Seeking Guidance: 300 PRC Hand Loading

mikest

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 13, 2020
113
4
East Coast Timezone
Thinking about venturing into 300 PRC and would like to start reloading this caliber. Looking for guidance on any-all aspects of this caliber (powder, brass, projectiles,...etc).

Setup will be an AI AXMC and the purpose will be long range target shooting (1000 yards >). I am using a Forster press to handload.

Any insight and recommendations would be most appreciated. Also, any sourcing information would also be most appreciated...
 
 
Thinking about venturing into 300 PRC and would like to start reloading this caliber. Looking for guidance on any-all aspects of this caliber (powder, brass, projectiles,...etc).

Setup will be an AI AXMC and the purpose will be long range target shooting (1000 yards >). I am using a Forster press to handload.

Any insight and recommendations would be most appreciated. Also, any sourcing information would also be most appreciated...

The 300 PRC thread referenced above is a gold mine, but it will take a long time to read through and dissect. Some notes:

Brass:
Hornady (shit)
ADG (pretty good)
Lapua (best, but hard to find)

Projectiles:
Berger 230 (by far my preferred)
Berger 245 (my small chamber doesn't quite get these to where it needs to go, but others have made them work)
Hornady 225 (work well, but I like Bergers better)
Hornady 215 (why)

Powder:
RL26 is a primary go-to, but can be hard to find
H1000 works ok
I have not been able to get RL33 to work for me for some reason
I haven't really played with Retumbo because, even though I have about 5 lbs of it, you simply can't find it so working up a load is kind of worthless
People have played with other magnum class powders with varying degrees of success

Primers:
I use BR2s, but I'm in the minority. I find they are more consistent than 215Ms, and since I don't shoot in cold weather, I don't need the extra flame the 215Ms provide. Many use 215Ms. These days, use whatever you can find.

General Info:
With a 28" barrel, I've gotten 230s up to 2990, but that was really pushing pressure. I shoot at 2865ish.
I was getting ~6-7 firings out of Hornady brass before the primer pockets went.
I am at the same on 150 cases of ADG and I see zero signs of any primer pocket degradation
 
  • Like
Reactions: waveslayer
Same as above.
Go to is RL26, then H1000, then Retumbo in that order all behind, 225 ELDM, or 230 gAy Tips

Using Hornady brass because it found me.

Pm if you need more specific, but lots of good info, just depends on what you can find
 
ADG (pretty good)
Lapua (best, but hard to find)
Why is ADG not as good as Lapua to you? Just wondering.


I haven't really played with Retumbo because, even though I have about 5 lbs of it, you simply can't find it so working up a load is kind of worthless
People have played with other magnum class powders with varying degrees of success
You might work with Retumbo. Of all the powders mentioned, it is the only one I see available.
 
Why is ADG not as good as Lapua to you? Just wondering.

It's not far off, and though I haven't taken any cases to close to failure yet, it looks to be every bit as durable. Where I see a slight difference is in neck thickness consistency. And I mean very slight.

Over the last few months, as I've been documenting seating force statistics with different calibers, I noticed a substantial difference between the calibers where I loaded Lapua brass and what I got with my 300 PRC, which is ADG. I was seeing mid-single-digit ES and sub-2 SD on the Lapua, and mid to upper teens ES and mid-single-digit SD on the ADG - EDIT: measuring seating force in lbs. Some of that could be that the two calibers I've loaded (one for me, one for a friend) are both smaller, but not all of it.

ADG is very high quality brass. I've got 500 ADG cases for 300 PRC, and I'm not switching any time soon - and Lapua has been hard to come by. I have started neck turning it, though. I don't have enough data to make a conclusion as to how much it helps, but I hope to soon.

You might work with Retumbo. Of all the powders mentioned, it is the only one I see available.

Where are you seeing it? It was hard to find even before this whole components availability debacle.