Duelist’s reloading page

• Reloading press used (list modifications if relevant): Redding T7 - I keep six stations loaded with .38 Special and 9mm dies, with one station reserved for pistol FCD or rifle dies. When loading for rifle, I treat it like a single stage.
• Caliber: .270 Winchester
• Bullet (Weight, Coating, Profile, Manufacturer): Barnes TTSX 95gr, Sierra 110gr SP, Hornady 130gr Interlock SP.
• Powder manufacturer, type and charge; volume, type (ball, stick, flake): IMR 4064, RL19, and Varget may be used. This will be a series of experiments.
• Dies used: Lyman Neck Size, Lyman seat
• Primers used: S&B large
• Cartridge Overall Length (COAL):
• Chronograph data (if possible):
• Goals intended with this load: Reduced recoil vs. factory 130gr loads, acceptable accuracy, while still having terminal effect to at least 400 yds.
• Results - accuracy, smokiness, clean burning, flash, temperature, smell, brass deformation, etc.:
• Problems encountered and fixes applied:
• Anything of interest:

Updates to come.

This may be some helpful information from Hodgdon's website-

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Hodgdon Powder Company has found that H4895 can be loaded to reduced levels. H4895 was chosen because it is the slowest burning propellant that ignites uniformly in reduced charges. To create reduced loads, the 60% formula is recommended.

Find the H4895 load in the Reloading Data Center for your caliber and bullet.

Take the maximum H4895 charge listed and multiply by 60% (.6). The load may be adjusted up from there to achieve the desired velocity and accuracy.

This works only where H4895 is listed. DO NOT use in a cartridge where H4895 is not shown.

Example: 30-06 cartridge with 125 gr. Sierra SP bullet. Max load shown in the Reloading Data Center with H4895 is 53.7 grains. 53.7 X .6 = 32.2 grains. The shooter begins with this load, and may work up from there to obtain the desired velocity and accuracy for his reduced load.

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If you go into their Reloading Data Center and filter by 270 and H4895, there are quite a few loads that come up.

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Originally Posted by SecondsCount

This may be some helpful information from Hodgdon's website-



If you go into their Reloading Data Center and filter by 270 and H4895, there are quite a few loads that come up.

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Thanks!

I mis-remembered - I’m using an RCBS die set.

Wow! I knew I’d started this, but couldn’t remember when I last posted anything.

110gr Sierra Pro Hunter SP over a charge of IMR 4064 getting 2950fps shot very accurately, and dropped a little Coues whitetail buck back in December 2020 at 120 yards with one broadside shot through the heart. I haven’t done a lot of shooting of the rifle since then, just checked zero and hunted with the same box of ammunition last year. This year, I shot some of that box a few weeks ago to practice offhand shooting. Mostly, I’ve been shooting .22LR through the heavy barrel Savage bolt action I use as a trainer. Factory ammunition is expensive, and so are loading components. Time to load is a thing, too.

Sierra doesn’t make that Pro Hunter bullet anymore, so I need to come up with something else.

All of the loads in this rifle I have tried have been very satisfying. Probably just because it’s a really good rifle that is satisfying to own and shoot.

I did some reading and listening to people over the past year after a discussion I had with @GJM last year at the 2021 Revolver Round Up about not using lead core bullets to kill things we want to eat due to not wanting to add lead to our diets - TL;DR: we potentially get enough lead exposure re-loading and shooting regularly, no need to add little flakes of lead in our venison to our diets.

Today, I loaded up a ladder of 130gr TSX bullets over IMR 4350. Started at 49gr and went up to 52gr. Not hot loads, but a good shove.

Got a really nice group with 51gr. I will load some more of those tonight and double check the zero tomorrow, and if all is good, hunt Coues next week with that load in this rifle.

129gr LRX gave me better groups than the 130gr TSX, and are supposed to reliably expand at lower velocities (like when trying to hit a 100# Coues at 400 yards or so with a very much not maximum effort load), so that’s what I’m going with for this year’s hunt.