450Bushmaster.net

Due to the limited availability of Lil Gun when I was gearing up to reload for 450b, I picked up a couple other powders to try. Wasn't able to find much trial information on Ramshot powders so here are some results from Ramshot Enforcer,... Nothing fantastic but information none the less.

Bartz 20" upper
hornady 250gn ftx
2.250 C.O.A.L
taper crimp .475"
cci #400 primer

http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/jsmit ... 0%20target

jsmith72087 wrote:Due to the limited availability of Lil Gun when I was gearing up to reload for 450b, I picked up a couple other powders to try. Wasn't able to find much trial information on Ramshot powders so here are some results from Ramshot Enforcer,... Nothing fantastic but information none the less.

Bartz 20" upper
hornady 250gn ftx
2.250 C.O.A.L
taper crimp .475"
cci #400 primer

http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/jsmit ... 0%20target

Welcome to our electronic campfire. And that's some very interesting groups. Now that you're approved, you can post attachments here. So tell me more about this range test. Also, have you considered using magnum primers? By the looks of those groups, I would say you're definitely on the right track but what did they chrony and what does the brass look like afterwards? Recoil? Muzzle Flash? Gas operation results? Ejection? Does it burn clean?
There. Now that everyone is drooling.
Tell us MOAR!!
Welcome again!

Sheepdawg,
With a few things working against me, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability...

First things first, chronograph. I was able to get readings on the first 14 shots, 3 of which were my sighters for OCW. I can only assume that the lighting is my biggest problem but I will share the info that I do have:
36.5gn 1)2187 fps 37gn 1)2058 37.5 1)2041 38 1)2230 38.5 1)2197
2)2078 fps 2)1988 2)2108 2)2024
3)1977 fps 3)2104
(shot in a string so do not have avg, spread, or s.d, as all 14 shots we under 1 group and I haven't done the math yet.. sorry)

when I shot the 38.5 (2) and 39 I got nothing but errors and blanks also. So, there is my chrony info, such as it is.

As for the rest of your questions, please excuse any ignorance as this is my first time loading straight wall cartridge in a semi auto platform. My focus since I started reloading has been directed to my bolt action high velocity cartridges; 25-06, 240weatherby, and .204ruger to name a few of my recent works. However, pressure signs I assume remain the same, to which I find nothing all the way thru 39gn. (which is only.5 grain above max for a 250gn bullet in the ramshot loading manual). So, to answer how the brass looks (other than any pressure signs) and how the recoil is, I can only compare to hornady factory ammo loaded with same bullet (250gn ftx) and say that is very comparable.
Gas operation and ejection..? I will say that all rounds cycled flawlessly. I do not see any "heavy" marks on the rim of casing from the extractor.
And finally, does it burn clean.. again, with only have factory to compare to at this point, It looks like the fouling around mouth of case are the same as factory. have not had a chance to clean barrel so I will have take a closer look at that but again nothing noticeably different.
I am going to pick up some magnum primers next time I get a chance to. Other that trying the 39 again and possibly toying with seating depth, a primer change was on my list of things to try to tighten that group up a little.

Thanks for interest!

The bad readings at higher charge weights can, but not always, be a sign of too much unburned powder coming out the muzzle. Definitely look for a hotter primer and retest the same charge weight progression. Hard to beat Remington 7 1/2 primers, though WSR primers are a close second. Also, get the chrony as far away from the shooting bench as can be reasonably achieved.
Quickload is not the ultimate source of prediction, but it implied that you should be getting higher velocities than you did for those charge weights using Enforcer.

Hoot

Hoot,
Thanks for advise. I will def pick up some 7 1/2 primers and try those next session. Also, seating depth, do you suggest spending a lot of time playing around with that? .010"- .020"? changes or more?

In addition to setting the chrony further away, I am considering modifying my setup a little with at least some sun shades and even considered the possibility of a "coffin" type fully enclosed box as I do have (and use) the IR kit that came with chrony. I will keep you posted on results, tho I am not sure when I will return to the project as the Fall Harvest has commenced on my farm. thanks again.

Sun angle can cause headaches at times. My Chrony has sunscreens above the sensors which I always use, but they don't always help up in these northern latitudes where the sun is rarely high in the sky. What really helped is a cut up white plastic kitchen trash bag, taped across the sides of the struts like panels while shooting and easily removed and stored when done. Still, with the orientation of our rifle range, the sun courses across the sky almost immediately behind me, so the panels are only slightly helpful at times, depending upon the time of day. Cutting up a white cylinder and forming a tunnel would be the ultimate solution. One which I've considered several times. One drawback to adding the surface area is when the wind is blowing. My chrony and cheapo tripod don't weight much. With too much crosswind area, it doesn't take much wind to blow it over, so its kind of a cut and try process to find the right balance of shade in the right places and at the right time. For my range, that equates to around 2 hours a day, when the bad readings occur. The easy answer is to get done before then or wait until after then.

Obviously, that is no help if the issue is one of ejectile induced errors. About all one can do it to try and put as much reasonable separation between the muzzle and the chrony. I have some N110 that is particularly bad at throwing granules downrange. they actually look like they're burned but their size gives them some cast. Kind of like those cigarette filters in whatever brand of cigarette that used to have the charcoal filters on them. Was that Larks? William Tell just rolled over in his grave.

Hoot

I was able to continue with some test loads this past weekend. This time I used Ramshot Enforcer and Remington 7 1/2 primers rather than the CCI #400's I used last session. (thanks for advise on that primer! ) Still Hornady 250gn FTX and same O.A.L and crimp.

I'm not exactly sure if I am attaching correctly so let me know if you cant see anything. Thanks. There is a picture of the groups and an excel spreadsheet with chrony info.




http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s54 ... xyne5t.jpg

Now you're talkin' !

Look for the load with the minimum vertical dispersion, assuming a consistent as possible shooting method. One outlier in an otherwise good group doesn't necessarily mean a bad group. It's hard being perfectly consistent from shot to shot, with a large caliber AR, off of bags. Short of loading charges that will shorten the life expectancy of your brass (= hot loads) I'd say you have reached the velocities that are fairly common for the 250gr FTX bullets, when they are in their sweet zone.

Experimentation that goes well, is its own reward. That's the hook in the mouths of reloaders.

Hoot