Rem 260, Rel 26 & Badlands 125gr bullet

[Hespco]

Did a bit of testing this morning. Using my Savage 260 Rem ,model 16 stainless, 22" bbl, 1/8 twist. Worked up to a max ( safe in my rifle ) 47.5 grs Rel 26, CCI # 250 mag primer = 3036 fps. Started with two new Rem brand brass. The one three shot group I fired came out between 1/2" & 3/4" at 100yds. Just got too cold to continue ,

considering the wind & the low temp , about 30. After firing each of the two cases four times , primer pockets were still very snug. Cases extracted easily , & were neck sized only with a Lee Colet die for the first three firings. Primers were flattened a little . I consider performance like this from a case of this size , & a bullet of this weight to be great. IMHO. Attached is a picture of the Badlands 125gr , right side & Nosler 140gr AB , left side for comparison.

 

[Hespco]

Did some more testing today seating the Badlands 125 gr a little deeper. Set at an OAL of 2.840 & got two almost exactly the same 3 shot groups. Two shots in one hole with the third slightly left. With a BC of .510 this Badlands bullet shots flat. Was right on the money at my 424 yd target.

 

[PLHunter]

Looks great. Have you used hammer hunters? Wondering how these compare? Did you get any speed data? Thanks!

 

[Hespco]

In my Savage model 16 ,22" Bbl, 1/8 twist. 47.5 grs Rel 26 , got 3036fps. No over pressure signs of any kind. With the Barnes 120gr TTSX & 48 grs Rel 26, got an even 3100fps. After a case has been fired 6 times in my rifle, primer pockets still very snug.
Looks like Rel 26 is a great combo with these bullets. I have used the Hammer hunters. Took my elk last season with them using the 6.5 121gr. At 80yds it gave complete penetration thru both front shoulders of a very mature size elk. Haven't used the Badlands on game yet , but have seen game taken with them. With their very high BC/aluminum tip & slightly lower price than Hammer I believe I prefer the Badlands.

 

[jsthntn247]

Are you using the newer bulldozer bullet with higher bc? Thought I read somewhere that they redesigned those.

 

[PLHunter]

Thanks for your response. I've experimented with cutting edge, hammers, and Barnes. I couldn't get the SD down on the cutting edge bullets and didn't really like the customer experience. Barnes were fine but the lowish BC and performance at lower impact velocities kind of rules them out. The hammers have been easy to load shoot right and I'm getting great speeds with them. 123's at 3000 with a creedmoor and the 121 .257 at 3250 in a 25-06. I've taken 4 pronghorn a mule deer and 4 white tails with the hammers with great results. My only complaints would be lower than expected realized BCs. The customer service has been great.

The badlands seem to address that problem. I'm using 44.5 grains of RL-16 in the creedmoor and 59.3 grains of 8133 in the 25-06 for the hammers. Hoping I can reach similar speeds with the badlands in the creedmoor.

 

[Hespco]

Right , the Badlands 6.5 125gr Bulldozer. With a BC of .510 this bullet flies flat. Yes the Hammer's are accurate in my 6,5's, but so are the Badlands , but with a much higher BC. & a slightly lower price. If you had a 125gr Badlands in your hand you would immediately understand how this bullet can fly so flat. https://badlandsprecision.com/product/264-125gr-bulldozer/

 

[PLHunter]

I'll give them a try. Let you know how it goes

 

[Hespco]

For sure let me know what you think. Remember the Badlands bullets like being seated deep like the Barnes. I seated mine .50 to .60 off the lands & was rewarded with tiny groups.

 

[DocDoc]

Hespco, should that be .050 and .060? A half inch would be a big jump.

 

[Hespco]

Sorry about that . Yopu are correct. It should be .050 to .060. Need to pay more attention to the details. I know what I mean but can be misleading to others. Thanks for catching that.

 

[PLHunter]

I was assuming as much. 0.07 was my sweet spot usually with Barnes. I'll play around at 0.05 and 0.06.