Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Don't need to worry about RL-26 in cold temperatures

Last evening the National Weather Service revised their forecast for today. They'd been predicting winds up to 11 mph, but revised that to mild--which is what they were when I got up, so went to the range and tested half the 10 rifles and loads I had on my list for a cold session.

I like to do my "standard" cold test at right around zero Fahrenheit, with both rifles and ammo chilled exactly like they would be in actual hunting conditions. Obviously it can't be exactly zero throughout the testing, but when I left for the range at 9 o'clock this morning, our thermometer read +3 and the local Weather Service station said -3.

I'd left both ammo and rifles in our unheated garage overnight, and put both in the back of the pickup, with the rifles in padded cases, for the trip to the range. The chronograph went directly from our house into the cab of the warmed-up pickup. Chronos need to be fairly warm, and in fact I had to put it back in the cab to warm it up again through the testing. When I got done shooting around 11 the NWS station said temperature was 5 above.

The load I'd worked up for my Winchester Model 70 Featherweight, a Jack O'Connor Commemorative model, was the 150 Nosler Partition and 60.5 grains of 26, a little under Alliant's listed max for the Partition, in Winchester brass with F210's. I'd sighted the rifle in 2.5" high at 100 yards on August 29th, shooting two groups, a 4-shot that went 1.08" and a 3-shot into .87". Average velocity was 3030 fps.

At zero the load actually chronographed faster, which I've seen before with a few powders, averaging 3074. Point of impact was slightly to the right of the August zero, but not enough to matter on big game even at 500 yards.

I hadn't hunted with the rifle/load this fall, mostly because others were in line ahead of it. But will next fall, or maybe next spring for black bears.

Great news! thanks! Makes that 8 lb keg I bought all the more worth it to me.

Awesome.

Have you ran any tests with Enduron? I did last winter with 7977 in the 7RM, and actually gained 8 fps average in -2, so I was wondering about my findings a little.

its reassuring to hear you've seen the same things. (gains instead of expected losses).

I've seen slightly higher velocities in cold temps with several of the newer powders, including Alliant Reloders and Endurons. But usually the difference is within normal variation; usually you'll see different velocities from separate strings of the same load on the same day, with would certainly be true of 8 fps. But this was a little more than I've seen with any other powder.

That's good to know; Thank you. I'm glad gun scribes test things like that out to prevent guys like me from learning things the hard way. It helps with getting my priorities straight. Like when running RL-26 at around 0 deg. F I can be more worried about various parts of my anatomy than about reduced muzzle velocity.

That's good to know, thanks Mule Deer!

It makes me feel better about using it for an elk hunt next year.

Thank you for the info. I need to find an 8lber of Re 26...........

BTW: My load data is exactly the same recipe as yours but I get more velocity - 3040 avg 😎

JB, thanks for your efforts.

Thank you for sharing. My hope is RL16 performs similarly.

+2 or 4 or

Regardless of 'specific fps', 270, 150 gr @ 3000 + fps is fantastic.

I appreciate your willingness to deal with +/- O degrees just to graph in 'certain' conditions.

Thanks A Lot

Jerry

As usual, great info, John.

Thanks for taking the time to post it.

MM

Jerry,

Actually, it isn't too bad out there! On the days I've done this over the decades, it's during the middle of a high-pressure system when everything's stable--the reason it ain't windy--and the sun is out. And zero in dry country, no wind, and sun isn't ANYTHING like, say, 33 degrees and windy in Alabama in January. Believe me, I've done both!

Of course, I was not only born and raised here, but Barsness is a Norwegian name, and the rest of my heritage is Dutch, Scottish and Tuscarora, one of the tribes from upstate New York near Buffalo. None of which are exactly warm-country genes.

John's testing and recommendations have saved me a pile of money and time....Thank you John!

I hope you got home in time for your lutefisk dinner!

M D

I can understand that. I'm HOT natured and have lived in Ark and S E La and spent time in Al hunting -8* up to a hi for the day of +4*.

The heat & humidity are very hard on me BUT I spent some time in Tucson & Sedona. It WAS hot but NO humidity. I didn't have any problems w/o the humidity.

Even here I can navigate work or hunting in our cold Wx much easier than I can tolerate the Summer heat/humidity.

Thanks Again

Jerry

JB, thanks for the test.

I can't imagine going to the range at "0"! I won't have to worry too much around here but it's good to know when I go to Colorado for elk each year.

Now if RL-16 be like that too

Damn......and I got all this H4831.......

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

I was wondering if double based powders have the same shelf life as single based?

Thanks John. Useful to know this. My LGS ordered some for me. It should be here next week.

Jerry,

Actually, if you go looking for it Montana can make you miserable at both extremes. When in my 20's I lived for three years in the northeastern corner of the state, and during that time saw the temperature both -58 (that is actual temperature, not wind chill) and +113 Fahrenheit. But the most miserable weather was when it chilled for 3 days to around -40 at night and "warmed" to around -20 during the day. But the wind was also gusting up to 30-40 mph.

Luckily, most of Montana doesn't see weather like that. It's a big state, around 700 miles east to west and 400 north-south, with widely varying terrain. Have never seen it more than -30 here, or above 100!