130 gr ttsx & RL 15

[Tree rat]

Hello everyone.
Found the Barnes 130 ttsx to be very accurate in my winchester extreme weather 3006. The load of 57 gr. Of RL 15 seems a bit slow . MV average for 3 shots is 2987 fps. I have lots of this powder and my 06 likes it with lighter bullets. Just wondering if any of you have had the same experience with this setup. No pressure signs at all. The Hornady cases I'm using have lots of capacity. They are lighter then any other brands I have. I'm assuming this is some of the cause. Not that any animal wears a chronograph. Just interested. Thanks

 

[Ares]

Your velocity seems on the low side indeed, but i have not used that bullet with RL 15 or Nomas 203 B which are almost identical powders.
My 308 actually runs them slightly faster with N540.

In 30-06, lapua cases, cci br 2s, 130 ttsx and 60,5 gr. Of N540.
Avg velocity ca 3270 fps. From a 24" Tikka T3. Running a bit stouter load of N 150 also isnt far behind with excellent accuracy.
I would not recommend this as a starting load though..

No animals dont wear a chronograph, but iv'e killed a lot of big game with 150 and 130 ttsx bullets.
These bullets are tough and they need either velocity or a lot of resistance on impact if you want good "terminal performance", actually if your not hunting bigger game then moose the 130 is the better choice of em all.
Below 2000 fps or so the expansion will often be noticeably reduced so velocity is certainly of some importance.

And yes your case volume will definately have an effect on pressure.

 

[Tree rat]

That's why I chose the 130's. I don't think I could get to 3200 fps with RL 15 until my cases had about 60 plus grains. At the ranges I shoot, under 100 yards normally I don't feel expansion will be an issue. This is the most accurate load I've tried in this rifle. I shoot for the shoulders if I can.

 

[rcerro]

That's why I chose the 130's. I don't think I could get to 3200 fps with RL 15 until my cases had about 60 plus grains. At the ranges I shoot, under 100 yards normally I don't feel expansion will be an issue. This is the most accurate load I've tried in this rifle. I shoot for the shoulders if I can.

I've Had good results with that bullet and Alliant Power Pro 2000 powder. 3300fps and great accuracy. Using just north of 60grains. Work up your own loads safely. Ares is correct that this bullet will perform better on game the faster it is pushed.

 

[Tree rat]

I've used the 2000 MR in heavy 358 win loads with 310 woodleighs and in 308 win. Very fast in the 308 with 150 gr bullet. A bit slower burn rate then RL15. I guess I'll stick with the RL 15. I have 3 lbs of the same lot no. Load is accurate and kicks like a 4895 reduced load with 150's.

 

[Ares]

If your cases have a lot of volume. I wouldnt be the least worried about making a ladder up to 60-61 gr. If you actually want more velocity, just be careful about pressure signs.

Then again using shoulder shots it should perform good out to atleast 400 yards, assuming your hunting deer or similar. But at the longer ranges it will do better with more speed.
Within 200 expansion isn't really a concern at all at ~3000 fps.

And that 130 is though, tackled a few big moose at close range, shoulder through shoulder, and have yet to recover one.

I found alliants data a bit lacking, but there is some data around for RL 15, Norma 203 b and Rhinos 15.
Those are all the same powder made by Bofors in sweden, with different company labels. You will generally not find more difference then normal lot to lot variance between those 3.

 

[Tree rat]

I've used RL 15 for 250's in my whelen and it seems very predictable as far as pressure. As I loaded up in grains velocity starts to tail off. The biggest jumps were at the bottom end of the loads. 06 is acting the same. The difference in the whelen between 53 gr & 54 gr was 15 fps. At 54gr my 35 Whelen Rem 700 22 in classic runs 2400 fps.In the 06 between 56 & 57 gr is 20 fps. No sense increasing load for just a few fps. If 20 fps is all it jumps then I'd be at 3040 fps or so at 60 gr.

 

[Tree rat]

Would it be safe to say the load is at the point of diminishing returns?

 

[Tree rat]

Have a thought about this lack of velocity. My local range is not setup friendly for a chronograph so maybe it wasn't level. This would lengthen flight time between the sensors. I'll test a few this week and double check my setup.

 

[Tree rat]

Set today and made sure I was shooting straight over the chronograph. Average vel. fps was 3074 so a difference of 87 fps.