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Reloading
- Thread starter stan5677
- Start date
Stan,
You are headed the right way. Hornady Interlock, Rem CoreLokt, Speer, Sierra Gamekng are all good bullets for you. Keep your mv under 3100fps and you will be fine.
H4831 is good, but H4831SC measures better from a powder measure.
Nice rifle. Feel free to pm, if I can help out with a loading issue. I have some experience in that area!
You are headed the right way. Hornady Interlock, Rem CoreLokt, Speer, Sierra Gamekng are all good bullets for you. Keep your mv under 3100fps and you will be fine.
H4831 is good, but H4831SC measures better from a powder measure.
Nice rifle. Feel free to pm, if I can help out with a loading issue. I have some experience in that area!
Try A Reduced Load
Most people choose 270 for the high velocity and ballistic coefficient of the bullets. If you shoot only to within 100 yards, you don't need either to kill deer reliably and you may blow up meat that you could eat if you use a bullet that's faster than you need.
Try sticking to the "starting load" from a manual or the Hodgdon site. That will be down around 2800 ft/s and still able to kill deer to hundreds of yards. It's like telling the deer to stand back ~100 yards with the 130SP from Hornady at maximum velocity. They are not likely to comply but you can reduce the muzzle velocity a couple hundred feet per second to accomplish the same effect. Being able to use a simple SP bullet will save you money, reduce recoil and muzzle blast all at the same time.
Most people choose 270 for the high velocity and ballistic coefficient of the bullets. If you shoot only to within 100 yards, you don't need either to kill deer reliably and you may blow up meat that you could eat if you use a bullet that's faster than you need.
Try sticking to the "starting load" from a manual or the Hodgdon site. That will be down around 2800 ft/s and still able to kill deer to hundreds of yards. It's like telling the deer to stand back ~100 yards with the 130SP from Hornady at maximum velocity. They are not likely to comply but you can reduce the muzzle velocity a couple hundred feet per second to accomplish the same effect. Being able to use a simple SP bullet will save you money, reduce recoil and muzzle blast all at the same time.
lordmorgul
New member
I wonder how long it'll take you to buy a Chrony......
Great point for the newcomer to take in. When I started (and I’m still fairly new at ~8 years reloading) I did a lot of pistol rounds with no chronograph and just by feel.. hotter or not than factory Win white box... it was a bad way to do reloading.
When I started doing some rifle loads my brother and I bought a cheap Caldwell chrono and it’s ok but wish it was more consistent itself. In any case it’s far better than nothing! It’s a must have item to reload rifle (probably anything) properly.
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Andrew - Lancaster, CA
NRA Life Member, SAF / CRPA / FPC member and supporter, USCCA Member
I have two .270s, both with 24" barrels. I'd used a stiff load of Reloder 22 that chrono'd at 3,200 with 130 grain bullets and it's a great load, but recent batches of the combination are exhibiting higher pressure signs, so have cut back the charge for both of my rifles.
I had one 130 grain Ballistic Tip blow up on a 40 yard lung shot, so stopped using those bullets. Had switched to Hornady GMXs, but recently, they failed to open up sufficiently in my son's 30-06 at short range. We recovered the small buck, but trailed it with difficulty. That's not what we found to be normal using previous batches of GMXs. Others reported the same situation.
The most recent load, using 140 grain Nosler Accubonds on my 860 lb bull moose at 270 yards proved to be excellent. A lung shot through the lungs and it only went about 15 yards. Those bullets may be a bit too tough for Maine whitetails in this part of the state.
I recently bought some new factory Winchester Deer Season 130 grain rounds that are quite accurate and I'm planning to try them on deer this year, but may try them on coyotes. I also bought a couple of boxes for my .243 Win rifles and am looking forward to testing them.
I had one 130 grain Ballistic Tip blow up on a 40 yard lung shot, so stopped using those bullets. Had switched to Hornady GMXs, but recently, they failed to open up sufficiently in my son's 30-06 at short range. We recovered the small buck, but trailed it with difficulty. That's not what we found to be normal using previous batches of GMXs. Others reported the same situation.
The most recent load, using 140 grain Nosler Accubonds on my 860 lb bull moose at 270 yards proved to be excellent. A lung shot through the lungs and it only went about 15 yards. Those bullets may be a bit too tough for Maine whitetails in this part of the state.
I recently bought some new factory Winchester Deer Season 130 grain rounds that are quite accurate and I'm planning to try them on deer this year, but may try them on coyotes. I also bought a couple of boxes for my .243 Win rifles and am looking forward to testing them.
"I wonder how long it'll take you to buy a Chrony......"
Who needs it? I started loading in 1955. A teenager still in school. I have loaded for a variety of both pistols and rifles. I say load some up go shoot! Try something else, go shoot. See what they do for you in your gun. It really doesn't matter how fast they go ..... what matters is hitting your target. Learn to shoot! Sight that deer rifle in to hit two inches high at 100 yards, it will be right on at 200 and about 3 inches low at 300. You can pretty much just put the cross hairs on a deer and squeeze off the shot and have venison in the bag.
Who needs it? I started loading in 1955. A teenager still in school. I have loaded for a variety of both pistols and rifles. I say load some up go shoot! Try something else, go shoot. See what they do for you in your gun. It really doesn't matter how fast they go ..... what matters is hitting your target. Learn to shoot! Sight that deer rifle in to hit two inches high at 100 yards, it will be right on at 200 and about 3 inches low at 300. You can pretty much just put the cross hairs on a deer and squeeze off the shot and have venison in the bag.
lordmorgul
New member
"I wonder how long it'll take you to buy a Chrony......"
Who needs it? I started loading in 1955. A teenager still in school.
You don’t need it, but that doesn’t mean it is not a better way. You use a chrono for more than bragging rights on how fast it is going. You use it to back off the speed until the standard deviation is low and you’re shooting very consistently. You also use it to walk up to correct loads for your gun so you reduce over pressure risk. It is a safety tool.
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Andrew - Lancaster, CA
NRA Life Member, SAF / CRPA / FPC member and supporter, USCCA Member
"You use a chrono for more than bragging rights on how fast it is going."
I must ask: Why do you shoot?
Once we have the answer to that question, we may better understand if we need a chrono.
I grew up on a farm out in the boonies. Dad had two guns, a 30-30 long tom and a single shot 22. He was not one to waste ammo shooting paper. When he took down a gun it was to go get rid of some pest or to put some meat on the table. You made every shot count. When I was about 12 he had a bunch of ground squirrels that had clipped about an acre of his one field of alfalfa. He took down the 22 and handed it to me and a box of shells and said: "Go kill those D......... squirrels." I confess, I did not get them all but did reduce their numbers so he could get a crop. When the deer season rolled around Dad would grab the 30-30 and go get on the horse and head up the canyon. A while later he would return with a deer tied on the saddle. The guns were tools to protect what was ours and to obtain food.
I must ask: Why do you shoot?
Once we have the answer to that question, we may better understand if we need a chrono.
I grew up on a farm out in the boonies. Dad had two guns, a 30-30 long tom and a single shot 22. He was not one to waste ammo shooting paper. When he took down a gun it was to go get rid of some pest or to put some meat on the table. You made every shot count. When I was about 12 he had a bunch of ground squirrels that had clipped about an acre of his one field of alfalfa. He took down the 22 and handed it to me and a box of shells and said: "Go kill those D......... squirrels." I confess, I did not get them all but did reduce their numbers so he could get a crop. When the deer season rolled around Dad would grab the 30-30 and go get on the horse and head up the canyon. A while later he would return with a deer tied on the saddle. The guns were tools to protect what was ours and to obtain food.
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lordmorgul
New member
"You use a chrono for more than bragging rights on how fast it is going."
I must ask: Why do you shoot?
Once we have the answer to that question, we may better understand if we need a chrono.
I grew up on a farm out in the boonies. Dad had two guns, a 30-30 long tom and a single shot 22. He was not one to waste ammo shooting paper. When he took down a gun it was to go get rid of some pest or to put some meat on the table. You made every shot count. When I was about 12 he had a bunch of ground squirrels that had clipped about an acre of his one field of alfalfa. He took down the 22 and handed it to me and a box of shells and said: "Go kill those D......... squirrels." I confess, I did not get them all but did reduce their numbers so he could get a crop. When the deer season rolled around Dad would grab the 30-30 and go get on the horse and head up the canyon. A while later he would return with a deer tied on the saddle. The guns were tools to protect what was ours and to obtain food.
I certainly never said your way was wrong or not workable, so understand that, I only said there is a better way. I grew up shooting squirrels with my pellet gun to protect the garden, and it was my primary form of fund raising ($0.25 each)... but I would have been better at it with some training in selection of pellet and best count of pumps. The OP asked a specific question...
“cut down on costs as I try to hit the range as often as possible to build up my accuracy.”
The way to do that is get data, not shoot more. And not shoot less to make every bullet count for meat. I’m only saying, there is a better way, not the only way.
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Andrew - Lancaster, CA
NRA Life Member, SAF / CRPA / FPC member and supporter, USCCA Member
When I turned 16 I bought my first deer license. I did not have a deer rifle, but Dad had the ol 30-30 long tom, so opening day he grabbed the rifle and we went out and since we only had one riding horse, we both got on the horse and headed up the trail. We had not gone far when a couple of young bucks showed themselves. Dad says, "Jump off" then handed me the rifle and says "Take a fine bead." I had never shot this rifle before, but did as he said and killed a deer with my first shot with the ol 30-30. Those are his words I use in my siggy line.
Yep. Get a chrono. Another expensive toy to play with. Have fun!
Yep. Get a chrono. Another expensive toy to play with. Have fun!
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