300 Norma Mag

@schmi015 just in case...

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My biggest problem is I can't ship primers or powder to Alaska.
Where are you in Alaska... I am in SE and ship to my cousins in Washington then run down shoot a match and drop it at AML and ship ot home.

I shipped 90lbs home a few weeks ago. A bit went to some friends, but the rest went into my hoarding, Plenty of us have powder and primers for days, we just have a way figured out on how to ship it.
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Where are you in Alaska... I am in SE and ship to my cousins in Washington then run down shoot a match and drop it at AML and ship ot home.

I shipped 90lbs home a few weeks ago. A bit went to some friends, but the rest went into my hoarding, Plenty of us have powder and primers for days, we just have a way figured out on how to ship it. View attachment 8097011View attachment 8097012
I'm up in Kenai. I found a freight forwarder that will ship it but I need to find a few friends that will go in on a pallets worth of shipping. Nice stash by the way!
 
I'm up in Kenai. I found a freight forwarder that will ship it but I need to find a few friends that will go in on a pallets worth of shipping. Nice stash by the way!
I believe my buddy Paul might be the terminal manager of Carlile up there in Kenai. If you had someone in Washington you could send powder to when you find it, you could do what I do and it would be super easy to send larger amounts.

Primers are around, with small being super plentiful in Washington, bit large were allot harder to find a few weeks back. This pic was almost all small primers, after a week of being on the shelf.

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If there is anything I can do to help you all get a larger order together don't be afraid to ask.
 
I believe my buddy Paul might be the terminal manager of Carlile up there in Kenai. If you had someone in Washington you could send powder to when you find it, you could do what I do and it would be super easy to send larger amounts.

Primers are around, with small being super plentiful in Washington, bit large were allot harder to find a few weeks back. This pic was almost all small primers, after a week of being on the shelf.

View attachment 8097033

If there is anything I can do to help you all get a larger order together don't be afraid to ask.
Damn that's a sight for sore eyes. Unfortunately many of my shooting buddies are passing away and leaving behind all of their supplies and guns. So I'm sitting fat on everything but magnum powders. But thanks for the offer and I think I know Paul from when I was in the fish business.
 
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300 NMI
Peterson brass
Fed215
H869
A tip 250
OAL 3.810
30 inch Bartlein 5r 1:9 twist

94.5 2803
95. 2816
95.5 2841
96. 2834
96.5 2859
97. 2856
97.5 2875
98. 2891
98.5 2889
99. 2943
99.5 2981
100. 3000
100.5 2994
101. 3019

Still no pressure signs. I’m going to try a couple more grains but cut it back to .3 jumps.
 

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Having a brass issue that has me somewhat stumped. Lapua brass, I take my initial measurement (SAC comparator tool) with a fired case zeroed out the calipers and try to bump the shoulder back only .001 and the case would be really hard to close and open. But if I bump it back .002 it gets better and .003 it closes and opens no problem. I have never had this issue before with any other cartridge that I load for. One thing I didnt check was a fired case unsized but on extraction has been pretty easy after I got the freebore issue resolved. What do you guys normally bump back to? I also let it sit in the die for a little bit while I lube up the next case, so maybe 3-4 seconds of dwell time in the die to allow for some set back.
 
Having a brass issue that has me somewhat stumped. Lapua brass, I take my initial measurement (SAC comparator tool) with a fired case zeroed out the calipers and try to bump the shoulder back only .001 and the case would be really hard to close and open. But if I bump it back .002 it gets better and .003 it closes and opens no problem. I have never had this issue before with any other cartridge that I load for. One thing I didnt check was a fired case unsized but on extraction has been pretty easy after I got the freebore issue resolved. What do you guys normally bump back to? I also let it sit in the die for a little bit while I lube up the next case, so maybe 3-4 seconds of dwell time in the die to allow for some set back.
I’ve been bumping it back .003 or I get the same problem. I don’t know if it’s because of the high velocity or the stiff brass.
 
It can be a barrel burner if you push it hard and shoot fairly rapid strings. It's a double-based powder so it generates quite a bit of heat and therefore more pressure and velocity (thanks nitroglycerine!). N170 lacks that added nitro, so it won't generate anywhere near as much heat, but then you'll also get reduced pressure and velocity.

Here are some velocity comparisons:
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N570


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N170

So right off the bat, you're pretty much losing at least 100fps by switching to N170, but look at the reduced pressure. It's not a huge difference, but you could argue that if you run N170 you'll likely get less throat erosion, at the cost of velocity. But you could also just shoot N570 in a milder load and avoid rapid strings and probably get less throat erosion as well.

The problem is that N570 is almost the perfect powder for most 200gr+ bullets in .300NM - it's just so well optimized. And if your priority is long range performance then you need to think of barrels as consumables. If you're hunting, you have quite a bit more flexibility and should probably run N170 anyway.
 
Been looking over this thread like crazy and haven't been able to find:
225gr ELD-M
N570
30" 1:8 Bart
AXMC

any one have some good date?
thanks
yep, this is what im shooting... I have a 30" 1:8 barrel, using 88.5gr of N570 and 225ELDM. im getting 3140 fps. this is an amazing 1 mile load. ive had consistent hits at 2200m. I do notice that N570 is very very dirty.

I have shot this combo with H1000, and don't love it. im going to explore with Retumbo soon to see if I can get N570 performance without the N570 grime and dirt!

I would say that I run this load quite hard. don't have serious barrel erosion signs, and im 600 rounds down the pipe now.
 
I came here to ask if anybody has some good experience or reviews with 230gr Sierra Matchking's in the 300NM? application is long range??

they seem to have a 0.800 BC (G1) which is quite nice, and im currently fighting an availability issue with the components I like using. looking for alternatives.
 
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yep, this is what im shooting... I have a 30" 1:8 barrel, using 88.5gr of N570 and 225ELDM. im getting 3140 fps. this is an amazing 1 mile load. ive had consistent hits at 2200m. I do notice that N570 is very very dirty.

I have shot this combo with H1000, and don't love it. im going to explore with Retumbo soon to see if I can get N570 performance without the N570 grime and dirt!

I would say that I run this load quite hard. don't have serious barrel erosion signs, and im 600 rounds down the pipe now.
Following
 
Tested jumps with the Berger 220 LRHT today, everything from .030" to .080" shot great with consistent POI. The one flyer at 0.050" was my mistake, I think that would shoot like 60 and 40 if I did my part.
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I think I'll go with 0.070" although 0.030" would be a safer pick for the full like of the barrel.
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70 is literally the last depth that shoots well, why would you select that when the groups all blow open from 80?

The POI’s are all basically identical from 30-70, and all groups shot good. I would choose 30, so that the throat can erode another 0.50 before accuracy becomes an issue.
You're right, I was intoxicated by a tiny group at 0.070" and wasn't thinking clearly. I'm going with 0.030", final answer.
 
strangely, im back on this thread again (please forgive me :rolleyes:) - has anybody ever shot the 225 ELDM at a 2 mile target before? for many reasons, im forced to shoot this bullet in a 2 mile event.

running a 30" 1:8 barrel, at about at about 3140. according to my ballistic solver I have enough dial in the scope elevation + base + adjustable mount, but I am just wondering about the bullet itself?

the main event is from 800-2200m, where I have shot the 225eldm very successfully before, so im not worried about the use of this bullet... but there's a 2 mile target where we will be taking 7 shots at.

it will be my first 2 mile engagement. I would appreciate any feedback on this... and if there is none, then I will reply at the end of this month with a detailed update so the next person can get their info :cool::cool:
 
It’s going to be plenty subsonic by then and that lower velocity plus low mass bullet means spotting splash will be extremely difficult. One of the reasons for the popularly of .375 and .416 cal bullets in these competitions isn’t just momentum, it’s being able to spot splash.
 
Abs
It’s going to be plenty subsonic by then and that lower velocity plus low mass bullet means spotting splash will be extremely difficult. One of the reasons for the popularly of .375 and .416 cal bullets in these competitions isn’t just momentum, it’s being able to spot splash.
Absolutely. According to my solver it should be running at just around 900 fps.

The slowest bullet speed (at target) that I’ve got to with this bullet is around 1125 fps (2200m) - the misses were easy for me and the spotter to see, and there was an incredible amount of consistency in my adjustments at that distance. It was very surprising.

2 miles is just about 1000m further, and the bullet would have bled off 25% more speed. So will be interested to see how the bullet performs at that extended distance, and if we can see the misses. Fortunately it’s very sandy and not shooting into grass. So there’s hope.

I’ll share my notes after the shoot.
 
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Quick neck tension experiment at 600 yards.

Started with my current load:

245 Berger EOL
87.0 grs N570
2.775" CBO
.090 Off the lands
Federal 215M all seated .006 below flush
3rd firing on Lapua brass
Avg MV-2960 fps
Forster custom honed die with decapper removed
Used .305, .306, .307 mandrel to set final neck tension

1 sighter

Groups shot round robin to eliminate variables

Upper left .001 neck tension
Center group .002 neck tension
Upper right .003 neck tension

Obviously irrelevant from a statistical standpoint but just a fun experiment tweaking a load.

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Try even higher. I’ve got a couple rifles that really tighten up at .005
I wanted to but I would have to change sizing dies to do that because my Forster doesn't squeeze the neck down enough. Anything smaller than a .305 mandrel doesn't contact the inside of the neck after sizing.

And if it continues to shoot even close to that at distance I wouldn't want to change anything anyway.
 
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Wow that's up there. No pressure? I was at 87.5 with the 250 A-tip and roughly 3050 with a 26". Gotta love N570 in the Norma. I no longer have any use for anything under a 245 gr after seeing what's possible with the heavies.
 
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No pressure signs in this load, but it’s close. When I did my initial pressure ladder with N570 I started seeing flattening primers at 89gr and then ejector swipe at 90gr. My aim was to get the 250s up to 3000fps so this is better than expected and should be a good 2500 yard load. N170 is a bit easier on barrels but runs 100-150fps slower so that may be something to test out too.
 
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Abs

Absolutely. According to my solver it should be running at just around 900 fps.

The slowest bullet speed (at target) that I’ve got to with this bullet is around 1125 fps (2200m) - the misses were easy for me and the spotter to see, and there was an incredible amount of consistency in my adjustments at that distance. It was very surprising.

2 miles is just about 1000m further, and the bullet would have bled off 25% more speed. So will be interested to see how the bullet performs at that extended distance, and if we can see the misses. Fortunately it’s very sandy and not shooting into grass. So there’s hope.

I’ll share my notes after the shoot.
Just an update on this..

This past weekend I shot a 2 mile event while using the 225 eldm (due to having to re-chamber my rifle just before the shoot, I didn’t have a long enough free bore to take 250 atips or some monos)

Shooting distances from 900m (roughly 1000 yds) to 2300m (2600yds) the bullet performed amazingly well, in some cases with a 17mph full value wind. I would absolutely use the round in a similar comp again.

We also shot 7 shots at a 2 mile target in 25mph (almost) full value wind. My calc told me that the Bullets would slow down to just under 900fps at the target.

The 225 eldm is a little light for this use obviously, but I noted really good consistency between adjustments (bullet flew true to my adjustments). I also noted that the Bullets didn’t tend to fall out of the sky.

It took me 3 shots to get on target, and the last 4 were dancing around the target. wind of that speed was always going to be a factor that was going to be hit or miss, but I was happy with my performance.

I was running a stability factor of about 2.1 SG which was very high. No doubt the stability helped in the subsonic zone.

The take away is, I would rather use a 250 atip for the 2 mile, but I would not withdraw from a 2 mile event if I was forced to shoot the 225 eldm. If ever anybody is presented with this, I absolutely say you should still give the 2 mile a go.

E
 
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Ran into a problem over the weekend. My ES and SD went to shit, like 35 and 16 fps respectively with 2X fired brass. Tried loading up some virgin cases and back down to 18 and 8 fps but still not good, where typically the ES was 10fps or less. Ran those same 5 cases after cleaning through the sizer and shot again, right back up to 35 and 16 fps.

Started measuring cases and I'm getting .010 of headspace growth from a virgin case and I'm losing .010 off the length of the neck with each firing. New Lapua neck measures around .306 and mine are around .286 after the 2nd firing.

Barrel has about 450 rds on it.

Anyone else seeing issues with cases like this?

Load is:

87.0 grs N570
215M primer
Lapua brass
245 Berger
 
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Ran into a problem over the weekend. My ES and SD went to shit, like 35 and 16 fps respectively with 2X fired brass. Tried loading up some virgin cases and back down to 18 and 8 fps but still not good, where typically the ES was 10fps or less. Ran those same 5 cases after cleaning through the sizer and shot again, right back up to 35 and 16 fps.

Started measuring cases and I'm getting .010 of headspace growth from a virgin case and I'm losing .010 off the length of the neck with each firing. New Lapua neck measures around .306 and mine are around .286 after the 2nd firing.

Barrel has about 450 rds on it.

Anyone else seeing issues with cases like this?

Load is:

87.0 grs N570
215M primer
Lapua brass
245 Berger
Time to anneal your brass.
 
So is it 2.306 new? and shorting down to 2.286 when fired? That would be really odd. My new Lapua brass measures at 2.487 fired and 2.485 new.
If I measured using a SAC comparator tool, fired 1.973 and new is 1.960.
 
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The only time I've ever seen length shrink is when fireforming a wildcat with a steeper shoulder angle (ie from .338LM to .338LM Improved). Assuming you're shooting a vanilla .300NM and not a .300NM Improved, what you're seeing is odd to me.
 
So is it 2.306 new? and shorting down to 2.286 when fired? That would be really odd. My new Lapua brass measures at 2.487 fired and 2.485 new.
If I measured using a SAC comparator tool, fired 1.973 and new is 1.960.
I have 2 measurements here.

Headspace measured with Hornady comparator on my 2X fired case is .010 longer than a virgin case. That seems like a lot.

A virgin case neck length is .306
After 2 firings the neck length has shortened to .286. You can visibly see how much shorter the neck is if the 2 cases are sitting side by side.
 
Have your headspace cked! I bet this is your issue. Is your barrel still torqued? Ck your bolt lugs for setback also. You’re at 450 rounds and this is something new?

As stated above, I lose OAL w improved cartridges at first firing but after that my improved 40 degree shoulders never grow. I hate brass trimming 😉
 
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For reference:

Far left is a virgin case-neck length .306

Middle case is 2X fired and sized, shoulder bumped back .002-neck length .286

Far right is 3X fired, not sized-neck length .276
 
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