.416 ruger - practice load

[HarryN]

Hi, I am thinking about buying a rifle in .416 Ruger, mostly for fun / paper, but some hunting in the 50 - 150 yard range. In order to make it a little more fun on paper, I would like a load that is a bit easier on the shoulder, but still uses the same bullet I plan to use in general, which are the copper GS Custom HVs. In other words, reducing recoil is the main goal.I wondered if someone could run the numbers on making a load in the approx. 2000 fps range?

All data is from the GS Custom web site:Bullet - GS Custom 416330HV120

Standard load info from their tables

- Norma 201, 70.5 grains, 2650 fps

( I have decent access to norma powders)

BC is around 3.7, but I am not sure if that really matters for not for this.

I am wondering if a slower powder, like 203B would be a useful choice?

Barrel length = 20 inches, the standard twist is 1:14

Thanks for any advice.

Harry







(ps - sorry for the font / wierd underline, for some reason, I can't get rid of it)

 

[HarryN]

Its probably completely wrong, but 50BMG powder is also very easy to obtain locally.

 

[Jokostel]

Ok.... I'm shaking my head a bit here....
What exactly do you want out of this?
You cannot reduce loads with standard propellants without the risk of detonation.
You HAVE to speed the powder up.
Accurate 5744 or Trailboss would be the ticket..... and ditch the copper bullet, and do a lead slug for practice.

Personally if it was my rifle, Id ditch the idea in and of itself, and practice with the load I will run in the field.. ESPECIALLY when your talking a dangerous game cartridge.

 

[HarryN]

Hi, thanks for the feedback.

You asked about my goals, I am hoping that someone can run some quickload simulations and see if it kicks out any suggestions using relatively easy to obtain powder with reasonable powder fill and burn %. Obviously, that is a starting point for further research and work.

I live in CA, so more and more areas require no-lead content bullets. I am not going to be loading up millions of rounds, and have limited ability to store lots of variations, so it makes sense to use one common bullet for all use - in spite of the cost.

Trail Boss is an interesting alternative, and I am considering it. When I look at the rifle rounds loaded with it in re-loading charts, nearly all of them run 1300 fps, which is a little slower than the goal of 2000 ish. As a practical matter, it is very hard to obtain, and I have been looking for a while.

I am open to being wrong on this, but I am not completely sure that a faster powder is the solution to reduced recoil. As I understand it, the shape and low density of trail boss flakes plays a large roll in how trail boss works.

Nyaiti Inc loads various big bore loads, some at 2000, some at 1300 fps. It isn't entirely clear to me if they are really using fully filled cartridges, or just putting in less powder. In either case, while I appreciate their business model and what they are doing, $7 / round adds up.

As far as dangerous game, the targeted application is wild boar. They are dangerous, but not charging rhinos dangerous, and we will be backing each other up with various types of guns. As I mentioned, most of the use will be on fun / paper targets, and with a re-built shoulder, recoil during target practice matters.

 

[Jokostel]

Faster powder DOES mean less recoil.... well... the type of felt recoil.
Less powder = less gas= less felt recoil, however the recoil that is felt IS sharper.
Think 357 Magnum vs 44 Magnum.