• If you are being asked to change your password, and unsure how to do it, follow these instructions. Click here

Badlands BD-2 load data

Started load development today in my 300 WSM. It's a built on a long action Pierce titanium action with a 26" Benchmark carbon barrel, 1 in 9" twist. ADG brass is on its second firing. Using H4350 and CCI BR2 primers, ran a pressure test with the 195 SBD2 seated 0.020 off the lands and checked velocity via LabRadar.

57.0 - 2688 fps
58.0 - 2723 fps
59.0 - 2755 fps
60.0 - 2787 fps
61.0 - 2827 fps
62.0 - 2891 fps, slight ejector, stiff bolt.

Shooting from 200 yards, 58, 59 and 60 grain loads were stacked on top of each other pretty tight, top right hand group is those 3 rounds:

640369F0-1017-469F-A29C-2D2A4466C732.jpeg


Loaded up another 3 with a 59.0 grain charge and the pulled bullets that I didn't shoot for the pressure test:

B0BBAAC4-FFA1-443C-ACE4-F5623BDABD04.jpeg


Produced a group that's got an ES of 19 fps and a little better than 0.5 moa at 200 yards:

77432C3C-9652-489F-B2BE-A5E84FCB9FEE.jpeg


Nine shots into load development, it's looking pretty promising.

At my elevation of 900 feet, Strelock is showing stability at 1.51, which seems to be just a little over the recommended minimum. Anything to be concerned about?
 
Started load development today in my 300 WSM. It's a built on a long action Pierce titanium action with a 26" Benchmark carbon barrel, 1 in 9" twist. ADG brass is on its second firing. Using H4350 and CCI BR2 primers, ran a pressure test with the 195 SBD2 seated 0.020 off the lands and checked velocity via LabRadar.

57.0 - 2688 fps
58.0 - 2723 fps
59.0 - 2755 fps
60.0 - 2787 fps
61.0 - 2827 fps
62.0 - 2891 fps, slight ejector, stiff bolt.

Shooting from 200 yards, 58, 59 and 60 grain loads were stacked on top of each other pretty tight, top right hand group is those 3 rounds:

View attachment 480069

Loaded up another 3 with a 59.0 grain charge and the pulled bullets that I didn't shoot for the pressure test:

View attachment 480070

Produced a group that's got an ES of 19 fps and a little better than 0.5 moa at 200 yards:

View attachment 480071

Nine shots into load development, it's looking pretty promising.

At my elevation of 900 feet, Strelock is showing stability at 1.51, which seems to be just a little over the recommended minimum. Anything to be concerned about?

I have heard ADG brass will pressure up faster than all the other brands. However, I did my experience this when working up a 300 WM load with ADG brass and the 195's.

I take it this is a hunting rig?

Just find the accuracy with the speeds you need for the distance you intend to shoot.

You'll have to do smaller increments to really find a nice powder node.
 
I have heard ADG brass will pressure up faster than all the other brands. However, I did my experience this when working up a 300 WM load with ADG brass and the 195's.

I take it this is a hunting rig?

Just find the accuracy with the speeds you need for the distance you intend to shoot.

You'll have to do smaller increments to really find a nice powder node.
Definitely a hunting rig, setting this one up for mule deer hunting and planning to stick with temp stable powders so I don't have any surprises in frigid temps and don't want to destroy the throat too fast. Not intending to chase speed, priority will be to find a stable node. With a muzzle velocity of 2750 fps, it's still moving 2020 fps at 600 and 1805 fps at 800. That velocity range should be good for my needs. This was the last 9 rounds on my second firing of the brass, working on sizing, trimming and cleaning the brass this afternoon. I'll be doing some seating depth and OCW testing in 0.3 grain increments over the coming weeks to fine tune the load and test at longer distances, but it looks like the 58-60 range is pretty stable speed wise and grouping well, hopefully it won't take too long to get it perfected. I'm pretty happy that they are grouping this good right out of the gate.
 
Started load development today in my 300 WSM. It's a built on a long action Pierce titanium action with a 26" Benchmark carbon barrel, 1 in 9" twist. ADG brass is on its second firing. Using H4350 and CCI BR2 primers, ran a pressure test with the 195 SBD2 seated 0.020 off the lands and checked velocity via LabRadar.

57.0 - 2688 fps
58.0 - 2723 fps
59.0 - 2755 fps
60.0 - 2787 fps
61.0 - 2827 fps
62.0 - 2891 fps, slight ejector, stiff bolt.

Shooting from 200 yards, 58, 59 and 60 grain loads were stacked on top of each other pretty tight, top right hand group is those 3 rounds:

View attachment 480069

Loaded up another 3 with a 59.0 grain charge and the pulled bullets that I didn't shoot for the pressure test:

View attachment 480070

Produced a group that's got an ES of 19 fps and a little better than 0.5 moa at 200 yards:

View attachment 480071

Nine shots into load development, it's looking pretty promising.

At my elevation of 900 feet, Strelock is showing stability at 1.51, which seems to be just a little over the recommended minimum. Anything to be concerned about?
Some new data for the 300WSM in the 23 Hodgdon manual. I plan on experimenting with the StaBall 6.5 as it's a little slower and get better fill with it. Temp stable also. I'd be interested in what you could produce with StaBall in yours. I plan on trying the 175 with StaBall and RL23 as my 300WSM is 1/10.
 
Did some testing with the 205 grain in my 300 RUM 7 twist 28" barrel, same load as my GF's RUM but I run Nosler brass in hers and RP in mine , Retumbo CCI 250 0.020" off which shot horribly in my gun running a pressure ladder at 100 yards in half grain increments on a stripped clean barrel, fouled 5 shots at 87.0 to start. Each shot was and inch to 1.5" away from the previous shot so it definitely doesn't like 0.020" off.
mine hers
87.0 = 3,043fps
87.5 = 3,047
88.0 = 3,070 3,209
88.5 = 3,109 3,218
89.0 = 3,114 3,223
89.5 = 3,121 3,212
90.0 = 3,145 3,230 flat primer
90.5 = 3,148 3,241 flat
91.0 = 3,151 3,251 flat
91.5 = 3,187 3,261 flat
92.0 = 3,199 3,334 bolt lift, ejector
92.5 = 3,206 primer still round, could keep going but only loaded to 92.5 grains.

Nosler brass was compressed at 91.0 grains 3.019 " while the RP still shakes powder at 92.5 BTO 3.172".
Going to reshoot mine at 0.030" off and continue past 92.5 and shoot hers at distance with 89.0
 
Last edited:
Got back out with the GF's 300 RUM and the 205's at 89.0 and 89.5 grains Retumbo at 500 yards, 4 shot groups, the 89.5 load had a lower ES 14 and less vertical , wind was on and off at
3 oclock, final speed was 3,210 fps.
I tried them at 0.025 " & 0.030" off in my gun and it still hates them, shot two 3 shot "groups".
Any advice on seating depth ? Keep going further away or closer ?
sbd11.jpg
sbd22.jpg
sbd33.jpg
sbd44.jpg
 
Last edited:
Got back our with the GF's 300 RUM and the 205's at 89.0 and 89.5 grains Retumbo at 500 yards 4 shots, the 89.5 had a lower ES 14 and less vertical , wind was on and off at
3 oclock, final speed was 3,210 fps.
I tried them at 0.025 " & 0.030" off in mu gun and it still hates them, shot two 3 shot "groups".
Any advice on seating depth ? Keep going further away or closer ?
View attachment 480221View attachment 480222View attachment 480223View attachment 480224
You're jumping way too much at once.

Find jam, back off .002" and then go in .003" increments.

If you want to conserve components you can jump .006". Then once you find a good group shoot .003" groups on each side to see if you find a seating depth window.

If you have an arbor press you can seat them all long and then adjust depth at the range, to save on components.

Also, how you're shooting the rifle could have a factor. Is this in a lead sled, or off a bipod and rear bag?
 
Got back our with the GF's 300 RUM and the 205's at 89.0 and 89.5 grains Retumbo at 500 yards 4 shots, the 89.5 had a lower ES 14 and less vertical , wind was on and off at
3 oclock, final speed was 3,210 fps.
I tried them at 0.025 " & 0.030" off in mu gun and it still hates them, shot two 3 shot "groups".
Any advice on seating depth ? Keep going further away or closer ?
View attachment 480221View attachment 480222View attachment 480223View attachment 480224
Were the four shot groups at 500 yds? Would do 2 shot groups starting 0.005" off jam length and proceed with 0.005" increments. Want to be sure the barrel temp remains low since in hunting situations all first shots are cold bore.
 
Top