Normal....or not?

hadjii

So I'm loading 156 grain norma oryx and Alaskans in my 26" barreled 6.5-06. Using H1000 last night, the max load, according to hodgdon is 55 grains, which should yield 2680 fps. I loaded up 3 rounds with 54.0 grains, and seated to 3.275", which is .025" off the lands. This yielded me an average of 2830 fps, with an ES of 20 fps and SD of 11.41. I drop one grain to 53.0 grains, and my velocity drops to 2540 fps. ES is in the high 40's, and SD is in the 20's. So, my question is this. Does this sound normal, or perhaps does this sound like a chrony malfunction?

nononsense

Something is amiss, that's for sure.

I did a cursory check of some of my notes and I didn't go very far with H-1000 as it is way too slow for this cartridge and any bullets weights. The take away from this should be that even if the powder manufacturers list any powder in particular, it doesn't necessarily follow that the powder is suitable. This your situation.

Personally, I would skip any more tests with the H-1000. Hodgdon's data appears to be out of alignment for some reason. The load weights vs the pressures and velocities don't match up.

hadjii

Yeah, something's definitely not correct. A friend offered me his magnetospeed, but it won't work on my rifle. The muzzle brake is too long.

nononsense

If I was starting this search again, I would increase the burn rate by one step faster to something like H-4831 and Re-25. Both will yield a full case at reasonable pressure levels.

Best.

hadjii

Well, I have some H4831SC, so I'll try that. Went looking for R-22, 25, or 26 this weekend. No luck there. Thank You

nononsense

Tell me what you have on the shelf and I'll see what I tested.

hadjii

Magpro, Ramshot Magnum, H4831SC, IMR 7828SSC, Rel 19, Norma MRP, H100V, H1000, Norma 203B, Rel 15, IMR4895, H322, A2520. I think that about covers it. Rel 17 and Rel 15 is about 10 minutes away, if I need some. Oh, I forgot. Supreme 780.

nononsense

Magpro, no

Ramshot Magnum, yes

H4831SC, maybe, not quite enough case fill

IMR 7828SSC, yes

Rel 19, no

Norma MRP, my favorite

H100V, no

H1000, NO

Norma 203B, no

Rel 15, no

IMR4895, no

H322, no

A2520  no

Now, I know nothing about your barrel or your chamber so I'm working with averages for safeties sake.

You have a bunch of bullet sitting down in the case, so watch for doughnuts after firing and when neck sizing. Doughnuts have to be removed before seating bullets this deep. Otherwise you're risking high pressure excursions, peak high pressure.

As somewhat of a gauge, I like about 2800-2850 fps. as an upper limit. But your problem here is getting consistent readings from your chronograph. If you can't trust your chronograph, you really have no place to go.

Best.

hadjii

Nononsense, my barrel is a 26" Brux stainless, with a muzzle brake. Don't know what kind, but it's a shade over 3 inches long, so a magnetospeed will not work on it. Fixed the chronograph problem this morning, by ordering a labradar. Way more chronograph than I need or want, but i wanted to get away from the optical sensors, so i thought that was my only option.

The MRP I really like in my 25-06, so I'm sure it'll be just as good in the 6.5-06. Didn't work so well in my 264 win mag as i recall, but was great in my 25-06. Might try the Supreme 780 too. It's real close to the MRP and R-22. I'll wait for the new labradar to arrive tho, before I bother with anything. Thanks again.

nononsense

my barrel is a 26" Brux stainless, with a muzzle brake. Don't know what kind, but it's a shade over 3 inches long, so a magnetospeed will not work on it.

Knowing what a barrel is can be helpful. The difference is that I can't see or run it which is what I meant but didn't say.

Nothing wrong with trying another powder. You'll get a little less case fill so keep that in mind. It should perform in a similar envelop.

Congratulations on the new Labradar! You will really enjoy using it. Just remember to read the instructions and understand how to set it up correctly. The operation on internal batteries is fairly minimal so I ordered one of the external battery banks with lots of power. Better, if you have access to electricity and an outlet, use an extension cord.

Best.

hadjii

Yeah, I've watched at least 3 you tube videos on the labradar. It should be a significant upgrade from the chrony that ive used for quite a few years. Thanks for your assistance, once again. It's really appreciated.