Shot my .284 for the first time today. And have ???

[jsimonh]

Overall the day was alot of fun, pretty much everything I ran through it shot okay. I'm not real sure which way to go after today though. The speed of RL17 is tempting, just not sure how much I can trust it.

Temps ranged from 60 to 70 over the course of the day. Winds were anywhere from 12 to 18 mph.

Criterion barrel 28" 9 twist Bull on a timed and trued LA Savage reciever w/SSS trigger @ 1lbs. All shots were prone with a bipod and rear bag.

Berger 180gr Hybrids all seated .015 off the lands.
Winchester Brass with BR2 primers.

RL17
51.5gr Avg 2858 ES 37 100yd groups .554, 1.271
52.0gr Avg 2875 ES 20 100yd groups .637, .729, .649
52.5gr Avg 2927 ES 13 100yd groups .358, .698

H4831sc
54.0gr Avg 2728 ES 24 100yd groups .718, .599 250yd group 1.290
54.5gr Avg 2736 ES 37 100yd groups .368, .678 250yd group .987 (4 shot group)
55.0gr Avg 2817 ES 14 100yd groups .633, .558 250yd group 1.88 (3 shot group, 2 shots were at .488)

I'm not sure why from 54 to 54.5 I only gained 38fps on 10 shot averages?? when 55gr jumped me 81fps over 54.5.
The best groups of my day were shot with the loads that had the worst ES?? Can I get ES down with better brass prep?
I didn't get a chance to test RL17 at 250, but the 52.5 showed no pressure signs and the 2927 average is huge over anything 4831 was giving me. I still worry about the temp sensitivity of RL17, but there is no denying the speed is there.

If this was your data, which way would your next move take you?

 

[Terry]

I would shoot the RL-17 52.5 load again, changing seating depth or powder load slightly. It would help greatly to see the groups. Their shape tells a lot.

 

[DennisH]

Nice to know as I am building a 284 , good info.

 

[jsimonh]

Thanks for the reply.

Here are some of the pics. I don't have all the targets from today.
H4831sc 54gr
250yd 1.290

100yd .718

54.5gr
250yd .987

100yd .368

55gr
250yd 1.88

100yd .558

RL17 all at 100yd
51.5gr

52gr

52.5gr

 

[Nomad47]

I just received my 284 (same exact barrel). I already have 4 three shot RL-17 loads lightly seated with the heaviest load at 51.5 grains. I thought the loads would need to be seated quite a bit more, once I measured COL to lands with my Stoney Point tool. But as it turns out, I am already .016" off the lands. So I will go to .020 off. And I think I will go ahead and load 52 and 52.5 grains after seeing your results.
My question is: Are our COL to lands the same? (They should be.) My COL to lands is 3.271" to tip of bullet, 2.540" to ogive.
And a question to anybody. How do you calculate COL to lands when you have free bore (.220" in our case) and bullet dimensions?
BTW, I'm not complaining, I was expecting the bullet to be quite a way into the case. As it turns out, the shank is only .203" in the case when touching the lands.

 

[jsimonh]

Yes, my OAL is right there with yours. I didn't have any pressure signs with the 52.5grs, but I didn't have anything more than that loaded to see how high I could go. I've read where 53 was pushing it. I think you'll really like the barrel, mine was fun to shoot. I just want to narrow down a couple loads to start more extensive testing. RL17 is VERY fast compared to 4831, but again the stability has me thinking twice. I'm not a fan of having to worry about my 40 degree load is gonna be massivly over pressured at 95 degrees. IDK...

 

[Terry]

RL-17 51.5-52.5 look really good!

Terry

 

[Nomad47]

Good info, JSimonh. Well, if they made a mistake, they made it on both of our barrels. Were you expecting OAL to be that long? 175 SMKs would be even further out of the case, and I don't know if a 162 AMax could touch the lands.
Erik Cortina invited me to shoot at his place after I get to TX and I'm going to take him up on it. I should be shooting mine in about 10 days.
My RV is currently parked near Pensacola, FL. I guess there is a range near Mobile, AL, but I'm content to wait until I get to TX. I want to do a little competing with it at steel out to 1000 yards in Ohio and that won't happen until next spring. So I have plenty of time for load development.

 

[Nomad47]

One more thing about the temp stability of RL-17. My intent is never to shoot when the temperature is outside of 60 to 90 since I'm retired and live in a motorhome. That's why I'm in Ohio in the summer and TX or AZ in the winter.

 

[jsimonh]

I was a little surprised that they had to be seated that long to reach the lands, but I was almost positive that I was going to shoot the hybrids so I wasn't to worried about it. I've got some a-maxes to try, I'll run them up in my hornady oal gauge and see where they seat when I get my barrel back.

 

[Nomad47]

When you get your barrel back??? Yes, please tell me what COL to lands in for the 162s. I was planning on buying a box to try but if I can't get to .005" off the lands, there is no point in wasting my money. I have a box of 175 SMKs, but kind of hope I don't use them. I'm sure I can sell them to one of my buddies if I'm successful with the hybrids.

 

[jsimonh]

I pulled the barrel to have a brake put on. Should have it back in a week or so. Recoil wasn't terrible, but I couldn't stay on target worth a crap. I'll let you know the info on the a-maxes.

 

[Nomad47]

Haven't shot mine yet, but I have a Harrell's brake on it. It would be a poor choice for shooting prone over dirt, but all my shooting will be off either a portable or permanent bench. Here's pics.

 

[jsimonh]

I've had 2 of harrels side discharge brakes and this time I went with the exact brake you have on yours. I'm anxious to see the difference, I shoot prone a lot but I just throw something down to control the dust.

 

[dragman]

My .284 sports a 30" Krieger. I am shooting the 175XLD's and My gun LOVES H4350! 53.7 grains I am getting 2955fps and over a 10 shot total I am getting a max spread of 5fps. and it is a sub 1/2" gun out to at least 300 yards I bet it will do even better but I haven't shot it any further yet. @ 100 you would need a magnifiying glass to tell me if how many shots are in the 1 hole.

 

[Nomad47]

Dragman, I sure hope my 28" barrel does nearly as well as yours (but with the 180 Hybrids). I'll be trying RL-17 first, followed by RL-22 and 4000-MR.

 

[jsimonh]

Dragman, where did you start getting pressure signs with 4350? I've got a pound of it but haven't worked any loads up with it. I didn't think I could get the same velocity as 4831 with it.

 

[dragman]

Dragman, where did you start getting pressure signs with 4350? I've got a pound of it but haven't worked any loads up with it. I didn't think I could get the same velocity as 4831 with it.

I started @ 53 grains and went to 53.5 grains then to 54. I shot 10 shot groups with each and the 54grains blew 1 primer so I backed it off to 53.7 grains and have shot 50 rounds since and no signs of pressure. I do have the bullets set up in the lands a few thousands.

 

[jsimonh]

I loaded up some 162gr Amax's and shot some 3 shot groups at 100 yards.
The loads were 54gr H4350, WW brass, CCI BR2 primers
Top group was seated .010 off the lands and the bottom groups were .030 off the lands.
For the Amax, in my rifle, it took right at 3.197 OAL to reach the lands.
I think I'll seat them at least .015 or so just because .010 off doesnt leave to much bearing surface in the neck with my .220 freebore.

Here are the pics.

 

[jsimonh]

I've been a big Berger guy for a long time, but the worst group today was better than alot of the groups I've shot with the Hybrids. The other 3 were as good or better. IDK which way I'll go yet, but the next step is to run this load over a chrono to see where my speed and ES is.