I could use any help on recommended powders for a 240 weatherby I am building on a 700 action. I plan on using a 95 grain ballistic tip nosler with a 1 in 9 twist hart barrel. I was wondering what powders guys had used with success with these bullets. I got some recommendations on my 257 weatherby here and really appreciated the advice as it gave me some starting powders to work up loads with using the nosler book. Thanks in advance for any and all advice.
Eric
I can tell you the 95gr ballistic tips are highly explosive on game. Proceed with caution. The TSX or Partition is a better choice. The BT damages way to much meat!
Start with H4831SC, it works perfectly in my .240 and creates plenty of velocity.
RL19. & RL22 also work well.
Sakohunter264. Thanks for the advice. I'm not sold on the nosler 95 g as it's what I shoot in my 243. I will look at the Barnes bullets(don't have a manual but easy enough to get one). Thanks again
I can tell you the 95gr ballistic tips are highly explosive on game. Proceed with caution. The TSX or Partition is a better choice. The BT damages way to much meat!
Start with H4831SC, it works perfectly in my .240 and creates plenty of velocity.
RL19. & RL22 also work well.
Must have been a long time since you used the 95 NBT. Today's version is much more robust. There have been a couple of cross sectioned photos posted fairly recently. I'd run run them in the bee any day!
I killed a deer in Texas last year, made an absolute mess, shot behind the shoulder. Blew up like a hand grenade. Many others on the forum have also commented on the use of BTs paired with the .240.
Read yourself.
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9148523/1
4831SC is what i use in my 240 Wby
With 100 gr. NPT's, my .240 does very well with Magnum and MRP.
DF
IMR 4831 is very good in this case with the 100 grainers.
I tried a bunch of options, included IMR and H-4831. The H-4831 was great with the 85 gr. NPT and some others.
In the HS .240, Magnum and MRP were the tightest shooters. I've settled on 53 gr. MRP with the 100 NPT at 3,250 fps as the best one. My last target was at 400 yds. It dropped 16" from a 225 yd. zero and put three holes in a 1.77" triangle. I know, just three shots and could I reproduce it..? Don't know, but it looked pretty good at the time and it's the gun I took to NM, pronghorn hunting.
DF
really appreciate all of the help. Thanks Guys
I am loading for the 6mm-284 which is a ballistic twin to the 240 Wea. Using the 95 gr BT, I can get 3200 fps w/ IMR 4831, or 3300 fps w/ H 4831.
57 gr of H1000 got me 2600 fps, but my notes do not tell me how much room was left in the case to add more powder.
55 gr of Magnum gave me 3000fps.
My deer hunting loads are loaded with H4831
In my wby:
58 gr Magpro 90 grain accubond 3450 fps and .6" at 100 yards.
Ya gotta go with what works. One size obviously doesn't fit all.
DF
Back when I was running a .240, the best results in my rifle (a Weatherby ULW) MRP and Magnum turned out to be the two top powders with 90-100 grain bullets.
MRP happens to be what Norma loads in the Weatherby factory ammo. I found this out breaking down a round and comparing the charge and granules to my collection of Norma powders, but Reloder 22 should work about as well, since if MRP and R22 aren't exactly the same powder they're very close.
Then I tried Magnum and it worked at least as well, and Nosler now lists it as the powder they got the best accuracy from with 95-100 grain bullets. The load I eventually settled on was enough Magnum to give 90-grain Nosler E-Tips just under 3400.
H4350 & Barnes 85TSX = DRT in the 240 WBY.
Start at 51 grs and work up.
I kind of had a feeling that I needed to give Magnum a little more work in the 6mm-284. It surely is capable of much more speed than I listed above, I just have not done the workup yet.
Here are some HS .240 loads:
Half inch or less at a hundred: All with Fed 210 primers. COAL mostly 3.07". Cases were W/W formed from .25-06 brass. All were three shot groups off the tailgait of my Z-71, (special Chevy benchrest). I was too lazy to set up the real bench, but the "Z" bench isn't bad.
80 gr. TTSX, 52.5 gr. Hunter, 3.07" COAL, 3,613 fps.
85 gr. TSX, 50 Big Game, 3.07" COAL, 3,590 fps. (.527" @ 200 yds)
90 gr. Scenar, 56 RL-25, (warm) 3,327 fps (.332" at 100 yds)
95 NPT, 57.5 Magnum, Chrono messed up.
100 NPT, 53 gr. MRP, 3,260 fps.
Half inch to 3/4" at a hundred yds., three shot groups:
85 TSX, 54 gr. H-4831sc, (didn't get velocity)
100 NPT, 57.5 gr. Magnum, 3,255 fps
Some are pretty warm, work up carefully, as always. Double check with known load data, just in case I had a Senior Moment.
DF
The 85 gr. TSX, 50 gr. Big Game 200 yd. group was shot off a real bench rest at my deer camp.
The 100 NPT, 53 gr. MRP load was the one used to shoot the three shot 1.77" group at 400 yds. It was shot off a real bench rest and is the current "go to" load for this gun. It was the load used to miss the 50 yd. shot at an 80" class pronghorn last month in NM. So, half MOA doesn't mean everything...
DF
Im running a 6-06, which is almost the ballistic twin to the 240. MRP is my go to powder for best combo of accuracy and velocity with 105 gr bullets. Also, RL-25 gives great accurac with the 105's, but not near the velocity of MRP.
What twist on your 6-06?
DF
After acceptable but not especially fine results with RL-22, IMR 7828 turned my unit into a 1/2 moa machine.
I always wanted a 6mm-06 however instead of simply that, I figured a beltless .240 would be better as I would have cheap cases, dies and data. As in have the chamber cut for the .240 W/O the belt and have at it (I got a Mod. 70 Classic Sporter 25-06 instead). The other one is a .400+- on the .240 Wby case so that it would be straight and headspace on the belt, sorta .400 belted Whelan/mini .458. Muddy
I always wanted a 6mm-06 however instead of simply that, I figured a beltless .240 would be better as I would have cheap cases, dies and data. As in have the chamber cut for the .240 W/O the belt and have at it (I got a Mod. 70 Classic Sporter 25-06 instead). The other one is a .400+- on the .240 Wby case so that it would be straight and headspace on the belt, sorta .400 belted Whelan/mini .458. Muddy
What twist on your 6-06?
DF
It's an 8-twist, Brux.
Great choice of twist and barrel. That's about what I'd go with if I was building.
With that gun, I'd be pushing 105 gr. Scenars per Scenarshooter's suggestion. My 10 twist just couldn't make it happen. But, the 100 gr. NPT should do what I need to do in the meantime.
DF
700Shooter: My custom 240 Weatherby is built on a pre-64 Model 70 Winchester action - it has a 27" stainless medium heavy Hart barrel on it.
This Rifle shoots so well that over the years I have only tried two powders and 3 different bullets in it.
Two of those bullets preferrred IMR 4831 powder.
Best of luck to you with this dandy and useful cartridge.
By the way, the only Nosler Ballistic Tip I have used in my 240 Weatherby was the 70 grainer - I have killt two Buck Antelope with it and do not recall any undue blood shot situations.
Of course I make it a point to place the bullet in the heart/lungs and avoid shoulder and leg bones at all costs.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy