Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles RL26 in 7-08

K22,

Will be interested in hearing how much velocity you get.

It's usually easy to get 2900 (and sometimes more) from a 22-inch barrel, with excellent accuracy from 140's using H4350 or Big Game.

Mule Deer, I'll be interested myself. LOL Right now its hard for me to do much load development, but maybe after the first of the year I can get at it again. A former benchrest shooter friend of mine is working with the 6.5x55 and 130gr. bullets using RL 26. 51.1gr. is getting them 3129. Kind of hoping he and his buddies work some with the 140's in the 7 08 using RL 26. It sure seems to have a slow pressure curve.

I would think of the newer Alliant powders, RL16 would be the one to try in the 7/08. Alliant data shows 47.2 grains with a 140 grain Partition and a velocity of 2952 with a 24 inch barrel.

Good suggestion on the Re16. If I can make it work in the 270 with 130 grain bullets, I'll buy a bunch when I see it.

I think you'll like RL-15, AR-Comp, Big Game or H4350 considerably better in the round.

MM

my self i have tried ar15 h4350 , ar-comp , imr4166,cfe223 varget and H380 . so far H380 is the wow powder with 140's

Wait until you try Big Game.





P

H 380 is a sleeper powder in the 260 Rem also....

as far as RL 26 in the 7/08, and 139 grain Hornady's,
I wasn't real impressed... at least according to my chrony's results...

Never tried Big Game powder.. actually in any cartridge...

If looking for max velocity in a 7/08, with a 140 grainer...
and Alliant Powder, I'd be checking out RL 17 or RL 19
first to see what they yielded....

I'll have to Road Test some H 380 in the Howa....

Seafire,

What was your velocity, powder weight, and primer? I'm only curious.

I will continue upward with mine just to see where it leads.

In this rifle, 120gr. bt's and N140 is perfection.

I've tried the loads suggested with the exception of Big Game and that powder tends to be nonexistent in my neck of the woods. Not many Big Game powder deals online either, so I'll pass on that one.

kk alaska, and Mule Deer,

I'll have to admit defeat. I found a very accurate load, 51.3gr. of RL 26 but no real speed. Deviation was very low. 2764, 2765, and 2728 fps is ok I suppose but not where I wanted to be. Using a drop tube, powder is halfway up the neck, so more powder is out. Black graphite helped with the deviation, but not for speed.
This 22" barrel is kind of slow, so this load would be ok in this rifle. Heck, this rifle will barely break 2900 with 120's and RL 15 or N140. It shoots good, just not fast.

Hmmm when working up loads in my new 7 wsm with 180 ELDM (got up to 3150 but came back down to 3080) we tried some 26 under a 162 eldx...was able to get those going 2700 fps and 5 shots just under an inch out of the 24” 7-08. A bit more tweaking likely will tighten that up even more.

Of course it’s tough to compete with his load of 150 eldx and varget to get them going 2950+

QL estimates 100% fill with 46 grs or RL26 under a 140 gr AB at 2.750"

2453 fps out of a 22" barrel.....too slow.


RL15 and Big Game are suggested powders ahead of RL17 with significantly better velocity.

I have not shot a 7-08 since the 90's but those who have said RL26 is too slow are very likely on the money.

RL26 should be better with 280/280AI/7SAUM capacities with 150gr+ stuff.

I thought that RL 26 would work good behind a 150gr. or heavier. Since I don't have any above 140 I'll have to consider myself done with RL 26 in a 7-08. Accuracy was great in mine by the way.

RDW,
Did QL say what primer they were using? Just curious. Mine were Partitions seated at 2.80.

I don't recall an option for primers in QL.

After going through all of the data using a 140gr. bullet, then looking at my chronographed loads, I've decided to revisit RL 26 and the 140gr. Partition. According to several manuals a max load can run the 140gr. bullet to 2868fps but it is a crushed load. I'm running in the mid 2700's and from what I've seen in the manuals, I'm there running with the majority of the max pressure loads, but I don't have any pressure signs. The barrel in this rifle is obviously a slow barrel. I can barely get 2900 using a 120gr. Barnes and the 120gr. Nosler BT is in the upper 2800.
There is no way this barrel is going to run in the high 2800 let alone hit 2900fps. It wouldn't do it if the barrel was 30" long and the bullet had a 4' running start.
So, I bumped the load to 51.5 fired 4 rounds into an inch and called it good. I like RL 26. I love its accuracy and slow pressure curve.
This is a 6lb. rifle all up, so inch groups work for me. Besides, I can remember back when an inch group at 100yds. was a tack driver and 1 1/2 was great. Shot lots of critters at lots of distances and never thought we had reject for a rifle.

I don't understand why you want to keep pursuing RL26 with 140's in the 7-08 when other powders will give as much or more velocity at lower charges. Now, if one were trying for absolute top velocities with 160 and heavier bullets, I could see giving RL26 a shot. If I had Quickload, I'd run a 168 and a 180 through it and see what it thinks RL26 might be capable of.

Because I have tried the other powders, H414, Varget, H4350, RL 15, and IMR4064. No dice. Accuracy was only so, so and velocity a little less than RL 26. Accuracy with RL26 is very acceptable. This barrel is not fond of bullets over 120gr. and I wanted a load using a 140gr. Partition.

Have you tried RL16? Speer data shows a velocity of 2,872 fps with a 145 grain bullet. Alliant data has 2,952 fps with the 140 grain Partition.

No I haven't bdan. As a rule of thumb with this particular rifle I can drop close to 100 fps off of any load published. With other powder listed and suggested for 140gr. bullet in a 7-08 I'm running in the high 2700 fps and starting to show pressure signs, RL 26 was the only powder I have that bumped it into the upper 2800's with no pressure signs and good accuracy. It's a full case and an almost crush fit, but then so it was with H4350. Most 270's with 130's and H4831 are crush fit and accuracy is quite good, so I figure this 7-08 with RL26 is a short case 270 .