Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Reloader 26

Yup not too bad with a .508 BC at sea level.

Did one hell of a job on these 2 elk last year. 255 and 385 yards. 5x7 and 6x7.

Fotis,I bet the whole world shakes a bit from the blast of that rifle.

My rifles are Tikkas, 22.4” barrels. I can load really long so maybe I can avoid compression.

I use WLRM for most loads, what’s a Win 120?





P

Recently worked up a load for my .280 Rem., with 60.0 gr. of RL 26 and a Hornady 150 gr. ELD-X bullet. Very accurate, and MV of 3020 fps out of a 22" barrel.

That it does my friend.

win 120 is the standard win caps

Got it. I know them as WLR.

I’ll give your recipe a try, starting low. I’m not trying to turn my -08 into a .280 but it would be nice to use the same bullet as I load for my 7 Rem Mag.

One less thing to worry about.






P

Tag.

I agree with this. For hunters, RL26 is tricky. Super high energy, but super unstable with temperature. RL23 is very fast in many of the same applications, and extremely temp stable.

If you don't want RL-23, you generally want RL-16 or Retumbo.

I’ve got a jug of RL25 on hand that I was thinking about trying in the 6.5 PRC under 147ELDM’s. I’ll be in TX next month hunting free range Axis. Will loads developed at 60° be stable if it gets hot in TX?

I am wondering if RL-26 comes temp instability on the high end. Given we rarely see above 80 degrees ever in Alaska and if its a 70 degree day during hunting season its a blessing So I've never witnessed this temp instability.

My velocity seems consistent when I shoot at distance 70 degrees and even at -50F. Maybe the issues arise when it temps near triple digits? Is that when you're experiencing your issues with temp? I'm just not seeing the random velocity or pressure spikes that some elude to.

"Experiencing" is a strong word when it comes to ol' Llama...

Where do you get "super unstable with temp" for '26. I've read it wasn't the best, nor the worst, overall not that bad.

DF

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I am wondering if RL-26 comes temp instability on the high end. Given we rarely see above 80 degrees ever in Alaska and if its a 70 degree day during hunting season its a blessing So I've never witnessed this temp instability.


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R26 is very stable in the 0-70 degree range but at 80-100+ degrees it can spike upwards of 150 fps. this in a 6.5x55. This didn't throw the load POI off much but pressure was too high. I have not tested it enough to see if it is still linear or just makes a big jump at higher temperatures. I just dropped back half to two grains (depending on case size) and things were fine without too much real velocity loss in moderate temperatures. It is still more stable than R22 & R25 across the board but it is that spike that is a concern.

All of them are in the don't leave your ammo on the dash board during the summer category.

For me....I have not seen any temp instability with 26

Must be at the high end of temps, because it’s done reasonable on the low end in the few tests I’ve done.

Teljano, how volatile is RL25. Is it even worth messing with in my 6.5 PRC? I wouldn’t even be considering it if I could get RL26 or N565. I’ve got plenty of H1000, but wasn’t seeing the best accuracy or velocity w/o pressure. The local reloading supply has a bunch of RL25 and by dust on the jugs, he looks to have had it for a while. I grabbed a 5lb. jug in a tizzy trying to get a load worked up prior to the Hog Hunt, but haven’t tried it.

25 sucks got 150’ swings.
In a 338rum and the 7mmrm were similar.

I may have some 26 in the powder safe if it’s impossible to get king.

I am wondering if RL-26 comes temp instability on the high end. Given we rarely see above 80 degrees ever in Alaska and if its a 70 degree day during hunting season its a blessing So I've never witnessed this temp instability.


[/quote]

R26 is very stable in the 0-70 degree range but at 80-100+ degrees it can spike upwards of 150 fps. this in a 6.5x55. This didn't throw the load POI off much but pressure was too high. I have not tested it enough to see if it is still linear or just makes a big jump at higher temperatures. I just dropped back half to two grains (depending on case size) and things were fine without too much real velocity loss in moderate temperatures. It is still more stable than R22 & R25 across the board but it is that spike that is a concern.

All of them are in the don't leave your ammo on the dash board during the summer category.
[/quote]

Good thing I live in an a cooler climate then and also explains why I've never seen the issues with it other have apparently had.

Kingston - R25 will generate higher velocities than R26 in some cartridges. The 257 Weatherby is one. I use it in the 270 WSM and it is unusual as it loads the same as R26 at 69 grains for both with 140s. Alliant lists this as OK but no other data is a match between R25 & R26. For my typical hunting temperature range of 15-75 degrees the stability has not been a major issue at moderate ranges for either load.