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.
+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.
