6 of Longshot, which gets me about 1300 FPS. That's better than a 165 power factor, but it's pushing a bullet only 10 grains heavier than the 9mm shooters. My idea is that the extra gas through the ports will stabilize muzzle jump, much like the unlimited guys with .38 Supers and huge comps.

Last week I finished a 6.5 Creedmoor build for my dad on an old M700 action, and worked up a load. It puts 5 shot strings of 143 grain Hornady ELDX bullets into 0.3-0.5 MOA groups. I made dad 200 rounds, and will get it to him once Leupold finishes the custom dial.

I also finally got my model 70 back, and will soon start loading for that. I am really excited.

I have no LabRadar. I wished. The way the MV is Trued from Ballistic Drop is as follows. Say you start at a guess 3000 fps and you dial up 4 MOA, You shoot and the bullet is 3" below your target. 3" up at 300 yards is 1MOA, so you need to dial 5 MOA instead of 4.
You enter 5 MOA required at 300 yards into your Ballistic Calculator and it would return 2860 fps as trued MV. Note: All numbers are out of my head just to give an example.

We should buy one for DFW members and share it as needed. 6-members $100 each or have it at our best long range shooting club

[MaduroBU]

Any reason you don't use a cheapo prochrono off amazon? It's like $80 for the chrono and $30 for a tripod. Beats the heck out of guesswork.

[Beiruty]

I have one with night LED lights and Wireless Bluetooth module. It was too hot to set it up. I did use it last time for my 30-06. Readings were all over the place, even when I was hitting the same target.

I will set it up the next visit and shoot at 300 and 400 yards with the same load. And, I will see how it goes. Last night I cleaned the 42 cases I shot and most likely I will develop a new load with a new powder. Candidate powders are IMR H4166 or RL 17.

[flechero]

I emptied 300 pieces of 45acp brass on Saturday...

and this afternoon I loaded 400 rounds of 45acp ammo.

[BSHII]

Got my .300 Blk loads tested on Saturday. Interestingly, there was a guy next to me using 3 rifles with some very obnoxious muzzle-brakes that affected the recording of my own strings so I won't bother posting those screenshots, but the end results were these:

110gr Hornady V-max w/ 19.0gr H110 = avg 2,255 fps
125gr Sierra Pro-Hunter SP w/ 18.0gr H110 = avg 2,120 fps

That’s similar to the .357 magnum load I tested this weekend out of my 3” S&W M60 Pro Series. 110gr Hornady XTP over 20 gr H110. I didn’t have a chrono, but plenty of giggle factor from the massive muzzle blast out of a J Frame.

[MaduroBU]

Putting my .380 115 grain loads together. Light died before I could get a reading for the 4.4 and 4.6 grain loads, hoping for 950-1000 FPS. Using a stainless Sig P232 with a heavy Wolff 22 lb spring, so it's technically blowback but in reality designed for a much stiffer load than standard .380. The recoil is still well under the 90 grain +P Underwood 90 grain JHP oads that I'm using as a rough comparison.

The real goal is to approach the 115 grain "Hyper" 9mm loads that Shootingthebull tested recently.

[Beiruty]

Got back my Sako 243 from Metallic Bottom Magazine conversion.
Had an Action match at DPC. And, 1200 yards shootings session using my 300WM at ETTS.

[WildBill]

Broke out the old Lee pot...

Cast up 340 of the 158gr .38/.357 Lee TL SWCs and water-quenched them for hardness:

Andy - do you lube and size your bullets?

[MaduroBU]

Update: got up to 1025 FPS with the 115 grain XTP loads over 4.8 grains Power Pistol. I got slight pressure signs at 5.0, so backed off. It's a blowback pistol, but an all stainless frame and slide so accelerated recoil spring wear is the only real concern. Given the intended use of the pistol and how often it'll be fired (hopefully never), I don't see eating $8 recoil springs as an issue.

[WildBill]

Andy - do you lube and size your bullets?

These are already sized just right (.358), but if they weren't I'd get one of the cheap Lee sizing dies and run them through that.

Lube - it's a TL (Tumble Lube) mold so they throw bullets designed to be used with Lee Alox; I've coated them in that and let them dry.

It's been many years, but I always sized mine to 0.355" for the Python. I recall reading that Colts had a smaller bore that S&W and Ruger revolvers.