Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters RL-26

It's the real deal, went to the range today with a Steyr 6.5X55 and the LabRadar says it is 100 FPS higher than RL-19, RL-22 and VV550. was surprised to see 2840 - 2850 out of 20" barrel. The others were low 2700's which was what I thought I would see. This was with 130-140g bullets. 130g AccuBonds for the RL-26. The 139g Scenars were the most accurate, but the RL-26 load was within a 1/4".

What loads are you shooting?

I tried to find loading's for a 6.5X55 in RL-26 and found nothing. On the web, 48 to 53g with a 130g bullet. These were 50g. No funny primers or sticky bolt.

I have been using RL. 26 in my 6.5 Creedmoor A.R. bolt bench rifle and has been very consistent with 1/2 - 5 shot groups at 100 yards it seems to shoot even better at 300 yards with 5 shot 1 inch groups not sure why ? i use 140 gr. Berger VLD target bullets, this RL. 26 seems to do well cold or warm so far ?

Load please

For what it's worth...here's what QuickLOAD has to say:





Based on this, I'd say you're safe, but I do not endorse loading solely on QuickLOAD's generated output.

This is the line I pay attention to:

+00.3 100 52.18 2853 2350 54430 15131 99.6 1.095 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Be safe.

Guess my barrel is a "faster" one.. Either that or the LabRadar is optimistic.

Give and take a little here and there for variations in case capacity, chamber dimensions, and powder lot differences...I think that's what accounts for the charge weight / velocity discrepancies. What I look at is, what pressure is required to drive the bullet to "X" velocity with a given combination of components? I believe (I do NOT say I "know") you're running at a little under 55 kpsi. In a modern bolt gun I would not be afraid to push to even higher pressures (and therefore higher velocity) but only in the quest to find an accuracy sweet spot. You might gain a hundred fps by doing that, but velocity just isn't the right motivation to lean on it any harder IMO.

I have found that max velocity and accuracy don't always match. Next trip I will go down a bit and see. 50g at 3.160 COL was just at starting to compress the powder charge. I have found a full case, or nearly so does often help accuracy. Thank you for the Quickload info.

I've never tried R26 because I've never found any. That being said, it appears to be the magic powder in several cartridges. The praise is so high that I am not sure why there is a need for other powders in the burn rate. Seems like it makes all other powders obsolete. What's the real scoop?

I have never used RL26 but was able to snag an 8lb canister last week. Just got done loading up some for my Tikka 6.5 Creed with 135gr Bergers, and also for my Tikka 270 with 145gr ELDX. Gonna try to hit the range tomorrow and see what it will do.

In part, there are usually other powders that do just as well but because of the significant velocity gain in some cartridges, everybody else is gonna make it work too. Have head several reports of RL26 not always being the most accurate.

According to the Alliant tech I talked to RL26 was designed for overbore, highish pressure cases shooting heavy for caliber bullets. That's why Alliant has only limited number of cartridges with pressure data. The 270 and 7RM are two of the biggest beneficiaries. 243 doesn't do bad either.

I have one 270 that loves RL26 for both accuracy and velocity. Couple other 270's and 243's that do well. One 243 that appears to hate it.


But at this juncture folks are sprinkling RL26 on their Wheaties and claiming their farts go 200fps faster..........

I haven't tried it in anything but the 6.5X55. What I have seen so far it is a VERY good powder, perhaps much better than others. Got lucky a coupe of months ago and found a pound at the LGS.

A couple of things on the Quickload print out. It uses 55,000 psi or the SAMMI maximum pressure and it is off on R26 as it is listed as slower than R25 which it is not at least in mid sized cases. You would need to recalculate it with your own velocities to get it more accurate.

I had pressure spikes above 90 degrees at around 53 gr. with 130 grain bullets, I backed down to 51.5 grains so I could shoot them in hot weather, this was with magnum primers so that could have run pressure up some too.

Have successfully used RL26 in two cartridges; 300 WM with a new bullet I can't talk about yet and my wildcat 6.5x57BR (8x57 necked down to 6.5mm and shoulder blown out to 30 deg). Talked to an Alliant tech a few years back. I don't recall the exact conversation but powders like RL16 and 23 are advertised as "world-class stability" and "exceptionally consistent velocities"......."temperature extremes". Where Rl 26, "controlled temperature stability" cannot be advertised the same because it might be or might not be as temp stable as the previous two. It's more cartridge dependent.

I have changed my .300 Weatherby load from MagPro to RL26 for temp stability and lost about 25 fps but groups with 168 gr TTSX s tightened up. It’s still at 3,300 fps with an under max book charge and shoots well under an inch at 100 yards as did the MagPro. There were no flies on the MP, just running low and bought a couple pounds of RL26. I haven’t tried it in other cartridges since it has become unobtainable. Happy Trails

In both of my 6.5CM's, a T3X and CTR (20"bbl), RL 26 has no peer when launching 147 ELDM's. Around 47g gets me 2700' in the CTR with a COAL of 2.90. The base of the bullet sits perfectly at the bottom of the neck, and the powder charge sits perfectly at that juncture as well. Perfecto IMO.

I'm partial to the 139 scenar in my T3X though, at 2760fps.

How soon can you talk about this new 30 cal bullet? Is it slippery? I’m available for testing!

Barnes must be up to something now that Sierra took over ??????

He’s already said too much apparently.

RL-26 has proven nothing short of amazing in my 240 Wby. It's worth 100 fps over MRP(previous go to) when launching 95 Gr NBT's. Substantially tightened the groups up as well. I've pretty much experienced similar results shooting all bullet weights from 75-100. I'm about to begin using RL-26 in my 6.5 Creed. Expecting the same results there as well.

Thanks for that info. I have a .240, fav load is 100 NPT over MRP. I have RL-26, just never tried it in that round. In fact I have big jugs of both powders. Need to check that out.

DF

yes i really like RL.26 , but maybe Mule Deer may have a much better thought or tests from his reloading on this powder RL.26 ?

I’ve been happy with it in 7STW and 270wsm. I’m presently testing loads in 340wby with 225s. I also plan on playing with it with 200s in a 30-06. It doesn’t seem to burn as clean as 7828, but velocity and accuracy are very good with lower pressure.

Barnes must be up to something now that Sierra took over ??????
[/quote]

Checked with our guy who overseas marketing and he's given me permission to talk about it since their is load data on our website for the 300 PRC. It's our new 208 gr LRX. This bullet was designed months before Sierra took over. I've been shooting it in my newly built LW 300 WM at 3000 fps (sub 10 SD) with Rel 26 in Peterson "Long" brass. 5-shot groups have been running in the .5" to .6" range. Please ignore the black tip. They will come with the standard blue tip which Barnes Bullets is known for. A 10 twist barrel should not work. It was tried in one our guys personal 300 RUM and just would not group well; even at 4500'+ elev. 9 is on the edge. An 8 twist is much better. My 3.631" COAL is running about .135" off the lands of the carbon wrapped Bartlein barrel's lands. These bullets should easily expand down to around 1700 fps impact velocity.



180 Accubond in the middle for comparison.

What's is the b.c.? It takes a 208 gr .308 to beat the sectional density of a 150 gr .264...

G1 is .633. IIRC, the bullet's designer told me G7 is .312

Alan

Nice. I just happen to have a 1-8” PRC. I’ll have to give it a try.if I stick with it I’d really consider getting the +P mod just to give the mono a bit more speed.

I’d love to find some N570

Hmm. I'm surprised the b.c. isn't better.

Yeah, you'd think just looking at it.

I wonder if those grooves decrease B.C. a bit.

Hammer bullets have a scalloped looking set of rings for what they call their Patented Drag Reduction (PDR).

Check out the 214 gr. Hammer Hunter. https://hammerbullets.com/product-tag/308/page/2/ G7 is .322. Some companies are overly generous with their B.C. numbers. I guess the acid test would be to check them out.

I've gotten great accuracy with Hammer bullets. Not cheap, but a pretty neat design. They say you can push them faster due to low drag in the bore. I'm still working with mine, can't say for sure.

DF

The cannelures (grooves), as we call them, does not help the BC. In addition, the bullet functions (expands) quite well, down to 1700 fps.

Vv n-570 is the velocity champ in my 26 Nosler with 156 EOL's.

It has the largest stick granules of any powder I've ever used, It won't flow thru my Uniflow, stacks up. I remove the drop tube, dump in a scale pan and tweak the load. Slower, but it works.

It's a high energy powder, said to possibly burn out barrels faster. Don't know for sure. I'd keep that in mind for high volume shooting.

DF


Edited to add, Hammer recommends an 8.5 twist for the bullet I referenced above.

Did a ladder test yesterday with my 24” Tikka 6.5 Creed. Started with 47.0 and worked up to 49.0 grains of RL26 with the 135gr Berger Classic Hunter seated .03 off the lands. All groups were 1” or less, but 49.0 grains was at .40” at 100 yards.

Berger list the max load at 49.7 grains, but at 49.0 grains I have to tap the case a but to get enough room to seat the bullet so I think I’ll stop there. Showed zero pressure signs so I’m gonna load up a few more to verify but hopefully I found a winner. My chrono took a dump and I have to pickup another one shortly but I imagine I should be around 2850-2900 fps.

Thanks, I have a Creed, those bullets and RL-26. Just need to put it all together.

DF

No problem. And just to clarify I was using new starline brass and cci br2 LR primers. You might be able to fit a tad more powder in a Hornady case.

Hi Motown,
Please share the results with the 145 ELD-X in the .270, with as much detail as you can. I plan to try the same combo and would love to have your experience to build on.
Thanks, Rex

I had really good results with R26 under 147 ELDM's in my Sweed but found StaBall 6.5 to be the best under 129 Hornady Spire Points. Both are outstanding powders in the 6.5x55 for both velocity and accuracy in my Fieldcraft.

I have those components, need to try them in my Swede. So far my best Swede load is the 139 Scenar over MRP.

DF

Hey Rex,

I did also run a ladder test with RL26 in the 270 as well this past weekend. I started at 59.0 grains working up to 61.0 grains in 1/2 grain increments.

The issue I ran into with the 270 tikka is the seating depth. I wanted to try and load about .03 off the lands but the mag length will not allow that, and to fit them into the mag the furthest out I can seat them is .100 even with a mountain tactical mag. Because of this I loaded up everything at .100 off and most groups would put two together and one further out. I will mess around with seating depth more in weeks to come and update when I can.

One thing I can say is that I had no pressure signs even at 61.0 grains using a magnum primer. The recoil at 61 grains was noticeably harsher than most loads I have tried in this rifle before, but it seems that it also showed the best accuracy node at 61.0 grains as well. My Creed also showed the best accuracy with the near max load as well and I think this is where RL26 shines!

I have tried RL26 in my 270win and 243. Very good speeds with published loads with 150 and 105 gr bullets respectively. Would like to try it in my 257WBY but alliant has nothing published. I could start with my RL22 loads and go from there. Also, hodgdon has some likely suspects with some of their newer slower IMR powders but has published nothing for this cartridge.

IMR7977 does pretty well in the .257 Weatherby, which I found out by noticing that its burn-rate is apparently pretty close to H1000, the powder I use in my .257 Weatherby. So I tried 7977, and did well, but wasn't quite as accurate as H1000.

Two things about RL-26: It tends not to show traditional "pressure signs" even when exceeding published maximums quite a bit, more so than most other powders. Plus, even though 26 is fairly cold-resistant, pressure can jump quickly in hot weather.

Pressure in really hot conditions is what Rio7 was reporting with RL-26, his gun getting pretty hot, riding in a South Texas Jeep.

RL-17 is said not to show pressure signs until it’s way over. So is ‘26 a bit like ‘17 in that regard?

DF

RL 17 shows pressure at high speeds and primer changes. RL 26 I never saw pressure signs in our cold weather, on load work up went by chronograph quit when velocity flat lined. Don't think I have ever shot either above 60 F

I think NitroChemie makes '17, '26 and '33. Some .264 Win Mag shooters report great performance with '33. And, '26 is a winner in a number of rounds, as is '17. NitroChemie's proprietary process seems to work.

DF

I settled on a load of 46 grains of 26, under the 147 in my Creed. Velocity is 2747 with phenomenal accuracy. It smucks deer well. I just shot one at 400 yards a few days ago. I did some testing with the 129, also, and it was great. I use the 26 in my Creed, with the heavy bullets and have gone to Re 17 and IMR 4350 in my .260s, as I use exclusively 129 Interlocks in those rifles.

I got a few pounds of Sta Bal awhile back and have been doing a little testing. It works well in the .260 and Creed, but I was not quite as happy, when I tried it in my .270. It would take a bit more testing there I guess, but I already have a great load for that rifle.

Mule Deer how is R26 in the 280 Rem

jyp,

Haven't tried 26 in the .280, but it works great in the .280 AI.

Since the .280 AI and .270 Winchester bracket the .280, would expect it to work there as well.

....M D : Thanks for your earlier feedback concerning the 257 Wby. Perhaps some day I may even have the opportunity to try RL-26. I have yet to even see any but that's typical. At least I still have good old H-1000.

Back in my .257 Wby days, RL-25 was my fav, but that was before '26 came on the scene. I recently saw a few '25 cans at a LGS. If I still had a .257 Wby, I'd be all over '26.

IMR powders may be easier to find, such as 7977 or 8133. Vv N-565 seems popular with PRC shooters. Those may work, but only if you can find them...

Hopefully '26 will start showing up again. I'm starting to pick up big jugs of whatever when I can find them.

DF

I have plenty of RL 26 available but IMR 7977 has become my go-to powder in my 7 RM's over RL26 when shooting 175's.

It comes within 40 fps of RL26 yet gives me better accuracy.

I got lucky and scored an 8lb keg of it recently.

SU35,

One thing about 26 many hunters don't understand is that while it's reasonably temp-resistant, it wasn't designed to be, and consequently isn't as resistant as powders designed to be from the get-go. In my tests it's pretty good in cold, but not so much in heat. (Ramshot Big Game is also not designed for temp-resistance, but I have found it to be very close to the Hodgdon Extremes in that regard, in a variety of cartridge/bullet combinations.)

On the other hand, the Endurons are pretty good in heat and cold, as they're designed to be. IMR8133 proved to be the best powder with 160s in my 7mm RM.

On another note, ALL of the Vihtavuori powders are now both temp-resistant and contain a decoppering agent. Since they're popular among target shooters, the company is also into introducing powders designed primarily for a specific cartridge. Recently tested a couple of new ones, and they really work.

Of course, finding any powder right now is tough. I saw VV powders on websites a month or two again, probably because they're a little more expensive than many others. But now they're pretty much gone as well.

I can't add too much to the conversation but I will still pass along my experience. In my .243 with 95 and 100 grain bullets I didn't see the velocity benefits and accuracy was better with H4350. In the 6.5x284 am using the 147 grain ELD-M with velocity of 2840 fps and groups in the .2s and.3s. My .270, and old JC Higgins 50, is going sub-MOA with 150 grain Sierra Gamekings at 2985 fps. With results like that it is the only powder that I will use in my .270 as long as I can get my hands on it.

jwp,
I have worked up a load for my .280, using RL26 and a Hornady 150 gr. ELD-X bullet. My barrel is a 22" PacNor, 1-9" twist.
Accuracy and velocity are excellent- last week I ran shots over my new Magnetospeed chrono, which registered a MV average of 3050 fps. In my rifle, this load is sub-MOA.

to bad a guy cant buy rel26 anywhere,,,

Thanks, sounds very Promising

Mule Deer can you elaborate on the caliber specific powders?

Thanks

On the other hand, I have been able to find RL26 and have not been able to get much Vihtavuori powders. Maybe I've been looking in the wrong places. The last time I went to Cabelas and then the city, I went to a couple of dealers before I found much. The biggest dealer in the city and also Cabelas had nothing to speak of. My favorite store in the city had just got a shipment in. - boy was my wife pissed when she saw the CC bill.

I just found some Western and Alliant powders in a small farmer oriented business in the local town for $25/lb.

I buy powder and primers when and where I can. I even buy round nose bullets to play with, if that's what is available.

Not JB, but I see Vv n-565 being used a lot in the 6.5 PRC. I was wondering about that connection.

DF

Read in another forum yesterday that a gun shop in LIttle Rock AR got a big shipment of Alliant powder yesterday. They had 26 but it was $45 a pound.

LGS had R26 at $36 a pound. 2 pound limit earlier this week when I was in there. Also 22,23 and 25.

The same store has a 8lb of magpro and some imr4451 in pounders.

They even had Hornady HAP 9mm 500 count boxes of bullets at $70.

Aviator,

"Mule Deer can you elaborate on the caliber specific powders?"--

A good example is Vihtavuori's N555, which is between their N550 and N560 in burn-rate. The specific application is the 6.5 Creedmoor with bullet from around 130 grains up. I recently tried it in my Bergara Ridge, which had shot pretty well but not exceptionally with the new 135-grain Hornady A-Tip with a couple of popular 6.5 CM powders. I didn't really work up a load with N555, just used the max charge VV lists for the 136-grain Scenar, with the A-Tip seated the same in the same brass, with the same primer. Three, 3-shot groups at 100 yards averaged .37 inch at around 2760 fps, better than the results with any of the other powders. A little tweaking of the powder charge and seating depth should improve on that.

One of their first specialty powders was N570, the slowest burning of the 500-seres (double-based) line, which appeared maybe a decade ago. It was originally intended primarily for the .338 Lapua Magnum, and worked very well. But another recent powder is N565, just a little faster burning than N570, which they say works best with 250-grain bullets in the .338 Lapua, while N570 works best with 300s.I haven't tried N565 with 250s in the .338 Lapua, because I haven't had one in quite a while, but I'll take their word for it, since N570 worked great in a couple of rifles with 300- grain bullets.

Of course, that doesn't mean such specific purpose powders won't work well in other cartridges with similar bore/powder capacity ratios and bullets of the same approximate sectional density. They probably would, but VV is willing to tweak powders for specific purposes, no doubt because their powders are so popular among target shooters, who tend to burn far more powder than hunters.

Mule Deer ,thank you much for posting some more knowledge on powders that many of us don`t have ? Mule Deer i do have question : many of the new Reloading books show Reloader 25 is a good powder for a 257 Weatherby Mag. i tried this powder in that cartridge and i did get a little better results too. ? what do you think of Reloader 25 ?

I had my 257 Wby put together in '07 when there was no '25/'26. I tried '22 and Ramshot Magnum. Magnum gave me better accuracy, lower ES/SD, and of course, meters like a dream.

I have used RL-25 in the .257 Weatherby, and it worked very well--but like other Alliant powders of that era isn't very temp-resistant. These days I'm using H1000.

IMR 7977 matches H1000s velocities but in my particular rifle (a New Ultra Light Arms) isn't quite as accurate.

So MD, what does Alliant mean by “controlled temperature stability” and “provides a consistent, controlled response to temperature changes”? Not temp insensitivity? Asking for a friend....

I would guess (and this is only a guess) is that's another way of stating the term I prefer to use, temperature resistance.

I have yet to test a powder that's absolutely stable at any temperature we might shoot in. Instead, some are stable in a wider range of temperatures, and even within that temperature range some will be more consistent than others.

Just about any smokeless rifle powder made today produces pretty consistent velocities in temperatures from the 20s to 80s, Fahrenheit--which is one reason quite a few handloading hunters claim to have never experienced any "problems" with temperature: Most hunting takes place in that temperature range. This is FAR better than smokeless rifle powders of a century ago, some of which varied considerably within that same temperature range.

Quite a few of today's powders will maintain consistent performance from 70 degrees down to zero, or even lower. In my experience (which in the past quarter-century or so has included a LOT of cold-testing) all the powders advertised as "temperature stable" will do this, as well as a few others not advertised as stable.

Above about 80, however, I have yet to encounter a powder that produces the same velocity, though the ones advertised as stable gain less velocity (indicating less pressure) than others. Of course, this is also affected by the heat of the barrel, which can increase considerably due to both sunlight and shooting--and how long we leave a cartridge in the chamber of a warmer barrel.

Might also mention (again, as I have in the past) that the specific cartridge/bullet application can also affect temperature resistance, as well as how much of the case is filled, powder compression, and the primer.

Thanks, John. I have read your comments and test data in GG and find it interesting. I generally work up loads in the 40-50 deg F range and seldom shoot or hunt if it is below 10F or warmer than 75F (except at maybe a coyote of opportunity). I’m sure that’s the reason I have never seemed to have temperature problems with handloads. Other than .257 Roberts, most of my loads are a fuzz under max. Happy Trails

Got a new magneto speed V3 and tested some loads today with the 6.5 creed and 280 rem. Both loads gave me 1/2” groups with zero pressure signs and were 5 shot strings. These are near max loads so obviously start lower. To say I am impressed is an understatement.

Tikka 6.5 Creed 24” Barrel
135 Grn Berger Classic Hunter
49.0 grn RL-26
Avg FPS = 2959
SD = 9.9
ES = 23

Remington 700 280 Rem Pacnor 22” Barrel
140 Grn Nosler Ballistic Tip
63.0 Grn RL-26
Avg FPS = 3181
SD = 13.1
ES= 17

When I bought my 6.5 PRC the two powders everyone was posting load data for was H1000 and Retumbo, a few guys that had RL26 had some great numbers too. I couldn’t find any of the 3 powders initially. Then one day powder valley had RL26 in stock and I snagged up 4 lbs. Load development was a joke, I worked up some loads starting at 55 gr with the 139 Scenar and worked my way up to 56 and stopped there. Sub 1/2” group, 3060 ish fps , no pressure and that was it!

Mule Deer I read and reread your above post several times.It’s priceless and one for the ages. Your experience and ability to write an explanation in a few words is greatly appreciated. Thanks! 👍

When I talked to Alliant and asked that question the tech guy said that RL-26 will generally show a velocity loss as temperature drops, but does so in a linear fashion, and conversely, velocity will increase as temps increase. Temp sensitive powders will often show a sharp drop in velocity at some temperature threshold, usually that is in the low teens or single digits in my experience. What I originally learned from some guys who did a LOT of temp testing of powders beginning in the 80's, that it's usually when temps hit single digits one sees a significant drop off in velocity. But, accuracy may suffer even before velocity shows a decrease.

I have temp tested RL26 a number of times now with a 270 and 150 NPT's at 75-80 degrees,, at 35-40 degrees, at 8-15 degrees, and have tested two different lots (but not at all those temps), and it does show some temp sensitivity in my tests. The velocity loss isn't big, 25-35 fps, but is outside of the margin of "error" that will happen when chronographing shot strings at different times. But the accuracy still seems to be there.

What has messed me up on following this up is that with three different lots of RL26, each lot has been successively slower. Lot three is 60-70 fps slower in two different 270's than the first lot.

R26 is showing promise in my 340 Wby. Need to get out and shoot a little more before getting out the anointing oil though. R26 would appear to be too slow for the 340 but I can't safely stuff it full so I guess it's not! So far I've only used it with 250 grain bullets. I have some 270s and 285s to try as well..

I have only seen the temperature sensitivity in R-26 at above 90 degrees and it appeared to be a spike not the gradual lineal increase/decrease at more normal temperatures. My load was max and rifle and ammo were in the sun. I dropped back a grain and a half instead of the usual half a grain just to make certain I could shoot those loads in hot weather or if I left the ammo in a hot vehicle accidentally.

I shot some more R26 today in my 340 Wby. I think it is too slow for the 250s but settled down nicely with the 270s and 285s. Those dang 285s seem to push back a little!

I have really enjoyed this thread. Thanks to all the contributors for such a good discussion.

I have limited experience compared to most that posted. I used R22 in one of our .257's until I had high pressure on a 95° day. The combination of the ambient temperature and chamber/ barrel heat caused a very heavy bolt lift. This was in my son's. 257. I use H1000 in mine and never experienced that. I switched over in his rifle and no issues under the same temps.

I am done with R22 and R25 for that matter. If I only shot during the winter it might be fine but why use it when there are other choices?

Now days my main powder supply primarily consists of H1000, H4350, IMR 4350, Varget and TAC. The only magnum that I shoot is the .257

I shot some R22 today with the R26 as well, i believe (my lot anyway) R22 IS slower that R26. I need to bump my load s up but I'm getting much higher velocity with R26 with the exact same charge as R22.

R-26 will usually produce higher velocities than R-22 and also can usually handle up to 1-1.5 grains more than R-22 depending on cartridge and load. Cross reference the load and watch your chronograph as the pressure will sneak up on you with R-26 especially over about 85-90 degrees temperatures.

I have been in Alaska when the temperatures got this high or more but the water was still too cold for swimming. Did one lap across the Unalakleet and I think I could have sung falsetto afterwards, didn't try.

In my 7 Rem Mags N570 gives me the fastest speed, spinning 160 AB's.

77.0 grains for 3,230 mv. Good accuracy too, but not as good as IMR 7977.

I have tried it in the following:
7mm Mauser
175gn Partition over 50gn for 2562fps. 49gn was more accurate at MOA but R26 was slower than R 17 which generated 2640fps and very tight groups. I feel this powder is a little slow to generate best velocities in this case.

280 Ackley Imp
150gn Nosler BT - I worked up to 64gn with this bullet for 3027fps and MOA groups but R22 and R17 beat it slightly by about 30-5-fps and generate better accuracy both under MOA from this 22" barrel.

154gn Hornady SP - 63gn generated 2886fps.

160gn Accubond - 63gn generated 2891 and .75MOA accuracy using Fed 210 and 2876fps and just n=under .5MOA using the same load and CCI 200 primer.

160gn Partition - 63gn for 2937fps though 62gn was more accurate at 2846fps.

175gn Accubond - 62gn generated 2892fps which I feel is perhaps a warm load though no excess pressure indicators were present.

175gn Partition - shot very tight .6MOA groups using 62gn but I encountered a slightly sticky bolt though not on all cases, so it is likely a grain or more too high though the cases were still tight in the primer pockets when being examined and re-annealed for the 2nd time for their 6th reloading.

7mm Remington Magnum
160gn Partition - 69gn shot some very fine accuracy at 3048fps

175gn Partition - My accuracy load was 68gn for 2990fps at best accuracy of .309". I did try up to 69gn and 3071fps by accuracy opened up to just over MOA.

.30/06
200gn Accubond - 62gn developed 2633fps which is no better than the 4350's so I need to try a little more here.

200gn Barnes TTSX - This bullet is sold as the LRX now, but Barnes provided samples to me under the TTSX label. 62gn of Rel 26 generated very tight .4" range grouping at 2724fps so I stopped here at this load will take anything a 30 caliber rifle could possibly be used on.

200gn Partition - This bullet digested 63gn for 2696fps in my Featherweight with 22" barrel and good accuracy. I did record that the increase in velocity was marginal over the 62gn loads.

220gn Partition - 60gn generated 2486fps and I will try an extra grain as the load was mild in my rifle.

.338 Winchester Magnum
225gn Partition - 77gn generated 2742fps so appears a little slow for this case size.

225gn Accubond - The same 77gn generated 2777fps.

250gn Partition - 76gn generated 2637fps.

250gn Accubond - 76gn generated 2656fps.

265gn Barnes TTSX - 72gn generated the tightest groups in the .3" range and 2496fps and I worked up to 74gn for 2536fps so there isn't a lot of gain for grain. groups went from .274" to .650" but it should be noted that bullet seating was well out at 3.375" as I was using a Mark V rifle with 24" barrel.

285gn Barnes TSX - 71gn generated 2478fps and is around .8MOA for accuracy in my rifle.

NOTE: An important point to relay at this stage, is that the last 5 loads (excepting the 225gn Partition) all shoot into a composite 1.1" group so were interchangeable. That makes this Weatherby Mark V rifle extremely desirable as a hunting rifle for an awful lot of big game species. The seating die was the same setting for 265 and 285gn bullets where the 285gn settled a little deeper for an OAL of 3.322".

Now, where can anyone find this stuff?


John

Tag 26 info. Thanks

I scrapped R26 AND R22 for the 340. Went to R19 and R17 work luck.
3000 fps easy with 250 Sierra GK and R19. Still testing R17. I use the R26 in my 6.5-284 and will continue to do so

I hope to give it a try when/if I can ever find any around here, loading my 6.5 cm with 140 nosler AB and a max dose of H4350 and only getting 2676 from a 22" on my ruger 77

I don't it's the magic pill for the CM
If you want more velocity try R17. I'm mostly loading 90s and 100 grain in mine so using Varget

My two cents......and accuracy over velocity.....

In the two 6.5 PRC's I had built, H-1000 was the winner over R-26.
140 VLD's at 3100 in a 24" Bartlein.

The two 6 PRC's I had built, R-26 was the winner over H-1000.
108 ELD'M's at 3425 in a 24" Bartlein.

I shot a lb of it thru a 6.5 creedmoor a few years back. I was planning to shoot matches with, and didn't find a load I was satisfied with. Switched to H4350, and while i'll admit i put a lil more time into it I found my 1/4" load. Grabbed it again for a 100gr 243 hunting load last fall. I chose it that time for the velocity gain in a 22" bbl. I ran it up to pressure and backed off about half a grain, and played with seating depth, and ended up with a hot load that shot 1/2 to 3/4" with minimal effort. Plenty accurate enough for deer.

Sounds about right but I'm having great accuracy with it in my 6.5-284 with 143s. Getting .3 MOA at 800 meters

RL 26 is great in the 6.5X55 swede and 6.5 creedmoor!

However, in 4 different rifles that me and some of my shooting compadres load for, RL 23 achieved better velocities, accuracy, and ES SD numbers with 140/147 elds.

Trystan

I'm not trying it

I recall when it was available at Sportsman's Warehouses here in Oregon, when it was brand new....

no one bought it.... The price was down to $22 a pound....

A friend would buy a pound of it each time he walked into a S.W. for something else...

even after giving some away to friends... He's sitting on 30 to 32 pounds or so of it...

Some of us planned ahead when Trump was in office... figuring we'd have another democRAT in office some day again...
and have to deal with the same panic buying once again....

I don't have a need for it, or I'd have done the same thing....instead I have a bunch of 3031, I'm probably never going to use...

getting out of the gun business anyway, with the democRATs in power....

I picked up a pound of RL26 by mistake last night at my LGS. I wanted to pick up RL19 but grabbed the RL26 by mistake. I was just so happy that he had Varget and IMR4831 that I didn't look at the Alliant bottle close enough. I guess I will need to read over this thread and find out what I can use it for.