First post - load for xp100 in 260 rem?

[tmsnyder]

Hi I just picked up a Remington XP-100R in 260 Rem for deer hunting in NY. There are areas in NY where you can't use a rifle, but you can use a shotgun or a pistol, so I'm hoping this pistol will be able to reach out and touch deer out to 200 yards or so.

I have some experience reloading for 270 Win, not a lot but a little. I've ordered 120 gr Nosler bullets, Lapau brass, a set of neck sizer dies, and I have on hand H4831SC powder. It's a 15 inch barrel, so I'm thinking that there may be some thought that it will be a little too slow burning for the pistol but I have some on hand and I'll give it a try.

Any advice on setting this up? It has an internal magazine, but if I can, where should I set the bullet seating ideally? Is there some benefit to setting the bullet as close to the rifling as possible?

Anyone have experience with the XP-100R in this caliber? What kind of groups could I expect if I do my part?

What kind of velocity will I lose with the 15 inch barrel compared to a normal rifle length? I don't have a chrono (might need one though...)

Any other powder experience or opinions?

Thanks!

 

[bheadboy]

had lots of xp, just not in 260,

however, with the bbl length I would strongly recommend 4064, 4895, varget to start with, you will run 150-200fps below list for the published load.
I expect you will need a set of full length dies.

Bob

 

[jonbearman]

My best friend is using reloader 15 with the lighter bullets,his gun likes 37.0 grains or so . You should start lower and work up looking for pressure signs like flattened primers and measure just ahead of the extractor groove on new brass and measure till you see it changing dimension then back off a grain or two.

 

[expiper]

wayyy bak in the day ,,,I was loading for several xp's and Contender/Encore pistols ,,,bbl lengths from 10-15",,,,lots of 222-223 and 7mm-08 and 308,,,,the faster powders always gave less "flash" and better groups,,,I like 4198 for the 22 cals and 322 for the 08' derivitives,,,,Roger

 

[gotcha]

Hi Snyder, Having worked with Xp's I'd suggest you get a scope in order to Tailor loads. Depending on how sensitive you are to recoil you might also consider a muzzle brake. Select a bullet that will keep the heel .020" to .030" above the cartridge neck/shoulder junction. Keep neck tension in the .003" range to prevent set back or extension of bullets in the magazine under recoil. No crimp should be necessary. Obviously testing various seating depths will be predicated on consistent feeding from the magazine and keeping the bullet heel above the neck shoulder junction. I've had good success with H-4895 & IMR4064 in cartridges of similar capacity to the 260 Rem. A lot easier to find than Varget or RL-15. Drop me a PM if you have other questions. Dale

 

[BradY]

Best bet would be to look up the hodgdon or similar powder companys website and look for load data for your chosen bullet weight. Go with the faster burning powders for that bullet. Start at minimum charge and work up slowly looking for pressure signs. You will see a couple of charges that are close in weight that shoot similar POI to your target. Choose the middle one and play around with the seating depth a little to try and shrink those groups into minute of deer requirements and go have some fun!

 

[2506]

In these day of where you can't find the powder that you want just find what will work. Anything between one of the 4895s up to one of the 4350s will get you within 2600 fps + or - 50 fps which will get the job done really well on deer with 120 BT out to much further than 200 yards once you learn where to dial or hold on a deer. The slower burning the powder the more muzzle blast. For a long eye relief pistol scope take a look at the Weaver 2.5-8X28 which is a good scope for the price. The Burris 3-12X32 with the B plex would be the top of the list in my book. Most ballistic tips like to shoot somewhere between 10 and 20 thousands off the lands. I would not load a hunting round closer than 10 thousands off the lands. Murphy WILL show up at the worst time. I have stuck a bullet in a bore which pulls the bullet and dumps the powder down in the action using loads with a bullet loaded close to the lands. Bullets will pull forward under recoil while in the magazine some times. Once you get your load worked up practice, practice, practice shooting from the type of rest you will use while hunting. If hunting from a shooting house or some type of stand make you a shooting rail so you can use sandbags for the forearm and under the grip. If hunting off the ground anything from a back pack, bi-pod on your rig to a portable tripod like the Stoney Point PolCat Convertapod System which I use and works great. The tripod I use can be seen at Midway USA web site Product # 750-128. I use the v notch to support the forend and raise the third leg fully extended up and place it on top of my shoulder on my shooting hand side. I wrap my shooting hand arm around that leg and rest my wrist on that leg. Makes a stable platform and it is light, quick and portable. Good luck and have a blast.

 

[tmsnyder]

Thank you all for the help very much. A lot to digest.

I was considering the faster powders, Benchmark shows up on Hodgdons site as the fastest one for 260 and also gives the highest MV. But reading online I found one or two people had problems with it being too fast, and causing pressure problems. I'm not interested in that much excitement! 4350 is another popular one I see recommended a lot, I might be able to get that at the store.

414 looks good on paper too, and 380.

Except for Benchmark though, they're all in the same general area on the powder quickness table as 4831 it seems.

I have H4831SC on hand already and in rifle length barrels it's supposed to be good for this caliber according to the Hodgdon website, I'm just going to try it and see. If it lights the hair on my arms on fire with a fireball I'll move on to another powder LOL

It's coming to me with a scope on it already btw.

I appreciate the help. I hadn't heard about the general best way to work up a load. I'm learning a lot from your feedback. I like the idea of finding a load that the POI is least sensitive to changes in the powder charge, I hadn't thought of that but that makes a lot of sense for a hunting load. So I would do that and then play around with seating depth. Makes a lot of sense.

I also really appreciate the advice on the rests. I will definitely need to practice shooting from a blind and will also need to assemble some good gear to be able to do that, it's not like with a shotgun where you just grab it and go. It would be good if I took some things to act as a good rest with me into the woods.

Thanks again