4831SC in my 270 win???

[greggohrc]

I have 130gr BST's for my Ruger M77 270 WIN and i have loaded them over 59gr's of 4831SC. This gun has been very accurate with anything I have loaded in it before but this is the first time I have used either this bullet or this powder. I am getting very erratic grouping. Do you think it is over loaded? Do I need to reduce the loading because of the short cut powder? Hodgdon says that 60 is max with regular 4831 but I was curios if the short cut packs better for a denser charge? 59gr should be 59gr right?? Any help would be great I have heard great things about this combo and would love to make it work for me.

 

[SBruce]

In my experience, rifles are more picky about the bullet used than the powder used, generally speaking of course.

If you really want to use this bullet, you could try a couple different charge weights with said powder and bullet, and maybe even a couple diffferent seating depths with same, but if that doesn't show any promise.....perhaps the gun just doesn't like that particular bullet.? Especially if it's a known accurate rifle that's proven itself before with other bullets.

4831SC should be a fine powder to use in 270, it always done me well in 25-06 with heavy bullets and 6mm rem. and 243AI too for that matter. Alot of folks say it's good in 300 WSM as well, I don't know of any reason why it wouldn't work well in a 270.

Good Luck,

 

[greggohrc]

i was thinking about seating depths. I have it loaded out to max for magazine loading. I have, though, with others loaded closer to the lands and shot singly for varmints or bench/target shooting. that maybe it. i will try loading them out a little and shooting them on the bench. doesn't help making it into a hunting load though. guess I will have to go back to speers.

 

[SBruce]

How far off the lands is your maximum "mag tolerable length"?? If it's only .015 or .030 off the lands, then it may not hurt to try seating in deaper at .070 to .100 off the lands. Contrary to popular belief, some bullets simply don't like to be up close and personal with the rifleling, some do. Only way to tell for sure is try it.?

 

[trebark]

I have 130gr BST's for my Ruger M77 270 WIN and i have loaded them over 59gr's of 4831SC. This gun has been very accurate with anything I have loaded in it before but this is the first time I have used either this bullet or this powder. I am getting very erratic grouping. Do you think it is over loaded? Do I need to reduce the loading because of the short cut powder? Hodgdon says that 60 is max with regular 4831 but I was curios if the short cut packs better for a denser charge? 59gr should be 59gr right?? Any help would be great I have heard great things about this combo and would love to make it work for me.

If this is the only load you have tried, you clearly need to experiment. Be sure that whatever you do, you only change one thing at a time. This allows you the measure the effect of the change.

Is your current load overloaded? are you seeing any pressure signs? e.g. ejector marks on the case head, flattened primer, heavy bolt lift.

H4831SC is a good powder for the 270. A buddy of mine with a 270 had read that RL22 was the go-to powder for the 270. After much failed testing with RL22, he tried H4831SC and it was almost magic.

 

[royinidaho]

My own personal experience on two different barrels on the same action is:

1. 4831 is 4831 whether its ssc or not.
2. 4831 is too slow for a 130 class bullet.
3. 4831 is not the optimum powder that it was when there were not other choices
4. Non magnum primers will produce better accuracy than mag primers.
5. For a test case load up some Hornady 140 SPBTs with the rear of the crimping groove exactly at the case mouth. Bet it works.
6. RL-22 with non mag primers (cci-200 for example) with 140 NABs should do very well. If not dink with seating depth.
7. 4350 is a better choice for 130 class bullets than is 4831, for velocity production.

 

[rscott5028]

It may not be optimal, but I worked up a quick sub-moa load in my 270 win a while back using 130gr Bergers and h4831sc because that's what I had on hand.

I get about 3,000 fps with 130gr Bergers, 59.8gr H4831sc, Fed 210M's, and Nosler brass out of an FN Mauser 98 action with a 25" Shilen barrel. That's near max in my rifle in 100 degree weather. Be sure to start low and work up.

I never bothered to tinker further because I'm waiting on the 165 Matrix's to arrive any day now.

-- richard

 

[HTSmith]

H4831 is a fine powder for 270Win. I get a little better velocity out of IMR4831 but its not that big a deal. My rifle likes Nosler Ballistic tips. My son's doesn't like them, but shoots best with regular flat base speers in 130 Gr. My groups shrank markedly when I switched from CCI200 to CCI250, so magnum primers are not always a bad thing.

 

[greggohrc]

How far off the lands is your maximum "mag tolerable length"?? If it's only .015 or .030 off the lands, then it may not hurt to try seating in deaper at .070 to .100 off the lands. Contrary to popular belief, some bullets simply don't like to be up close and personal with the rifleling, some do. Only way to tell for sure is try it.?

I wll try seating some a little deeper and see how that goes. I have to borrow a chronograph so I am not sure on the velocity I am getting now. Thanks for the info.

 

[greggohrc]

My own personal experience on two different barrels on the same action is:

1. 4831 is 4831 whether its ssc or not.
2. 4831 is too slow for a 130 class bullet.
3. 4831 is not the optimum powder that it was when there were not other choices
4. Non magnum primers will produce better accuracy than mag primers.
5. For a test case load up some Hornady 140 SPBTs with the rear of the crimping groove exactly at the case mouth. Bet it works.
6. RL-22 with non mag primers (cci-200 for example) with 140 NABs should do very well. If not dink with seating depth.
7. 4350 is a better choice for 130 class bullets than is 4831, for velocity production.

I have read the opposite about 4831, most other opinions are that it is perfect for that bullet weight. I will try some 140's though, was thinking of doing that anyway. I was using WLR primers, so that is not an issue. I have been loading Speer 130's with Vhita viouri powder and getting great accuracy. Not sure on velocity but they shoot great out to 500 yards. thanks for the info.

 

[greggohrc]

H4831 is a fine powder for 270Win. I get a little better velocity out of IMR4831 but its not that big a deal. My rifle likes Nosler Ballistic tips. My son's doesn't like them, but shoots best with regular flat base speers in 130 Gr. My groups shrank markedly when I switched from CCI200 to CCI250, so magnum primers are not always a bad thing.

I have some mag primers, I was thinking of trying that. Maybe I will. As you said though, maybe this gun does not like this bullet. Thanks for the info.

 

[greggohrc]

If this is the only load you have tried, you clearly need to experiment. Be sure that whatever you do, you only change one thing at a time. This allows you the measure the effect of the change.

Is your current load overloaded? are you seeing any pressure signs? e.g. ejector marks on the case head, flattened primer, heavy bolt lift.

H4831SC is a good powder for the 270. A buddy of mine with a 270 had read that RL22 was the go-to powder for the 270. After much failed testing with RL22, he tried H4831SC and it was almost magic.

no pressure signs at all. I was not thinking overloaded, just maybe would get better grouping if I slowed it down some. I don't want to slow down too much though, I would love for my hunting load to stay about 3000 fps. Looks like I have an excuse to but a chronograph.

 

[greggohrc]

It may not be optimal, but I worked up a quick sub-moa load in my 270 win a while back using 130gr Bergers and h4831sc because that's what I had on hand.

I get about 3,000 fps with 130gr Bergers, 59.8gr H4831sc, Fed 210M's, and Nosler brass out of an FN Mauser 98 action with a 25" Shilen barrel. That's near max in my rifle in 100 degree weather. Be sure to start low and work up.

I never bothered to tinker further because I'm waiting on the 165 Matrix's to arrive any day now.

-- richard

Thanks for the info. I am not giving up on the powder yet. Seems like it would likely be related to the bullet anyway. How do you like the Bergers? I wanted to try those some time as well.

 

[trebark]

no pressure signs at all. I was not thinking overloaded, just maybe would get better grouping if I slowed it down some. I don't want to slow down too much though, I would love for my hunting load to stay about 3000 fps. Looks like I have an excuse to but a chronograph.

Shooting without a chronograph is like shooting with your eyes closed.