high pressure

[patwa]

I recently went to shoot to make sure my rifle was still sighted in. I had found a load, 19gr of H110 and a 125 gr ballistic tip that shot under an inch, and I had loaded several boxes. Now the same load is showing signs of high pressure. I blew a primer on the first shot, and after two more shots knew that it was that way with the other shells, and the three shot group was 2-3 inches. The only difference is that it is now in the nineties in our corner of Louisiana and the load workup was done in the winter. Is the cartridge that sensitive to temperatures? Of note, that 19 gr of H110 was close to a max load in my rifle.

[cherokee]

It's not the cartridge it's the powder. H110 can be temperature sensitive. Start with a lower charge and work back up then use that load for all seasons. You could also switch to a less temperature sensitive powder. I have had good results with AA1680.

[patwa]

I will try it. Have you loaded any 125 gr bullets with AA1680? Seems most references use that powder with the heavier bullets. I want to use the load for deer hunting and I had good luck with the 125 gr ballistic tips last year. I was concerned about the heavier bullets not having enough velocity to expand.

[cherokee]

I use 150 gr ballistis tips for deer. So far I have had good results with them. I use 20gr of AA1680 and I get 1950fps out of a 16" barrel. I have not used the 125gn bullets with AA1680. You could try IMR 4227 with the 125 BT.

[700X]

Hey Patwa,
Are you sure all other conditions were the same? Were loaded rounds left on the dash of your truck, possibly, before you shot them? I am no expert on H-110, but it sounds strange to me that 50 degrees or so (I don't think LA winters are very cold?) could make that much of a difference. My loads with the same bullet and 18.5gr in a fairly tight-chambered Bullberry Contender were shot last month at prairie dogs at just under 100 degrees with absolutely no signs of pressure. Primers not even flattened and easily extracted from the contender. Obviously your gun's reaction is more important than anyone else's, but there are a lot of people out there shooting 19gr without problems, and some of those aren't even in a bolt gun. Please keep us informed when you figure it out.

[700X]

Hey Cherokee,
Tell me about your deer with the 150gr BT's. So far no responses to my request for personal experiences with the 125's on big whitetails. Our deer here in IL are rarely under 200lbs (field dressed) if you wait for a mature buck, and all info I've read so far suggests 150 yards is absolute max range for the 125gr., and that's from people who are hunting much smaller deer. What about the 150? Where is best bullet placement? Will it go through shoulder bone and still exit? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but I absolutely LOVE big whitetails and don't want to learn at their expense any more than absolutely necessary. Also possibly pertinent, I subscribe to the high shoulder/spine area logic as the perfect shot placement, so that may further limit the effective range of the whisper for me. Any and all info you can pass on will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,X