265gr ACME .300blk CFE BLK

mobo215

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Minuteman
Nov 23, 2023
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38
Philadelphia, PA
Just sharing my experience so far with the ACME 265gr .30 cal bullets in .300blk. 11gr of CFE BLK chronographs almost exactly as advertised at around 1050fps. I loaded a box of 20 to test and was worried about the stability of those SUPER LONG bullets in my Ruger American Ranch .300blk rifle, but they put perfectly round holes in paper so baffle strikes are not an issue. And they are really quiet!

You have to run your bolt really hard and really fast or these bullets will nosedive and jam your action. It took me a few tries, but they cycle reliably if you just go for it and don't be gentle or shy about it.

As for whether or not it's wise to rely on that coating to protect your welded-baffle suppressor from lead buildup, I have no idea. For now, I'm taking off the Rugged Razor 762 and using my user-serviceable Obsidian 45 can. The baffles come perfectly clean with a 50/50 mix of Simple Green and water and a day or two to soak, but I've only fired a single box of this plus 100(ish) rounds of jacketed bullets before cleaning.
 
Just sharing my experience so far with the ACME 265gr .30 cal bullets in .300blk. 11gr of CFE BLK chronographs almost exactly as advertised at around 1050fps. I loaded a box of 20 to test and was worried about the stability of those SUPER LONG bullets in my Ruger American Ranch .300blk rifle, but they put perfectly round holes in paper so baffle strikes are not an issue. And they are really quiet!

You have to run your bolt really hard and really fast or these bullets will nosedive and jam your action. It took me a few tries, but they cycle reliably if you just go for it and don't be gentle or shy about it.

As for whether or not it's wise to rely on that coating to protect your welded-baffle suppressor from lead buildup, I have no idea. For now, I'm taking off the Rugged Razor 762 and using my user-serviceable Obsidian 45 can. The baffles come perfectly clean with a 50/50 mix of Simple Green and water and a day or two to soak, but I've only fired a single box of this plus 100(ish) rounds of jacketed bullets before cleaning.
What's your twist rate, seating depth, and barrel length? I'm putting bolt gun together in .300 Blk and trying to get an idea of what I'm walking into for accuracy as well. Thanks!
 
What's your twist rate, seating depth, and barrel length? I'm putting bolt gun together in .300 Blk and trying to get an idea of what I'm walking into for accuracy as well. Thanks!
I took the recipe straight from the Hodgdon RLDC:
Manufacturer, Powder, C.O.L., Starting Grains, Starting Velocity (>
Hodgdon, CFE BLK, 2.120", , 0, , 11.0, 1,043, 22,300 PSI
My rifle is the Ruger American Ranch in .300 Blackout with a 16" barrel. I believe the twist rate is 1:7.

This load "doinks" into the mouth of the chamber, hanging up on the sharp, flat tip of the bullet. If I run the bolt really hard and fast, it'll feed, but I've noticed significant bullet setback. I haven't seen any accuracy issues, but I'm only using this load to shoot milk jugs and aluminum cans at 50-100 yards. It'll hit a soup can every time at 100yds, but I have to hold over like 3-4 mils (I forget exactly, but I did write it down somewhere) over my crosshair, which is zeroed at 100yds for 150gr supersonic Federal hunting loads at around 1900fps.

It is super stupid quiet through a suppressor, so it's a lot of fun in the back yard.
 
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I took the recipe straight from the Hodgdon RLDC:

My rifle is the Ruger American Ranch in .300 Blackout with a 16" barrel. I believe the twist rate is 1:7.

This load "doinks" into the mouth of the chamber, hanging up on the sharp, flat tip of the bullet. If I run the bolt really hard and fast, it'll feed, but I've noticed significant bullet setback. I haven't seen any accuracy issues, but I'm only using this load to shoot milk jugs and aluminum cans at 50-100 yards. It'll hit a soup can every time at 100yds, but I have to hold over like 3-4 mils (I forget exactly, but I did write it down somewhere) over my crosshair, which is zeroed at 100yds for 150gr supersonic Federal hunting loads at around 1900fps.

It is super stupid quiet through a suppressor, so it's a lot of fun in the back yard.
Sweet, sounds like a solid round. Being new to subsonic loads I ran the Greenhill and Miller stabilization tests and they recommended almost a 1:11 twist for the 265gn Acme(theoretically). Apparently as the much larger bearing surface aids in stabilization, less twist is required after a certain point but I also haven't personally tried it. 1:8 seems to be what people run across the board but also this data tells me I should do otherwise and I'm not sure what to think. That being said you run into issues with jacketed bullets blowimg up in 8.6 Blackout that are all the way up at an 18.85 SG Miller with a 1:3 so I feel like a low 3.32 SG Miller should be a safe bet, but may be more accurate in a slower twist. Let me know your thoughts, and thanks again for the info!
 

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If the coating is done well and the bullets are just a little fatter than your throat/bore they should leave your can pretty clean. Not perfect but much much cleaner than conventional cast stuff.

Have run lots of similar home cast and coated bullets with great success.

I have a 7 twist blackout bolt gun that eats a similar bullet. Have found a couple loads just under moa at 100 with it. Most are good for 2 or 3 moa which is acceptable for most subsonic uses I have.

A slower twist could give better accuracy. Cast bullets tend to be shorter and fatter and need less spin because of it vs say a 240 smk. They can also sorta smear on the rifling if spun too fast... those shoot poorly lol.

As long as I'm subsonic I've not had an issue with 7 or 8 twists in 30 cal though fwiw. I've gone to 1900 fps in a 10 twist 308 with consistent 1.5 to 1.75 moa at 200 yards. An old 30 30 with a 12 twist I think has great accuracy at a little over 2000fps. Faster and things open up. Could be twist or simply too soft a bullet or a combo of both there.

I have found that fast twist say 7 or 8 in .223 do indeed complicate cast bullet shooting if you want good speed... it's the one case where I want an old 12 twist lol.
 
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I am the designer of that bullet. It was never meant for bolt guns, works great in ARs.

It is perfectly stable in 8 twist and faster at subsonic velocities. I personally load them to ~850 fps.

I welcome any questions.
I have a few questions:

What is this bullet’s BC?

I have a sealed suppressor (Rugged Razor 762). Is it safe to shoot these through it without clogging the baffles with lead?

Does the 245gr version have a round nose profile that will feed more reliably in bolt actions?

I’ve only found load data on Hodgdon’s RLDC using CFE BLK. It seems like this bullet would work well with other fast powders such as Titegroup. Is there any other source for load data?
 
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I have a few questions:

What is this bullet’s BC?

I have a sealed suppressor (Rugged Razor 762). Is it safe to shoot these through it without clogging the baffles with lead?

Does the 245gr version have a round nose profile that will feed more reliably in bolt actions?

I’ve only found load data on Hodgdon’s RLDC using CFE BLK. It seems like this bullet would work well with other fast powders such as Titegroup. Is there any other source for load data?

BC is .395 corrected for sea level.

I have personally shot well over 15K powder coated and HiTech coated bullets through silencers. I have not noticed any leading or any build up that is out of the ordinary. As a matter of fact coated bullets generally leave the bore cleaner than jacketed. But a cast and coated bullet takes a bit more work to get the same accuracy.

There is a technique to loading these to get the most out of it as well as reduce the amount used during initial load testing. These were tested by independent testers for 18 months before I brought them to market. They have been on the market since 2017 and have a LONG track record of successful use.

The 245 version will have the same meplat diameter but have a bigger radius between the meplat and bore rider surface. I have found the 245 will feed better in some guns but any gun that feeds the 245 should theoretically also feed the 265 but all guns are a little different.

For single shots I have spent well over a decade working on specialized load data specifically for single shots. Although Titegrough will with there are MUCH better powders for single shot applications. There is no reason to use semi auto load data for single shots. I have tested various loads for muzzle pressures and have some amazing results. I will gladly share those results.

Send me a PM and we can exchange numbers. I will gladly share the data I just don’t like to share it piblically as I am beginning to look a monetizing well over two decades experience doing specifically what you are trying to do.

This offer is for anyone who buys my bullet designs from ACME. The 245 and the 265 is what inhave been testing for close to a decade. I have started testing the 576g 458 socom bullet so I don’t have as much data for it yet.

I will gladly text or call to discuss my bullets specifically or other gun related stuff in general. I am retired from a helo crash so I spend a lot of time test inf and building a lot of different things related to firearms. I also build barrels from blanks for buddies that shoot PRS/F Class to stay busy. And in between I have started work on lathe turned bullets with unique properties to help it do things other bullets can’t.
 
Dolomite,

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! This bullet is a lot of fun to shoot suppressed and it’s a relief that I don’t need to worry about lead in my can.

If you should decide to design a round nose version, I promise you I’ll buy MILLIONS of them😁