New load Work-up

hadjii

I'm trying to find an accurate load for my 6.5 Rem Mag, using 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. My O.A.L., is going to be 2.8", whether I like it or not because of magazine length. I've used RL-19, IMR 4320, and Win 760. I've tried using both standard and magnum large rifle primers, and so far, about the best I can do is 1.5-1.75". I've tried keeping the muzzle velocity about 3200 fps, but I am wondering if I'm not stabilizing the bullet, or maybe over-stabilizing the bullet with that speed. My question is this. Should I start over, and start at the lowest velocity my manual recommends? Should I increase the powder weight by .5 grain increments, or 1 grain increments? So far, I am rather puzzled at this dilemma. About the best I can get with Nosler 120's is 1 3/8" grouping, which is good enough for hunting I suppose, but I would sure like to reel it in a little more. The rifle is a 673 Remington. The barrel has been floated, the action pillar bedded and glass bedded as well, and the trigger lightened up to about 2 pounds. Not sure where else to go with this problem. Thanks in advance.

Jim the PA Hunter

Hi,
You should probably move this to the reloading forum but I would suggest you try some slow burning powders like IMR4350, IMR4831, IMR7828,or some of the Hodgdon equivalents. I have a 264 Win. Magnum that loves IMR4350.[:)]

hadjii

Thanks for the response. The only problem is, is that I don't know how to move the topic from one forum to another.

swearengine

Do you know what the twist of the barrel is? From the little bit of information you have posted, it appears that heavier bullets shoot better than light ones in your rifle. Perhaps you would be better served if you were to try a 140 grain bullet.

hadjii

The twist is 1 in 9". I have shot 140 Nosler partitions and 140 grain Speer's. They shoot pretty well, about 1 1/4" groups is about as good as I've gotten with them, perhaps a bit better on a couple of occasions. Seems like on every group of 3 or 4 shots, I get 1 flier. It is usually about an inch south of the rest of the group. Can't figure that out either.

Mtnlover

Your rifle may not like the Nosler bullets. Try another brand at the same weight and see what happens. Also, take a hard look at your scope. If it needs a parallax adjustment, for example, you won't progress in your load development until that is done.

hadjii

I am looking in the Nosler No.6 manual, as well as an older Hornady manual and a Speer No. 12 manual. As far as the length, the length cannot be more than 2.8" long, or else it won't fit into the magazine. I am talking about a Remington 673 here, not a Remington 700. The 673 is a Remington model 7 action, which is shorter than the 700 short action. As far as the scope goes Mtnlover, the parallax is adjustable. The scope is a Bushnell 4200, 6-24 tactical scope. It's a fine piece of glass IMHO, of course, even the best scopes can have problems, but I don't believe that to be the problem, at least not yet I don't. Thanks for the replies.

hadjii

My nosler reloading manual shows a maximum load of 65.0 grains of RL-19 for a velocity of 3567 fps. There is no listing for IMR 4320 in the Nosler manual, so I switch to the Hornady 3rd Edition for a listing for IMR 4320. It shows a maximum load of 47.6 grains behind a 100 grain bullet for 3200 fps. Yes, I realize the Speer manual doesn't have a listing for 100 grain bullets, however it does for 120 grain bullets, which I am also experimenting with. Different manuals show a tendency to use some powders and not others, which is why I switch between several. What I am trying to do, is get maximum accuracy with the most speed. Admittedly, I am starting at the wrong end. I usually start about 1 grain below max, and go down, which I'm sure is incorrect, so today I loaded up 3 rounds with 40.5 grains of 4320 behind the Nosler 100 grain, but it was too windy to test out, so maybe tomorrow, I'll find out what happens. If the test runs shoots at 1" or less, I'm going to stop there. If not accurate, then I'll move up .5 or 1 grain, don't know which yet. According to Ken Waters, the 6.5 Rem is a real S.O.B. to get good results with reloading, and I'm finding out there is some merit to what he is saying. Problem is, now I have the rifle, and I'm not ready to quit on it yet, however, I'm closer to it this week than last.