Hornady A-Tip

[wboggs]

Anyone shooting these bullets who can share their experience? I have the 6.5mm 153 gr I want to try in a 6.5 PRC with a 7.5 tw Bartlein 5R. I can probably get about 3150 with H1000 and 3200 with R26. Will they stand the rotational spin shooting slowly? How far off the rifling for seating?
Thanks
Bill

 

[shoot4fun]

I have shot a fair amount of this bullet in my 6.5PRC but with a Krieger 28" 8 twist barrel.
If your barrel is 34" long or so I would guess it could get to those speeds.
Don't really think you will make it without issues of pressure and, likely, jacket failure. The 7.5 twist is likely to push your pressure up well over max if you try to push too hard. Max SAAMI pressure is 65,000 PSI. Hodgdon data goes to around 61,000 with H1000 but in the 2800 range from 24" barrel.
I do have a little room left for more velocity in mine but found the accuracy node to be in the 2900 region.
I have them off the lands around 25 thousandths.
I have a range buddy shooting them too. He uses H1000 and I use Retumbo and we're both running so close together that we can use each others dial ups all the way to 1250 yards (max available).

 

[wboggs]

Thanks for your reply.
One of my accuracy loads is 3120 with h1000 and the smk 150. RL 26 will increase this around 50fps. Pressure is high but there is no case head expansion with the Hornady brass. I used the examples in the questions as upper limits to see if anyone has had failures. Have you had any bullet failures and how rapidly are you shooting?
My plan for them was a mile but if they aren't accurate or come apart, I'll just go with the smk. I'm not interested in burning up the barrel with a lot of testing.
Your load around 2900-2950 is also a very accurate compromise in my rifle.

 

[shoot4fun]

Thanks for your reply.
One of my accuracy loads is 3120 with h1000 and the smk 150. RL 26 will increase this around 50fps. Pressure is high but there is no case head expansion with the Hornady brass. I used the examples in the questions as upper limits to see if anyone has had failures. Have you had any bullet failures and how rapidly are you shooting?
My plan for them was a mile but if they aren't accurate or come apart, I'll just go with the smk. I'm not interested in burning up the barrel with a lot of testing.
Your load around 2900-2950 is also a very accurate compromise in my rifle.

I have had zero bullet failures with A-Tips and, to date, I've shot them in 223, 6 Creedmoor and 6.5PRC. I bought a couple boxes of the 30 caliber 230's to try in my 300 NM Improved but haven't got to them yet.
I have seen the old Amax fail in a 22-6mm project a few years ago and I have heard tales of shooters losing the ELDM in fast twist barrels. One match last summer I had some of the 153 A-Tip not show up on a 900 yard target but I never attributed the incident to a blowup. Hmmm

 

[wboggs]

What velocity and twist you running in the PRC? I will be shooting them at a slow rate of fire.

 

[shoot4fun]

What velocity and twist you running in the PRC? I will be shooting them at a slow rate of fire.

That is all in my initial post.

 

[wboggs]

See it, got mixed up.

 

[wboggs]

I am thinking of maxing out some 135s just to see if the will hold together at the high rotation a 7.5tw will generate

 

[Bill Norris]

I am thinking of maxing out some 135s just to see if the will hold together at the high rotation a 7.5tw will generate

My best accuracy @ 100 yds. with these has been with 47.5 gr. of H-4831 out of my 1 -8 Tw. 260AI. Have not shot them past 100 yds.