Am I about to blow my face off?

[SSG Graybush]

I just bought a Remington 700 Long Range in .300 win mag. First off, I shot 10rds of factory 180gr core-lokt ammo (the cheap stuff) just to sight in the scope and shoot a couple of groups. Both groups were just under 1in at 3,031fps. I'm pretty happy with that. Now on to reloading.
I started off using 212 ELD-X's and RL-26. I'm using load data from my Nosler manual with loads listed for the 210gr Accubond LR. It lists a max of 76.0gr, at a velocity of 2,874 out of a 24" barrel.

I have a 26" barrel. These were my readings from my Caldwell chronograph:
Remington brass, CCI-250, 74.0gr RL-26, 3.600 COAL = Avg. 2,926fps with no pressure signs at all.
Remington brass, CCI-250, 75.0gr RL-26, 3.600 COAL = Avg. 2,996fps, easy bolt lift, primer still pretty round on edges, slightest ejector mark barely visible.

I was hoping for good speed, but this doesn't seem right. I didn't shoot the rest of my ammo, which I loaded at 76.0gr of RL-26, for fear of blowing myself up.
What do you guys think about these velocity's?
Anyone with QL care to book max and lets see what happens.

I just bought a Remington 700 Long Range in .300 win mag. First off, I shot 10rds of factory 180gr core-lokt ammo (the cheap stuff) just to sight in the scope and shoot a couple of groups. Both groups were just under 1in at 3,031fps. I'm pretty happy with that. Now on to reloading.
I started off using 212 ELD-X's and RL-26. I'm using load data from my Nosler manual with loads listed for the 210gr Accubond LR. It lists a max of 76.0gr, at a velocity of 2,874 out of a 24" barrel.

I have a 26" barrel. These were my readings from my Caldwell chronograph:
Remington brass, CCI-250, 74.0gr RL-26, 3.600 COAL = Avg. 2,926fps with no pressure signs at all.
Remington brass, CCI-250, 75.0gr RL-26, 3.600 COAL = Avg. 2,996fps, easy bolt lift, primer still pretty round on edges, slightest ejector mark barely visible.

I was hoping for good speed, but this doesn't seem right. I didn't shoot the rest of my ammo, which I loaded at 76.0gr of RL-26, for fear of blowing myself up.
What do you guys think about these velocity's?
Anyone with QL care to chime in?
Thanks.

You should get into the habit of doing good load development. And remember loads developed in the winter can be over pressure in the summer, so keep that in mind. Dont chase speed, consistency is what you want.
I start 2 grs below book max powder charge, and test jumps to find the accuracy node at 3 thou increments, 3 shot groups. You see groups go big big medium small small small medium big. Load on the shorter side of the jump node so as the throat erodes you stay in the node. And after a whille you know where to start with different bullets. Bergers I test 60 to 80 thou first.
Once you find the jump node, load that coal/cbto and test the charge weight from 2 grs below max to max at .1 gr increments/ 20 shots. Looking for a node accross 4 shots minimum/.4 grs that has a ES of 20 or less, which will give you a SD of 7 or less. And then load the middle charge weight and retest. And if you want you can go above max obviously if no pressure and your starting to see a higher node.
You CANT do it backwards because changing seating depth can effect speed and SD.
And by doing it this way your doing a safe ladder to find pressure and your gonna find the best load possible for that barrel bullet powder combo. My way not the way. But it works. And spending 50 rds, minimum, on a new barrel is nothing.
For starting point to test jump; a eld m or x I'd test 5 to 26 thou jump first, for Barnes 25 to 52 thou, Berger's 60 to 81 thou and Seirra's 5 to 26. All in 3 thou increments, 3 shot groups.
Others say start at 50 thou and do 5 thou increments, Berger says do 30 60 90 120 thou, see whats best and test more at the best in 5 thou increments. IMO, the problem is big jumps in freebore can jump over a node and youll be chasing your tail.
Hope this helps out.

 

[Mike Matteson]

To start with you used one reloading manual and another manufactures bullets. That a no no to start with. Each manufacture builds their bullet different somewhat. I am surprises that your primer aren't flat with ejector marks starting to showing up. Some powders change greatly in different temperatures. I haven't reloaded 26, but I ran into temperature changes 20 years ago with IMR Powders. Push a primer out of the case. Switch to H powers, and never looked back. Gave away my IMR powders (24lbs) at the time. I do load above the reloading manuals call out for. Back then I use to step up at .1gr at a time. Depending on the case sizes, and loading in uncharted areas, I now go up from .25 to ..5 grains at a time presently, and depends on burn rate. I take great care when increasing my powder loads. I never use other loading data for a different bullet. I may reference other manuals to see what they have. I have a great many reloading manuals and I don't throw them out either. Things are changing and barrel twist rate are increasing, so the reloads manuals might be using a different twist rate than your rifle. I started reloading in 1962. As far as manufacture velocity and what you get out of your rifle is two different things. I will attach a Extreme Rifle chart. It doesn't have all the powders. BE SAFE!

 

[cajun]

Being cautious is a good thing. It's always good to have data with the exact combo you are using. I usually figure 25-50fps increase or decrease per inch of barrel length. I also like to reference several sources of data and try and get a big picture. For example if the max I'm seeing from several sources is 3000 fps with a certain bullet then I would use that as a benchmark. One thing I usually do with a new combo is run a one shot ladder looking for pressure. Shooting over the chrono watching the velocity and looking for all the normal signs of pressure.

 

[Huggy]

If your asking about blowing your face off, there's a good chance you are. If you don't know, stop. It's that simple, you did come to a good place for info. Slight ejector marks can be normal, or can be dangerous, they only tell part of the story.
"pretty round" and "barely visible" mean very different thing to different people. What might be "barely visible" to you, might be very obvious to someone else. Trust me, once you blow a gun up, you'll make sure you do everything to make sure it never happens again. Be safe, work slow, if you need more speed, buy a bigger gun. No need to run these things on the ragged edge. There is literally a cartridge available that will do anything you without being over pressure. There is no need to chase numbers, find a good safe accurate load and run it. The critters won't judge you on your numbers.

This is excellent information and I'll add one thing I'm sure the OP should have considered, that being, all things being equal he could reduce bullet weight and that should help to crank up velocities without dancing too close to the Devil and achieve the same goal(s) without sacrificing much else and the critters still won't judge him.

 

[SSG Graybush]

RL 26 is known for it's impressive velocities. There's also several members on here (myself included) that have seen some weird velocity/pressure spikes in temps over 80 degrees when using this powder. I wouldn't push it any more if I were you. Before I switched over to H1000 in my .300 Win Mag I was running the Berger 210 vld's, ADG brass (once fired) and Federal GM215M's with 73.1 gr RL 26 (26" barrel) and getting slightly over 3,000 fps muzzle velocity as measured with a Magnetospeed. Below is a 5-shot velocity confirmation check I did this past summer several months before hunting season opened.
View attachment 252297

I switched from RL26 to H1000 before hunting season last year before going to WY due to temp sensitivity. I lost about 50 fps from 90 to 60 degrees in my 7mag 8T with 180 vldh's. I thought RL26 was stable like RL16. I did not see that. And I found a more accurate, slightly faster node with H1000 at 2944 fps.

 

[sfdoc2000]

Agree with MILO-2, that using QL with the base numbers you have gives a max chamber pressure of 61,714 psi. This is still in the blue range, not quite for the red, but this pressure may be too high for your brass. Measuring fired case volume can make a considerable difference in chamber pressure. At least you are running a long COAL which increases the cartridge volume and reduces the relative chamber pressure versus a fully seated bullet unless you are jamming the bullet into the lands. Good brass such as Lapua or Nosler can withstand higher pressures but this is where pressure signs such as flattened primers and base marks need to be looked at carefully. Also remember that the burn rate coefficient actually increases with increasing chamber pressure and temperature so there is a non linear relationship between charge volume and pressure at higher loads. Quickloads is a guide but there are so many variables that one cannot just look at the numbers given with full certainty. Finally for a 26 inch barrel you are between OBT nodes with your velocities and may want to consider a change in bullet weight, powder, brass, etc. Do a good ladder test to see where your barrel timing is optimal.

 

[Firewurx]

Well you should start with the Hornady book, not the Nosler. Nosler data is for Nosler bullets. I wouldn't expect accurate information from a loading manual put out by one bullet manufacturer while using a different bullet made by another.

That's your first error.

Not to say that charge wouldn't work, but first see what Hornady published on it, not Nosler, because an ELD isn't going to fly like an Accu-bond. Sure you can get ideas and starting powder charges from anywhere, but start low and work up especially if you're going to mix things up.

I don't think you were going to blow your face off, but mind good loading practices. Purchase the book put out by the manufacturer of the bullet you're going to shoot.

 

[fragmatic]

If your asking about blowing your face off, there's a good chance you are. If you don't know, stop. It's that simple, you did come to a good place for info. Slight ejector marks can be normal, or can be dangerous, they only tell part of the story.
"pretty round" and "barely visible" mean very different thing to different people. What might be "barely visible" to you, might be very obvious to someone else. Trust me, once you blow a gun up, you'll make sure you do everything to make sure it never happens again. Be safe, work slow, if you need more speed, buy a bigger gun. No need to run these things on the ragged edge. There is literally a cartridge available that will do anything you without being over pressure. There is no need to chase numbers, find a good safe accurate load and run it. The critters won't judge you on your numbers.

Very well said.

 

[Huggy]

In most cases, but not all. That being said, I have had Hornady brass that showed ejector marks even when loaded to minimum loads. Some brass or runs of brass are just too soft. And, attempting to determine pressure signs by looking at ejector marks or primer configuration is very subjective. To each his own, but I prefer loading in small amounts until I feel the heavier bolt lift and then backing off a wee bit.

I agree and you hit on a point many don't consider and that being various brass cases and their rigidity or softness.
Case manufacturers specify brass supplies to meet specific needs WRT tensile strengths and a host of other considerations but they have a + and - to allow for variances in supply stocks.
As long as the materials are within their engineered needs and tolerances they are satisfied it will produce a safe end product.
So it is not inconceivable that we can end up with a case that came from a batch from the "lower end" of the tolerances, thus a softer material, i.e., a "soft" case.
And has already been addressed, soft is subjective and shooting two cases of different brass lots can exhibit different appearances after firing.
The thing is, do WE know if the cases we bought are made from the same lot of brass supplies or did they ALL (several differing lots) go into a ginormous box to be later sorted and run through QA then shipped to the end user (us reloaders) wherein we do the best we can to ensure the utmost in identically crafted cartridges, all things considered?
You's pays You's money and You's takes You's chances, as they say.
But it is all part of our quest to repeatedly shoot those elusive 5-shot, 1-hole groups time after time.
Regardless, I hope we ALL shoot safely and enjoy our hobby.
God Bless.

 

[jerry moore]

go by your instinct & pressure sign 212gr /2900fps time to go shoot

 

[Deleted member 115751]

Shooting 225's at over 2,900fps!? Thats awesome. I want to try the 208 and 225 ELDM's if I can find any...

I was thinking the same thing! I own two of those Remington 700 Long Range rifles in 7 mag and 300 win mag. Both are in stainless steel configuration. Have not had a chance to shoot them yet as I purchased them in December 2019 as the covid-19 pandemic was just getting started and even before Remington got broke up and sold off to various buyers. They are in my gun safe waiting for a chance to get used after this pandemic mess is all over and ammunition prices come back to normal.

 

[Rich Coyle]

After reading the first page I don't see anyone addressing the brass. If the brass is not flowing and the primer pockets are still holding a primer, shoot it. My life is not dictated by "Safety first." It is fun first and try to set up safe practices as I go.

 

[Matno]

Keep in mind that the number one pressure sign is not blown primers or stuck cases or heavy bolt lift - it's velocity. If you really are getting higher than max published velocity, it's because you are getting higher than max published pressure. Those two things are inseparable. Lots of people get higher velocities, but they are taking chances with the higher pressure. If they tell you they're getting higher velocity without pressure, it's just because they aren't paying attention to all the signs.

 

[Paulstarr]

With the simple parameters you gave, I ran the numbers in QL. What I am missing is your case capacity, which is a deal breaker. 76gr yields 61K in pressure.
BUT, big but, you had ejector marks at 75gr, whether new brass or fired, time to quit. Velocity is a result of pressure, no getting around that. If you feel the velocities are high, find another chrono and find out.

There is no set standard for speeds from different platforms, barrels are not the same, nothing is linear here. And don't compare a different bullet of close to the same weight, bearing surface, maybe even a slight diameter difference plays hard here.
Pull the bullets from the 76gr loads and call it a day, you probably won't blow your face off, but why go there? Shoot a lighter bullet if you need more speed.

The last paragraph of this Thread makes perfect sense,I would put into practice if I where you.