6.5 Creedmoor Load Dev RL26, 147gr ELD-M

[Delta23]

First off, sorry if I get too detailed into what I did today. I was not sure how I wanted to go about load development for 6.5 Creedmoor, but I had done some reading and had a few ideas based on what other people had tried, so I thought that I would pay it forward by providing my details as best as possible for other people out there looking for information.

Rifle Setup:
Surgeon 591 Repeater
Bartlein Heavy Varmint 26" 1:8 twist
Fat Bastard Muzzle Brake
McMillan A5 Fully Adjustable
Glass Bedding
Harris Bipod
Vortex Razor Gen II 4.5-27 w/ Vortex 1.1" 34mm rings

This rifle used to have a Bartlein MTU .308 1:11.25 barrel, but I have been eying 6.5 Creedmoor for a while and recently decided to re-barrel. Today was my first time out with this new setup. The first goal was to do a "break in" of sorts, but honestly I am more of a minimal disturbance guy, so not much to it. The second goal was to test a series of hand loads.

Virgin Barrel Break in:

I bought a box of Hornady 140gr ELD-M factory ammunition because that is what my local store had, and because I wanted something I knew would run fairly well just to get started.

1 Shot, Clean (bore guide, dewey rod, shooters choice, dry patch) - Only took 3 shooters choice patches before completely clean.

1 Shot, Clean (bore guide, dewey rod, shooters choice, dry patch) - Only took 3 shooters choice patches before completely clean.

1 Shot, Clean (bore guide, dewey rod, shooters choice, dry patch) - Only took 2 shooters choice patches before completely clean.

5 Shots, Clean (bore guide, dewey rod, shooters choice, dry patch) - Only took 3 shooters choice patches before completely clean.

Next 7 rounds I shot into a single group but I failed to measure this. Mainly I just wanted to start coppering the barrel. The group was tight though and definitely sub MOA.

The last 5 rounds I shot with the Magneto Speed attached: Average Velocity - 2722 FPS, SD 8

Now I moved on to the hand loads. Due to the fact that I use a Magneto Speed attached to my barrel when checking velocities, I did this in 2 parts. Each load I setup with 10 rounds. There were 10 different loads in all, so 100 rounds (it was a LONG day). So, in order to not take any accuracy data with the Magneto Speed attached, and also to copper the barrel some more, I decided to run through the first 5 rounds of each load checking velocities first before doing any accuracy testing. Here are the results:

Lapua Brass (Virgin - No Prep, all brass measured 1.910-1.912) , CCI #450 Small Rifle Primers, RL26 Powder, Hornady 147gr ELD-M.

My chamber measured 2.249" and I loaded measuring to the Ogive at 2.210.

Conditions: BP 28.29, 80 degrees, 62% Humidity

All data based on an average of 5 shots.

46.8gr - Avg 2792 SD 16.4

47gr - Avg 2810 SD 4.7

47.2gr - Avg 2834 SD 3.3

47.4gr - Avg 2854 SD 5.5

47.5gr - Avg 2860 SD 11.6

47.6gr - Avg 2879 SD 2.4

47.7gr - Avg 2872 SD 20.9

47.8gr - Avg 2883 SD 10.6

47.9gr - Avg 2901 SD 6.4

48gr - Avg 2906 SD 11.9

So at this point, I have put an additional 50 rounds through the barrel for a total of 70, and 62 since the last clean. Next I removed the Magneto Speed and began accuracy testing. Note, this was already starting to be a long day and while I started early enough, I must say that there was some fatigue. Nothing bad, but I am sure I made some mistakes behind the rifle.

You can see in the attached image that I marked and shot the first 10 targets. All groups consist of 5 shots each.

46.8gr - I thought I did alright here. Obviously the scope was not fully adjusted, so I made a quick adjustment before shooting the next group. .468 MOA

47 - I think I found a node here. While the group overall was a .519, I am positive I threw that last shot that impacted low. Otherwise we were looking at .269 MOA. I thought this was worth taking another look at on another day with more rounds, but I also wanted to see if I could find a node with more velocity, so on we went...

47.2 - Other than the fact that it was already getting to be a long day and that was wearing on me, this one was pretty straight forward with .515 MOA

47.4 - Same as the last one. I may have neglected my platform a little and may not have been fully on my game, but nothing too exciting happened here. .476 MOA

Next I started on the loads that were spaced out by .1 just to be safe and check for signs of over pressure. Spoiler Alert, never happened. Pressure seemed fine throughout the entire load range.

****Edit**** Thanks to the watchful eye of Juggerxxx on this forum, I believe there actually are some signs of over pressure with the hottest load of the batch (48 grains). Please see the conversation below for additional information on this. ****Edit****

47.5 - I believe I pulled one really low here and was overall not at my best, but all relative. .859 MOA

47.6 - Same as 47.5, but down to .547 MOA

47.7 - Same as 47.6, but up to .814 MOA

47.8 - I did not feel like I was putting any more effort into this one, but definitely no less. Anyhow, definitely found a node here. .192

47.9 - Not bad here. .476 MOA

48 - Opening up a bit. Also this does not count the stray shot all the way to the right. That was the first shot of the day to see where approximately the point of impact would be for a quick scope adjustment. The remaining 5 impacts come to .825

So based on this experience, I think I am going to start working with a 47.8gr load with RL26. I was hoping to find something in the 2900+ velocity, but 2883 is close enough. Also, in my experience, these barrels can get faster over time, so we are all good.

If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate. If you have any critiques, I am always happy to learn something new. I hope this data can help someone in the future looking to do something similar.

 

[b6graham]

you're on the right track. make sure load is still good with fired brass

 

[Delta23]

Thanks. Looking forward to confirming and then moving on to the fun stuff beyond 1K yards.

 

[Juggerxxx]

Thanks for posting the good information. Those are some very promising numbers and sexy groups. Any chance you could post some close up pictures of your bass on the higher end of the charge range? I’m very happy to see these results and to hear the Lapua brass held up without seeing any pressure signs.
I too posted my results with the 147gr bullets and RL26. I started seeing pressure around ~47.5gr in my rifle with Hornady brass. On the 11th reloading (3rd with the RL26) I started to experience case head separations. I’m guessing/hoping it was because the brass was just at the end of its life. I hope to get some Lapua brass and See better results.

 

[Delta23]

Thanks. I am not sure how much this helps. While in the ammo case, the empty cases fell out of their holders so when I put them back they were all out of place. Originally I had the loads in rows of 10 with the tier charges on the hinge side of the box. Now they are all mixed up.

 

[Juggerxxx]

Not tying to prove you wrong or be a dick but can you check these couple of cases. Looks can be deceiving but they appear to have round ejector marks?

 

[Delta23]

Not a dick at all man. That is really helpful. I do not have a lot of experience with load development like this. I have always been pretty close based on recommendations from others from a pretty vast knowledge base of .308 formulas. So I know what to look for based on things that I have read, but I lack the experience, it seems, to spot all the signs.

I believe you are 100% correct here, although I have to say that what you pointed out in the photo is far more noticeable than when I inspect the brass by eye. Looking at the same pieces her in person, the marks are so incredibly faint that I almost feel better for completely missing them.

So it seems you have marked 9 of them. Lets say there is another one floating around there for an even 10. My assumption is that this had to have occurred with the 10 rounds that were the hottest, ie the 48 grain loads.

Here are my load dev new guy questions. Thank you in advance for any help on these:

1. Anything wrong with this brass?

2. Do you think this could have damaged the rifle?

3. Do you think it is safe to keep moving forward on the next round with the 47.8 grain load where I found the node, even though that is only .2 grain below the max I tested?

As you might be able to discern, I am not terribly sensitive, so go ahead and let me have it. I would much rather learn something then run around delusional thinking I know it all. Going back to edit my original post now.

 

[Rlovato]

Following

 

[Juggerxxx]

Good to hear you are the type of person that is open and not an easily offended hothead. Keep in mind I’m not the most experienced reloader and I too am learning more and more every day.
Its very easy to miss those ejector marks. I seem to only be able to see them in the natural sun light at certain angles. I get hem back to the house and have a very hard time seeing them again. I would have to agree with you in that they are more than likely the highest powder charges but you never know. I have seen them occur in the middle of a charge range and then disappear at a higher charge. They can even happen if you have leftover solvent or oil in your chamber. Makes sense the brass needs to expand and grip the chamber walls and the lube can stop this. Here is a great writeup that Greg did on this very thing and pressure signs. https://www.primalrights.com/library/articles/understanding-pressure
Here is a link to my results with the 147gr and RL26 where I saw the same pressure signs you did but mine were much worse.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/147gr-eld-and-reloader-26-test.6894466/#post-7160328
I even had primers creatoring or flowing. Its hard to see from your photo but your primers appear to be in good shape. No creatoring and they look nice and rounded on the corners. Possibly from the Lapua brass and small primer pockets?

• I don’t think there is anything wrong with the brass. I bet you cannot even really feel those ejector marks?
• I would bet the house that the rifle, bolt, chamber, action and barrel are all still in perfect condition. My rifle still shoots awesome groups after testing the 147eld and RL26. I posted my results on another forum and there were some people with the opinion that continuing with this charge range will eventually result in either a short barrel life or the rifle exploding. This is newish territory and there isn’t much official testing down with actual pressure measurements so who knows.
• I would load up a few of the charge you want to explore and try them out again. Pay close attention to the brass out at the range and look at it in every angle for any rings. You may even need to do the whole test over again just to know exactly where the pressure happens so you know exactly where the damage zone is and back off a bit from there.

 

[christopher.dow]

Thanks. I am not sure how much this helps. While in the ammo case, the empty cases fell out of their holders so when I put them back they were all out of place. Originally I had the loads in rows of 10 with the tier charges on the hinge side of the box. Now they are all mixed up.

After reading Paul Reid’s load development process, I started writing the powder load on my brass with a sharpie during development because I always seem to drop or knock over my cartridge boxes at the range.

Don’t worry about missing the ejector marks on the brass, but there’s a lesson here: the process on encoding a JPEG image reduces the dynamic range of the colors in the image (it’s a lossy process). This has the benefit of exaggerating subtle changes in color (like the ejector marks on brass). This has the effect of an image “enhancement” that makes it easier to see these marks in the photo than it is with your eyes.

I put your data into my load development template (adapted from 6.5 Guys). Here's a link. If you look at this chart:

you see that 47.5, 47.7, and 47.8 are all under the trend line (indicating a possible speed node, where incremental powder increase changes muzzle velocity less). However the speed goes up and SDs tighten at 47.6. At 47.7, the SDs open WAY up.

You mentioned you didn’t prepare the brass. I found that full-length sizing with a neck bushing to set tension was the most effective thing I’ve done to tighten SDs. It would be very interesting to see your shot data. Do you still have it? If so, I'll plug it in to the sheet and see if there's something interesting.

I would retest he range from 47.3 to 48 in 0.1-gn increments after FL sizing and setting neck tension.

On the other hand, the groups are pretty good. Once you know you don't have pressure problems (and be sure to douse the mag with water to make sure), you could just pick 47.4 or 47.8 and run with it.

One final thought, which I got from Reid's piece on load development. If I run five- or ten-shot strings for load development, I put a "sink" target to the left or right on my paper. I shoot three shots into the dot marked for the load, then fire two at the "sink". For ten-shot strings, I do this with two different dots marked for that load. That way, I'm minimizing my influence on the load development. I then put all that into my spreadsheet and make a judgement call on speed node vs. precision in the three-shot groups. Usually, there's a correlation. Since I clearly have obsessive-compulsive disorder with this stuff, I will add horizontal and vertical spread numbers to the sheet in the future. That way I can see if I have vertical spread and tight SD/low ES, it's me and not the load.

 

[Delta23]

Good to hear you are the type of person that is open and not an easily offended hothead. Keep in mind I’m not the most experienced reloader and I too am learning more and more every day.
Its very easy to miss those ejector marks. I seem to only be able to see them in the natural sun light at certain angles. I get hem back to the house and have a very hard time seeing them again. I would have to agree with you in that they are more than likely the highest powder charges but you never know. I have seen them occur in the middle of a charge range and then disappear at a higher charge. They can even happen if you have leftover solvent or oil in your chamber. Makes sense the brass needs to expand and grip the chamber walls and the lube can stop this. Here is a great writeup that Greg did on this very thing and pressure signs. https://www.primalrights.com/library/articles/understanding-pressure
Here is a link to my results with the 147gr and RL26 where I saw the same pressure signs you did but mine were much worse.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/147gr-eld-and-reloader-26-test.6894466/#post-7160328
I even had primers creatoring or flowing. Its hard to see from your photo but your primers appear to be in good shape. No creatoring and they look nice and rounded on the corners. Possibly from the Lapua brass and small primer pockets?

• I don’t think there is anything wrong with the brass. I bet you cannot even really feel those ejector marks?
• I would bet the house that the rifle, bolt, chamber, action and barrel are all still in perfect condition. My rifle still shoots awesome groups after testing the 147eld and RL26. I posted my results on another forum and there were some people with the opinion that continuing with this charge range will eventually result in either a short barrel life or the rifle exploding. This is newish territory and there isn’t much official testing down with actual pressure measurements so who knows.
• I would load up a few of the charge you want to explore and try them out again. Pay close attention to the brass out at the range and look at it in every angle for any rings. You may even need to do the whole test over again just to know exactly where the pressure happens so you know exactly where the damage zone is and back off a bit from there.

That was a great read. Thanks for linking it. Wealth of knowledge there. I have to say he did scare me a bit, but it is a good thing. Makes me want to try 47 grains again. I know that brings me down to 2810fps, but looking at a ballistics table, the performance is still very good. I think I am going to run the test again in .1 increments from 47 - 47.8 to see what I get. This time, of course, I will full resize, PP uniform & clean, trim/chamfer and tumble. After this reload I am going to add one more step to my regimen which will be salt bath annealing.

I am not sure what the differences overall are when it comes to the Lapua brass with the smaller primers. I can't even muster a guess at this point why there would be a difference, especially when the Lapua brass has a smaller capacity, lending itself to higher pressures than competing brass with the same charge.

Yes, you are correct. I can run my fingers over the brass and not feel the ejector marks at all. I went through the action and bolt today and you are right on that one too. Everything looks perfect.

This is pretty fun stuff. I really appreciate your input and you spotting this ejector marks.

 

[Delta23]

After reading Paul Reid’s load development process, I started writing the powder load on my brass with a sharpie during development because I always seem to drop or knock over my cartridge boxes at the range.

Don’t worry about missing the ejector marks on the brass, but there’s a lesson here: the process on encoding a JPEG image reduces the dynamic range of the colors in the image (it’s a lossy process). This has the benefit of exaggerating subtle changes in color (like the ejector marks on brass). This has the effect of an image “enhancement” that makes it easier to see these marks in the photo than it is with your eyes.

I put your data into my load development template (adapted from 6.5 Guys). Here's a link. If you look at this chart:
View attachment 6932927

you see that 47.5, 47.7, and 47.8 are all under the trend line (indicating a possible speed node, where incremental powder increase changes muzzle velocity less). However the speed goes up and SDs tighten at 47.6. At 47.7, the SDs open WAY up.

You mentioned you didn’t prepare the brass. I found that full-length sizing with a neck bushing to set tension was the most effective thing I’ve done to tighten SDs. It would be very interesting to see your shot data. Do you still have it? If so, I'll plug it in to the sheet and see if there's something interesting.

I would retest he range from 47.3 to 48 in 0.1-gn increments after FL sizing and setting neck tension.

On the other hand, the groups are pretty good. Once you know you don't have pressure problems (and be sure to douse the mag with water to make sure), you could just pick 47.4 or 47.8 and run with it.

One final thought, which I got from Reid's piece on load development. If I run five- or ten-shot strings for load development, I put a "sink" target to the left or right on my paper. I shoot three shots into the dot marked for the load, then fire two at the "sink". For ten-shot strings, I do this with two different dots marked for that load. That way, I'm minimizing my influence on the load development. I then put all that into my spreadsheet and make a judgement call on speed node vs. precision in the three-shot groups. Usually, there's a correlation. Since I clearly have obsessive-compulsive disorder with this stuff, I will add horizontal and vertical spread numbers to the sheet in the future. That way I can see if I have vertical spread and tight SD/low ES, it's me and not the load.

Reid's article was very helpful. Thank you for that. I think it is a very simple solution to write the load on the brass. I am definitely doing that from now on. Funny you were mentioning the dynamic range of the jpeg. I am a professional photographer so that makes perfect sense to me. It even gave me an idea. If I am ever worried about things I may not be able to see, I could always take a photo with my work camera and load it into the editor, then convert to black and white and up the contrast. That seems like a bit overkill, but I am obsessive compulsive too (so you are in good company).

The chart you posted is a great visual. It helps me understand a bit more of your explanation. Very helpful. Thank you. When you ask about my shot data, I am wondering what you mean aside from what I have posted. Can you elaborate if you have the chance? Also, I did not understand the reference to dousing the mag with water to check for pressure. Sorry, I guess I am newer at this than I previously thought.

So this next round I am definitely doing full brass prep other than annealing, which I am adding to my prep in the next round once my kit arrives. I will also write the loads on the cases and shoot the multiple strings that I saw in the article. That all should help a great deal. Thank you for the time you took to help out with this. Quite an education.

 

[christopher.dow]

8<
even gave me an idea. If I am ever worried about things I may not be able to see, I could always take a photo with my work camera and load it into the editor, then convert to black and white and up the contrast.
8<
When you ask about my shot data, I am wondering what you mean aside from what I have posted. Can you elaborate if you have the chance? Also, I did not understand the reference to dousing the mag with water to check for pressure. Sorry, I guess I am newer at this than I previously thought.

So this next round I am definitely doing full brass prep other than annealing, which I am adding to my prep in the next round once my kit arrives.
8<

Using the camera and something like photoshop is a good idea. Let me know if you find some good filter settings.

By shot data, I mean the at least the muzzle velocity of each shot. This allows for calculating the extreme spread as well as the SD. A large ES with a low SD is usually caused by a small number of shots that deviate by a large amount from the mean. Having the MV for each shot will shed light on the tightening and loosening that the graph shows. Upon rereading your original post, I see you’re using a Magnetospeed, so my “sink” target is less useful. The individual shots should be on the SD card. The reason I put up with the quirks of the LabRadar (there’s a reason it’s not called a “Field Radar”) is that I can collect speed and accuracy data with the same shots.

In the article that @Juggerxxx referenced, Dykstra writes about how water doesn’t compress well, so wet brass effectively reduces the chamber volume. This will cause the pressure to go up and helps for checking if a load that’s ok when you did development will cause problems under other conditions (like what happened to @Lowlight at and before the Gunwerks match). Since we do shoot in the rain, it’s a good idea to test that way when out of widely-known territory like you are with RL-26 and the 147s.

I think you’re on track with rerunning the test in .1 gn increments from 47-48, but with this data, I’d go with 10 shots each from 47.5-47.9, since the data to 47.4 was pretty linear. If you want to be super anal, shoot one 5-round string dry and one wet (be sure to mark the cartridges & data as wet or dry) so you can differentiate the MV data.

Good Luck!

 

[NigelM]

Apologies for reviving this thread Delta23, but I am doing a bit of homework before specifying a new 6.5CM for LR work.

I have read your thread carefully, along with these two:

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...l16-rl26-h4831sc-h4350-test-and-data.6887351/

https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...bullet-for-short-throat.6889115/#post-7076955

Looking at all the numbers produced by the three of you, all of which are very impressive in the detail they go into, it seems that you are using more powder to match the velocity the other two are getting. They are seeing pressure at about 47.4 grains and you are running on to 48 grains plus but seem to need an extra grain to get the same velocity.

I'm having real trouble getting my head around it. I wonder if you have looked at the same threads and have drawn some sort of conclusion? EDM Justin is running an extra 53 thou of COL, same brass, primers, barrel length and similar profile. Juggerxxx is running a 28" barrel, profile and COL not mentioned and Hornaday brass, but apart from these variances I can't see much difference.

 

[Delta23]

Apologies for reviving this thread Delta23, but I am doing a bit of homework before specifying a new 6.5CM for LR work.

I have read your thread carefully, along with these two:

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...l16-rl26-h4831sc-h4350-test-and-data.6887351/

https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...bullet-for-short-throat.6889115/#post-7076955

Looking at all the numbers produced by the three of you, all of which are very impressive in the detail they go into, it seems that you are using more powder to match the velocity the other two are getting. They are seeing pressure at about 47.4 grains and you are running on to 48 grains plus but seem to need an extra grain to get the same velocity.

I'm having real trouble getting my head around it. I wonder if you have looked at the same threads and have drawn some sort of conclusion? EDM Justin is running an extra 53 thou of COL, same brass, primers, barrel length and similar profile. Juggerxxx is running a 28" barrel, profile and COL not mentioned and Hornaday brass, but apart from these variances I can't see much difference.

I had forgotten about this thread so thank you for reminding me. Definitely needs an update because there was an issue with the original data.

I actually made a few mistakes with the chronograph when doing the original tests. I am on a Lab Radar and now I have it all worked out. I don't have all the load development data with me at the moment, but I can tell you that the load I am currently using is RL26 @ 46.8gr, CCI #450 Primers, Lapua Brass, and Hornady ELDM 147gr. Shooting these through my 26" Bartlien MTU and measuring as close to the barrel as the Lab Radar will measure (1 Yard), I am getting 2915fps.

On a side note, I have been advised that although I am not seeing pressure at 46.8gr, I am likely running hot enough to kill my barrel in under 2000 rounds. I am not sure how accurate that is, but I think it stands to reason. The rifle shoots 1/4 MOA or better (5 shots) when I do my end, and I have been able to consistently make 1st round hits at 1000 yards, but I have not been able to test beyond that due to not having a place with a longer range.

 

[NigelM]

Thank you very much, everything now makes sense and all three threads I'm looking at are consistent.

 

[NigelM]

I had forgotten about this thread so thank you for reminding me. Definitely needs an update because there was an issue with the original data.

I actually made a few mistakes with the chronograph when doing the original tests. I am on a Lab Radar and now I have it all worked out. I don't have all the load development data with me at the moment, but I can tell you that the load I am currently using is RL26 @ 46.8gr, CCI #450 Primers, Lapua Brass, and Hornady ELDM 147gr. Shooting these through my 26" Bartlien MTU and measuring as close to the barrel as the Lab Radar will measure (1 Yard), I am getting 2915fps.

On a side note, I have been advised that although I am not seeing pressure at 46.8gr, I am likely running hot enough to kill my barrel in under 2000 rounds. I am not sure how accurate that is, but I think it stands to reason. The rifle shoots 1/4 MOA or better (5 shots) when I do my end, and I have been able to consistently make 1st round hits at 1000 yards, but I have not been able to test beyond that due to not having a place with a longer range.

I don't suppose you could let me have your OAL touching the lands, the OAL you are running and the jump could you?

 

[Delta23]

I don't suppose you could let me have your OAL touching the lands, the OAL you are running and the jump could you?

I am .039 off the lands. I don't have the OAL written down because I always measure to the ogive, which is 2.210. I will be in the shop tomorrow and can measure that OAL for you.

 

[Hiwayman92]

I’ve been running 46.7 grains of RL-26 in Peterson SRP brass with the 143 ELD-x at 2.901, which was a .040 jump. Fantastic accuracy. I ran up to 48.1 and never noticed pressure, but accuracy wasn’t great. However this was at 2727 FPS in my Tikka 20” barrel. The gun is at the Smith right now, with a Bartlein Remington Varmint contour 26” 5r spiral fluted beauty waiting for a JGS reamer with .170 freebore. That thing should rival the PRC with a 24” barrel and factory ammo speeds.

 

[NigelM]

I am .039 off the lands. I don't have the OAL written down because I always measure to the ogive, which is 2.210. I will be in the shop tomorrow and can measure that OAL for you.

Thank you Delta23.

I have lots of conflicting information fished from the internet on chamber length and freebore. SAAMI spec for 6.5CM gives 2.302" to the lands. You seem to be touching the lands at 2.249" which seems short, EDMJustin is touching the lands at 2.278 thou and Hiwayman 92 is talking about a reamer with 170 thou of freebore.

Tip to Ogive on the ELDM is 669 thou, add that to the SAAMI spec and you get a COAL of 2.971". I'm running a Rem700 sa. I will fit an extended mag box but want to spec a reamer that has me touching lands at the max mag length. Reading everything on here it looks like most people are seeing best accuracy with 20 to 40 thou of jump so that will give me just enough room in the mag for the loaded rounds.

Can anyone help me understand which reamer I need to spec and how much freebore if any that I require?

 

[icdbko33]

Thanks. I am not sure how much this helps. While in the ammo case, the empty cases fell out of their holders so when I put them back they were all out of place. Originally I had the loads in rows of 10 with the tier charges on the hinge side of the box. Now they are all mixed up.

Hey @Delta23 I know this an older thread now but I was wondering if you' ve measured and noticed any growth in your C.O.A.L. What I mean by that if that is unclear is after seating you measure the load, after a period of time the C.O.A.L. has grown over the previous measurement.

I'm using the same components as you and
just got some RL-26 and am doing a work up but I've noticed my loads are growing by 0.004 - 0.010" from their initial seated depth due to the compressed charge. I currently won't go above 47.4 grains cause I seat .020" otl and with the current growth it's reduced that to 0.010" otl so any much more growth and I'll be jammed into the lands.

I'd be interested to know your experiences and any updates as you using the same components and different rifle but similar setup.

Thanks Delta

 

[BoltActionBrotherhood]

Hey @Delta23 I know this an older thread now but I was wondering if you' ve measured and noticed any growth in your C.O.A.L. What I mean by that if that is unclear is after seating you measure the load, after a period of time the C.O.A.L. has grown over the previous measurement.

I'm using the same components as you and
just got some RL-26 and am doing a work up but I've noticed my loads are growing by 0.004 - 0.010" from their initial seated depth due to the compressed charge. I currently won't go above 47.4 grains cause I seat .020" otl and with the current growth it's reduced that to 0.010" otl so any much more growth and I'll be jammed into the lands.

I'd be interested to know your experiences and any updates as you using the same components and different rifle but similar setup.

Thanks Delta

What is your neck tension?

 

[icdbko33]

.002 undersized/ neck tension

Just to mention I have only experienced growing COALs on extremely compressed charges using both standard expanding balls and expander mandrels which is my belief in this instance. Also experiencing a growing COAL in virgin starline brass, same approximate charge weight but it is factory sized so...

 

[Bdjones42]

Great info, especially like anew reloader myself. Thanks for posting