Sometimes a plan comes together.

English Mike · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:23 am Post subject: Sometimes a plan comes together.

I've been playing with load/bullet combinations for my .270 Ruger Hawkeye & I think I found the sweet spot.

It's not using the favoured 130gr bullets, rather 150gr Sierra Gamekings.
It is however using H4831 though in the SC version.
Now I know some people look down their noses at Ruger rifles as being just another mass produced bolt action but how much do some people pay to get groups like this:

That's a whisker under 7/16" for three shots with a completely standard rifle - albeit VERY carefully "shot in" from new.

Ignore the other multi caliber holes - I'm too cheap(& lazy) to walk 100yds & replace a target I can use. Very Happy

Elvis

well done. thats a great group in anybodys book.

SingleShotLover

I have always had good luck with Ruger rifles and recommend them to anyone who asks. I have never owned one that I couldn't get to shoot well and I have owned a lot of them! Good shooting. Looks like you have your combination.

Bushmaster

No problem with Ruger rifles at all here.

H4831SC is what I use in my Browning .30-06 with 165 to 180 grain Sierra Gamekings. 1 5/8" three shot groups at 200 yards.

Elvis

I should have cottoned on before hand......
that powder is AR2213sc
and that IS a great powder for the .270
if you want to use 130s try.... with all precautions of course..... 54 grns and see how you go. my old smoke pole just loved that load with 130grn taipans
Im just to cheap to buy some more powder when I have AR2206 that goes bang too...

gelandangan

I have Ruger M77 in 308 and in 223.
They may not be a competition target rifle, but for hunting they have never failed me yet.
I use AR2208 (Varget) for the 308 and AR2206 for 223, both are deadly on pigs and goats.

English Mike

Elvis wrote:

I should have cottoned on before hand......
that powder is AR2213sc
and that IS a great powder for the .270
if you want to use 130s try.... with all precautions of course..... 54 grns and see how you go. my old smoke pole just loved that load with 130grn taipans
Im just to cheap to buy some more powder when I have AR2206 that goes bang too...

I've been all the way from 54gr to 61gr with various 130's without getting 3 shots consistently inside 1" so far.
Most are inch to inch & a half at their best & perfectly adequate for hunting but you know how it is..... Very Happy

Try 90gr JHP's for foxes; 3,500fps & almost flat out to 300yds.

Elvis

no foxes over here Dude.... the 110 grn hp hornady loads I had for wallabies werent very accurate 3-4" but man did they make a mess typically a 1 litrs sized hole just like a coke bottle of jellied mess.
I use my .223 for that sort of caper now.. much more cival like.

MacD

Great group. Last year I sighted in a stainless 77 in 300 Win Mag Other than the recoil which made it a real pain to fire it was nice rifle. Using factory Federal Fusions in 180 grn. it was relatively easy to get a four inch group at 200 with a 4X scope and that was all my friend wanted. Judging from this I would say some reloading tinkering could squeeze this down well below 3 inches and maybe even 2.

English Mike

Loaded up some 140gr Hornady SP's for today's range excursion & as they were cannelured, I decided to load them to that length, rather than 0.005" off the lands, which resulted in an OAL 0.010" shorter than the performing 150's.
5 each from 54 to 58gr of H48321sc
They were all grouping around 1" barring the odd called flyer but the difference in elevation was interesting.
54gr hit 1/2" below POA
55gr hit 1/4" below POA
56gr hit 1/4" above POA
57gr hit 1 1/4" above POA
58gr hit 1 1/2" above POA & the group opened up a little.

From the spectacular leap in elevation for the 57gr load, I'm thinking a load between 56 & 57.5gr with the bullets seated out closer to the lands will be the mutt's nuts.

Unfortunately I've run out of time to play more as I have to catch my flight back to the UK tomorrow afternoon, so the continuation of this will have to wait until May - unless the UK weather's really bad in Jan/Feb & I'll escape for another couple of weeks. Very Happy

Perhaps this ought to be in the reloading forum - yea or nay?

English Mike

English Mike wrote:

Perhaps this ought to be in the reloading forum - yea or nay?

By executive decision, I've moved this twit's thread to where it belongs. Very Happy

Elvis

your 140 grn findings are interesting
back when I did a big range day with 3 .270s (yes my shoulder hurt) my bullets from all loads went into a playing card sized group. the winchester 130 grn silvertips printed the highest. If you have a read in that balisticstudies site you will see they are/were by far the fastest factory load at that time.
you should be able to manipulate your loads so they all group together at your sighting range.