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.264 win mag load.
hadjii
Member Posts: 976 ✭✭
Anybody out there have a good load for the .264 using swift scirocco bullets? I've been trying Rl-22. This is what I found this morning. Used 7mm Mag brass that was full length resized in a 264 die. Loaded 3 rounds with CCI 250 primers and 59.0 grains of RL-22 and a COAL of 3.295. Loaded 3 rounds with Rem 9 1/2 standard primers, and 59.0 grains of RL-22, with a COAL of 3.295. Had high pressure signs, which included flat primers and very hard bolt lift. The Hornady and Nosler manual say 59.0 grains shouldn't be max load by a couple of grains. The accuracy wasn't very good either. In the neighborhood of 2". The rifle shoots Hornady A-Max's into a .5 MOA at 100 yards, but when I get away from them, my accuracy isn't very impressive. need some advice. Thank You.
Comments
If you have a load that shoots 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards I be done looking. Barrel life in a 264 is not long.
For my 7mm RMag I run ball powder T870 (a little warmer than H870) because it has a lower flame temperature to help extend the bbl life.
With everything done by the numbers, that load is down right middle of the road. But I'm betting you have a fat neck problem with your brass.
Cast the chamber and measure the chamber cast accurately. Then take one of your converted cartridges with a bullet seated and measure the OD of the neck. Check the mouth of the neck also, you might find a little 'rim' hiding there. My guess is that you have no room for the neck to expand and release the bullet normally.
Best.
W.D.
I use H4831 and H1000 in 264 Win mags with 120 and 140 grain bullet with good consistent accuracy using 7mm rem mag hulls, but have not tested the scirocco bullets. RL22 was not a desireable powder in the guns I tested for good consistent accuracy, but if you are getting .5 accuracy with hornady's and switch to different bullet of same weight and have problems appears you have answered your own question, Your gun don't like YOUR selection! (I always let the gun tell me what it likes and don't like rather than me trying to tell it what it should like)
When shooting especially the magnum HUNTING rifles I do not shoot 5 shot groups, I only shoot 3 shot groups and start with a cool barrel and let the barrel cool between test groups.
Really no need in 5 shot groups from a hunting rifle and overheating the barrel and chamber area. When the gun tells me what it appears to like, I let the gun rest for at least one day and test the first shot and make sure it's with the next two for a good group. I've seen several guns that would shoot a good group from a warm barrel, but the first shot out!
I try to get better than 1 1/4 inch groups at 100 yards and eventually only shoot one shot each day for a HUNTING proof group!
The animals in my area don't hang around and wait on us to warm up the the barrel taking practice shots, the first shot is one that counts in this area and any shots afterward are desperation shots and usually results in the shooter getting his shirt tail cut off up to his shoulders and he must wear the shirt until his hunt is over as a indicator to others that he has goofed up his shot! I therefore as I've aged make the first shot count nowdays, because a cold back when hunting is not a good thing and other hunters do notice! (How do I know this?)
Also you will find that IMR or H4350 will usually be critical of the powder weight. I've seen difference of 1 grain make a 264 go from .5 group to 1 1/2 inch group when using both IMR and H4350, but it seems that H4350 is little more stable for groups as the temp changes from cold to hot and from lot number to lot number.
Normally H4831 or H1000 is not usually not as critical of the powder weight in a 264 win mag and the weight can be up and down by 1 to 2 grains and not much difference in the group size using 120 and 140 grain bullets. The gun either likes the H4831 and H1000 or it don't like them. When starting testing I load a minimum load and then a middle of the high and low average and test the H4831 and H1000 and if groups bad no further testing of these powders required and you have a critical gun for tuning. The IMR and H4350 powder normally has to be tested in 1/2 or 1 gr increments and takes a good shooter to do his part or the test can be misleading for good groups. It's common for the IMR and H4350 powder in a 3 shot group to put 2 in and one out until you find the sweet spot combo! If the groups are 2inch from the start forget these powders also! (too far out for tuning by powder weight normally) but could be bullet type and bullet weight selection selection. I usually only use 120 or 140 gr bullets and these HV guns require a good hunting bullet at close range to prevent bullet failure blowup. By good bullet I mean a Nosler partition or Nosler solid base and Hornady and speer has some good HUNTING BULLETS ALSO. You can expect the groups to open up somewhat when using the hunting bullet vs a flat base or siloutte bullet. Groups may go from 1/2 inch group to 1 1/4 inchs when going to a Partition for example. Nosler partitions are not target bullets, they just get er dun! 120 and 140 gr Sierra Spitzers are good bullets for shooting paper and tuning and Hornady has some good ones also.
The 264's are great when you get them tuned but some can be fineky and I do not clean the bore on them unless I see a group opening up on a gun that was producing a great group previously and I pay attention to the clean bore groups vs the fouled bore groups. You have a good one when she groups good with clean or fouled bore and cold and warm barrel. (shes a keeper)
IMR4831 is normally not a desirable powder for the 264 either. (some shops will try to sell you IMR4831 instead of the H4831)
One more question. Do you think one primer is better than another as far as being conaistent?
Wow. That was a very informative post. Thank you for a wealth of knowledge. I am going to take your advice and try more of the H4831with the scirocco's. Maybe i have been over-cleaning. Lately i have been cleaning every 10 rounds or less. I'll try and post a pic if i do something good.
One more question. Do you think one primer is better than another as far as being conaistent?
I use magnum primers in the 264's usually CCI 250, but magnum primer selection by brand name normally don't seem to make any real difference in group sizes when igniting big piles of powder in these HUNTING rifles. The shooter's performance will usually be more of az difference than primer brand name selection in a 264 HUNTING rifle. I'm not talking about a target rifle's.
But I do glass bed and float the barrels on bolt action hunting rifles. I've never seen a bolt action rifle shoot shoot worse groups due to PROPERLY glass bedding the action (recoil lug area and tang area) and free floating the barrel for 2inchs in front of chamber to muzzle. (no pressure points on the barrel)
Maybe your Swift Scirocco is harder or has a thicker jacket than whatever 264 caliber bullet they developed the data with.
Maybe a few quick shots roughened the throat? When you cleaned after every ten shots, did you wait for the barrel to cool? I think too rapid cooling from the inside can alligator a barrel but am not 100% sure.
Maybe Swift distributes data. Barnes sure does.
Thanks okie. My 264 is a ruger 77. I have floated the barrel, tuned the trigger,and pillar bedded and glass bedded the action. I would like to recrown the muzzle yet, however, it probably does't really need that.
Like I said before, If it's shooting 1/2 inch groups with another brand of bullet, why screw around with messing that up.
Also the swift bullets are not intended as paper punchers either.
Most guys don't realize the rotational velocity of a bullet coming out of a HV rifle and hunting bullets do not have the rotational balanced that a target or siloutte bullet has!