.284 Winchester, newer loads for 150 gr Eld x or M, 160 gr Nosler

[Boatninja]

I have a load for 284 Win with 150 ABLR and 52.5 gr H4359 @2950 in 26".

Another with 154 Interlok and 53gr H4350 @2890 in 20" suppressed.

Another with 150 NBT and 52.5 H4350 @ 2880 in 20" suppressed.

Tried RL17 and got 3000 with 150's in 26" but didn't group as well.

H4831 just didn't get the velocity I was looking for.

Working on 162 Amax with N560 and showing lots of good results.
Will post when I reel it in more.

YMMV!
These loads are pushed to my rifle's near max and chambers are throated long.

I think you may get to 3000 fps or close with 140's in a 20" with todays powders but anyone must use good sense in going there.

Yes!
This rifle shows pressure signs earlier in the very few loads I have tried, (I think three) than the loads other people are having good luck with.
I consider myself pretty conservative preferring a low node over a high one in most all loads I've worked up.

 

[Boatninja]

I am literally ate up with this rifle at the moment, the more I get into it, the more I like it!

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Bringing back this thread ... I'm working on loads for my ULA .284 (22-inch barrel) for deer and elk season. Now working with N-160 and RL 17 and got 3/4-inch groups with 150-grain Ballistic Tips. Just loaded 150-grain Accubonds, 150-grain Partitions, 145-grain Barnes LRX, and 140-grain Accubonds. Now to get to the range. With the 150-grain BTs the best group was at 2972 fps (RL 17) and 2948 fps (N-160).

Hi Tom, I'm considering a .284 build with a 22" barrel. Can you please PM me and include some of your load data? It's dang tough to find any modern data for this cartridge online, and I appreciate your sharing in advance. The one powder I thought could really shine in the .284 is Staball 6.5, but there is little to know information out there as H4350 has been the "standard" for a long time.

 

[Tom Gresham]

Lately I have been focusing on RL17 (I was able to find some!) and VV N160. I find N160 to be impressive with the 150-grain bullets. I need to work with 140 and 160s more. I kind of lost my summer -- reloading and shooting -- due to a family medical situation. I've been to the range once in the last three months. Argh! Then our local public range got shut down due to a massive wildfire in the area. It's still closed. I have a bunch of test loads ready to go. I just have to get to a range. Probably have to go to the one that's a 90-minute drive.

On the loads, I'm finding that data for .280 Remington and even .280AI works. As always, you just need to work up from lower pressure loads.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Lately I have been focusing on RL17 (I was able to find some!) and VV N160. I find N160 to be impressive with the 150-grain bullets. I need to work with 140 and 160s more. I kind of lost my summer -- reloading and shooting -- due to a family medical situation. I've been to the range once in the last three months. Argh! Then our local public range got shut down due to a massive wildfire in the area. It's still closed. I have a bunch of test loads ready to go. I just have to get to a range. Probably have to go to the one that's a 90-minute drive.

On the loads, I'm finding that data for .280 Remington and even .280AI works. As always, you just need to work up from lower pressure loads.

Roger that and I hope you get to the range soon, I'd love to see the results.

Thank you for the nudge on the .280 and .280AI data as well. That should be very helpful. I went ahead and got the 22" barrel. It's a stainless, fluted, 22" Tikka super lite in 7-08 with a 1:9 twist and 1/2-28 threads. I'm going to have my local smith re-chamber to .284 with adequate throat for 175 and 180 for future flexibility. I will get another Tikka action sourced this fall, and it will be a nice winter project. Until then, I guess I'll just have to shoot my 25-284.

 

[Roughrice]

I'll be doing more load work with 150's soon….mainly because I like tinkering and have a newer, shorter barrel on a 284 win.
H4350 works well but on the edge of pressure so I'll be trying other powders with a different burn curve and hopefully find something good in Norma 204, RL 17, N160, N560 and IMR 4350. Maybe even a dab of Staball 6.5.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I'll be doing more load work with 150's soon….mainly because I like tinkering and have a newer, shorter barrel on a 284.
H4350 works well but on the edge of pressure so I'll be trying other powders with a different burn curve and hopefully find something good in Norma 204, RL 17, N160, N560 and IMR 4350. Maybe even a dab of Staball 6.5.

46.7 grains of SB 6.5 is delivering just shy of 2700 in my 18" 7-08 with the 162 ELDX. 47.2 gave 2720 average, but was showing significant pressure in my Tikka T3x.

 

[Cooperw]

I'll be doing more load work with 150's soon….mainly because I like tinkering and have a newer, shorter barrel on a 284 win.
H4350 works well but on the edge of pressure so I'll be trying other powders with a different burn curve and hopefully find something good in Norma 204, RL 17, N160, N560 and IMR 4350. Maybe even a dab of Staball 6.5.

Ever get a chance to try the staball with the 150gr? I've got a good load for my 284 and 180 eldm but I'm gonna tinker with some 150's for a lighter recoiling option when I don't plan to shoot as far. I've got a good amount of SB6.5 and h4350 on hand to try out

 

[Boatninja]

I bought my .284 win in a Rem 700 long action a couple of years ago. Three owners said it didn't shoot worth a ****.
Cleaned three owners worth of copper and carbon out of the barrel and now it is probably the best cold barrel shooting rifle I have ever had. All of the other owners were PRS wannabe's shooting 10 shot (or more) strings out of it.
I get 3-5 shot .75 MOA or better groups out of it before it starts going everywhere.
I love this gun.

 

[98s1lightning]

I shoot a SA 284win
150gr Nosler PT 2.800" COAL

H4831 and H4831 did not give me velocities I had hoped for they were approx 2650fps

H4350 had a different impact location to point of aim (I believe it was same bullets, can't recall, showed to me like it was coming up on pressure)

Reloder 15 was high velocity but freaked me out with what seemed like half a case of powder and already showing pressure
sketched me out that it was too touchy to get into trouble with

Ramshot Hunter is on deck next

H4831sc is a bread and butter load, fill the case and send it 150fps slower than the rest. I do like that in most cases (pun intended) it can be compressed load and I have read several times you can't get enough into a case to have a bad situation
I don't like hearing powder crunch when I send a bullet into the case
but its nice to have a failsafe powder to fill a case and slam a bullet in and go

I never did get to bag a critter w mine yet to see results

 

[98s1lightning]

I bought my .284 win in a Rem 700 long action a couple of years ago. Three owners said it didn't shoot worth a ****.
Cleaned three owners worth of copper and carbon out of the barrel and now it is probably the best cold barrel shooting rifle I have ever had. All of the other owners were PRS wannabe's shooting 10 shot (or more) strings out of it.
I get 3-5 shot .75 MOA or better groups out of it before it starts going everywhere.
I love this gun.

What did you use to get the bore clean

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Wanted to update on my daughter's cow hunt from a couple weeks ago. Final load we landed on for her 18" suppressed Tikka T3x 7-08 was Alpha brass, CCI LRP, and 46.5 grains of SB 6.5 under the 162 ELDX. MV for this load is 2628 with CBTO of 2.25 and COL of 2.925. I estimate the recoil of this load to be around 10.5 ft. lbs. (14.4 - 25%). It is an extremely handy, compact, and accurate hunting rifle, consistently shooting 1-1.25 MOA 10 shot groups at 200 yards.

Anyways, she was blessed to kill an enormous mature cow with a single shot at 185 yards. The elk was quartering away, I dialed her scope .4 mil, and she slipped the 162 in the crease behind the front right shoulder, destroying the heart, both lungs, and shattering the far humerus bone. The cow took a couple steps down mountain, stiffened up, staggered a couple steps up mountain, and tipped over dead. We recovered the bullet under the hide of the far shoulder, and the core fell out when I cleaned out the flesh. It was an amazing hunt, and I'm so proud of her.

Thinking back to my .284 build, once I source an action, I'm going to start with SB 6.5. The Hodgdon reloading site lists a .280 max load for the 162 Amax at 51.6 grains of SB 6.5. MV is 2860 with a 24" barrel. I will likely start at 50 grains in the .284 and work up to pressure. Once the build is done, and I have some data, I will update this thread.

I'm also going to do some re-testing with the 120 NBT. I had very good accuracy with this bullet and Varget in my daughter's 7-08, and the recoil is non-existent. However, the outfitter we hunted with requested we not use NBT (had bad luck with hunter's in the past I guess). The 150 ELDX is also supposed be an absolute slammer of a bullet in the 7mm's.

Finally, I'm still a little paralyzed on whether to go straight .284 or .284 Shehane. Fireforming loads can be extremely accurate (similar to other improved cartridges) and Forster makes FL dies for the Shehane. Whidden also sells micrometer seating dies for the Shehane. The fireformed brass increases capacity by around 3 grains, and I know Cortina and others sing the praises of this cartridge.

 

[Roughrice]

Ever get a chance to try the staball with the 150gr? I've got a good load for my 284 and 180 eldm but I'm gonna tinker with some 150's for a lighter recoiling option when I don't plan to shoot as far. I've got a good amount of SB6.5 and h4350 on hand to try out

I have not tried SB6.5.
I have read that it can be really good but can get pressure spike close to top end.

I have worked up another good load with N560 and 168 ABLR @ 2860 fps.

There are so many good loads with the 284 Win from 120 to 180 grain bullets that it's hard to pick one and call it "best"!

What's not to love about the cartridge…eh!!

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I have not tried SB6.5.
I have read that it can be really good but can get pressure spike close to top end.

I have worked up another good load with N560 and 168 ABLR @ 2860 fps.

There are so many good loads with the 284 Win from 120 to 180 grain bullets that it's hard to pick one and call it "best"!

What's not to love about the cartridge…eh!!

Agree!

I requested .284 load data from Berger the other day for the 140, 168, and 180 hunting VLDs. I will share post-receipt.