caillouetr9981
02-21-2010, 06:25 PM
This is just an update...
The weather has finally cooperated some and my oldest son today managed to get out to the Knob Creek Range to try some of the RCBS 350gr. cast loads.
As some of you know, we had earlier managed to get great accuracy, but low velocities, with Trail Boss loads. This time, we were using AA-2015.
Velocities were very good, managing to get 1795fps consistently with a reasonably light load of 47grs. The accuracy is still there - groups that are measuring under 3/8-inch!
Trying to see what these loads were doing downrange, my son placed 3 waterfilled Tide detergent bottles in a line and drilled them with one of the cast loads. The first bottle was disintegrated, the second bottle ruptured tremendously (about a 50-cal. hole going in and and a 12-gauge hole going out) and the third was thrown about 20-ft. to the rear (sporting a 12-gauge hole going in and a silver dollar size hole going out). Interestingly, my son found very small lead shavings in the bottom of the second and third bottles - a couple in the second and several in the third (I think that this might be due to the plastic shaving the bullet, rather than breakup).
When we started with the RCBS 350s, we were trying to get a load expressly for Whitetails (the Speer 350gr. Hot Cores were just zipping through). What we wanted was a load that was accurate, more comfortable to shoot (full-house jacketed loads, while accurate, tend to hurt after 40 rounds, or so), and would do enough damage on Whitetails to anchor them. Even though I'm certain that we can get much more velocity, I feel that this is about as far as we need to go to get an excellent Whitetail load.
The weather has finally cooperated some and my oldest son today managed to get out to the Knob Creek Range to try some of the RCBS 350gr. cast loads.
As some of you know, we had earlier managed to get great accuracy, but low velocities, with Trail Boss loads. This time, we were using AA-2015.
Velocities were very good, managing to get 1795fps consistently with a reasonably light load of 47grs. The accuracy is still there - groups that are measuring under 3/8-inch!
Trying to see what these loads were doing downrange, my son placed 3 waterfilled Tide detergent bottles in a line and drilled them with one of the cast loads. The first bottle was disintegrated, the second bottle ruptured tremendously (about a 50-cal. hole going in and and a 12-gauge hole going out) and the third was thrown about 20-ft. to the rear (sporting a 12-gauge hole going in and a silver dollar size hole going out). Interestingly, my son found very small lead shavings in the bottom of the second and third bottles - a couple in the second and several in the third (I think that this might be due to the plastic shaving the bullet, rather than breakup).
When we started with the RCBS 350s, we were trying to get a load expressly for Whitetails (the Speer 350gr. Hot Cores were just zipping through). What we wanted was a load that was accurate, more comfortable to shoot (full-house jacketed loads, while accurate, tend to hurt after 40 rounds, or so), and would do enough damage on Whitetails to anchor them. Even though I'm certain that we can get much more velocity, I feel that this is about as far as we need to go to get an excellent Whitetail load.