[kujoseto]

Originally Posted by Duramaximos

I'm curious to know the answer to this question??? Is RL26 viable with 180's?

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Originally Posted by kujoseto

I’ve got some 175gr LRX loaded up and will keep you posted if I ever shoot them. Case capacity may become the issue. We’ll see how pressure and velocity compare to the ballistics software. It shows I may be low on the pressure side and run out of case capacity before getting where I want to.
I also have 180gr swift scirocco to compare to my RL16 load if the 175s work out.

I finally got to the range for about 30 minutes to test some velocities.
Tikka action so I want to fit mag length for hunting.
25” Jury barrel 30-06
Nosler brass was pretty full at about 63gr with the 175 LRX... I’m not one to use a drop tube or crush a compressed charge but I could probably get a little more powder in and I know I can seat the bullet a little further out (about 45 thou and still fit mag).
Very limited sample because of time and I got to the 62.5gr charge in my steps up and velocity hit about 2870 fps. Pressure seemed low when comparing load data software and that “feel” where recoil often gets more sharp when I’m hitting max pressure (if you know what I mean... not sure if others find a noticeable change there too in some rifles)
Gordon’s Reloading Tool suggests I should’ve been up about 100 fps with still having room to push the pressure.
This rifle was put together with an aftermarket 300 win mag dbm so I have a ton of freebore when I switched back to factory Tikka dbm. As a hunting rifle I’m not interested in loading ammo too long for the factory dbm.

I would say the 175/180gr bullets are better suited with the 4350 burn rate range but easily getting over 2850 fps with clean burning powder and pressure on the low end with that bullet weight in that case is something.

Sold off the 180gr scirocco before I loaded any with RL26

Now here’s a question for those with more experience...
do the Barnes bullets pressure up more than other conventional bullet designs of similar weight?
I’ve read conflicting claims from experiences and in load data. Some say use more powder as the grooves reduce pressure, others state use less powder as the all copper design pressures up.
My own limited experience is the pressure seems lower with Barnes and more powder often needed while the swift seems to pressure up a little sooner (which is a common claim online)