? powder & primer for the cold

More
13 years 2 months ago #8487 by jtallen83
Replied by jtallen83 on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
Thanks so much for all the info guys! I think I may regroup after this. The suggestion to try several types makes more sense the more I read. I've also concluded that I should be much more concerned with those 100+ days causing pressure issues than the small bit of performance lost at -20. I found no references to powder failure or excess pressure related to cold temps.
With all the possible combinations this could take me years to finally settle on a load for my rifle, sounds like fun!!!!!!!
Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
13 years 2 months ago #8488 by MrMarty51
Replied by MrMarty51 on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
I`ll try and remember to go upon the hill sometime and ask the guys at the Ramshot Powders what they suspect on reloading for the heat and the cold and if there be any significant differences see if I can get them todo a writeup on it,now the biggest pwoblem is remembering todo it,HELP!!!!!!! :blink: :laugh:

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
12 years 5 months ago #11644 by rattinox
Replied by rattinox on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
I just signed aboard, so I'm 9 months behind events.....which is about my SOP anyway...... :whistle:

The best cold-weather rifle powder on Earth is VihtaVuori N540 for the standard mil-duplicate load of 145-150 grain FMJBT @ 2750fps.

For your .30-06 and heavier bullets, VihtaVuori N550.

They are both double-base extruded tubular powders with progressive burn curve. I've used both for years and they always gave me perfect performance in a whole slew of semi-autos.

The Finns know what you need for cold-weather shooting, trust me. B)

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
12 years 5 months ago #11646 by zfk55
Replied by zfk55 on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
So do the Swiss, and the Reloder powders are all made in Switzerland, and the two powders for our caliber that covers both ends of the temp ranges are RE15 and RE17, with RE15 having the edge for temperature spread.
.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
12 years 5 months ago #11648 by rattinox
Replied by rattinox on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
Point taken!

I'll load both as a test.

"Arctic"- which describes Minnesota Winters perfectly- reliability is what I'm aiming for. A burn curve that best matches the dash 10 gas system.

I am by no means the Rifleman my Father was, so I can't really demand a load for best accuracy. I literally couldn't appreciate it!

I was considering Hodgdon Ball C, but I dislike spherical powders in general except for pistol rounds. My Dillon 550B powder system doesn't care much for 'em, either. It will handle Lincoln-Log powders with ease. Go figure.

I'll definitely give the RL's a try this Winter.

Which of those powders is best-guess for a duplicate of the mil load, with 150g FMJBT's? 2700fps is just fine for everything I'll be doing, no need to push it.

Thanks!

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
12 years 5 months ago - 12 years 5 months ago #11651 by zfk55
Replied by zfk55 on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
RE15 for sure. These are typical of 150 yard targets with my AR10, 175SMK and RE15. Our spread here is as low as an honest 50 below zero and as high as 90 in the summer. We use our 100 yard ShootShed in the winter.
We never zero a scope. It's always in the white so we can easily see our groups. A typical run is 10 groups of 5 shots per target.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.



This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.



This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.



This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.



Winter shooting with the Chrono and a Coffin.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.



This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.



Typical is 16 targets on the backer. We do take load data development seriously here. Our range goes out to 500 yards.

Latigo
Last edit: 12 years 5 months ago by zfk55.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
12 years 5 months ago #11653 by rattinox
Replied by rattinox on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
Now that's an impressive setup! The sheet plastic "shelter" for your chrono screens is pure genius B)

RL15 it is, but I think I'll start with 47.5 grains. I just want to duplicate standard M80 ball loads and leave it at that. Maybe Nosler 165g Ballistic Tips for hunting, but that's it.

Assuming my ancient Oehler will function on that day!

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
12 years 5 months ago #11654 by zfk55
Replied by zfk55 on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
A Chrono in snow won't work unless you have the infra-red sensors, so the "coffin" is designed to block out all of the reflected light from the snow and allow standard sensors to read the projectile.

Latigo

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
12 years 5 months ago - 12 years 5 months ago #11656 by zfk55
Replied by zfk55 on topic Re: ? powder & primer for the cold
All of our load data is developed here. We work primarily with .308, 30/06 and .223.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.



Despite all the blue progressives, we use this one for precision reloading. Its the Forster Press.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

Last edit: 12 years 5 months ago by zfk55.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.