6.5 PRC Hornady 147 gr. ELD Match factory powder

Best load out of my Christensen Ridgeline so far has been 53.8 gn RL26, 210M, Hornady brass, 147 ELD-M. .020" off lands. 2940 FPS. .169" group at 100. 55gn of RL26 was too hot in my gun.

T3ninja said:

Idk if this matters but my 3-4 lbs of RL 26 I've used is black, Not the yellow/gold color in the photo I see on page 1..... maybe it's the lighting in the picture?

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They were both a graphite black. I guess the light was reflecting off the shiny surface of the granules and pan. The point wa that they looked the same

Nimrodmar10 said:

I had the same type problem with a 6 CM. You may need to measure your chamber length with a modified case and those bullets to make sure you're not jamming the bullet into the Lands and shoving the bullet back into the case. I had a short throat in the chamber. I had to return it to the factory to have the barrel replaced

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Thanks for reply, will check again.

Nimrodmar10 said:

Since no one knew for sure what the powder was, i did a little research of my own. I pulled a bullet from a new Hornady 147 gr. ELD-M. The powder weighed exactly 59.0 grains. I first measured the length and diameter of the grains. The diameter was .042" and the length was .065". I then compared it to powders i had on hand. Reloder 25 and H1000 were definitely not a match. Next i compared it to Retumbo. The grains were exactly the same size and the colors was a very close match. It seemed to be a match.
The velocity listed on the box is 2910 fps which matches the velocity I got in my 24" barrel Savage. Hornady's reloading data which I obtained from their web sight list a velocity of 3050 fps with a load of 58.5 gr. Of Retumbo in a 26" barrel
Of course I can't be positive that the factory powder is Retumbo, but I'm definitely going to get a box of the 147 gr. ELD-Ms and try working up a load for my rifle.
Thoughts?

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Federal has many powders specially blended for them by many different manufacturers to get the P&V & accuracy specs.

Thank you very much for your research. I now know I'm not the only one the does this..lol

Nimrodmar10 said:

Since no one knew for sure what the powder was, i did a little research of my own. I pulled a bullet from a new Hornady 147 gr. ELD-M. The powder weighed exactly 59.0 grains. I first measured the length and diameter of the grains. The diameter was .042" and the length was .065". I then compared it to powders i had on hand. Reloder 25 and H1000 were definitely not a match. Next i compared it to Retumbo. The grains were exactly the same size and the colors was a very close match. It seemed to be a match.
The velocity listed on the box is 2910 fps which matches the velocity I got in my 24" barrel Savage. Hornady's reloading data which I obtained from their web sight list a velocity of 3050 fps with a load of 58.5 gr. Of Retumbo in a 26" barrel
Of course I can't be positive that the factory powder is Retumbo, but I'm definitely going to get a box of the 147 gr. ELD-Ms and try working up a load for my rifle.
Thoughts?

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You might think this is wierd but does it smell the same as retumbo. Retumbo has a peticular smell non-nitro.

kiwikid said:

Reloader 26 that I have here measures 0.041 to 0.044 in diameter. Lengthwise my sample varies a lot from 0.041 to 0.069 with several measuring 0.058". From what I have read it is not unusual for ammo manufacturers to use a blended powder that is not available to reloaders.

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I have read that, too - and that might explain the variation in kernel size that you're seeing in the factory loads. I don't know how much the kernels in a jar of one particular powder vary, but if they are blending a couple of powders you're definitely going to see some variance.

I also once read about what they called "duplex loads." This is where they load a couple different powders of entirely different burning rates in a large-capacity cartridge. I don't know if this was ever done in factory loads, but I read about some handloaders that tried it. Seems like a really good way to get blown up.

JimmyCP said:

You might think this is wierd but does it smell the same as retumbo. Retumbo has a peticular smell non-nitro.

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You got me there, I didn't do a smell test

Nimrodmar10 said:

You got me there, I didn't do a smell test

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As I have posted before, PLEASE be extremely cautious if trying to duplicate factory load powder. I believe most factory loads use a proprietary powder as they do not want us hand loaders to be able to duplicate their loads. I found this out trying to copy a Superformance load that shot so well in my 300 Winny. As many have done, I pulled one apart, visually compared the powder to the store bought Superformance powder using a magnifying glass and moving the light source to many different angles and even matching the charge weight and comparing the fill level in prepped brass by the same manufacturer, weighing exactly the same to the tenth of a grain. Everything appeared to be identical. I loaded one up, tied my rifle in a rest, and, using a 20 foot string, lit her up. Everything up to tying the gun down was , for me, stupid! Had complete case head separation, blown primer and a really bad carbon ring in my chamber and a velocity increase of over 340 FPS vs. the factory load verified by MagnetoSpeed. PLEASE be very careful!!! Dan in MT

I'm always very careful when reloading, it is literally like playing with dynamite. I found a pound of Reloder 26 at a semi-local dealer and compared it to the factory powder. It did not match at all.
So I decided to give the Retumbo a try with the Hornady 147 ELD-M bullets. The Factory Hornady 147 gr. ELD-M showed an Avg. Vel. of 2929 fps., S.D. 27 fps and E.S. of 55 fps. at 50° F. Using Hornady's reloading data, I loaded 5 shells each with 57.3 gr. and 58.5 gr. which is shown as the maximum load. The 57.3 grain load showed Avg. Vel. of 2979 fps, S.D. 11.3 fps and E.S. of 28 at 64° F and produced a 1.154" group at 100 yards. The 58.5 gr. load produced Avg. Vel. of 3032 fps, S.D. 7.3 fps and an E.S 16 fps and shot a .656" at 100 yards. Both loads matched factory COAL of 2.945". All loads were fired using a LabRadar. The factory load was the 20-25 loads fired through the new rifle/barrel which has continued to speed up as the round count continues to climb. The two reload groups were 160-170 on the round count. The barrel has gained over 100 fps since I first choreographed it.
So, while my reloads don't exactly match the factory load, they are close enough to satisfy my desire to duplicate the factory loads.
Normal disclaimer here, no one should duplicate these loads without first reducing the powder charge by 10% and working up to the load. Every gun is different and a load that's safe in my firearm may be dangerous in yours.

Nimrodmar10 said:

You got me there, I didn't do a smell test

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Lol, love the smell of retumbo and h1000. Almost as much as back strap in a cast iron skillet lol.

Yes, retumbo has an unmistakable smell. Smell reminds me of some household insecticides that used to be made.

dreamhunt said:

I've been shooting the 230 Hybrid, Russ. Shot the 210 LRBT before that. I used RL17 with the 210 and N550 and H4350 with the 230. With N550, I am seeing 2500 fps from 30" and moderate pressure. It could go a bit faster but showed best accuracy at 2500. I point the 230 and my 1000 yard drop numbers indicate ~.410 G7 B.C. All my 230 work has been in Lapua Palma brass. Best primer was CCI 450. I am planning to try Remington 7Ã'½ BR primers and see if the increased brisance helps the velocity spread. My best ES/SD was 7.90/3.28 but ~16.0/7.0 is more typical. The barrel is a 10" twist Shilen Select with a .280" freebore and best grouping was at -.011 or 3.139 OAL. The velocity spread numbers are a little better with H4350 but it is ~50 fps down from N550.

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And this has what to do with the 6.5PRC??

Squirrel! Shiny object!
Has anyone figured out the powder?