Wow! I knew this was an accurate load but wasn't sure what the ballistics were until today. Ran my last 5 of them over the chronograph, so it's not really enough for statistics, but all indications are that this is a good load:
270 grain Hornady Round Nose Soft Point (sadly, discontinued)
69 grains of RL-15 (I don't have any more, hope it's still available somewhere)
Federal 215 magnum primers
R-P brass
Average is a mediocre 2533 fps
ES is 21 fps
SD was a mere 8 fps
Mind you, I'm aware it was only five shots, but I only had five of them left. My 270 gr round nose Hornady bullets are gone. I used that load to do well at the last Safari Rifle Championships, Libby Montana, 2019. Didn't win, but did well with my single shot Ruger.
69 grains of RL-15 is listed as the accuracy load by Nosler for their 260 grain Accubond, and I've taken a few black bear with that load, out to 306 yards, so I know it works afield.
Wish I could latch onto some RL-15 again!
Regards, Guy
I've always found RL15 to be the bee's knees in the 375. Haven't gotten around to trying RL16. Someday maybe Alliant will catch up with demand.
If you can’t find the 15 …..maybe you can locate some WW760! My Model 70 shot incredible groups with it. A few grains over listed max, though it was the listed max in a very old Hornady publication! memtb
In my quest to get the Barnes 250TTSX to shoot in my M70 (which was unsuccessful BTW) I tried IMR4320, H4895, H335 and a few others. IME the 375 is a very easy cartridge to find an accurate load for and any powder in that general burn rate area will work.
Back when I worked up my 270 grain load, I was after the same MV as my 180 grain load in my .30-06.
That ended up being 75 grains RL-15 and a large rifle primer for ~2750 fps. Using a 215 primer was fine, but the 210 grouped measurably better.
I just got some more RL-15, so keep your eyes peeled and crawler bot working overtime...
I've owned three Pre 64 Model 70 375s and all three were exceedingly accurate. Cloverleafs were the norm with the Hornady 270 bullets and a load of H4831 behind it... shooting one from the bench wasn't a pleasant experience, though , which is why they all eventually went down the road...
They still make 270 grain SP, not RN. I have quite a few of them. Where I hunt, I need to keep away from temperature sensitive powders. I have had bad experiences with WW785, WW760, & H414. I think WW785 was the worst. I had tested a very accurate load in my 300 Win Mag with WW785. I took it out to the Ft. Peck range; it was a little over 100 degrees. The last round I shot had the base expanded into the bolt so that I had to take the bolt out and put a lot of side force on the bolt while the case was in a vise to get the case out of the bolt.
Before I mounted a scope on my 375, I shot this load (iron sights)
375 H&H AI, Winchester, Pre-64 70, 300 grain Hornady RN, 85 grains IMR4350, 2.54 MOA
I've loaded up some 270 grain loads and will be testing them.
They still make 270 grain SP, not RN. I have quite a few of them. Where I hunt, I need to keep away from temperature sensitive powders. I have had bad experiences with WW785, WW760, & H414. I think WW785 was the worst. I had tested a very accurate load in my 300 Win Mag with WW785. I took it out to the Ft. Peck range; it was a little over 100 degrees. The last round I shot had the base expanded into the bolt so that I had to take the bolt out and put a lot of side force on the bolt while the case was in a vise to get the case out of the bolt.
Before I mounted a scope on my 375, I shot this load (iron sights)
375 H&H AI, Winchester, Pre-64 70, 300 grain Hornady RN, 85 grains IMR4350, 2.54 MOA
I've loaded up some 270 grain loads and will be testing them.
Do you need some 375 H&H AI brass? I have about 50 pcs for a rifle I bought but never shot. The brass was fireformed and not shot again AFAIK...
I loaded 80.5 grains of CFE223 in Winchester cases behind the 270 gr Hornady SP for 2706 FPS
I loaded 80.5 grains of CFE223 in Winchester cases behind the 270 gr Hornady SP for 2706 FPS
Useful load. I like the idea of moving a 260 - 270 grain bullet about the same speed that my 30-06 moves a 180...
I've thought about trying CFE 223 with the 375 H&H...
Guy