Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles My Reloader 17 Results

I could not find it locally. I had to order it from here:

http://www.cpostores.com/thirdgenerationshootingsupply/browse.cfm/2,4537.html

I will be going out again tomorrow to see if I can back up the results.

What has been your experience with RL-17?

I call shenanigans. 200fps over factory specs?

I hope you can back it up.
Check your chrony with a known load first. Never know about electronics.

I did bring know loads and they were what I expected, so I feel the chrony was fairly accurate.

No experience!

I am not the first to get these kind of results.

A quote from 6mmBR.com:

"Before, with my 6XC, the best I could do with H4831sc and 115 Bergers was 2950 fps.
With Reloder 17, I can run the 115s over 3200 fps. That's a HUGE gain."

Article:

http://www.6mmbr.com/reloder17.html

I kind of agree about no such thing as a free lunch and a high pressure but what about hornady's light magnum loads or IIRC federal has a similar offering called something like high energy.

Here is another link, a release from Alliant:

http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/alliant-releases-new-reloder-17-powder/

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My 284 and the 168 Berger VLD as well as the 162 A-max are awaiting this powder. A friend says his shipment will arrive soon, he is going to share.

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Imagine getting 3000 fps with a 180 from the puny 284:

http://www.6mmbr.com/reloder17.html

Taken from above link:

"Big Speed Gain with Reloder 17 in .284 Win
RL 17 clearly enables me to run the Berger 180s easily 125-150 fps faster that I normally was able to shoot them with H4350 and H4831SC in this rifle. My previous load ran around 2825 - 2850 fps with the Berger 180s and that was about all I could get out of it."

I gotta believe there is something good coming from the new powders. Hate to think that companies spend all that time and money just so they can claim their new propellant equals six other numbers that are already out there. There'll be plenty of naysayers, (been one myself at times) but I'm just eager to hear more good reports. This kind of info steps on lots of toes and hurts alot of feelings, but that's progress.
More powder to ya!

Don't get me wrong, this powder does peak my interest I'm just a little skeptical when it turns a 300 wsm into a 300 weatherby!

The October 2008 Handloader has an article on RE 17 on page 26. The author tried it in several calibers and was disappointed with it in 30-06 (2808 fps for 165 gr. bullet), but really liked it for the 300 WSM (3244 fps for 165 gr and 3107 for 180 gr bullet). I have some ordered and want to try it in a 7-08 that is set up to test pressures.

405 - its fairly simple - look at the word document attached; note the data for the 7mm WSM. My 7mm WSM shells hold 82 grains of powder, my 7mm SAUM hold 74. The WSM holds 8 grains more powder. Please explain to me in some type of non mystical terms how a cartidge with 11% less capacity can shoot the same bullets 159 feet/sec faster - using the exact same powder, very similar bullets and with pressure tested equipment.

I'm willing to be corrected but I've been doing this for a long time. There ain't no magic powder, barrel, rifle, universe where things like this happen without really high pressures................

I have that article and will add that to my statement above.

One other thing - on the 6mm BR website, did you catch the fact that they were using 30" barrels on the 7mm SAUM with some load data? A 30" barrel will get you the extra 150 ft/sec discrepency.

Yes, they are using 30" barrels, but they were comparing to other powders tested in the same rifle. The way you could get more velocity is to hold the peak pressure for longer. So, rather than a spike in pressure, it spreads it out a bit to have more time at peak pressure, thus more force expended on the bullet, without going to a higher peak pressure. It would be interesting to see some pressure data to see if that is true though.

Edit: I just read the article on 6mmbr and they gained velocity because the cartridges they were using were space limited. With compressed loads they were still no where near max pressure. The RL17 provides more energy for a given volume so it is able to achieve higher pressure for that same volume. Not sure there will be much gain for cartridges that are not space limited.

What brand chronograph are you using? I sure would like one if it will let me turn my 300 wsm into a weatherby 300.

+1 I agree. I think the Handloader article indicates the same. RE 17 may expand the area under the curve at peak pressure but it ain't going to get crazy. I would be real surprised if it gave much more than 50 ft/sec. I can't see 100 ft/sec but hope I'm wrong.

I also hope I am wrong. But Hornadys HM 7mm loads in my 7mag weren't near the claimed velocity. I am still skeptical.

Keep us posted please.

I will be heading out again in a couple hours for more testing, I will post results. Looks like I better take pictures as well.

I missed the 30" tube note!

As Partagas points out, the powders in Hornady's Light Magnum loads and RCM cartriges produce higher velocities than those currently available to handloaders. At some point in time they may become available to us.

However, the currently published RL17 data is nothing to get excited about. The results some shooters are getting with RL17 exceed the velocities produced by the labs. Why? I do not have the answer.

Perhaps as more shooters work with the powder and a greater body of data is produced we will find that the currently published lab results were an anomaly on the slow side.

I'm not sure what you're going to take pictures of. I don't doubt you're getting what you claim but do you know at what pressures?

For example, In my 22" Ruger 280 Rem, I have a load that shoots 150 Sierra BT's with H4831 at 2975 ft/sec into little bitty groups with no pressure signs. Do I conclude that I have a "fast barrel", magic load, or just plain excess pressure?

I'm a bit skeptical that anyone can get 150 ft/sec over the WSM at similar pressure. I'm willing to be wrong but I've never seen it despite claims of anomalous velocity from many folks.

As an aside, the 7mm WSM holds 2 grains less powder than a 7 mag. In essence, your data suggests a 7 SAUM (or 280 AI) throws bullets at velocities faster than the 7 mag. As another aside, the 7mm Wea holds 1 grain less powder than a 7mm RM - almost identical to the 7mm WSM. It attains it's mojo from weatherby freebore and pressures pushing 70K psi. I don't have my Barnes book handy but you're getting more velocity with a 140 TTSX from a 7mm SAUM than Barnes did with the 7mm Weatherby. Nosler's 140 data for the 7mm Wea peaks out at 3361. Your 160 Partition data is at the max velocity I've seen with the 7 mag using out of the book charges.

Maybe RE 17 is something new - I'll remain skeptical until I see pressure tested data.