velocity survey

[oobray]

I have been doing a lot of searching for load data for the 300/221. I'm really considering getting in to this cartridge if...
What are my chances of getting a 240gr Sierra HPBT to move at 1200 to 1300 fps muzzle velocity? At the very least I'm looking to move it at about 1,100 fps out of the muzzle. What are my chances?

[Rikky Lee]

Do it far too easy with a 30BR - but I shall defer to the smaller case users...

[dksd39]

well its not the most practical use of a 240gr bullet in a 300/221- the concept is for that bullet to be subsonic. You will be far better off pushing a 125gr at around 2400fps then trying to push the 240- 1200.

just curious why would you want to do that with the 240?

Personally I use the 220 SMK. I go thru several thousand a year and save about $80 per 1K with the 220's over the 240's.

[oobray]

Well, here's the background. I have been using the "HITS" calculator on hornady's website. THis is supposed to take bullet characteristics and give reccomendations on size of animals these bullets would be good for. According to that the 240 moving at 1200 fps would be good for animals up to 1200 pounds, which the 125 at 2400 fps would only be good for animals weighing up to 500 lbs. I don't know if I'm every going to get the chance to shoot at something over 500 lbs, but I'm just trying to get a feel for the versatility of the 300/221.
However, recently I have started looking at some other "formulas" for predicting terminal ballistics and those are indicating that the 165 at 2000 fps would be better performing.

[dksd39]

I would not put too much stock in what that program has to say when it comes to a 300/221 or much else for that matter. There are much better programs out there that take into account far more factors and do a better job of predicting perfomance. The hits program shows a 240 at 1050fps good for large game with a 910 rating. That said you can kill large game using a 22lr with proper shot placement and maybe a little luck.....and thats exactly what you would need if using a 300/221 with a 240. When using a slow moving 240 bullet (any subsonic) there is no expansion on impact. The bullet is simply going to pass right thru the animal. So unless you hit the spine or brain a fast kill is not going to happen. A heart lung shot can result in a lost animal due to the limited damge done. On the other hand a 125 will work considerably well and is a far better choice if not hunting suppressed.

[oobray]

That seems to be what I'm learning. Thanks for the input. I happen to have a whole bunch of 165 gr sierra HPBT that I was using for my 308. What do you guys think about those?

[dksd39]

have never tested them- I would guess you should be able to push them between 1800-1900

[pug]

I have never had a need to push a 240 that fast in 300/221 but I did run the load program using a 240gr sierra and h110. For a 85% density powder load it shows a velocity out of a 16" barrel of 1199 fps with a chamber pressure of 50,000 CUP. The powder charge indicated is 8.9gr of H110. Since this is simulated data I have no way of knowing what it will actually do in your firearm. It is for informational purposes only. Unfortunately the program can't use AA1680 as a powder and that is what I would use if I was trying to push a 240 to maximum velocity in 300/221. You can also get the highest charge density using 1680 and get lower chamber pressures as well. Too bad I don't have any 240s on hand or I would let you know tomorrow just how fast 1680 will push them :smile:.

[Rikky Lee]

Try the 180 - 185 grainers at supersonic. In my 30BR they hammer and have shot sub MoA recorded out to 300.

[320pf]

Here are the reloading data from the Sierra Reloading manual

Powder /Velocity---950--1000--1050--1100--1150--1200
AA-No.9-------------9.2---9.5---9.9----10.2---10.6---11.0
2400-----------------9.4---9.8--10.2---10.6---11.0---11.3
Viht N110-----------8.9---9.3---9.7----10.1---10.5------
H110----------------9.6--10.0--10.4----10.8---11.2---11.5
296------------------9.3---9.7--10.1---10.5---10.9----11.3
Viht N120----------10.5--11.0--11.5---12.0---12.5------
AA-1680------------11.2--11.6--12.0---12.4---12.8---13.3

These data were shot from a 10-inch barrel T/C Contender. A 16-inch barrel will add about 150 to 200 fps to these muzzles velocities.

I have shot 180 gr Sierra MKs and GKs using several different powders and have gotten max muzzle velocities from 1780 to 1800 fps.

If you want to check out my load go over to Reloaders Nest. Most of the loads listed under "Not yet verified user loads" are mine. The loads that are not mine are the one that list Vitha N110 powders AD2205. There might be one other load listed there that I did not shoot....

320pf


http://reloadersnest.com/frontpage.asp?CaliberID=135

[oobray]

Well, I was looking to shoot these loads out of a 16" AR. 50,000 CUP sounds like a lot of chamber pressure, am I off on that? I'm hoping to get a chrono pretty soon after getting the 300/221. So I'll just have to do some trial and error. Do you guys think that a load like the 150gr Nosler at 2400 fps would be better for hunting deer and hogs, or a heavier bullet like the 240 at 1100 fps?

[pug]

That pressure level should be fine for an AR but you would start low and work your way up just to make sure looking for flattened primers and case head expansion. For deer hunting around here we use 150 - 180 grain bullets. One of my favorites is the Sierra 165gr HPBT for an accurate hunting bullet and it has dropped a few deer.

For pressure most max AR loads see around 50,000 CUP or 55,000 PSI. That is just an observation so watch your cases and measure for yourself. I am not sure you are going to see 2400 fps with a 150gr bullet but you can work it up and see what happens.

[dksd39]

Well, I was looking to shoot these loads out of a 16" AR. 50,000 CUP sounds like a lot of chamber pressure, am I off on that? I'm hoping to get a chrono pretty soon after getting the 300/221. So I'll just have to do some trial and error. Do you guys think that a load like the 150gr Nosler at 2400 fps would be better for hunting deer and hogs, or a heavier bullet like the 240 at 1100 fps?


No- I do not think you can get a 150 to 2400. I like pushing a 125 for deer and hog much better than a 240. You can clearly use a 240 but it is all about shot placement and knowing the ballistics profile of the round. If you have never shot subsonic there is a fun learing curve that mimics the trajectory of the round :) heck the point of impact difference from 50 to 100 yrds is @4" which is not something the average rifle shooter is used to.