145 Gr. .277 ELD X won't group

[Justin Bond]

Hi all,

I'm shooting a .270 WSM Remington 700 (1973) with a 24" barrel. It has always been a good shooting gun. My go to bullet is a 130 gr Hornady Interbond or a 130 gr SST. I shoot that gun with those bullets comfortably out to 700 yards with IMR 4831 or RL 17. I've shot 4 deer in the last three years with that gun and never hesitated about it's performance.

I recently had someone recommend the Hornady 145 gr ELD X, and I just can't get them to shoot well. I'm loading 58 grains of RL 17. The max seating from the ogive for that bullet in my gun is 2.310. I've tried 2.30, 2.290, 2.280, 2.270. I've also went up to 60 grains of RL 17 and down to 56 grains of RL 17. Anyone had trouble grouping those ELD X's. Maybe my gun just doesn't like that type of bullet?

Thanks

 

[hunter67wa]

I dont tell my rifles what to eat. I think they upset its stomach. lol Stick with the interbonds

 

[therifleman556]

It is a long bullet. I think it's actually longer than the 150 VLD. The factory 1:10" twist may not be enough for best accuracy. My rifle shoots them fine with the 10" twist, but I'm also driving them 3200 fps.

I'm assuming you've got the standard 270 Winchester, the WSM was nowhere to be found in 1973

 

[Justin Bond]

It is a long bullet. I think it's actually longer than the 150 VLD. The factory 1:10" twist may not be enough for best accuracy. My rifle shoots them fine with the 10" twist, but I'm also driving them 3200 fps.

I'm assuming you've got the standard 270 Winchester, the WSM was nowhere to be found in 1973

It was re-chambered in 2014. It's a takedown 270 barrel so I'm guessing it's a 1:10" twist but i don't know for sure. The dude that recommended these bullets said they are Hornady's go to bullet and have better ballistics than the SST or the interbond. I'm shoothing them right around 2950. Maybe if I speed them up a little.

 

[therifleman556]

Roger that, you should have another 100-150 fps available with different powders. I had Retumbo pretty compressed to get the 3220 fps. I'm not sure I want to stick with that powder though. When I get time I've got loads cooked up with 7977 to try. That powder is close to Magpro in burn rate but is a more stable powder. Magpro has been the go to for people seeking speed in the 270 WSM.

Another thought...
Are you able to check velocity? If you're coming in under what the data says you should get and have not observed pressure signs yet, you might try going to a higher charge weight. Sometimes groups will shrink when pressure gets up towards maximum. A chronograph is a must for this though.

 

[Justin Bond]

Roger that, you should have another 100-150 fps available with different powders. I had Retumbo pretty compressed to get the 3220 fps. I'm not sure I want to stick with that powder though. When I get time I've got loads cooked up with 7977 to try. That powder is close to Magpro in burn rate but is a more stable powder. Magpro has been the go to for people seeking speed in the 270 WSM.

Another thought...
Are you able to check velocity? If you're coming in under what the data says you should get and have not observed pressure signs yet, you might try going to a higher charge weight. Sometimes groups will shrink when pressure gets up towards maximum. A chronograph is a must for this though.

Yes I am checking velocity. Over 20 shots the high is 3035 and the low is 2935. Maybe a little more speed might help. The SST and Interbond shoot faster than that with nearly the same powder charge of RL 17. With the SST I'm shooting around 3150. That's something I didn't understand, why the ELD X would be 150 fps slower than the SST.
I've never tried Magpro. Think I'll try some. Thanks

 

[cjl2010]

I haven't had very good luck getting eld-x to group in a couple 6.5s and a 7 mag. I don't even try anymore on my own rifles.

 

[mrjashu]

I've had good success with the 145g ELDX in my factory W70. With IMR 7977 I found an accuracy node at 3140fps. Haven't tested temp stability of 7977 but SDs are real good.

 

[Wildsteelhead00]

Hi all,

I'm shooting a .270 WSM Remington 700 (1973) with a 24" barrel. It has always been a good shooting gun. My go to bullet is a 130 gr Hornady Interbond or a 130 gr SST. I shoot that gun with those bullets comfortably out to 700 yards with IMR 4831 or RL 17. I've shot 4 deer in the last three years with that gun and never hesitated about it's performance.

I recently had someone recommend the Hornady 145 gr ELD X, and I just can't get them to shoot well. I'm loading 58 grains of RL 17. The max seating from the ogive for that bullet in my gun is 2.310. I've tried 2.30, 2.290, 2.280, 2.270. I've also went up to 60 grains of RL 17 and down to 56 grains of RL 17. Anyone had trouble grouping those ELD X's. Maybe my gun just doesn't like that type of bullet?

Thanks

I have had the same issue. I can get about 1 1/2" spread @ 100yds with the factory ammo. I decided to try reloading them with imr 4831 and had loads from 50gr to the max 56, and the tightest groups i got was from the 50gr, and 52, but they were still 1 1/2" -2" spread at 100 yards. I messed with the seating depth a little and either way the gun did not like them. I am going to go back to some Hornady SST 130 grain and see what it can do. I shot a few sub half inch groups with those at 100yds last week, so we will see how those shoot again. I just got some Barnes lrx 129gr bullets that im very interested in how they will shoot.