Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Another Economical Gopher / Sage Rat Load

With prices of ammo and components, rivaling Mexico Drug Cartel prices... and selling out at the drop of a hat..

We high volume shooters in the sage rat and gopher fields in the Western USA, have to use a little ingenuity to be able to still enjoy our sport without taking out a second mortgage on the house.

I've been buying powder that has been available on the shelves, because everybody and their brother aren't buying and hoarding it. On line burn rate charts give me an idea of their burn rate, being close to powders I have been using for a long time, but aren't available.

Enter Winchester 296. It has a burn rate equal to H 110. Unlike H 110, I've been seeing it on the shelves. So I picked up a 4 pound container, for what was a pretty inexpensive price in ratio to today's prices on my other powders. With a military discount over at Sportsman's Warehouse, it was less than $30 a pound. Another good feature is that it doesn't take a lot, like regular rifle powder, even in a 223 case. I have been range testing it the last couple of weeks over at the range in the 223 case and the 6 x 45 ( 6 x 223 for you other guys ).

I've been testing it with typical 22 varmint bullets ( 50, 52, 53 and 55 grain bullets) and 65 VMax, 70 TNT and 75 HP Speer. Also have been testing with Remington 5 1/2 pistol primers, CCI SP, Fiocchi SP and Federal, along with Small rifle from Remington: 6 1/2, CCI, Winchester and Federal.

Powder charge in the 223 has been 15 grains of W296 with all loads, and 17 grains with the 6 x 45 loads. Rifles have been a Ruger VT in 223, and a Savage with a Douglas barrel in 6 x 45. Accuracy has surprised me quite a bit. These are zeroed for 100 yds, and my distance limit on Sage Rats, aka Gophers is usually 200 yds. Both rifles have a Covenant Rifle Scope on Top from Cabelas with the "Christmas Tree" reticle. I normally walk off and mark the 100, 150 and 200 yd distances and put a surveyor stake in the ground so I know what the distance are in a varmint field, which are pretty large here in Oregon, usually.

What I have been rewarded and surprised by at the local range at 100 yds, but rifles are rewarding me with ten shot groups, that are usually one big hole. Occasionally there may be a flyer, barely out of that ONE big hole, or two. But that is the worst of it.

17 grains gives me just a hair over 400 shots out of a pound of powder. 15 grains gives me 466 rounds out of a pound.
The small pistol primers are not showing pressure signs on either rifle. Small pistol primers are readily available around here in stores and are not selling out in two hours like other primers.

W 296 is just another tool in the tool box, for high volume varmint shooting. But it is certainly a good one. Both rifles have heavy barrels, so W 296 isn't heating them up very much at all. Much cooler burning, the same as Blue Dot. Overall its economical, keeping the prices down for every time we pull the trigger.

Its suppose to be the same powder as H 110, but I'm finding better accuracy with W 296 for some reason.. and also a much less muzzle blast if that matters to anyone. It does to me, in a day you might send 500 rounds or more down range.

Just passing this along to the small group of varmint shooters, who also may desire economy, but with something that still works well.

MV is in the 2400 fps range with the 6 x 45 and in the 2500 fps range with the 223. The 6 x 45 has a 20 inch barrel and the 223 Ruger has a 26 inch barrel.

good reading here, thanks seafire

Thanks John. I'll put 296 on my buy list.

I’ll have to give that a try…

bet my 5.7x28 would be cheap, 1000 rounds a pound of powder, been using the 40gr ballistic tips and 40gr vmax, out to 200 yards its been shooting great

so that is 7 grains of powder per load.

a 5.7 x 28 has a MV of about 2300 fps or so if I am reading info on line right.

barrel length might not be the same, but I wonder how a 223 would compare with a 40 grain bullet and 7 grains of Unique or even Green Dot type of powder burn rate.

That would be an interesting test to see if I could duplicate that.

Most people don't know or won't believe what a 40 grain bullet can do if ran in that velocity range.

Same with 50 and 55 grain SPs would do in that velocity range also.

May have to check that out and get back to ya on that.

2652fps out of a 24" barrel

Well doubt if we'd get that out of a 223 with a 26 inch barrel on 7 grains of powder. For some reason, I was thinking you were talking about the pistol or the shorter barrel P90.

With Blue Dot and a 26 inch barrel, 14.5 grains and a 40 V Max or Ballistic Tip, I can run that at 3350 to 3400 on a 26 inch barrel. Bolt action of course.

I've got a Ruger 57 Pistol in 5.7 x 28, but I've never fired it.. Have had it about a year or more.

Fun stuff John. Re-writing the books on reloading.

my 7 gr blue dot loads that ive tried averaged around 2275 with a 40gr bullet, just dug out my results

Actually Roy,

What I am applying is what I learned in the military. in the Medical Corps, treating of wounds. Back in those days, what got me thinking on this subject. was reading the round cops must feared was the lowly 22 Win Mag. They could penetrate a bullet proof vest, that would stop a 45 ACP round... or 9mm.

Same kind of reasoning that FN went with the 5.7 x 28 round development, and the Krauts were looking at a 4.6 x 30. I've learned a lot more in just testing rounds myself. Plus when I was 14 to 16, We lived at the Air Force base in the middle of Ft Bragg ( Pope AFB, NC. ). I had a lot of exposure to Special Forces guys. Didn't hurt my mom was personal Secretary to the Command General of Special Forces at their HQ on Ft Bragg.

Was in the Explorer Scouts at the time, and we had "Advisors" who were Special Forces guys, who had been Eagle Scouts when they were in High School. These were guys in their early to Mid 20s, who had already been to Vietnam a couple of times each. I'm sure BSA nowadays would freak out, if they knew what these guys were exposing us to back in the mid 60s.

I learned a lot and paid attention. A LOT.

Also had several Uncles who were Combat Medics in WW 2 and in Korea, who worked with Long Range Recon Units in the Marine Corps. Grew up in a military family, on both sides of my own family. The time period etc, I got exposed to a lot of things few kids were ever exposed to.

I always enjoy your research and write up of your results. Does my old guy memory recall warnings about reducing H110? I sure don't remember any particulars.
Take care,
Rick

Yeah Rick,

there use to be info about reducing the H 110 loads....but then some of that is lawyer stuff, due to someone at their load bench screwed up... and wanted to sue someone else to get some money out of their screw up.

I've got some 223 ammo loaded here that I used some H 110 in....I thought I had issues with it...too loud of a bang, and it didn't feel right... then the same amount of W 296 didn't give me the same experience even tho I had the same charge with it also. I tend to let my rifle tells me what it likes. I do that with each rifle, even if I have several chambered in the same caliber.

Just habits picked up, from issues found at the reload bench.. why one bolt action will take this load and work well, while another brand or just different chamber dimensions, will not work so well.

I look at load manuals as suggestions, not Bibles. One can come across to many different variations in reloading... the best approach I've found is let each rifle tell me what it likes the best. Some will digest anything in a manual, and others have been real particular.

I know W 296 and H 110 are suppose to be the same powder. However I am seeing some of my rifles I've tried W 296 in do very well with it, but then using the same charge of H 110 are finicky, Some kids are picky eaters and some aren't. Rifles seem to be no different. So I let it tell me what it likes.