Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Whatcha using re16 in? How is it doing?

completely different animal but I'm running 105 grains in my custom .40 cal smokeless muzzleloader with a full formed 297 Hammer bullet and LRMP ignition.

First load I shot was on a fouled barrel to the point of getting hard to load, after I fired a shot it was like loading on a clean barrel which tells me 2 things, it does erase fouling and it also burns very clean. it is also very temperature insensitive. I have now shot a good bit of the stuff and from 82 degrees to 3 degrees I only had a 34 FPS variance in velocity. speeds with this load are right around 3000 FPS. also some of the best es I have had in any gun period. I don't know how well it does in regular center fires but for what I'm doing I couldn't be more pleased.

Sure would be nice of Alliant to put some data up for their powders.

R-16: http://alliantpowder.com/reloaders/Powder.aspx?powderid=41

Their entire guide: http://www.alliantpowder.com/resources/catalog/2018_Alliant_Powder.pdf

Sounds like a devastating ML load

I've found excellent loads for my Creedmoors with 140's, and 30-06 with 165's. I've used a lot of RL-17 as well, and 16 seems to be just as accurate, but with maybe a little more speed.

I have great luck with it in my 6.5 CM. I run 43 grains with a 140 Gameking for 2840 fps, and 43.3 grains with a 120 TTSX for 2920 fps. Both loads have single digit sd’s. These are from a 24” barrel.

340 Boy,

The Alliant website states 16 is slightly faster than 17. But powders wiith burn-rates close to each other can (and do) switch burn-rates in different applications.

I've used it only in the 6.5 Creedmoor and .260 Remington. It worked well in both, but in the Creedmoor at least one other powder got better accuracy with the same bullet.

Have you seen the new data released by Speer in advance of their new reloading manual? It includes data using the newer Alliant powders.
If not, you might check it out here: https://www.speer-ammo.com/en/reloading/rifle

The new Speer data contains the .30-06 Holy Grail- a 200 gr bullet with RL26!

Hello MD,

Have you used the R16 in the 9,3x62? Seems to be a great one for 220/286 grs bullets...

Thank you and have a good new year!

PH

Reloder 16 is less dense than other powders with the approximate burning rate of 4350 so not as much will fit in a case.
When I tried it in the .370 Sako (9.3x66), which is very similar to the 9.3x62, filling the case up to the neck produced only 2415 fps with 286 Noslers.
Reloder 17, 2000MR and Big Game are more suitable.

Cheers,
Walt

Thanks for the link, Kimber. However, they still have pathetically little data for the new "temp insensitive" powders. Maybe they'll finally provide some data when the powders are on the market for 20 years or so. Put it on the market with no data, very typical of these guys. And I love their powders. No need to rush this stuff!

Alliant doesn't have much data, but boy I was sure impressed by the data that Speer has!

taz4570- did you check out the Speer data? It's looking like RL26 will be my only powder I'll need for my 270 Win., even for 130 grain bullets. And RL16 is looking really good in the 30/06, of which I have two rifles to load for. One I've got some 178 grain Hornady ELD-x bullets to try and the other I'll be using 150's. RL16 data looks good for both. Which is great since I can't get H4350 anymore.

Though I havn't tried it yet, I think 16 should be good with the 308 with 168-178 Gr. Hornady bullets I want to try.

Thank you wswolf.

PH

You are most welcome.

Also found Reloder 16 to be adequate in the .358 Norma (though not as good as H4350 or IMR4451) with 250 gn. Velocity around 2750 and groups around 1-1/4".
It was very good in the .220 Swift with 55 gn bullets and excellent in the .30-'06 with 168, 180 or 200 gn bullets.

Walt