I've actually just loaded some up with RL23 to give that a go, will report back when I have time to test them.
Badlands BD-2 load data
- Thread starter sbruni
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Bghunter338
Well-Known Member
Hay now now Ed, I've been waiting almost 2 years for this guyI am sure it'll be a shooter. I am 20 clicks away from Kirby and will happily do the barrel break-in for you. LL!
Bghunter338
Well-Known Member
Here's a little teaser. Only thing I have to keep me going.
nralifer
Well-Known Member
At Badlands we are loving this site. It was conceived and supported by our customers. We see it as a great honor, and would like to contribute to it in the spirit of helping us all make better ammo that is extremely effective at long range, and in keeping with the name and spirit of this web site, the Long Range Hunting Forum. For our part, I will be posting a series of blogs that deal with general reloading concepts that we have found and learned from other shooters and manufacturers. Hopefully they will explain why some guns shoot our bullets superbly and why others don't. We want all Badlands bullet shooters to continue to submit their data here, as this is the best way to get load data for specific cartridges, both old and new.
nralifer
Well-Known Member
The first of these blogs will deal with brass. Would like to focus on the 308win because this case likely has the greatest variety of brass available. All brass makers make this case. There are 2 different types. Large rifle primer, LRP, brass ( the most universal ), and the small rifle primer brass, SRP. The SRP brass has a smaller diameter primer pocket and as such is inherently stronger than the LRP pocket. In the 308 Win we have found that the SRP brass has longer primer pocket life with higher velocity loads. The key is using an SRP magnum primer to assure consistent powder ignition and assured performance cold weather. This is berified by hunters in Manitoba, Canada who have posted on LRH the fact that they hunt with SRP mag primers in weather as cold as below 0F eithout apparent ignition issues. In the 308 we have been able to drive our 175 gr BD2 bullet safely (no pressure signs) from a 26" 1/10 twist Savage barrel 2900 fps using 51.5 gr of Leverevolution, SRP Lapua brass and CCI 450 primers. In the 243Win using Peterson SRP brass with StaBall6.5 powder we can safely push our 80 gr BD2 bullet a max of 3800 fps and a very reasonable hunting load 3650-3700 fps all from a 22" 1/10 twist 1963 vintage ADL Rem rifle with sub MOA accuracy at 600 yds.
Bryan Litz challenged anyone and everyone to send him a rifle that shot with better precision (smaller MOA) at longer ranges than at closer ranges. No rifle was ever received. Because the don't exist. Only a self-correcting bullet could possibly improve MOA precision farther down range:
Applied Ballistics 'Shoot Thru Target' Challenge
Hi fellas, To mark the occasion of Applied Ballistics becoming a proud sponsor of the LRH forum, I'd like to pose the following. First, some background: There's a common discussion topic based on the observation that some rifles seem to shoot smaller angular groups at longer ranges, for...
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
Bryan Litz challenged anyone and everyone to send him a rifle that shot with better precision (smaller MOA) at longer ranges than at closer ranges. No rifle was ever received. Because the don't exist. Only a self-correcting bullet could possibly improve MOA precision farther down range:
Applied Ballistics 'Shoot Thru Target' Challenge
Hi fellas, To mark the occasion of Applied Ballistics becoming a proud sponsor of the LRH forum, I'd like to pose the following. First, some background: There's a common discussion topic based on the observation that some rifles seem to shoot smaller angular groups at longer ranges, for...www.longrangehunting.com
I read through several pages of that thread and there seems to be a number of accomplished shooters who have experienced non-linear dispersion. Some shooters stated that they have seen this on a regular occasion. I have seen this myself but it's not something that I look for and rarely shoot at 100yds-200yds.
IME, it happens. The big question may be, "why".
If it happens, it doesn't happen when Bryan Litz tests the rifles in a manner that closes active imaginations.
It's physically impossible to happen on a regular and consistent basis. Bryan knew that when he made his offer. He knew he had Los Vegas odds. Impossible to confound laws of physics.
If anybody has a rifle that will upend physics, send it to Bryan Litz. Last I knew, nobody had presented him such a rifle. And I bet with Bryan. No one ever will.
Anyone that has one of these rifles would contend for the Nobel Prize in Physics.
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nralifer
Well-Known Member
How did we get on this subject?? Although the ratio of bullet RPM to linesr velocity increases with distance, it's only because the linear speed slows faster than the angular speed (RPM) but they both slow down. If there is excessive precession to start with (instability) how is a slowing RPM going to make the bullet more stable?
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Posts #3 and #123.
As mentioned, loaded some of the 150 grain with RL23 and did some more in depth testing today in my 7Max, 24" proof barrel 1/8 twist.
Started out seated at 3.030 (0.020 off the lands) running a 0.282 mandrel for .002 neck tension, and used a Lee fcd for a light crimp. Fired 2 rounds at each of the powder charges below.
60.5 - 2988
61.0 - 3010
61.5 - 3040
62.0 - 3071
62.5 - 3101 slight ejector mark
63.0 - 3146 slight primer cratering, no ejector
Then proceeded to test different seating depths and powder charges, The groups came together better at a COAL of 3.010 (0.040 off) best group at 100 yards today was 61.0 grains seated 3.010 running 3030 fps
Would like to know what others have done with neck tension, I've got 21st Century mandrels and can dial it in to .0005 if it would help.
Also wondering whether to crimp or not, specific to the Badlands BD2. The crimping seems to help with the Hammer bullets, I don't have enough experience with the Badlands yet to say if it does or not.
I prefer to stick with temp stable powders. So far I have tested the following with the 150 badlands in 7 Max:
H1000 - 68.0 (compressed) 2989 fps, no signs of pressure
H4831sc - hit pressure between 66.0 and 67.0 running 3108 fps
In my earlier testing with RL23 (in warmer temps) I was able to get 65.0 grains in for a speed of 3144 fps, 66.0 grains (compressed) ran 3205 fps with a stiff bolt lift.
I've got some H4350, could try that but thinking it might be too fast.
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I recently started crimping after having a bullet stick in the chamber of my 300 prc on a backcountry hunt, that load was 0.020" off jam with no crimp and I have since switched to crimping all my loads regardless of bullet selection. I have not done specific testing to isolate crimped vs not, but I definitely am not having trouble getting the accuracy I desire using a crimp. The recent loads I've worked on in my 300 PRC with the 195 BD2 and 205 SBD2 were both crimped and I have been pleased so far. It's a cheap insurance policy for hunting loads if nothing else.
I did neck tension testing in my 270Win and 25-06 last summer (both with BD2 bullets) and both of those rifles preferred the mandrel that was 0.0015" under nominal bullet diameter. That was tested without a crimp. I will likely repeat that test now that I am using a crimp.
How would you rate your crimp?Hard,medium or light?
Tested the 150 BD2 in my 7WSM today with RL23 and had fantastic results on accuracy all the way through my load development. Brand new Hornady brass but I annealed all of it and prepped it meticulously. Went through 20 rounds during development and never ran into pressures. Everything was seated at .070 off the lands. CBTO 2.250. Started at 60 grains and finished at 62.5. Will use this fire formed brass now and start again around 62 and move forward. I'm getting close but still no pressure. Here's a couple of groups. Seems 61.5-62.5 we're best groups. One shown as max was 62.5. At 62.5 I should be in the 3025-3050FPS area. Thinking I may max out around 64-64.5. Rifle is a custom build running a Gunwerks GRB short action, BDL with Wyatt's extended, Proof 8.25 twist 24".
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