So I have a pound of reloader 15 and . . .

P

Prof Young

New member
Loaders:
I have a pound of reloader 15 and some 55 gn z max bullets. I found two formulas at handloads.com but can't find much else for that powder with that bullet. Even Alliant doesn't have a formula for that weight.

So my query, is reloader 15 just a bad match for a 55 gn zmax?

Life is good
Prof Young
 
I would use a slower burn powder with a heavier bullet,
I haven't used re-15 in 223, but my 77 gr loads run varget and that is a similar burn speed.
 
Lots of guys use RL15 with their 168gr. bullets...

Closest i saw was for a 62gr. Speer FMJ. And the was a compressed load.
 
RE-15 is one of my stock powers.
I assume you are discussing a 5.56 AR. I will ask what is your barrel twist?
Via reading product reviews,SOME people,not all,claimthat a 75 Gr Hornady BTHP will stabilize from a 9 in twist.I can't tell you. When I had a 9 in twist I used 69 gr bullets with Varget.

But if you have a 1 in 8 or a 1 in 7 twist,the 75 gr Hornady will stabilize for sure.
That bullet is cheaper and has a higher BC than most 77 gr bullets.
And it is a sweet spot with RE-15.See Hornady's AR-15 Match load section in the load book.
I'm not sure if it still is used,but RE-15 was the US Army's powder of choice for the 175 gr 7.62 Nato sniper rounds.
It works very well with 168 gr 308 loads.
Its in the general zone of 4895 and Varget...maybe 4064.
I won't say data is interchangeable,but I have heard RE-15 is the same powder as Norma N-140.Please do not assume that is true.Its not confirmed,as far as I know.

While RE-15 is a good,useful powder,its a mismatch for 55 gr bullets.The lackof data is a clue.Its too slow.
There are many good matches.I don't load 55 grs,but maybe H-335 ??
 
Fear not . . .

All of you who have kindly offered to take this pound of RL 15 off my hands have no need to fear.

I ordered some heavier bullets! :-)

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
My experience is the same as REBS. For heavier bullets in my AR it's a tossup between Benchmark and RE15 with just a very narrow edge going to RE15. With the mid weight size bullets 4064 has been excellent.
 
The widely used RL15 load for high power competitions is 24 gr for the 77 gr SMK/ Nos CC. I'm actually at 23.9. It will work good with the lighter 55's but the burn speed of RL15 is a tad slow. I prefer about 25.7 gr of W748 ball powder for my 55 gr gas gun practice loads. Many great powder choices for 55 gr AR loads.
 
houndawg
on the Hogdon burn rate chart Varget is rated at 101 and RL 15 at 99
Click to expand...
Burn rate charts are great. I use them. That rate applies under one standard condition. Under a different pressure,the burn rate will vary. Some powders are spikey,some linear.
But you are correct,the powders are very close

When Varget first became available,therewas no published data for 69 gr MK/Nos CC bullets. I decided to try it in my 16 in 1 in 9 Hbar.
I worked up a load using a chrono and diminishing returns .I also contacted Hogdon and Nosler.All three of us agreed within 1/2 gr. From memory,Velocity was 2870,and it grouped on a quarter at 100 yds. Parts bucket franken gun with a used Olympic brand barrel.First AR build.
I also liked the clean burn. BC looked good.

When I built a 1 in 8 rifle,I really wanted Varget to be best with 75/77 gr bullets.I had a good supply.
But real world testing,RE-15 outperformed it. So I stock both.

FWIW,when we decided we wanted a varmint bullet in the heavier range,the 60 gr V ballistic tip was tried. It shines with Benchmark.

But other folks may get different results. :-) Feel free to have different preferences!! Just sharing what I have found.
 
Last edited:
HiBC
Burn rate charts are great. I use them. That rate applies under one standard condition. Under a different pressure,the burn rate will vary. Some powders are spikey,some linear.
Click to expand...

standard load development procedure still applies. I use RL-10X in my .204 and I have never found a "official" load using it and 39 gr SBK's. What I did find was a dozen or so threads where shooters had developed their own and started at the low end of those
 
Prof Young wrote:
So I have a pound of reloader 15 and . . .
Click to expand...

a Priest and a Rabbi come in.

No?

I apologize in advance. When I saw the subject line it sounded almost like the set-up for a joke, so I was trying to continue the set-up.

Yes, RL-15 is not a good match for 55 grain bullets. In the published data it doesn't start appearing until you get into the 70 grain class of bullets.

That doesn't mean all hope is lost; just that you've moved into the world of loading a wildcat cartridge. Everything from here on is speculative and in some cases directly contradicts published guidance, so proceed at your own risk.

Burn rate charts are dependent upon the testing protocol and so are of limited use in load development. Again, proceed with caution.

Hodgdon's burn rate chart has RL-15 a bit faster than Winchester 748 and a bit slower than IMR-4895, both of which start at 22.7 grains according to Hornady #9. If you really want to use that pound of powder rather than just going and getting something more suitable (recommended), then look to a consensus starting load around where faster powders and slower powders coincide.

Good luck.
 
In .223 Rem I won't use RL15 with less than a 65 grain bullet. It works just dandy fine with 68 to 77 grain bullets. For 55 grain I stick with H335 it works so well I stick with it. IMR 4166 seems to be a better from light to heavy weight powder as far aa consistent results. Though it is far from the best. It gives repeatable results.
 
I use H335 in .223. RL15 I use with 168 gr in .308. RL15 seems too slow for .223
Plus I have use RL15 in my Hornady Autocharge. Doesn't meter well being a extruded powder
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top