So, What You Doing On The Bench Today?

[tsubaki]

The 300AAC has a 1:8" and the .308WIN has a 1:10".
The bullet is 1.420" in length so stability might be close in the 1:10".
Testing for velocity and function first. Expansion and accuracy tests will come next.

[tsubaki]

I just did Berger's stability formula. Even at a 1080fps muzzle velocity the bullet is adequately stable in a 1:10" twist.

[Mbaker78]

I just saw that same picture on Facebook earlier, can't remember which group though

*edit* found it, 300aac blackout discussion group

[tsubaki]

I have it scattered out in several different forums in order to get the most information and interest possible.
It is surprising just how few people reload for this cartridge and use heavier than 120gr for the 300AAC.
Data finally became comparable when publishing Lyman's 50th Edition and their AR Handbook. That also was the inspiration for trying this bullet in the .308.
Currently there are only a few bullet makers designing projectiles for 300AAC within its capable velocity range.
Sierra has a 135gr #2124 originally advertised to perform well on small deer to large predators.
Makers Bullets has their T-Rex line averaging at over $0.76 per projectile.
These Nosler's at $0.51 each are at the threshold of my spending interests.

[Mbaker78]

My basic load for the blackout is a 150gr FMJ and lil'gun. My home defense load is a significantly hotter charge of lil'gun under a 150gr ballistic silvertip, running about 1900fps at the muzzle.

So far for subs I've worked up a 240gr cast, powder coated bullet over IMR4227 that's right at 1000fps. I just got a box of 220gr Amax at cabelas for $24, the box was dented but the inside bag is still sealed. I don't expect them to expand at subsonic velocities, but they'll be pretty

[gandog56]

Have to go out to my shed today. Somebody on another gun message board needs .308 so I want to see if I have any spare to swap with him. Still waiting to see if my Pneumonia is all cleared up so I can finally get my butt to the gun range. Speaking of, in my shed yesterday I found a bag of empties I completely forgot about from a prior range trip. Had some 7.62X54R, 7mm Mauser, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, and .45 Colt cases.

[lightman]

Just sorting, polishing and storing the brass I have collected since winter. Got both Dillons running with corncob and the "Big Dawg" is doing its thang with stainless. Updating my trades.

[gandog56]

Waiting to receive some more plastic ammo boxes as I am slowly replacing 10-15 year old cardboard ones.

[tsubaki]

This is from the shooting bench today using the Nosler #30181:
The 308 was loaded with 15.0gr of IMR-3031.
Average velocity was 930fps.
Firearm was a Remington 750 Carbine.
They would not cycle.
This was 2 rounds.

[tsubaki]

Some more with the Nosler #30181:
This is the 300AAC pushed with 11.5gr of AA1680 at 1195fps from a 16" barrel with a pistol length gas system and 1:8" twist.
Everything cycled great but this is only 5 rounds.

[tsubaki]

gandog was on to something worrying about them being able to stabilize.
I may try increasing the velocity to see if they straighten out.
I was able to accomplish that with some long bullets in a .223 and a slow twist

[Mbaker78]

Finally spent some time at the bench the last couple days... deprimed, and swaged as needed, a mess of blackout and 223 brass from the last couple range trips. Blackout has been tumbled, 223 is in there now. Sized and trimmed a few hundred Grendel brass, they're in the wet tumbler now.

Loaded up a test set of blackout subs using IMR4227 and hornady 220gr ELD-X. I probably won't buy them again because I'll probably never get them at the price I got them for this time. Dented box at cabelas, no damage, interior bag still sealed... $24/100

Maybe after lunch I'll size and trim the blackout brass so that all of the 30cal stuff can go in the wet tumbler next.

[gandog56]

I finally did use up that Armscor 110 grain RN stuff. I found a way to make them fit in my .300 AAC. But I will never buy them again!

[Mbaker78]

I tried 10 of them and the OAL was all wrong, they didn't feed worth a crap... I might give them another... shot... once I've loaded up the last of the 240gr cast subs.

[gandog56]

Got in a shipment of 50 new PPU 7.5 Swiss brass and 250 coated 250 grain .45 bullets. I never tried coated bullets for .45 Colt before, figured I would give them a shot. (pun intended!) I will make some of both calibers. Also have a follow up doctor visit tomorrow. Figure if he says my pneumonia is all cleared up I will go shooting Friday. Got a new Walther 9mm to try out and want to get in some more BP pistol time. Also want to shoot my last batch of repaired 6.5mm Mauser reloads. (I had some bad brass, had to disassemble a whole bunch of rounds that would not chamber). Pulled all the bullets from the ammo that would not chamber and remade them using other brass that did.

[WarEagleEd]

I bought another PACT digital scale, this time with the dispenser, off of another forum. It arrived yesterday, but I didn't have any time to fool with it. This evening I powered up the new-to-me scale and my old one. I wanted to check the two against each to see if they agree. The following are the results that I recorded:

	Old Scale	New Scale
New 20 gram check weight	308.5 gr.	308.6 gr.
Old 20 gram check weight	308.5 gr.	308.5 gr.
Chrome powder pan	161.7 gr.	161.7 gr.
Brass tone powder pan	126.4 gr.	126.4 gr.
Red plastic powder pan	124.2 gr.	124.2 gr.

I'm confident in the precision and accuracy of the new-to-me scale. I would like to weigh some lighter objects to see if they continue to agree or not. I may finally get to charging the 9mm cases I prepped a few months ago. Then it will be on to M1 Garand .30-06 loads.

[gandog56]

I had one once. It plugged along for a few years until suddenly it wouldn't zero right. Sadly, I went and invested in a new Hornady Auto load Scale/dispenser. But later I was online, and somebody said they had the very same problem. He said he found a way to force a reset of everything that I didn't know about and never heard before. So I tried it, dang thing started working perfect again. I ended up selling it on ebay to recoup some of the money I had just spent on the Hornady. Kept the Hornady because it dispensed the charges just a little bit faster. But if I knew that little fix, I never would have bought the Hornady. Fortunately I kept the Pact because I was considering sending it to the mfr. to repair it.

[WarEagleEd]

I loaded 78 rounds of 9mm this evening. I took the opportunity to try out the PACT digital dispenser and scale. The system worked like it was supposed to (I verified that the guy I bought it from didn't sell me a dud). The setup process was not hard or terribly time-consuming. It was a whole lot less tedious not having to trickle up to the correct powder charge, too. I'm not certain that it was quicker than a traditional powder measure. I will test the two for speed at some other time, this was a trial run to verify functionality of the unit and for me to learn how to use it.

Are they usually accurate to within 0.1gr?

That is what PACT claims. I checked the very first charge and then the other charges it dispensed ever-so-often (maybe 5 or 6 more times) with my Lyman M5 single beam scale and they were dead on all but once. That one time the charge from the PACT unit read slightly high on the M5 scale.

I'll check how it works for heavier charges of powder whenever I am able to load up some M1 .30-06 loads (could be next weekend, could be September, who knows).

[Mbaker78]

After loading up 125 rounds for the Grendel yesterday I was actually thinking about getting an automatic powder dispenser. Throwing low and trickling up to goal weight is pretty time consuming. Are they usually accurate to within 0.1gr? How long do they take to weight out a charge of ~28gr and ~45gr? And is it really worth the extra money, as I only trickle for 2 rifles currently.

[gandog56]

125? That is a coincidence. I just got in 100 125 grain .308" projectiles I am going to try on my .300 AAC next time I reload a bunch. I have been using 110 grain bullets.