300 Blk bolt action loads

[Old Russ]

Happy to say I got the same results, using 21gn of 2207, I was averaging 2070fps from my Howa mini with 16" barrel.
I had a couple over and under that but I suspect the sun was playing havoc with my chrono when it peeked out from the clouds.
Definitely noticed a bit of recoil and noise, you know you're not firing subs. Now I just have to find a couple of deer to scare.

[Blr243]

Great to hear some confirmation when we are experimenting with non official date in these testing times

[OyKurwa]

OyKurwa do you expand the case mouth for the Speer TNT's ?
I have really only loaded boat tail projectiles so far except for some coated/cast 230gn in 300blk.
My TNT's have turned up and I noticed they have quite a flat tail.
I was wondering if they need the mouth expanded to stop them scratching the sides. I did this for the cast projectiles but it's a bit of a pain to do.
Cheers.
Russell.

Hey mate.

No I don't expand the case mouths. I just chamfer them with the Lee chamfer tool and a drill.

[Old Russ]

OyKurwa do you expand the case mouth for the Speer TNT's ?
I have really only loaded boat tail projectiles so far except for some coated/cast 230gn in 300blk.
My TNT's have turned up and I noticed they have quite a flat tail.
I was wondering if they need the mouth expanded to stop them scratching the sides. I did this for the cast projectiles but it's a bit of a pain to do.
Cheers.
Russell.

Hey mate.

No I don't expand the case mouths. I just chamfer them with the Lee chamfer tool and a drill.

No probs, cheers.
I have noticed that there is also load data for 150 gn projectiles in my Lee die set, with almost similar velocity, I might have a play with those one day, I will report back.

Strangely enough there isn't any load data for 135gn projectiles for that powder (ACCUR 5774), I find it weird how there is data for lower and higher weight projectiles but they seem to skip a common size. ADI do this as well I've noticed for the 300blk subsonic loads, specifically the 190gn projectiles, which happens to be the weight of the Hornady Sub-X pills.

[bladeracer]

No probs, cheers.
I have noticed that there is also load data for 150 gn projectiles in my Lee die set, with almost similar velocity, I might have a play with those one day, I will report back.

Strangely enough there isn't any load data for 135gn projectiles for that powder (ACCUR 5774), I find it weird how there is data for lower and higher weight projectiles but they seem to skip a common size. ADI do this as well I've noticed for the 300blk subsonic loads, specifically the 190gn projectiles, which happens to be the weight of the Hornady Sub-X pills.

Extrapolate from the data you do have.

[Old Russ]

Yep I have been, but I am a bit of an old fuddy duddy, I get a bit nervous making loads that aren't included on published load data, or without somebody having done the testing first. The chrono definitely helps to backup testing though.

Having said that I did just convert some 357 magnum cases to rimmed 300blk for a mate that wants to use them in a Martini action rifle so there's hope for me yet.

[OyKurwa]

OyKurwa do you expand the case mouth for the Speer TNT's ?
I have really only loaded boat tail projectiles so far except for some coated/cast 230gn in 300blk.
My TNT's have turned up and I noticed they have quite a flat tail.
I was wondering if they need the mouth expanded to stop them scratching the sides. I did this for the cast projectiles but it's a bit of a pain to do.
Cheers.
Russell.

Hey mate.

No I don't expand the case mouths. I just chamfer them with the Lee chamfer tool and a drill.

No probs, cheers.
I have noticed that there is also load data for 150 gn projectiles in my Lee die set, with almost similar velocity, I might have a play with those one day, I will report back.

Strangely enough there isn't any load data for 135gn projectiles for that powder (ACCUR 5774), I find it weird how there is data for lower and higher weight projectiles but they seem to skip a common size. ADI do this as well I've noticed for the 300blk subsonic loads, specifically the 190gn projectiles, which happens to be the weight of the Hornady Sub-X pills.

I don't put great stock in ADI, given that they're still publishing load data for powders they haven't been able to bring to market for almost 5 years now.

I think with 2207 you would have to really work at it to cause a pressure issue. I ran right up to 22gr under the 125's, which was gorilla level of compression, and didn't see any pressure signs. In fact, in terms of brass longevity I am at seven uses of my brass without them having stretched enough to go over length and need a trim. That's really saying something.

I've also loaded 2207 behind some 130gr Atomic29 copper projectiles which the company owner was kind enough to send me to test. I loaded them over 19gr which gave me ~1850fps, primarily to test expansion at the extreme low end of usable velocity. Was pleasantly surprised to find they were consistently opening up to 1.4-1.5x diameter at this velocity.

There's 150gr load data out there for Accurate 5744 which is a rough equivalent to 2207. It starts at 17.8gr and finishes at 19.9gr. With 2207 being slightly slower I would probably start at 18.5 and work up from there. That's me though, you do you.

[Old Russ]

Great info thanks again mate, the 125's should do the trick for now, I will have a play with the 150's at some stage but for now I am happy.

[wanneroo]

The Hornady bulk 150g FMJ bullets make for a nice 300 BO "plinking" target load. Any similar bullet should do the same except for M80 147g bullets.

[cusco]

Hi, have been reading the posts. Very interesting! I have been reloading for my Ruger American Ranch 300BO for a while now so I thought I would post my results.

Speer 125 TNT with 17 gn of 2205 gives just around 2000 fps. Plus with a light crimp. Shoots about an inch at 50 yds. Not too sure re the expanding on these as some pigs ran away as compared to the factory ADI 135 Sierra Varminter (no longer made) which performed really well. I have some of these 135s to reload next. Will try loads with both 2205 (still got a couple of bottles left) and 2207 as still available.

Hornady 190 Sub X with 11.2 gn of 2207 at around 1050 fps. Shoots under one inch at 50 yds. Got my first pig just recently with it. Nice and quite!

Sierra 125 Prohunter 16.5 gn 2205 for around 2000 fps. Worked ok on pigs. Ran out of these hence the TNT now.

As 2205 is rare as, I would recommend 2207 as it is still being made for both super and sub loads. I emailed ADI re loads for the 190 Sub X and got a reply to use 2207 starting at 11 gn. My load of 11.2 was very consistent around 1050 fps with very low spread of fps.

As to brass I use cut down 3/4 times fired .223 brass using a mini drop saw of Ebay with a 3D printed jig of Ebay US which holds the case at the right length once set up. These are good for fire and forgets in the field. Hope this helps.

[wanneroo]

Hi, have been reading the posts. Very interesting! I have been reloading for my Ruger American Ranch 300BO for a while now so I thought I would post my results.

Speer 125 TNT with 17 gn of 2205 gives just around 2000 fps. Plus with a light crimp. Shoots about an inch at 50 yds. Not too sure re the expanding on these as some pigs ran away as compared to the factory ADI 135 Sierra Varminter (no longer made) which performed really well. I have some of these 135s to reload next. Will try loads with both 2205 (still got a couple of bottles left) and 2207 as still available.

Hornady 190 Sub X with 11.2 gn of 2207 at around 1050 fps. Shoots under one inch at 50 yds. Got my first pig just recently with it. Nice and quite!

Sierra 125 Prohunter 16.5 gn 2205 for around 2000 fps. Worked ok on pigs. Ran out of these hence the TNT now.

As 2205 is rare as, I would recommend 2207 as it is still being made for both super and sub loads. I emailed ADI re loads for the 190 Sub X and got a reply to use 2207 starting at 11 gn. My load of 11.2 was very consistent around 1050 fps with very low spread of fps.

As to brass I use cut down 3/4 times fired .223 brass using a mini drop saw of Ebay with a 3D printed jig of Ebay US which holds the case at the right length once set up. These are good for fire and forgets in the field. Hope this helps.

Speer makes a 130g Varmint hollow point that is almost the same cost as the 125g TNT. Those might be worth trying.

The Hornady 190g Sub X I hear good things about, I should probably do a Youtube project on those.

[OyKurwa]

I'm about to work up a load for the Speer 130gr HP. I will post my results.

[JimTom]

The 130gn Speer shoots well out of my Ruger American Ranch however this has been with AR2205 and Win296. Have not tried 07.

[Richrob]

After a break away, back here.
Since I posted, have sold my Ruger 300 BO and purchased a Howa Mini 300 BO and had it Cerakoted by Clevers. Already had a Stainless 223 Howa mini and love the simple no plastic action and now can share magazines and swap stocks. Just wish more of the Howa actions were available in stainless like they have in NZ.
(Have the Oryx Howa Carbine/Pistol stock with the 1913 Pic rail stock attachment, highly recommended)
Anyway, been loading 223 as my first real experience in loading, powder I was recommended was Benchmark 2, started at 22 grains and ended up at 24.3 grains and now making it in batches of 100.

The Blackout due to no available powder and being out of factory ammunition decided to also try hand loading Benchmark 2 in my 300, started with 17 grains with a 125 grain Sierra flat base projectiles sold in bulk by Clevers. Very happy with them and will be the only projectiles to use while testing.
They were very accurate and soft shooting, but dirty and smoky, will be trying 15 grain and see if that cleans it up a bit.
Just picked up ADI APS650 powder, looked it up, almost no info at all on it other than 9mm loads.
Going through my reloading books, online and cross reference this powder is very similar to Herco/AP70s/Unique/Universal.
Have found a few were using AP70 in the 300 Blackout so going on information I can find, a load of 8 grains of APS650 under a 125 grain Sierra Flat Base should give pressures in the 35 range and 9 grains around 42 range, I would love to test but currently in a flood area up Nth.
Going to pistol/shotgun powder I know is a lot more risky and would love to hear your views both good and bad.

[Sarco]

The experimentation I have done with 125gn Sierra MK Flat Base HP shows 18gn of either W296 or AR2205 gives around 2286 and 2228fps respectively. Quite similar to OSA factory ammo from the same rifle, though I do have a 22in barrel (a converted Rem 788).

Testing with AP70 and also Unique yielded quite similar subsonic results around the 1100fps, though I wanted to go a bit lower so went to 5.0gn WST and closer to the 1000fps mark. I would expect APS650 to give similar results (as AP70 as that is ADI comapro), but I don't know for sure.

[wanneroo]

If you can find it Lovex and Vihtavouri both make some powders suitable for 300 Blackout.

[Richrob]

The experimentation I have done with 125gn Sierra MK Flat Base HP shows 18gn of either W296 or AR2205 gives around 2286 and 2228fps respectively. Quite similar to OSA factory ammo from the same rifle, though I do have a 22in barrel (a converted Rem 788).

Testing with AP70 and also Unique yielded quite similar subsonic results around the 1100fps, though I wanted to go a bit lower so went to 5.0gn WST and closer to the 1000fps mark. I would expect APS650 to give similar results (as AP70 as that is ADI comapro), but I don't know for sure.

Finally had a break in the weather and was able to test, loaded APS650 with the 125 Sierra Gameking flat base with 5.0 grains to 9.0 grains going up .5 each time.
Accuracy was bad up to 7.0 grain then stayed the same all the way to 9.0 grains.
Was looking for pressure signs and issues each fire, none
No idea on velocity, was smooth for recoil and clean burning leaving no unburnt powder as expected with pistol powder.
I did try 17 grain and 15 grain of Benchmark 2, that left half the powder in the barrel and a heap of smoke. Not trying that again.
Have read quite a few in the states have used Universal in 30-30 soft shooting loads between 9.0 grain and 11, don’t know if I should try more or stay at 9.0 grains and make a batch of 200 and test.
They might be the same caliber but the 30-30 has double the case capacity.

[Richrob]

If you can find it Lovex and Vihtavouri both make some powders suitable for 300 Blackout.

None of these are available here unfortunately, all we have is ADI and currently non of the powder we ideally want for 300 blackout (ADI 2205) is available

[bladeracer]

If you can find it Lovex and Vihtavouri both make some powders suitable for 300 Blackout.

None of these are available here unfortunately, all we have is ADI and currently non of the powder we ideally want for 300 blackout (ADI 2205) is available

You don't have APS950 up there?
I see Rebels have AR2207 in stock.

[wanneroo]

If you can find it Lovex and Vihtavouri both make some powders suitable for 300 Blackout.

None of these are available here unfortunately, all we have is ADI and currently non of the powder we ideally want for 300 blackout (ADI 2205) is available

It's a shame, I am not sure why distributors are not more involved in getting products as supply is now more plentiful.

[Uyenner]

For subs, I've had good luck with Hodgdon H110 (if you can get it there). Just be careful and start low, as it can be a bit finicky. As for supersonic loads, I've found that faster-burning powders like Alliant 2400 can work well in shorter barrels.
Since you're necking down .223 cases, make sure to check your case dimensions and adjust your loads accordingly. Also, keep an eye out for pressure signs, especially when pushing for those higher velocities.

[Old Russ]

Interesting it looks like ADI have updated some of their load data for the 300blk, maybe they've been reading through this thread haha.
There's data for the sub-x load as well as the 198 GR. Lehigh Defense pill.
I also noticed a couple of others that I don't think were there before, including a 265 GR. ACME Bullets projectile, subsonic load. That is a rather large pill, coated, would be interesting to try.
Russell.

[JimTom]

Would love to see ADI publish some AR2207 loads for the lighter projectiles, ie 130gn.

[Wapiti]

The Blackout due to no available powder and being out of factory ammunition decided to also try hand loading Benchmark 2 in my 300, started with 17 grains with a 125 grain Sierra flat base projectiles sold in bulk by Clevers. Very happy with them and will be the only projectiles to use while testing.
They were very accurate and soft shooting, but dirty and smoky, will be trying 15 grain and see if that cleans it up a bit.

I tried these projectiles as cheap loads for friends to use for fun when getting out bush for the weekend, they shot so well in a 308 I thought they might go well on feral pests so I took them for a night run. And they do not expand at all, just pencil even over 3000fps. You never know until you try eh. Best to keep them for steel and paper, but I thought I'd have a go.
The 135gn Sierra HP "Varminter" projectiles are absolutely outstanding though. Very available and might make a great BO option?

[Blr243]

Good idea jimtom. They wouldn’t have to listen to us constantly winge so much about not having any 2205 if we had published 2207 data

[JimTom]

Good idea jimtom. They wouldn’t have to listen to us constantly winge so much about not having any 2205 if we had published 2207 data

Ain’t that the truth mate.