20 Tac and 8208 XBR

[eggman]

I have been testing the new IMR powder 8208 XBR in 6 PPC and 220 Beggs. However I think my best use for this powder may be my 20 Tactical rifles. RL-10x has been my go to powder for the 20 Tac since it first came out with a few exceptions. My initial results are looking very good. It looks like 26.6 grs of 8208 is close to max or max in my custom Savage Mod 12 using a coated 39 gr. Blitz king. Velocity using 24.7 grs RL-10x is 3860 fps and 26.6 grs of 8208 is 3880 fps with about the same accuracy. I'm hoping 8208 will be more temp stable and not vary so much lot to lot as does RL-10x.
Anyone else tried 8208 XBR in there 20 Tac ? First impressions ?

Rodney

 

[Recko555]

Don't have any information for you, but will be watching this thread with much interest. I have a 20 Practical I want to try 8208XBR in.

(Side note: I used 24.6 grs of RL10X with my 39gr BKs)

 

[RonRouse]

Hey, eggman, thanks for the heads up on 8208 in your 20 Tac guns. I am the one who bought your Rem 40-X with the Shehane stock. I'm still shooting it. Do you have any ideas how many rounds went through this barrel. Just curious.
thanks for the info>

 

[lutheran]

longshot rifles
rem 700
22" pac-nor #4 polygonal
tannel bushed firing pin
mcmillan htg

Had pressure trouble with 10X, benchmark, 322, 2520, TAC and 748 on 40gr bullets. Just when loads were warm enough to exploit accuracy potential, about 3740fps, the bolt lift got sticky.
8208 somehow eliminated the pressure and still produces accuracy velocity at 25.6grs. As a matter of fact, no sticky bolt even at 26grs.

lutheran

 

[Ole]

Tried XBR 8208 in my .20 Tac yesterday. My .20 Tac has a 26" Krieger 1x11 twist barrel, it's on a Rem action. I started at 24.9grs(3494fps) and went up .2 of a grain until 26.7grs(3797 fps), I shot a 5-shot group with each load. I was using O/F IMI cases, 40gr Gunhaus bullets, mollied, seated .005 off and Rem 7 1/2 primers. Shot over an Oehler 35P set at 10' from the muzzle.

Accuraccy wasn't nothing to write home about, large ES too.

Tom

 

[Silverfox]

eggman--I'm interested in what loads you wind up using even though I don't have a .20 Tac. I do have experience using 8208 XBR in the .204 Ruger caliber rifles and will relate that information here. My Savage target action .204 Ruger has a 26" stainless steel #6 contour 1 in 12 three-groove Lilja barrel. I'm using fully prepped Nosler casings that I neck turned for this rifle. The bullets I shoot are hBN coated 39 gr. Sierra BlitzKings and the powder charge I'm using is 27.3 grains. I use Remington 7½ primers and seat my bullets so the ogive is approximately .010" off the lands.

I used Gregg Tannel's colloidal graphite treatment on this barrel and the first shot down the treated barrel was with a load of 27.4 gr. of 8208 XBR. I cleaned the barrel thoroughly, gave it another colloidal graphite treatment and fired one more shot and cleaned it again. Since then I just use the Graphoil after cleaning. I did try a load of 27.8 gr. of 8208 XBR and got an average velocity of 3,975 fps for 5 shots as measured 12 feet from the muzzle. That five-shot group measured .548" with one shot I called as a flyer because I wiggled bad. Without the flyer the group measured .303" center-to-center. I didn't want to hotrod the loads so I dropped the powder charge down to 27.3 and 27.4 on my next test loads.

I settled on a load of 27.3 gr. and get an average velocity of 3,871 fps at 12 feet from the muzzle and 5-shot groups almost always measure in the .400" to slightly less than .500" and that's with one shot that I wiggle on and call it a flyer. Without the "wiggle shot" the remaining four holes usually measure .300" or less center-to-center. (WARNING: my loads work fine in my rifle, but if you want to try them, please start well under my listed loads and work your powder charge weights up very slowly to be on the safe side. Also remember, my bullets are coated with hBN and there will generally be less pressure in the barrel than you would experience with bare bare bullets.)

 

[Snowwolfe]

I tried the same powder in my 20 Tac with the Hornady 32-33 grain bullets. All I can say is so far I am not impressed at all.

 

[skeetlee]

I like the test lot of 8208. other than that i wont buy anymore until they speed it up a bit, like the test lot!

 

[lutheran]

20 tac
longshot rifles
rem 700
22" pac-nor polygonal
tannel bushed firing pin
mcmillan htg

This rifle's accuracy load with 40gr bullets is close to 100% case capacity with 8208. So the 32gr bullets weren't much faster than the 40's. Although, the accuracy was as pleasing as the 40's.

thanks
lutheran

 

[Adam Morris]

I am currently testing 26.4 grains of 8208 and 39 gr. Blitzkings in my 20 Tac.(oal 2.215) and 27.0 with the 32gr. vmax( my favorite crow disassembly tool). I am getting a bit of a sticky bolt lift w/ 27.3 grains with some BHA brass I pressed into service, so I backed off a bit at this early stage. 27.3 gr. appears to be right at 100 fill w/o compression. That said, the excellent Radway green brass a good friend gave to me shows no hint of pressure(thank you England) at the same charges. Adam

 

[NFG]

So far in my 20 PRACTICAL, 27 gr 8208, Fed match primer, R-P prepped and neck turned cases, Horn 32 Vmax seated 2.255"(touching lands at 2.265"), ~4200 fs, sd 5(Chrony Beta) is giving me ~0.300" plus or minus a bit. ~95% fill.

No obvious pressure signs...EXY bolt lift and extract. I use a Redding FL bushing sizer with bushing 0.002" under chamber neck size and plus 0.002" Comp shell holder to push shoulder back about 0.001".

Scope crosshairs subtend just over 1/4" at 100 yds and my eyes aren't what they used to be so I'm happy with quarter inch groups now...besides the sage rats won't know

26.7 gr Varget, same bullet, case and primers but 2.215" seating is doing about the same, no velocity yet.

This cartridge or rifle is very touchy about powder amounts and seating depths... 2 tenths grain one way or the other and 0.002" on either side of the "sweet spot" opens the groups to 7's to 10's.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Rodney my friend was trying it in this 204 Ruger with 32 Gr. Sierra's and getting .6's at two hundred. So I have to believe it will perform well in the TAC.