Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber Montana .280 Ackley and RL26

I shot the Kimber this morning with Reloader 26, new Nosler brass, Federal 210 match primers and the 160 Accubond.

Velocity measured by LabRadar.

60.0 gr averaged 2935fps, .6 MOA
60.5 gr averaged 2982fps, .74 MOA
61.0 gr averaged 2997fps, .68 MOA
61.5 gr averaged 3046 fps, .3 MOA

Obviously the last load is too hot even though I had no traditional signs of pressure. Bolt handle lifted easily, brass extracted easily, but I have no intention of making the Ackley into a 7mm Remington Magnum. Pity, considering the accuracy with that load.

Temperature was 12 degrees all groups were three shots.

If you had shot the 61.5 at 90F and had the same results, I would've shot a few more groups to verify and then called it very good...

If you had shot the 61.5 at 90F and had the same results, I would've shot a few more groups to verify and then called it very good.

Even allowing for error, QL shows that should be
very safe.

I've gotten unbelievable velocities out of R26 but have yet to find really good accuracy with precision rifles. It'll hunt all day.

I intend to reshoot the first three loads, and play with the OAL.

In my almost 50 years I have never hunted in 90 degree weather, so I have no intention of verifying the loads at that temp.

Novembers tend to be quite a bit cooler where I hunt.

In the 270 with a 150 grain bullet and reloader 26 John Barness, "AKA Mule Deer" noted that as temperature increases velocity decreased by a small margin with reloader 26 and also in some other powders though he didn't mention which ones.




Trystan

That RL26 is looking promising, for certain.

I don't load for that round, but why was the last load "too hot?"

I'm not sure I'd discount the 61.5 gr group. In my 270, I push the 150 NPT to 3040. Shot it today and averaged ~ 3050 using 60.5 gr. For the 270 anyway, velocity is right at the SAAMI listed.

Having said that, I wouldn't sweat the 'lost' 50 ft/sec but a 0.3" group is smoking <G>

Had phenomenal accuracy with IMR 4350, but found it was really slow. Got some RL26 and went up about 200fps with the 145LRX (62gr). Lost some accuracy, but still shooting .5s at 100.

Going to try it with some 150LRABs next time at the range, just for fun, and see how the loads do.

Kimbers dont shoot.

It's all in the powder...

W

Turkish, after seeing a number of "wonder powders" hit the market and the outlandish claims of increased velocity without an increase in pressure I'm skeptical.

My 7mm Rem Mag gets 3050 with 7828SSC. Case capacity being what it is for the Ackley, to get that same velocity must = more pressure.

But perhaps RL26 is all it's cracked up to be. I dunno.

I have loaded all four loads and will see if my results are repeatable when time permits.

That Montana has been an easy rifle to work with, has me considering selling my 7mm WSM.

I would not be afraid to use the 61.5 load at all but would test in warmer weather first. We do hunt in 90 degree weather here. My 280AI with a 25" barrel and R26 will out run my 7RM with 23 inch tube by up to 50 fps. with 160s. With the 175 grain pills the 7RM holds it's lead over the 280AI.

I ran up to 62 & 63 grains before seeing any pressure signs
in the AI with 160s and this was at 90 degrees. Mine is throated long for the 175 gr. Sierra so almost free bored with 160s.

For the 145 LRX Barnes says 55.0 max of IMR4350 is 3034fps, but in the low 40s my 24" Broughton was shooting about 2920fps (and around 2970 in warmer temps) at 55.5gr. With that .5gr over max I was getting .3-.4" on average.

145 LRX and 62.0gr RL26 I was, in the same low 40s, getting around 3120fps and about .5"

Next time at the range going to try the 150LRAB with 60.0-61.5gr and see how those do.

I reshot all 4 loads this morning with the 160 Accubond.

60.0 gr averaged 2943fps, >1.5 MOA
60.5 gr averaged 2970fps, .62 MOA
61.0 gr averaged 2998fps, .70 MOA
61.5 gr averaged 3025fps, .44 MOA

When temps get up into the 50 degree range I intend to load 61.5 load to test. I'm not convinced the load isn't over max, although no traditional signs of pressure.

As Mule Deer has pointed out a number of times this does not mean that load is not over Max.

Two groups of .3 and .4 are not too shabby.

Maybe I won Kimber Roulette? Grins.

I've never played with a 280 or its AI cousin, but the Montana in the chambering is very tempting.

I once again loaded 61.5 gr of RL26 over the 160 accubond.

That makes a total of 7 - 3 shot groups.

Average group size is .668", velocity is 3049.71 fps.

Thursday is supposed to hit high fifties here, if there are still no signs of pressure I'll call it good.

That sounds like a mean, lightweight machine!

I had a 30-06 Ackley a few years ago. It was accurate, but the Ackley cases did not feed very well in my rifle. How do they do in the Kimber?

Given what I found with RL26 in my 270 MT and 150's, I'd absolutely go with the 61.5 gr load and not look back... and I'm a darned conservative handloader.

My guess is the "standard" 280 would run a 160 at 3,000 from a 24" bbl with RL26 at max, but safe pressure.

I truly don't believe you're over max, or necessarily even at max.

R26 just seems to be a magic powder in the mid capacity rounds. Pretty much everyone I know is getting great velocities with less apparent pressures over the old standby powders.

Chet,

no feeding issues what so ever. The action is a bit rough, that will smooth out over time.

Wanna trade?