Am I about to blow my face off?

[JC in Calif]

I just bought a Remington 700 Long Range in .300 win mag. First off, I shot 10rds of factory 180gr core-lokt ammo (the cheap stuff) just to sight in the scope and shoot a couple of groups. Both groups were just under 1in at 3,031fps. I'm pretty happy with that. Now on to reloading.
I started off using 212 ELD-X's and RL-26. I'm using load data from my Nosler manual with loads listed for the 210gr Accubond LR. It lists a max of 76.0gr, at a velocity of 2,874 out of a 24" barrel.

I have a 26" barrel. These were my readings from my Caldwell chronograph:
Remington brass, CCI-250, 74.0gr RL-26, 3.600 COAL = Avg. 2,926fps with no pressure signs at all.
Remington brass, CCI-250, 75.0gr RL-26, 3.600 COAL = Avg. 2,996fps, easy bolt lift, primer still pretty round on edges, slightest ejector mark barely visible.

I was hoping for good speed, but this doesn't seem right. I didn't shoot the rest of my ammo, which I loaded at 76.0gr of RL-26, for fear of blowing myself up.
What do you guys think about these velocity's?
Anyone with QL care to chime in?
Thanks.

I noticed that Nosler used a 24" barrel for their data. You are most likely picking up some FPS with your additional 2" of `barrel.

 

[MSURunner]

FWIW, Sierra lists 2880 fps using 73.7gr of RL26 and a 210 MK in a 24" barrel as their MAX. They have a COAL of 3.340, though. So, I'd say you're right in the ball park and would watch closely, especially around elevated temps.

 

[30dirty]

Wait for a hotter day of like 80* Try 75 gr again in that temp . I only go in .5gr. increments tell start seeing sighs of pressure. RL 26 is great powder and you are getting good velocities out of it . What Altitude are you at ?( A lot of these guys will call 2950 fps =3000FPS ) I Get a lot better Extreme Spreads with it as well as Velocity without as Much pressure. If you end up not shooting the 76 gr. powdered cartridges , you Pull the Bullets... Try Retumbo , it work well with large heavy Bullets .

 

[ID Mtn Man]

Where you are at is certainly not going to blow up that 700.

= hold my beer

Not going to blow a gun up from a company we all went "yep, not surprised" when they announced bankruptcy again? I'd encourage you to read what employees have to say about the company on Glassdoor. Ain't your Grandpappy's Remington.

 

[bushmotornv]

Agree with MILO-2, that using QL with the base numbers you have gives a max chamber pressure of 61,714 psi. This is still in the blue range, not quite for the red, but this pressure may be too high for your brass. Measuring fired case volume can make a considerable difference in chamber pressure. At least you are running a long COAL which increases the cartridge volume and reduces the relative chamber pressure versus a fully seated bullet unless you are jamming the bullet into the lands. Good brass such as Lapua or Nosler can withstand higher pressures but this is where pressure signs such as flattened primers and base marks need to be looked at carefully. Also remember that the burn rate coefficient actually increases with increasing chamber pressure and temperature so there is a non linear relationship between charge volume and pressure at higher loads. Quickloads is a guide but there are so many variables that one cannot just look at the numbers given with full certainty. Finally for a 26 inch barrel you are between OBT nodes with your velocities and may want to consider a change in bullet weight, powder, brass, etc. Do a good ladder test to see where your barrel timing is optimal.

OBT nodes? I've not heard this term before.

 

[milo-2]

OBT nodes? I've not heard this term before.

Optimal Barrel Time, the amount of time the bullet is is the barrel after firing. Think Long brothers came up with it. It denotes barrel nodes, they were ahead of the times.
I think we as shooters have simplified the process with the use of chronograghs with ES & SD numbers.
Also, for 99.99999999% of us, getting that measurement was out of our reach.

 

[chris ross]

RL 26 is known for it's impressive velocities. There's also several members on here (myself included) that have seen some weird velocity/pressure spikes in temps over 80 degrees when using this powder. I wouldn't push it any more if I were you. Before I switched over to H1000 in my .300 Win Mag I was running the Berger 210 vld's, ADG brass (once fired) and Federal GM215M's with 73.1 gr RL 26 (26" barrel) and getting slightly over 3,000 fps muzzle velocity as measured with a Magnetospeed. Below is a 5-shot velocity confirmation check I did this past summer several months before hunting season opened.
View attachment 252297

SD 3 — Fantastic loading!

 

[Subzero]

After reading the first page I don't see anyone addressing the brass. If the brass is not flowing and the primer pockets are still holding a primer, shoot it. My life is not dictated by "Safety first." It is fun first and try to set up safe practices as I go.

Woohooo!! 3,300fps here we come! LOL.

 

[TXTrained]

With the simple parameters you gave, I ran the numbers in QL. What I am missing is your case capacity, which is a deal breaker. 76gr yields 61K in pressure.
BUT, big but, you had ejector marks at 75gr, whether new brass or fired, time to quit. Velocity is a result of pressure, no getting around that. If you feel the velocities are high, find another chrono and find out.

There is no set standard for speeds from different platforms, barrels are not the same, nothing is linear here. And don't compare a different bullet of close to the same weight, bearing surface, maybe even a slight diameter difference plays hard here.
Pull the bullets from the 76gr loads and call it a day, you probably won't blow your face off, but why go there? Shoot a lighter bullet if you need more speed.

Well said and Sound Advice.

 

[Subzero]

Agree with MILO-2, that using QL with the base numbers you have gives a max chamber pressure of 61,714 psi. This is still in the blue range, not quite for the red, but this pressure may be too high for your brass. Measuring fired case volume can make a considerable difference in chamber pressure. At least you are running a long COAL which increases the cartridge volume and reduces the relative chamber pressure versus a fully seated bullet unless you are jamming the bullet into the lands. Good brass such as Lapua or Nosler can withstand higher pressures but this is where pressure signs such as flattened primers and base marks need to be looked at carefully. Also remember that the burn rate coefficient actually increases with increasing chamber pressure and temperature so there is a non linear relationship between charge volume and pressure at higher loads. Quickloads is a guide but there are so many variables that one cannot just look at the numbers given with full certainty. Finally for a 26 inch barrel you are between OBT nodes with your velocities and may want to consider a change in bullet weight, powder, brass, etc. Do a good ladder test to see where your barrel timing is optimal.

Thanks for running the numbers! Also, thanks for mentioning OBT nodes, I also had never heard about this. Now, on to obsessively researching OBT nodes for the next couple hours.

 

[TXTrained]

With the simple parameters you gave, I ran the numbers in QL. What I am missing is your case capacity, which is a deal breaker. 76gr yields 61K in pressure.
BUT, big but, you had ejector marks at 75gr, whether new brass or fired, time to quit. Velocity is a result of pressure, no getting around that. If you feel the velocities are high, find another chrono and find out.

There is no set standard for speeds from different platforms, barrels are not the same, nothing is linear here. And don't compare a different bullet of close to the same weight, bearing surface, maybe even a slight diameter difference plays hard here.
Pull the bullets from the 76gr loads and call it a day, you probably won't blow your face off, but why go there? Shoot a lighter bullet if you need more speed.

Well Said with Sound Advice.. Wait & Figure it out to shoot another day.

 

[Subzero]

FWIW, Sierra lists 2880 fps using 73.7gr of RL26 and a 210 MK in a 24" barrel as their MAX. They have a COAL of 3.340, though. So, I'd say you're right in the ball park and would watch closely, especially around elevated temps.

Thanks for the data!

Does anyone have any data from Hornady? I don't own the Hornady book. My local gun store is literally sold out of all of their reloading manuals, and bullets, and powder, and brass for that matter.

I tried finding the data online, but couldn't find rl-26/212-eldx data.

 

[Subzero]

Wait for a hotter day of like 80* Try 75 gr again in that temp . I only go in .5gr. increments tell start seeing sighs of pressure. RL 26 is great powder and you are getting good velocities out of it . What Altitude are you at ?( A lot of these guys will call 2950 fps =3000FPS ) I Get a lot better Extreme Spreads with it as well as Velocity without as Much pressure. If you end up not shooting the 76 gr. powdered cartridges , you Pull the Bullets... Try Retumbo , it work well with large heavy Bullets .

Retumbo and H1000 are next on my list of powders to try, as soon as I can get my hands on it.

 

[kolob10]

If your asking about blowing your face off, there's a good chance you are. If you don't know, stop. It's that simple, you did come to a good place for info. Slight ejector marks can be normal, or can be dangerous, they only tell part of the story.
"pretty round" and "barely visible" mean very different thing to different people. What might be "barely visible" to you, might be very obvious to someone else. Trust me, once you blow a gun up, you'll make sure you do everything to make sure it never happens again. Be safe, work slow, if you need more speed, buy a bigger gun. No need to run these things on the ragged edge. There is literally a cartridge available that will do anything you without being over pressure. There is no need to chase numbers, find a good safe accurate load and run it. The critters won't judge you on your numbers.

I agree. I never understood the need to wring every fps out of a round. The best accuracy usually comes a bit below the max load. Only had one kaboom and it came with factory ammo in factory gun. A rear eye opener for sure. Safe shooting sir!