ANDY T Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Hi I am about take delivery of my new AI AW in 260 caliber and need some load advice. Rifle has a 26" barrel with 1/8 twist. I have Berger 140g VLD and N150 powder what would be a good load and what fps should i be looking for. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swarovski1 Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 If you email berger they will email you their data, hodgdon site is also a good one for loading data, atb swaro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcampbellsmith Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 The Berger manual mentions N550 with a poor fill ratio. My recommendation would be, H4350, N160, RL-19 or N165. H4350 and RL-19 both have good fill ratios according to the Berger manual. Looking at the following url http://forum.snipershide.com/snipers-hide-reloading-depot/22271-260-loads-only.html H4350 seems to be the go to powder for the 260 Rem and heavy bullets. Secondly, I would get Lapua brass. Rem and Nosler brass are ok, but Lapua's better. Regards JCS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Pimp Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Your choice but I've always found that 123gn bullets are best suited to the 260 with a shortish barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaken Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 N560 for the heavier bullets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcampbellsmith Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 N560 for the heavier bullets. That's one of the Nosler manual's picks for a powder to use. Here's another discussion to have a look at - http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3783358.0 Regards JCS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagged 77 Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 I use 139 scenars and N160 in my AX, I think you might find N150 to be a little fast and disappoint on velocity. The go to powder is H4350 but I've found N160 to be a good alternative. Work up carefully and watch for over pressure in this chambering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestarter Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 I use RL17 behind the 140g VLDs in my 26" 1 in 8 twist 260. Good velocity and accuracy. Tried N550 but ran into pressure problems quite early on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 +1 on Oaken and Gun Pimp comments....1000 yards easy as pie with Scenar 123 or 139g (N550 / N560 respectively) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzar15 Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 123 Scenars and 4350 the way to go here,least that what I used to put through my semi remmy custom and it worked a treat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDY T Posted September 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 I use 139 scenars and N160 in my AX, I think you might find N150 to be a little fast and disappoint on velocity. The go to powder is H4350 but I've found N160 to be a good alternative. Work up carefully and watch for over pressure in this chambering. Hi I do have some N160 powder what load would you recommend with N160 with a Berger 140 bullet. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagged 77 Posted September 19, 2013 Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 Hi I do have some N160 powder what load would you recommend with N160 with a Berger 140 bullet. Andy Andy The burn rate of the N160 is very similar to H4350, however the data on Lapua / Vihts website is very conservative in my opinion having tested loads in two rifles in .260. For my AX I started at 41 grains and worked up to 43 grains (bullets seated at mag lenth .020" lands). At 43 I have nice flattened primers (CCI 200) but no ejector marks or cratering. I could push further but I'm not willing to trash new Lap brass for 50 fps or more in performance. It goes without saying that things could be very different in your rifle depending any number of things, work up carefully from below book max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDY T Posted September 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 Andy The burn rate of the N160 is very similar to H4350, however the data on Lapua / Vihts website is very conservative in my opinion having tested loads in two rifles in .260. For my AX I started at 41 grains and worked up to 43 grains (bullets seated at mag lenth .020" lands). At 43 I have nice flattened primers (CCI 200) but no ejector marks or cratering. I could push further but I'm not willing to trash new Lap brass for 50 fps or more in performance. It goes without saying that things could be very different in your rifle depending any number of things, work up carefully from below book max. Hi Max What fps did you find gave you the best groups at 100 yards? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5shooter Posted September 19, 2013 Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 Andy The burn rate of the N160 is very similar to H4350, however the data on Lapua / Vihts website is very conservative in my opinion having tested loads in two rifles in .260. For my AX I started at 41 grains and worked up to 43 grains (bullets seated at mag lenth .020" lands). At 43 I have nice flattened primers (CCI 200) but no ejector marks or cratering. I could push further but I'm not willing to trash new Lap brass for 50 fps or more in performance. It goes without saying that things could be very different in your rifle depending any number of things, work up carefully from below book max. H4350 is a good bit faster than n160 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagged 77 Posted September 19, 2013 Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 H4350 is a good bit faster than n160 Lapua's burn rate chart seems to suggest so yes, it puts it on par with N150. However during my testing I found H4350 and N160 almost interchangeable with load densities and corresponding velocities with sweet spots around 42 / 43 grains. N150 resulted in hard extraction, extractor marks at much lower loads suggesting it was too fast for the heavier bullet. This is not scientific just my own observations based on my experience with the .260 - yours may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5shooter Posted September 19, 2013 Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 Lapua's burn rate chart seems to suggest so yes, it puts it on par with N150. However during my testing I found H4350 and N160 almost interchangeable with load densities and corresponding velocities with sweet spots around 42 / 43 grains. N150 resulted in hard extraction, extractor marks at much lower loads suggesting it was too fast for the heavier bullet. This is not scientific just my own observations based on my experience with the .260 - yours may vary. In a 6x47 lapua with n160 I finished at around 41 grains and with h4350 around 39 grains. Maybe a little more pronounced in a slightly hotter round maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5shooter Posted September 19, 2013 Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 Lapua's burn rate chart seems to suggest so yes, it puts it on par with N150. However during my testing I found H4350 and N160 almost interchangeable with load densities and corresponding velocities with sweet spots around 42 / 43 grains. N150 resulted in hard extraction, extractor marks at much lower loads suggesting it was too fast for the heavier bullet. This is not scientific just my own observations based on my experience with the .260 - yours may vary. In a 6x47 lapua with n160 I finished at around 41 grains and with h4350 around 39 grains. Maybe a little more pronounced in a slightly hotter round maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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