Help with load for 6.5x284 Norma

[Nuclear Worker]

Hello to everyone I am new to this sight and new to reloading. I have a 6.5x284 that was built for my Dall sheep hunt.It is a Gunwerks action Muller works 1-8 #5 contour barrel with straight fluting and Timney trigger.The load i worked up for it is Lapua brass Hornady ELDX143 gr CCI br2 primer and 58.2 gr or Retumbo.Fire formed brass is 1.818 which i resized to 1.816 giving .002 bump. Sent fired brass to Lee and had neck die made to give me a .002 neck tension. My COAL is 3.122 I am .025 off the lands. Average speed is 3085.I am not sure where you measure barrel length from ? If I measure from the front of the action to the muzzle it is 26" to the end of the brake which the same contour of my barrel it is 27". It has taken my Dall Sheep at 535 yards and a 5x5 Elk at 100 yards. Both were one shot kills.With the shortage of everything I don't want to use up my Retumbo. I do have 8# of reloader 26 and some Barnes 140 Match Burner bullets,and that I would like to develope a target load with just for trigger time. Does anybody have a recipe for RL26? I also anneal every time with a bench source annealer. I hope I gave the information you need to help me out. Next question is I use a Redding body die followed by my Lee neck die. Is that the same as full length resizing just doing it in 2 steps? Question number 3 when developing a load do you work up your powder first and then worry about accuracy and adjust that with seating depth? Sorry if I asked to many questions.

 

[Layton Perry]

Start at 52 and work up. I really like it in mine. I settled around 54.5 of RL26, but start low and work up.
It's my favorite hunting cartridge.

 

[Nuclear Worker]

Start at 52 and work up. I really like it in mine. I settled around 54.5 of RL26, but start low and work up.
It's my favorite hunting cartridge.

Thank you

 

[Nuclear Worker]

What velocity are you getting? What bullet and how far off the lands? What is your COAL

 

[taylorw]

Start at 52 and work up. I really like it in mine. I settled around 54.5 of RL26, but start low and work up.
It's my favorite hunting cartridge.

This is very close to the RL26 load that I played around with for a short period, when it first hit the shelves. BR2’s, and 139 scenars, 28” Broughton barrel. I ended up at 54.6 grns at 3020 fps. It hit a node at 3100 but was too hard on brass and I was close to bolt lift.
it does move some with temp changes so test your load in the conditions that you’ll be hunting in.

Just for reference.. I messed with about a lb of Retumbo, out of curiosity, and it would hit the 3100 node with less pressure.
this was not a hunting rifle/barrel but same rules apply.

 

[Nuclear Worker]

Thanks for the help. When you say test the load in the temperature you will be hunting in, if I developed the load in summer temperatures and then hunting in much cooler temperatures I would be okay? Would the lower temperatures maybe have a effect on fps and even lower chamber pressure ? Sorry for all the questions

 

[taylorw]

Thanks for the help. When you say test the load in the temperature you will be hunting in, if I developed the load in summer temperatures and then hunting in much cooler temperatures I would be okay? Would the lower temperatures maybe have a effect on fps and even lower chamber pressure ? Sorry for all the questions

It will more than likely drop you out of your velocity node if you work your load up in the summer due to RL26 being somewhat temp sensitive.
It’s not absolute but you can use a good chrono, like labradar, to get your velocities for your best tune and then work your load back up to that area in the colder weather. Just make sure to test the load again at the distances that you plan to hunt.
I always look up the avg highs and lows in advance, for the area that I’m planning to hunt and tune the rifle in the middle, if possible.
I feel like temps have an affect on the actual rifle also so you will be tuning your load and the rifle in similar conditions to get the best load possible.