nralifer

There are many things that could be wrong. Be sure your scope is tight in the rings. The action screws are torqued evenly. Floating the barrel might help. If you know someone with a run out gauge ask them to check the run out on the ammo you use to sight it in and hunt with. I have found that COAL can be very critical, so check the recommendation of the bullet manufacturer, and get a Hornady bullet comparator. Also clean the soot from the muzzle brake with solvent that does not dissolve copper and see if there is any hint of copper fouling there. If there is, then take it back to the gunsmith and have him fix the brake. Finally I would be sure the twist rate of the barrel is appropriate for the bullet you are using. You can check the JBM ballistics web site and use their stability calculator after measuring the length of your bullets and the twist rate of the barrel. If all fails then have someone bore scope your barrel as the problem could be a bad chambering job. I had this happen on a barrel I bought from Pac Nor and had them chamber it. There was galling at the throat. Had to have the barrel rechambered. Shoots well now but lost an inch on length. Pac Nor missed it. Will not deal with them again.

Superformance has a burn rate similar to H4831, probably a little slow burning to get optimal results in a 308 derived case like the 243 Win. I have tried it in the 308 and velocity was low with a compressed charge. A better bet would be CFE 223. It has Superformance characteristics but is faster burning and works very well in the 308. It has the additional bonus of preventing copper fouling of your barrel, and there is a wealth of information in Hodgdon's Annual Manual Realoding, a magazine like manual they publish yearly. Superformance is better suited for longer higher capacity cases, and I think, an excellent powder for the 3006 length cases, both standard width like the 270, 280 and 3006, and the 3006 length magnums like the Dakota series of proprietary cases and the 375 Ruger. If you wanted to try Superformance in the 243 STOMP442 advise seems very sound. Good luck, and let us know how things go.

I like the Superformance powder for the 270 Win. I can get 3050 fps from a 22 in barrel using 140gr TSX bullets and 58gr of powder. You should be able to get to 3100 fps with out much trouble out of a 24 in barrel. Accubonds are excellent bullets. Start out low and work up. A reasonable start would be 55 grains and work up. If you have a chronograph you will be able to know when you reach your 3000 fps threshold. Superformance is very temperature stable, and groups very well when you have the right COAL. A competition bullet seater die, Hornady bullet comparator and calipers are a must in achieving tight groups. To shoot at those ranges you need loads that group between 0.5-1.0 in center to center at 100 yds. There is a very useful bullet trajectory calculator on shootercalculator.com. Superformace powder has the same burn rate as H4831 but adds about 100-150 fps higher velocity. Have fun an let us know how you are doing.

Very touching and loving tribute to your Papa. I'm sure he will be with you on all your hunts.

It really would be interesting to see how it worked in the 17 Rem at preventing copper fouling.

Did some load development as well as explored the limits of this powder. Had a 270 Win 26 in. barrel made by Benchmark barrels for a Savage 110 action. After breaking it in, did some velocity testing of the load that I referenced in the previous post, namely 59gr Superformance behind a Barnes 130 TSX. It clocked at an average of 3260fps. That is 270WSM territory. Five shot groups with gusty winds at 100 yds of 0.69 and 0.455 in. using cheap unsorted Win brass. Previous post showed effect of COAL. Using a Hornady bullet comparator the COAL of these loads was 2.790 in. In a good barrel this powder groups well. All we need now is high BC bullets to make the 270 Win a viable long range caliber.

Here are some pictures of my second trip to South Africa. The first was a plains game hunt in the Orange Free State. This time we were in the northeast Limpopo province on a 20,000 acre preserve that bordered Kruger National Park. The terrain is vastly different than in the Western Cape or Orange Free State. Quite dense brush, but the animals, birds and even the insects are amazing. The hunting was challenging. We did most of it on foot, tracking in the dense brush. About the only animals that were not in the preserve were Hippo, Lion, and Elephants. Fortunately never ran across a Black Mamba, but our tracker assured us that they were around. South Africa has done a fantastic job at preserving and restoring it's habitat. The area we hunted was a cattle ranch 30 years ago. The game is fantastic to eat. The Cape Buffalo and Kudu meat is far superior to any beef or game I have had. The grilled Kudu tenderloin is a delicacy that has to be experienced. My outfitter was Ernest Dyason who runs Spear Safaris, an absolutely first class outfit. My guide was Koos Moulder. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the animals and their behavior, and the tracker, Shingeta, from Zimbawe, had superb tracking abilities. He had been doing it since age 10. The Elephant and Hyena pictures was taken on a day trip to Kruger. The Giraffes were on the hunting preserve. This was an anniversary trip with my wife, Shirley. Normally a little timid about bugs and spiders, she was along for all of the hunting in the brush. She was so taken by the experience that 5 inch black and yellow spiders, present everywhere, did not phase her. On the first day, 20 minutes into tracking the herd of buffalo pictured, she leans to me and whispers, " I love this!"

Just so happened I tried this weekend it in my favorite hunting rifle, a Savage short action with a Douglas 20in. match barrel. Used 168 TTSX, 215M primers, military full length sized once fired brass, CFE223 48.3 grains. Got average velocity of 2750 fps and under 1/2 in groups! Best powder I have ever used in the .308 Win. It works well in my Ruger SR556E. I can get 3000fps from 16 in. stock barrel with 52 gr Sierra match bullet. Groups at 1.5 in and feeds very reliably. Looks to me like it has Superformance characteristics, and should work well in any cartridge derived from the 308 and 222 magnum, namely 204, 223, 243, 260, 338 Fed, 7mm-08. Had an excellent writeup in Handloader magazine. This powder really prevents copper fouling. In the .308 would start out at 45 gr and work up. Have not tried it in other calibers. Would be interested to see how it works in the 300WSM.

Redman, what a wonderful trip. I have been twice most recently April of this year when my wife and I went for our anniversary. I got my buff in Limpopo Province, but have also hunted the Orange Free State for plains game. Planning a third trip for 2016. I can't get away from Africa. One point I wish to bring out, and it really sunk in on this last trip. The revenue that hunters bring to Africa has saved the animals from extinction. On my last trip, we hunted a 20,000 acre area simply teaming with animals and birds of all types. I had as much fun bird watching as stalking. The bush was thick and the hunting was very challenging and exiting. What is most amazing is that that area was at one time a cattle ranch. Hunting revenues have restored the area back to its wild state. It was great to see that you took a Black Wildebeest. South Africa in the 1970's had almost lost that animal. My guide on the first trip told me that the population had dwindled to less than 10,000 animals before conservation measures brought it back. Hunting in South Africa is not only a magnificent and addictive experience but it is also helps the planet because it gives value to biodiversity. I live in South Dakota, and farming corn has devastated the pheasant population because there is more value in ethanol than native grass land. If it wasn't for Pheasants Forever, and Federal waterfowl production areas, there would be virtually no hunting areas within 100 miles of where I live. Just corn and beans. Ethanol for fuel and wind for power should be called brown energy rather than green because wild habitat and hundreds of thousands of birds including Bald Eagles are eliminated each year under the guise of saving the planet. So hunt with a clear conscience knowing that what you are doing is "greener" than a wind turbine.

I will have to admit, I have never met a gun I din't like, and that includes 7mm's. The difference between a "7mm" and a .308 is actually only 0.4 mm. Modern rifles are precision instruments to be admired for their capabilities and respected for their lethality. In the end probably more elephants have been killed with a 7X57 than a 458 Lott, but no one would argue which is better at stopping a charging bull. SJVCON has the right idea, "Buy them both…problem solved!!!"

I never thought a whole lot about the 308 Win either until a friend of mine turned me on to it. He was a sniper in Vietnam and told me about several kills he made at over 600 yds with the 308 using an M14. Unlike the Marines who used 30-06 bolt guns, at that time Army snipers did not have as good equipment. I figured he knew what he was doing since he hunted the most dangerous "game" in the world. I have used the 308 on plains game and antelope out to 500 yds. My absolute favorite hunting rifle is a Savage actioned 308 with a Douglas 20 in. match bull barrel. The gun is compact, rugged and shoots 1/2 min of angle or less all day. Easy to get in and out of vehiles and is light enough to carry all day. It is absolutely wonderful for shooting hogs in heavy brush.

Lets look at the 180 30cal bullet and the 175 7mm bullet. In the 3006 Hornady Superformance loads propel this bullet at over 2800 fps. They do not make a load for the 175 gr 280. The difference in BC gives a slight edge to the 7mm bullet, but this is less than 10%. At long ranges this is not noticeable. As bullet weight increases the larger caliber will be able to propel the heavier bullets faster which can more than make up for small differences in BC. At some point the smaller caliber heavy bullets get so long that tighter twist rates are needed to stabilize them, and this starts to limit the muzzle velocity achievable with peak pressures of 65,000 PSI, pressures that exceed most SAMI specs

The 338 Win mag is a good choice as is the 375 either Ruger or H&H. The most important thing is accurate shot placement, so a gun that you can shoot accurately in an off hand position is very important. In the field you may not notice the recoil as much as you will on the bench. Practice three shot strings at 50 yds in rapid succession to simulate a charging bear, and be sure you can place all three shots in the black. I would recommend a tough bullet such as Swift A-frame or Barnes TSX of 250 grains or heavier for the bear. Don't forget to practice with the same clothing you are likely to be using. Have a great and safe hunt.

One needs to compare roughly equivalent cartridges. Thus a fair comparison is the 280 and 3006 using bullets of equivalent BC and muzzle velocity. Thus the Nosler 7mm 140gr Accubond and the .308 165gr Accubond bullets launched at 2800 fps differ by less than 1 inch drop at 500 yds but the .308 bullet arrives with 200 ft-lbs more energy. Viewed this way, the .308 bullet has the edge

Did a little testing today to see the effect of COAL in the .270 Win in my Mod 70 22in barrel Winchester. Used 59gr of Superformance powder behind 130gr Barnes TSX. At a COAL of 3.285 got a 3 in 3 shot group. At COAL of 3.326 this shrank to 0.995 in. This load clocks at 3150 fps out of the 22 in stock barrel. No pressure signs noted. Temp around 80 degrees.

you must be referring to .270WSM.[/quote No a 270 win. This is what I get with my loads 270 130 gr sst drop 100 yds 2101 ft lbs 0" 500 yds 1127 ft lbs -50.3" 700 yds 800 ft lbs -124.5" 7mm rem mag 139 gr sst 100 yds 2265 ft lbs drop 0" 500 yds 1260 ft lbs -49.3 700 yds 913 ft lbs -121 So if this is a big difference the deer will never know. But with the recoil and extra weight and cost of ammo not that much difference for me With Superformance powder using 140 gr Barnes bullets I get 3050 FPS (2890ft lbs). See posts on Superformance powder for 270 Win. Try it. You'll like it.

You need to read the posts on Superformance powder for the 270Win. You can outperform any factory 280 Rem load.

Hello everyone. I apologize for not posting more results for the .270 Win, but I am planning a trip where I'll be using my .330 Dakota, so I have been concentrating on that. I have alluded to the use of Superformance powder in the .330 Dakota, and I will give you the load I finally settled on for my hunt. It is 79 grains of Superformance in new brass using Fed 215M primers. The bullet is a Barnes 250 gr TSX flat base bullet loaded at about 0.045 in. from the lands. Barrel length on my gun is 25 in., and the average muzzle velocity is 2877 fps (approx 4600 ft-lbs energy). This load groups at 0.7 in. or better. By comparison Nosler, in its fifth edition manual, quotes 2738 fps for a 250 grain Partition bullet using 78 gr H4831SC. The Barnes bullet is longer than lead core bullets of similar weight, so compressed loads are more likely when one uses coarse stick powders with Barnes bullets. Superformance, on the other hand, is a flattened ball powder and packs more densely than H4831, H4831SC, Reloader 19 and 22, making Superformance easy to use with long bullets that impinge on the powder space when loaded to the appropriate COL. Given my experience thus far, it is working very well in 30-06 length cases. This means that it would be reasonable to try in the .270 Win, .280 Rem, 30-06, .338-06, .375 Ruger, any of the Dakota calibers up to and including the .375. To start, look for data using H4831 or H4831SC in those calibers and use Superformance charges that are in the lower range of the quoted H4831 charges, and work up. Use high quality new or once fired brass only, to be safe. I am anxious to see what results other members get if they try it.

Did those loads actually group well? The 130 gr. bullets grouped 1.5 in. at 100 yds. Have not grouped the 140 gr. bullets yet. It was a windy day in South Dakota. Overall cartridge length can affect the results, so in load development one will have to find the optimal length for their gun. In my 330 Dakota, Superformance powder groups 250 gr. bullets 1in. or less. Be careful not to seat the TSX bullets too close to the lands as this could cause an overpressure situation.

Neck resizing theoretically is supposed to yield more accuracy because the casing more accurately aligns the bullet to the rifling. Alignment is theoretically assured because the case is essentially a fire formed cast of the chamber. Although true, accuracy is not necessarily improved if the bullet itself is not seated within the case perfectly straight. Also, variability in chamber size as the chamber heats and cools can cause chambering problems for neck sized cases previously fired in hot chambers, and then chambered in cold chambers. I have found that more consistent groups are obtained when a competition bullet seater die is used, because bullet/case alignment is much more consistent. For hunting loads I have gone back to full length resizing and using a competition bullet seater die because in cold weather I have to be assured that the round will chamber properly every time.

Thank you guys for your comments. I have not tested these loads yet for groups, but in my .338 Superformance loads group 1 in. or less. I will post the results for the .270 as soon as I get them. As far as pressure data, there are no published pressure data for these particular loads, but the fact that case head expansion is no different from factory loads firing similar weight bullets means the peak pressure generated by the Superformance loads I tried are comparable to the factory. Hodgdon says on their Data Center that 58 gr of H4831 behind a 140 gr bullet, generates 50,100 CUP pressure. Since Superformance is listed as having a slower burn rate than H4831, the pressure should be similar. The next question is, how does Superformance generate more bullet speed if the peak pressures are comparable? I read somewhere that Superformance maintains the pressure in the barrel at a higher average pressure than conventional powders without exceeding the peak pressure. It must have more chemical energy per grain than conventional powders and as it burns it releases that energy in a more controlled way. How this is achieved is a mystery to me, but it is the characteristic that makes this powder so remarkable.

I tried more loads using Hodgdon Superformance powder for .270 Win. in a Mod 70 22in. barrel rifle. Bullet used was Barnes 140 gr Triple Shock in Federal once fired brass, full length sized and trimmed to length published in Hornady manual. Primer used was 215M, powder charge 58gr of Superformance, and COL was 3.203 in. Chronograph used was Oehler three screen. Muzzle velocity averaged 3058 fps. Case head expansion was compared to Federal factory 140 grain load and in both instances increased by 0.001 in. The factory load averaged 2721 fps muzzle velocity. Extraction and primer flattening did not differ between factory and the reloads. Ambient temp was 45 degrees F. Bottom line, Superformance achieves superb velocities in the .270 Win that are very close to those seen in .270 WSM Barnes Vortex ammo. Should anyone decide to try this powder do it only in cartridges for which there is published data using H4831, and do not exceed the weight quoted for H4831. In fact start with charges that are 5-10% lower and watch for pressure signs.

Interesting problem. One potential reason is that the chamber, after shooting the Federals, was warmer and therefore slightly larger. Neck sizing is supposed to improve accuracy, but when he brass is subjected to 50,000 t0 60,000 + psi, the brass adopts the shape and size of the chamber. With heating the chamber size enlarges as it heats up, so brass shot in a hot chamber are going to be ever so much larger than brass shot in a cold chamber. I have gone to loading all my hunting loads with full length sized brass especially if I am hunting in cold temperatures.

Rl 22 is an excellent powder but it is a coarse stick powder that works well for lead bullets which are shorter than the Barnes bullets of the same weight. The slow burning spherical powders pack more densely, so the longer bullets do not compress the powder as much at larger powder charges.

Chronograph Superformance load. Used 59gr , 215m primers,.270 Win new unfired brass in Win model.70 push feed with 22 in barrel, and got 3150 fps from a Barnes Triple Shock 130 gr bullet. No pressure signs or case head expansion. Ambient temp 74 degrees F. Case OAL was 3.202 in.