Does anybody have load data for RL17 in the 270Wby particularly with 150gr bullets?

quote:
I would like to try to get a little more velocity than I am currently getting using RL22.

Can't see that happening unless you are really under loading the RL22. For me RL17 is too fast for the 270Wby and 150s.
I would go slower not faster. 7828 or a slightly compressed load of RL25 MRP-2, Ramshot Magnum, Magpro etc.

Just a FYI QL calls max velocity for RL22 as about 75FPS higher than RL17 and 63,000psi

I've been able to get to 3260s with R22 and 3270s with 7828 in a 26" MkV with 150s. If I wanted more than that, it'd be time to build a 270STW or 270/300WM.

Reloader--I'm shooting an older Weatherby Mark V with a 24" barrel. I am currently loading 71.5gr of IMR7828 with a 150gr Hornady and velocity is running about 2950. I just tried 68.5gr of RL22 with 150gr TSX's and they grouped .5" to .75" at 100yds but I did not have time to set up the chronograph. This rifle just seems to have lower velocity than the data I have searched. In my 300WSM, I went from a mv of 2950 with a 180gr sierra to 3150 by switching from RL22 to RL17 and it seems to group more consistently from week to week with the RL17. I am just asking if anyone has experience loading RL17 in the 270Wby. I have a call into Alliant powders for a technician to discuss.

Ed, interesting thread!

I'm coming to the end of my 140 gr. Accubonds & 150 gr. A-frames for my .270 WCF. I've got both stoked with 59.5 gr. of RL-22 (which may be a little hotter than I prefer for the 150 gr., as I suspect I might find loose primer pockets in these cases with the next reloading). Both loads run in the 3000 fps neighborhood with a 22" barrel (WW cases & Fed 215 GMM primers).

I'm curious how RL-17 would do, especially with the 150 gr. A-Frames. I'll probably try it when it comes time to buy more powder (next reload session).

Good luck, and let us know what the Alliant tech has to say!

friar

When I had my Vanguard in .270Wby, it was getting 3216fps from the 24" barrel with 150gr using 74grs of 7828. I used bulk Winchester bullets.

I talked at length with an Alliant technician on Friday afternoon. They have not done any load developement with RL17 and the 270Wby. He advised that I use the starting load for IMR4350 and work up slowly if I wanted to try it. He agreed that RL22 would probably be a better powder for the Weatherby with 150's. We also discussed that some barrels are just slower than others. This barrel has shown lower velocity with other bullet weights as well. When the weather cools off a little I will probably try the RL22 some more with the TSX's and may just try the RL17 to see what it does. I deer hunt mostly with a 25-06 with 100gr TSX's but would prefer the 270Wby accross some of the fields on the second rut.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ed Scarboro:....In my 300WSM, I went from a mv of 2950 with a 180gr sierra to 3150 by switching from RL22 to RL17 and it seems to group more consistently from week to week with the RL17....QUOTE]

I have burnt a fair bit of Re17 this past year or so. It is great in small cases such as 260, 7/08 and 308. I have also had good results in my 30/06.

I dont' doubt it works very well in the 300wsm, I am told it was developed for that case.

However, the 270 wby is a poor match for Re17, it is just too big a case for that small bore size. To be honest I would not try it on a bet...

I can't believe the Alliant technie said "try using 4350 data", bloody mad.

Get a tub of Re22.

Claret, what would you think about a regular 270 burning RL 17?

friar

quote:

Originally posted by friarmeier:
Claret, what would you think about a regular 270 burning RL 17?

friar

Friar, I have played around a lot recently with fastish powders in a few calibres. My rifles are all around 20 - 20.5" barrels and all use sound moderators. I use faster powders to try and keep the velocity up with these short barrels.

Prior to Re 17 my favourite was Benchmark which I used up to the 30/06. Fast powders are good if carefully used, but I have found you can go from apparently safe pressures to high pressure in a very small step up in charge weight.

Ref the Re17 and the 270win, I think it could be made to work reasonably well, particularly in the lighter bullet weight. I think it might do some really good things with a 110gr V-max if you were that way inclined.

I don't think I would want to use it with 140 or 150gr bullets, case fill would be poor. Entirely off the cuff without refering to Alliant data, I think you might be maxed out at under 50gr's of Re 17.

I don't have a 270 currently, but am using Re 17 in a 260rem and it works a dream there. I am getting 2900FPS with a 120gr BT and around 43gr of Re17 with a 20" barrel. The 260 will tolerate slightly faster powders than the 270, but not much. Optimum is in the range of Re17 - Re19, 4350 etc. 4831 is too slow there I think.

I would not use it in a Weatherby though...

Update, just went and looked at Alliant data. Looks like Re17 should be very goood in all bullet weights in the 270win. Gives max load of 51.5gr with a 150gr for 2900+ FPS. Not a bad place to be at all.

Claret---The Alliant technician referred to the burn rate of RL17 as similar to IMR4350. On the Alliant website they reference IMR4350 burn rate twice in regards to RL17. Our discussion was that "if" I wanted to try it in the Weatherby to start with the starting load for IMR4350 and work up slowly. I am currently working on loads with RL22 with TSX's so I probably will wait to see if any data gets published regarding RL17 in the 270Wby. I have a dozen Weatherby rifles and most will shoot some load with RL22 so I try to keep about 16lbs on hand all the time. With 42 years experience reloading, I don't generally wonder off published data very far.

On the Western Powders link RL-17, 760 and IMR 4350, N150 and AR2209 are all equal in burn rates...but that DOESN'T mean they all use the same powder amount...

I'm just now working with my newest builds...a 6mm-284 and a 220 Swift...both 1-8T.

In the 6mm-284, RL-17, H4350 and H4831 all gave me ~3000fs at about the same pressures, but as I started checking slower powders RL-19 gave a bit more velocity, RL-22 even more and finally RL-25 gave me the highest velo at ~3200fs with 105 Hornady A-Max and 107 Sierra MK's.

I wouldn't even think about RL-17 for the 270 Weatherby in anything but the lightest bullets as the powder was designed for the short, fat WSM type case.

I tried RL-17 in the 220 Swift with 69-77 gr bullets and quickly put it back on the shelf in favor of H3450, H4831 and RL-19. I was getting high velo's with RL-17 but not the accuracy...nothing below about 3/4". Switched to H4350 and H4831 and you can see the preliminary results...case 3 kept going low so I ordered 100 Norma to settle the issue.



I have the same problem with the WW 284 cases...LOTS of bad(for target/varmints)cases but good enough for minute of deer...They shot OK in my XP-100 284 with light bullets as it was twisted for the 7BR case originally...I ordered 100 6.5x284 Normas also.

The only way you will know for certain it to try some and see just how it works in YOUR rifle.

Luck

[/QUOTE] Update, just went and looked at Alliant data. Looks like Re17 should be very goood in all bullet weights in the 270win. Gives max load of 51.5gr with a 150gr for 2900+ FPS. Not a bad place to be at all.[/QUOTE]

That's what I noticed too...right now I can't make up my mind between 17 & 22. Guess I'll just have to try the 17 and see how it works!

Thanks!

friar

FOOBAR--That was sort of my concern with the grains to start from. I have worked with a technician at Barnes before on some loads but they had done some initial testing so we had a starting point. I think I will stay with IMR7828 and RL22 for now with the 270Wby. The accuracy has been good with TSX's and RL22, I just need to check them over the chronograph.

7828 is a very good powder for the Wby. I want to try RL25 myself soon to see how it performs.

My 257Wby shoots extremely well with RL25. A couple of weeks ago I shot a .25" group with 75gr of RL25 with 100gr Sierra Pro Hunter bullets. They chronograph at 3600fps. I'm shooting a plain stainless Weatherby with synthetic stock and nothing else done to it.

I was hoping RL-17 would be a "tweener" powder...good in those cases that with capacities that fit between RL-15 and RL-19 but so far that hasn't been the case...it HAS worked well in a few and I expected it to work well in the 284 case and possibly the 220 Swift with the heavy bullets...I built these two especially for heavy, long bullets and haven't tried any light weights.

I bought both the RL-17 and RL-25, 3 lbs each, for use in my 12 GaFH but haven't got back to it yet.

I've been at this game half a century and the old adage of slow powders with heavy bullets or large cases still seems to hold....plus slower powders give a higher load density which I like also...the RL-17 was running about 60% load capacity in the 6mm-284 which is WAY too low for my taste...RL-25 was closer to 80% at the pressure and COAL I'm running...2.925" with the 107 MK's.

Retumbo should work as well and H1000, and 7828 do yeomen work in many of my belted mags, but there again...it depends on the caliber, bullet weight, case capacity AND rifle, and the level of accuracy you are seeking.

It's really strange...I've been a velo-phreek most of my life, drooled over the Weatherby's, but never got around to building or buying one...totally weird when I think about it. I think it had to do with the price of factory ammo and the empty brass and the fact you don't find it lying around on the ground...I'm WAY to cheep to go for proprietary ANYTHING.

When I hit a load that consistently stays within the accuracy I want for a particular rifle I stay with it...I really HATE using up a good barrel and wasting components whizzing around trying to find something "more perfect".

I have ONE load each for most of my rifle except varminters...I gotta try all the new bullets and powders in those...I've been shooting the same 338-06 load for 45 years...because it's the only load that produces a 5 shot quarter size hole in that rifle, anything else runs about 1.5" or larger...and it's been doing that all this time...one bullet, one powder...225 Hornady SP and 4320...~2700fs...so if your 257 is doing well with that one bullet and powder don't waste the barrel mucking about...that bullet will put bacon on the table without any trouble....just be sure it's a ways off so you can eat right up to the hole and not lose any goodness.

Luck

I got good groups with Reloader-17 in my 270 Winchester using 150gr bullets.I started @ 52.0grs and got 2800fps,then 52.5grs put me up to 2850fps with a little tighter group.The next time I went to the range,I tried 53.0grs,that grouped very well,but did not have my chrony set up,but should have put me up around 2900fps.That's fairly close to what I would have loaded for the 150's had I been using IMR-4350.I'd say,you don't know till you try.I've seen 270 Weatherby Magnums shoot really tight with IMR-4350,so with Reloader-17 as with any powder,just don't start out with a max load,start low and work up.Reloader-17 in my opinion,is probably not the best powder to be used in the Weatherby,but It will go off when you pull the trigger and with the right charge it could shoot really tight,but I,like some of the others,think a slower powder like Reloader-22 or IMR-7828 would be a better powder to work with.

I've run R17 in 25-06Rem and 270WSM with pretty good results. It had the best advantage in the 25-06 with 100s for me, really went ahead of R22, 7828, and H4831 with listed loads. One would think higher pressures as well as it is a faster powder, but the normal signs aren't showing.

In the 270WSM it was about the same as 4350 for me. Haven't tried it in any of my 270wins yet, but it should work fine.

Many speak of it as it were magical. I've only limited use with it thus far, but like I said, the only true advantages I've seen were with 100s in the 25-06. It's stated to shine in WSMs, but it's got a ways to go to impress me in the 270WSM. Offers no MV advantage to other powders in that case thus far for me. May give it a run in 300SAUM and see if it shows any magical qualities compared to the 4350s.

Reloader--What load data and bullet are you using in the 25-06? I have tried RL17 in my 270WSM, 7mmWSM and 300WSM but have not tried it in my 25-06 yet. I am currently using RL22 with either 100gr Sierra Pro Hunters or 100gr TSX's.

Ed, I was using the load listed on Alliant's site. IIRC it was 53g under 100 Speer HCFBs, but please check to be sure. That load gave 3500fps from a 25" Lilja with no signs to be concerned about. It's a fast bbl and pushes 100s to around 3400 with normal 25-06 powders. Funny thing is I bought some 100g factory loads for my 257 Wby just for the brass as they weren't much more than brass alone, they only chronoed 3500fps from a 26" pipe Of course, it does get 3700+ with handloads(100s over R25).

I might have to back pedal a bit on my "magical" comment Went to the range today and fired a 4 shot group with 65 R17(Alliants listed load) under 165NBTs in my 300SAUM, 3260!! I'm only getting 2990-3050 with the 165s ahead of the 4350s in that rig. Alliant's listed load of 65g was too hot in my rifle, had a stiff lift on one of the 4. 63-64 should rock and still spank the 4350s. The accuracy wasn't all that great with that load for this rifle, a nice 4 hole square a little less than an inch. Definitely shows promise. I would imagine throttling her back to around 3150-3200 may bring the accuracy around.

I had pretty good luck with R17 in the 23" 270WSM again today. I had a load that was showing promise with 140 WW STBTs, so I made a change to seating depth and the first 3 from a clean pipe made one hole prob .2-.25 c-t-c(haven't put the caliper on it yet) Those went 3200 with a low spread. It didn't fair so well with the 130TTSXs, but 62g 4350 gave a tiny clover leaf with them and avg 3257. I'll prob run the 130TTSXs in that rig, just happened to stumble onto the 140STBT combo during break-in.

Have a good one,

Reloader

That's interesting Reloader. I found that I really needed to drop down several grains to start from the Alliant website. I generally ran into pressure signs about a grain to a grain and a half below their listed load. I was not using Speer bullets, I was trying Accubonds and TSX's.

Hey Reloader!
I too have a .270wea with a Lilja barrel. It seems these Lilja barrels are "fast barrels" in general. Most folks I read about that have Lilja barrels on their rifles can push the upper ballistic without exceeding pressures.
I load my .270wea with 150grain NP to do 3270Ft/sec which duplicate factory ballistics, but I have been into the 3330 Ft/sec with no problems of the normal indication of pressure sighns. I have a 27" barrel on my pre-64 winnie.

I agree Jens. Has alot to do with the actual bore dia as well.