I'm currently having one built by Matt Cockrell (MC Gunsmithing, LLC) in Plains, Montana. Waiting on manners stock which will hopefully be in soon, so he can complete the rifle.
26 Nosler????? !!!!!
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I'm currently having one built by Matt Cockrell (MC Gunsmithing, LLC) in Plains, Montana. Waiting on manners stock which will hopefully be in soon, so he can complete the rifle.
Hello guys..new to the forum..but been using some information here and there...
Just purchased a 26nosler..and I mean a Nosler from the factory...a Liberty model....wanted to use rl33 to reload with but can't find any locally....do have a pound US869 that can be used...and with the starting loads at 84gr i can surely get started...
Just curious though of some good working finished loads people are using...
Thanks
Merry Christmas ALL
Just purchased a 26nosler..and I mean a Nosler from the factory...a Liberty model....wanted to use rl33 to reload with but can't find any locally....do have a pound US869 that can be used...and with the starting loads at 84gr i can surely get started...
Just curious though of some good working finished loads people are using...
Thanks
Merry Christmas ALL
WildRose
Well-Known Member
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Take Aim at Rifle Reloading Data | Hodgdon Reloading
Has a loads for US869.
Lots of the slow powders will work. Not as fast as RL-33 but fine.
Has a loads for US869.
Lots of the slow powders will work. Not as fast as RL-33 but fine.
Hey Guys thanks for the info about those sites....i have actually talked to a guy that test fired this particular rifle....he wanted it....but then there are several that go thru his hands that he would like to keep....
I've been reloading metallics for about ten years..Dont have a problem working things up but i am curious to see what many of you have come up with so that I can compare personal results and get a real feel for the shooter/hunter....no just a paper showing what a factory has come up with as conclusion....
I have a new to me 280ai that I worked up loads for...wasn't the load I had to deal with...It is a noodle barrel...and with a little research i read some guy built alot of noodle barrel mountain rifles and he bedded them from back of receiver to front of stock....well I did three spots..very back of receiver, the lug and the last two inches of the stock....not only did it cut down the 100yd spread...but with subtracting the bullet diameter it became a three shot sub/half minute rifle with 145gr LRX...
and I did the same with my son's 25/06..and it also became a sub/half minute with 115gr Bergers.....
So finding what a few others consider their go to loads will should help me find what I am looking for as to powder, bullet, and fps....I don't plan on hot loads....i bought this rifle to give my handicapped wife a chance at those bucks that are just beyond her 260 remingtons reach...she has killed an elk at 300yds with her 7mm wsm...and a buck at 325 with her 260remington ruger compact.....i know the 7mm would reach out some further...but I also like the thought of the bcs of the 6.5....
Again thanks for the replies....you shooters and this site are an avalanche of information...
I also purchased a Knight Ultralite .50 mzldr....I am having lots of fun shooting it too....
If I can get a coyote to hold still at 250yds I am confident I can put a hole thru it with my homemade 388gr lead paperpatched bullets....and it gives me the incentive to hunt every general season...rifle and then later mzldr......I want to shoot a buck with it badly.....but i will take a coyote.....
Thanks again
I've been reloading metallics for about ten years..Dont have a problem working things up but i am curious to see what many of you have come up with so that I can compare personal results and get a real feel for the shooter/hunter....no just a paper showing what a factory has come up with as conclusion....
I have a new to me 280ai that I worked up loads for...wasn't the load I had to deal with...It is a noodle barrel...and with a little research i read some guy built alot of noodle barrel mountain rifles and he bedded them from back of receiver to front of stock....well I did three spots..very back of receiver, the lug and the last two inches of the stock....not only did it cut down the 100yd spread...but with subtracting the bullet diameter it became a three shot sub/half minute rifle with 145gr LRX...
and I did the same with my son's 25/06..and it also became a sub/half minute with 115gr Bergers.....
So finding what a few others consider their go to loads will should help me find what I am looking for as to powder, bullet, and fps....I don't plan on hot loads....i bought this rifle to give my handicapped wife a chance at those bucks that are just beyond her 260 remingtons reach...she has killed an elk at 300yds with her 7mm wsm...and a buck at 325 with her 260remington ruger compact.....i know the 7mm would reach out some further...but I also like the thought of the bcs of the 6.5....
Again thanks for the replies....you shooters and this site are an avalanche of information...
I also purchased a Knight Ultralite .50 mzldr....I am having lots of fun shooting it too....
If I can get a coyote to hold still at 250yds I am confident I can put a hole thru it with my homemade 388gr lead paperpatched bullets....and it gives me the incentive to hunt every general season...rifle and then later mzldr......I want to shoot a buck with it badly.....but i will take a coyote.....
Thanks again
My 26 Nosler is giving me 3380 fps with 140 VLDs with 79 gr Retumbo and 1/4 MOA accuracy at .070 off lands.
Hey Stx...that sounds really interesting to me....that is about how far iwas told the accuracy of this rifle was with seating...is that a factory built nosler with a 26" barrel.....
...retumbo?...definitely something to look into....haven't tried it in
any rifle yet...may have to pick some up....
Have you taken any game with the vld?....
Thanks
...retumbo?...definitely something to look into....haven't tried it in
any rifle yet...may have to pick some up....
Have you taken any game with the vld?....
Thanks
Stx....just went thru some back paperwork...that load is definitely smoking...as I see retumbo maxed at 74gr with a 129/130gr bullet....at 3340....
Gonna take me awhile to digest the powder values....largest case I have reloaded is a 300winmag....I think maybe 65gr of powder....whole different ballpark here.....
....and being in southeast idaho (displaced oregonian) I definitely see the value of a rifle that can reach the moon....but somehow I keep ending up in the brush......go figure....
Gonna take me awhile to digest the powder values....largest case I have reloaded is a 300winmag....I think maybe 65gr of powder....whole different ballpark here.....
....and being in southeast idaho (displaced oregonian) I definitely see the value of a rifle that can reach the moon....but somehow I keep ending up in the brush......go figure....
It was built by Matt Cockrell of MC Gunsmithing in Montana.....yes 26" bbl. All I've shot so far with it is a hog and it performed great.....blew blood out the far side for 15-20ft and hog never took a step or a breath! Distance was 100-125 yds! I intentionally shot this pig at that range through both shoulders to see what the VLD would do at close range. I was concerned it would come apart too quickly at that range and never reach the vitals but it performed perfectly!
Attachments
I started at 70 gr Retumbo and once I found the most accurate seating depth, I increased powder charges until I got to 79 grains.....no pressure signs and 3380 fps is above my expectations for the 140 VLD, so I settled on that load!
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Stx...thanks for all the info....you seem very pleased with that rifle and caliber choice...I hope I become as happy with this rifle....
Yes...through both shoulders on that pig...and probably still going....
I loaded some Bergers for my 12 year old sons 25/06 and they are cruising at about 3150-3200fps...not extreme but definitely accurate as heck...and he shoots them really well...
I got him to shoot his first Idaho deer this year..only 50 yds but he hit it well and didn't do too much damage....got him to within 300 on an antlerless elk hunt and a single shot dropped it in its tracks....thru the front two ribs and out the center of the far shoulder...hitting the
vertebrae and the shoulder bone...didn't leave much bullet but it didnt destroy much meat
either....so i have nothing against shooting vds at all....
Once again...awesome info...
Thanks
Yes...through both shoulders on that pig...and probably still going....
I loaded some Bergers for my 12 year old sons 25/06 and they are cruising at about 3150-3200fps...not extreme but definitely accurate as heck...and he shoots them really well...
I got him to shoot his first Idaho deer this year..only 50 yds but he hit it well and didn't do too much damage....got him to within 300 on an antlerless elk hunt and a single shot dropped it in its tracks....thru the front two ribs and out the center of the far shoulder...hitting the
vertebrae and the shoulder bone...didn't leave much bullet but it didnt destroy much meat
either....so i have nothing against shooting vds at all....
Once again...awesome info...
Thanks
WildRose
Well-Known Member
First, what others are using is not where you want to start particularly in a way over bore rifle like the 26 Nosler. A perfectly safe load in my rifle might blow yours up because it only takes a few 10/1000ths difference in the chambers to make my safe load way, way over pressure in yours.
Always subtract a few grains off of what others are using and work up.
Next the 280 isn't a bad round at all but unless you are running heavy for caliber bullets the .260 will actually outreach it and do so more accurately running a good high bc 6.5 140.
The 6.5x55 has been used the world over for Elk and Moose and even today in Africa it remains a very popular hunting caliber on game as big and tough as the Black Wildebeest, Giraffe, and Kudu. The 6.5 Swede is also basically the ballistic twin to the .260 so as long as she can put it where it needs to be she should be fine with it.
Personally with my .260's I've taken boars up to over 400lbs at over 300yds producing nice one shot stone dead kills so with the right bullet I have no doubt it will do the job.
As for bullets I'm a big fan of the Nosler Accubond and Hornady Interbond. I got introduced to Peregrine Bullets while in Africa two years ago and was impressed with them and about a year ago they started expanding into the US Market.
I've been loading them in the .260's, .300wm, and .300Rum and I'm getting excellent accuracy with them as well as terminal performance I can't complain about at all. Even the big boar I shot a couple of weeks ago putting it on the crease between his neck and shoulder passed through the neck, the spine and exited apparently just behind the opposite shoulder. I thought we might get to recover that one as big as he was but alas, no dice. Live weight he was well in excess of 450lbs as his hanging wt was almost 400lbs. That shot was fired at over 300yds with the .260. So far between the wife and I we've put one shot kills on 7 deer and 4 big hogs shooting the Peregrine VRG-4 "Plainsmaster". Most were shot with the .260 125gr and a couple with the .30 Cal 180gr.
You can use Barnes TTSX or TSX load data for similar weight bullets and it will get you real close.
Hey Wildrose...I am fully aware of the situation of one load not working or being dangerous in reloading....I bought that 280ai from a friend's buddy..whom happens to call himself a gunsmith....after having been swindled by him...I was working up reloads with fireformed brass...brass was good solid once fired remington as I was told by this guy....the bullets were some 150gr that i had pulled from some blueboxed federals...they shot like crud in the 7mm wsm so i pulled six boxes full apart to reuse components...when I pulled them cartridges apart and saw 66gr of powder and having felt the recoil..it just added up to nothing...I reloaded those federals with 60gr of the same powder and a 140gr acc....went to the range and checked them for grouping....recoil was good bullets hit perfect at 100 yds...so I set up at 300yd.....shot 3 rounds.....into a 3/4"group....believe it or not....I still dont...and I haven't done it again.....but i called it good at that.....haven't hunted with that rifle since.....lol....but it is my wifes...and she took an elk at 300yd.....and a blacktail buck at 76 feet with winchesters silvertips...they blew up on the buck...disintegrated....busted its bones but did not go through...
Chronograph the new load this fall at just under 2900fps....would prefer it at least 3000fps but oh well...
So any ways while using the 150gr bullets to fireform the brass one decided to stay in the barrel a little too long....blew up the spring retractor ad face of the Remington bolt...the primer pocket was easily a third larger than the primer.....a very close call....got it to a different gunsmith to have a looksee at what happened...he said that it was very obviously over pressured.....NO KIDDING....but he said other than the damage to the face of the bolt and the retractor that everything else was fine....he test shot it a few times to make sure and all went well...fired shells ejected...the one problem I have is that not all cartridges that I put into the chamber will cycle out...bolt just can't pull them out....so I am needing a new bolt which I shall get this spring and maybe splurge and get a fancy fluted one as I like lighter rifles to pack on the various hunts....being that rifle was out of commission for a couple weeks during a three week hunt I packed my Knight Ultralite....that was nice....I actually packs the mzldr several miles thru brush and timber this year....
I know...you want to know I that was a hot load....i showed the gunsmith the paperwork and he admitted that round should have had NO EXTRA PRESSURE....he looked over all my components and all we could come up with the bullet must have been the culprit...and he examined the other bullets in the bag and measured things....but who knows....freak accidents happen....I don't use those bullets for anything now...just sit in that plastic back staring at me.....
So yes...awareness saves your hands, body and face....learning and reteaching myself everytime i reach for a conponent....being aware....no distractions....
So I work up all loads carefully...hoping nothing happens....
Thanks
Hogs.....you must be in Texas area....have relatives there...don't know them...but they moved from raising herds of beef...to a few oil rigs....like the Clampents...black gold....
They are doing well now....
Chronograph the new load this fall at just under 2900fps....would prefer it at least 3000fps but oh well...
So any ways while using the 150gr bullets to fireform the brass one decided to stay in the barrel a little too long....blew up the spring retractor ad face of the Remington bolt...the primer pocket was easily a third larger than the primer.....a very close call....got it to a different gunsmith to have a looksee at what happened...he said that it was very obviously over pressured.....NO KIDDING....but he said other than the damage to the face of the bolt and the retractor that everything else was fine....he test shot it a few times to make sure and all went well...fired shells ejected...the one problem I have is that not all cartridges that I put into the chamber will cycle out...bolt just can't pull them out....so I am needing a new bolt which I shall get this spring and maybe splurge and get a fancy fluted one as I like lighter rifles to pack on the various hunts....being that rifle was out of commission for a couple weeks during a three week hunt I packed my Knight Ultralite....that was nice....I actually packs the mzldr several miles thru brush and timber this year....
I know...you want to know I that was a hot load....i showed the gunsmith the paperwork and he admitted that round should have had NO EXTRA PRESSURE....he looked over all my components and all we could come up with the bullet must have been the culprit...and he examined the other bullets in the bag and measured things....but who knows....freak accidents happen....I don't use those bullets for anything now...just sit in that plastic back staring at me.....
So yes...awareness saves your hands, body and face....learning and reteaching myself everytime i reach for a conponent....being aware....no distractions....
So I work up all loads carefully...hoping nothing happens....
Thanks
Hogs.....you must be in Texas area....have relatives there...don't know them...but they moved from raising herds of beef...to a few oil rigs....like the Clampents...black gold....
They are doing well now....
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Well we just all have to be careful in discussing load data online as we never really know who's going to read it or what their experience is.
There are quite a few guys here who are shooting the 26 Nosler now and a lot of data has been discussed in this thread and over in the reloading forum so take some time to read through it. If you utilize the custom search feature up at the top right corner of the page and search for 26 Nosler Load Data you can probably find what you are looking for.
I hope the wife isn't at all recoil sensitive because the 26N has quite a wallop to it unless you put a good brake or suppressor on it.
Good luck in your search.
