Finally found an under max load

castnblast · December 27, 2009, 04:35 PM

I have tried many powders and never could find an accuracy load that was under max for my 55gr. Sierra Game Kings till now - H4895 and 34.5 gr shot a sub 1" MOA 4 shot group. The issue had traditionally been getting shot #4 inside the 1" - probably due to barrel heat, but H4895 finally did it. I was having major issues with Benchmark in high heat. It did incredibly well w/ 50 gr. bullets, but not 55's.

dozernomore · December 27, 2009, 05:38 PM

good for you,,but why keep us wondering,,lol
what type of rifle?
caliber??
rate of twist?

castnblast · December 27, 2009, 06:39 PM

Oh, uh duh...Howa 22-250 1:14 twist. I'd REALLY like to find a 1:10 twist to stabalize a heavier bullet. 55's are max for this gun. 22" Barrel.

Found something interesting this summer - Benchmark is suposed to be really temp. stabile. I found the opposite - my gun was all over the place - I took it to the range, and found that with each successive shot, FPS was dropping 50-60fps per shot on a 4 shot string. Almost a 200 FPS variance. I had tested this round in the winter, and it shot fine, got a slightly sub MOA shot group. In the summer, it was all over the place. I trickle charge my rounds, so consistancy was not the issue - it was heat. I pulled 5 rounds and randomly checked them just to be sure. They were all 33 Gr. exactly. So powder was the issue with the heat. That was a max load too. I was glad to have finally found a round that was not at max and was shooting the 55gr. very accurately. I did not shoot these off a lead slead - just some lead bags used like sand bags, so the round is probably capable of better - It's the shooter that is not.

castnblast · December 27, 2009, 06:42 PM

One other thought - I think the slower burning H4895 does a better job with the 55. Benchmark is a really fast burning powder.

hagar · December 27, 2009, 07:13 PM

I'm going to recommend a load that you may find strange, but try it and you just might get the pleasant surprise of your life. Winchester case, WLR primers, 38 grains of Accurate 4350, and the 64 grain Winchester PP bullet. It stabilized just fine out of my 24 inch Remington HB 22/250, and my 26 inch Winchester Sporter varmint, but not my 20 inch Micro medallion. It was also the most accurate load I ever tested, and it killed coyotes, javelina and deer like lightning.

castnblast · December 28, 2009, 09:15 PM

I'll give that a shot...no pun intended.

I'm up for a good heavier bullet load. I've heard the powerpoints are shorter due to rounder nose. Thanks for the load tip. I'll try it out.

December 27, 2009, 04:35 PM	#1
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	Finally found an under max load I have tried many powders and never could find an accuracy load that was under max for my 55gr. Sierra Game Kings till now - H4895 and 34.5 gr shot a sub 1" MOA 4 shot group. The issue had traditionally been getting shot #4 inside the 1" - probably due to barrel heat, but H4895 finally did it. I was having major issues with Benchmark in high heat. It did incredibly well w/ 50 gr. bullets, but not 55's. __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

December 27, 2009, 06:39 PM	#3
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	Oh, uh duh...Howa 22-250 1:14 twist. I'd REALLY like to find a 1:10 twist to stabalize a heavier bullet. 55's are max for this gun. 22" Barrel. Found something interesting this summer - Benchmark is suposed to be really temp. stabile. I found the opposite - my gun was all over the place - I took it to the range, and found that with each successive shot, FPS was dropping 50-60fps per shot on a 4 shot string. Almost a 200 FPS variance. I had tested this round in the winter, and it shot fine, got a slightly sub MOA shot group. In the summer, it was all over the place. I trickle charge my rounds, so consistancy was not the issue - it was heat. I pulled 5 rounds and randomly checked them just to be sure. They were all 33 Gr. exactly. So powder was the issue with the heat. That was a max load too. I was glad to have finally found a round that was not at max and was shooting the 55gr. very accurately. I did not shoot these off a lead slead - just some lead bags used like sand bags, so the round is probably capable of better - It's the shooter that is not. __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

December 27, 2009, 07:13 PM	#5
hagar Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2000 Location: Colombia, SC Posts: 745	I'm going to recommend a load that you may find strange, but try it and you just might get the pleasant surprise of your life. Winchester case, WLR primers, 38 grains of Accurate 4350, and the 64 grain Winchester PP bullet. It stabilized just fine out of my 24 inch Remington HB 22/250, and my 26 inch Winchester Sporter varmint, but not my 20 inch Micro medallion. It was also the most accurate load I ever tested, and it killed coyotes, javelina and deer like lightning. __________________ I don't have time for busy people

December 28, 2009, 09:15 PM	#6
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	I'll give that a shot...no pun intended. I'm up for a good heavier bullet load. I've heard the powerpoints are shorter due to rounder nose. Thanks for the load tip. I'll try it out. __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

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December 27, 2009, 05:38 PM	#2
dozernomore Member Join Date: December 14, 2008 Posts: 25	good for you,,but why keep us wondering,,lol what type of rifle? caliber?? rate of twist?

December 27, 2009, 06:42 PM	#4
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	One other thought - I think the slower burning H4895 does a better job with the 55. Benchmark is a really fast burning powder. __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter