Jack Lathrop
Member
Just got my new 300 PRC and I am curious if anyone has tried US 869 powder for it? I am still going to try it whether anybody has already or not. Any information will help.
Thanks.
Thanks.
US 869 for 300PRC?
- Thread starter Jack Lathrop
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Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Hi Jack, I see no one even replied to you on here which is really odd.
I have no experience with the .300 prc or the us869 ball powder so take this for what it's worth.
I do have experience with h-50bmg stick powder in .300 win mag.
869 and 50bmg are effectively the same burn rate. They're not interchangeable per say but 869 is 50bmgs replacement. If one shines in a given cartridge then the other most certainly will give similar results.
300 prc has slightly more capacity than 300 win mag though not a ton, they are comparable, if a powder works great in one it will certainly work great in the other, if a powder kind of sucks in one it will not do well in the other.
there is no bullet heavy enough to make 50 bmg optimal in a .300 win and I suspect the same is true for 869 in the prc. I loaded 208 and 220 grain bullets over 50bmg just to see what she'd do.
first off, surprising and astounding accuracy. The only true one hole groups that old series one vanguard ever shot where with those stupid 50bmg loads and 208 bthp and 220 rn bullets. very accurate, crazy low es numbers. BUT even when very forcefully compressing 83 grains (yes, I fit 83 grains into a .300 win) it barely broke 2600 FPS with the 208. That's about 300FPS short of full capability with pretty much any more appropriate propellant. Cool light show, a KABOOM! to wake the dead, very sooty and dirty.
only possibility I see is with a compressed load under a 250 atip.
hodgdon lists no data for this powder in this cartridge and they do have data for 8133 and retumbo, but it seems their silence would further strengthen my suspicion: it's just too slow burning.
I have no experience with the .300 prc or the us869 ball powder so take this for what it's worth.
I do have experience with h-50bmg stick powder in .300 win mag.
869 and 50bmg are effectively the same burn rate. They're not interchangeable per say but 869 is 50bmgs replacement. If one shines in a given cartridge then the other most certainly will give similar results.
300 prc has slightly more capacity than 300 win mag though not a ton, they are comparable, if a powder works great in one it will certainly work great in the other, if a powder kind of sucks in one it will not do well in the other.
there is no bullet heavy enough to make 50 bmg optimal in a .300 win and I suspect the same is true for 869 in the prc. I loaded 208 and 220 grain bullets over 50bmg just to see what she'd do.
first off, surprising and astounding accuracy. The only true one hole groups that old series one vanguard ever shot where with those stupid 50bmg loads and 208 bthp and 220 rn bullets. very accurate, crazy low es numbers. BUT even when very forcefully compressing 83 grains (yes, I fit 83 grains into a .300 win) it barely broke 2600 FPS with the 208. That's about 300FPS short of full capability with pretty much any more appropriate propellant. Cool light show, a KABOOM! to wake the dead, very sooty and dirty.
only possibility I see is with a compressed load under a 250 atip.
hodgdon lists no data for this powder in this cartridge and they do have data for 8133 and retumbo, but it seems their silence would further strengthen my suspicion: it's just too slow burning.
calinb
Well-Known Member
I just got a 300 PRC rifle and I'm looking for a powder for heavy bullets (at a time when finding ANY powder is a challenge). I'm trying to resurrect this old thread, because Hodgdon now DOES publish US 869 data for the 230 gr. and 250 gr. A-Tip bullets and, even better, US 869 is the highest velocity powder Hodgdon lists for those bullets ...and by a good margin in the case of the 250 gr. A-Tip! Have a look at either the Hodgdon 2021 Annual Manual or https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-data-center
As is sometimes the case when Quickload gets it wrong, I would not even consider 869 based on the low velocity Quickload results, but it's hard to ignore the published Hodgdon data.
I'd like to try 869 with EOL 245 gr. Bergers. Any new reports or opinions? Any similar experiences with 869 Quickload runs (far lower velocity than published data)?
I too, am very interested in that powder/bullet combo. I have the components, but unfortunately time is never on my side. I will be testing it before summer is over....hopefully. Anyone else??
Did you ever get a chance to try this? I just got 5# of 869 today. I have a couple hundred 250 gn A-Tips & 100 245 Berger EOLs. Took my 300 PRC to a mile a couple of weeks ago, hoping to stretch it out a little further.
calinb
Well-Known Member
The Hodgdon data says 869 is the velocity king of their powders for 300 PRC heavy bullets so I got some 869 to try too (and also Ramshot LRT and even 8lbs of Shooters World 50 BMG, which won't be the velocity king, according to Quickload).
Unfortunately, I don't have any 300 PRC brass yet. After about 9 months of waiting, my Bergara B14 HMR remains unfired. I got fed up with waiting on Lapua and Creedmoor Sports so I let them cancel my order after the crazy price increase. I have three boxes of new 416 Ruger brass and all the dies I need to form 300 PRC from it but no time to do it. I also have two boxes of Hornady 218 gr. ELD-X ammo, but I'll save it for hunting someday. I recently ordered some RCC brass. After the Lapua price increase, I think the RCC brass might pencil out in the long run, if it holds up to reloading as well as some claim it does. It will be interesting to see how much case capacity is sacrificed though and how often it results in a max velocity reduction penalty.
I need to trim my 300 PRC brass & then I can start loading for the 250 A-Tips w/ US 869. I'll post when I get some results. Seems like the A-Tips like being seated well off the lands I am planning to start @ .050. Anyone else have seating recommendations?
300 PRC CUSTOM SAKO
Well-Known Member
With 230 grain A-Tips the listed max with US 869 is 88.1C (Hodgdon). I seat out the bullet as long as my magazine allows for cycling. I can get 94 GRAINS of that (US869) in my case (ADG) if I put a finger over the top of case and tap the powder column down to the neck/shoulder junction before seating the bullet. If I do not settle powder enough I get some bulging in the neck/shoulder area. IN MY GUN I get absolutely no pressure signs whatsoever----pockets stay tight, no cratering of primers, no blown primers, no hard bolt lift etc. This is what I do.... follow AT YOUR OWN RISK blah blah
300 PRC CUSTOM SAKO
Well-Known Member
300 PRC CUSTOM SAKO
Well-Known Member
I read post about 300wm and 50bmg powder. Burn rates may be similar but as u know us 869 is not stick powder so for me at least I can get much higher fill densities. My barrel twist probably will not stabilize 250 A-tips. I also(do at your own risk) read of people using 300 wm to form 300 prc cases for what it's worth.
416DBR
Member
88 grains of 869 was max in my winmag with 250 grain A-Tips. Getting a custom chamber now so it should be able to handle more.
300 PRC CUSTOM SAKO
Well-Known Member
MY recipe in 300 PRC is cci mag LR primer, ADG brass, max magazine length in my Sako, 230 gr ATIP, US 869 93.5 grains compressed. This is done with my finger over the moth and vigorous tapping to settle the powder and prevent it from jumping the case. I may have been able to fit 94 grains , but sometimes the case mouth expanded and prevented chambering if I remember correctly. This works for me with no problems. Use it at your own risk.
