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

[patwa]

700X, the loaded shells were in my home the whole time, not left on the dashboard. I am shooting an AR 15, and it is a harder for me to tell than when shooting out of contender when the pressure is getting on the high side. I have some AA1680 coming in a week or two, and I am going to try going down on the H110 loads, hopefully this weekend. I will pass on the results.
I have had good luck with the 125 gr BT on deer, but the texas hill country deer are nowhere near the size you have. I shot four deer last year, and none took a step. Two were facing me straight on, and two were broadside. Both broadside shots were through the shoulder, with both bullets nicking the bottom of a the spine. One of those was on a 180 lb axis deer and the bullet ended just under the skin on the other side. This spring I also shot a corsican sheep at slightly over 150yds, and the bullet hit a little low but drilled the heart. I also shot two pigs, one a very small one, the other about 70-80 lbs, through the shoulder again. The expansion has been none too great. On the pig, the hole on the far side was at most 50 cal. That said, all animals dropped and did not get up, except for the sheep, and it only walked a short ways.
I too would be very interested in the results with the 150 grBTs.

[700X]

Hey Patwa,
Thanks for the quick reply! I thought you were shooting a 700, hence my reference to bolt guns. Must have combined info from other reads. I would really like to know what you find out. I mentioned the 100 degree prairie dog shoots, well those loads were originally worked up @ 40 degrees, then shot again in 70 and 80 degree temps before we left. Now granted, the 100 degree shoots were @ an elevation about 4000 feet higher than home, but I still don't understand why you had such a drastic change since I can't see any difference in a case shot @ 40 degrees and one of them sitting on the bench now that was shot in WY. I guess that helps to explain why people like us keep doing this sort of thing forever. Can't get bored because you will never learn it all!
Just a quick note on your bullet info. A little surprised to hear of the minimal expansion. I actually expected the problem to be too MUCH expansion, thereby limiting it's ability to pass through. I think I'm going to carry the contender sort of like a back-up during our firearm season, and only use it if I think the situation is perfect until I really see what it can do.
As to the TX deer? I just got back from San Antonio and South Padre Island and I talked to a couple guides down there. They said their typical buck field dresses @ about 110-120 lbs. We don't even like to take a doe until she's at least that big here. Another gentleman from OK told me about his deer last year, a 190 class non-typical that field dressed 137 lbs., and had 6" bases and is estimated to have been in his fifth season. So trust me, I will never take our deer here for granted. Also trust me when I say there are very few other good reasons to live in this state!
Thanks again, and keep in touch. X

[700X]

Patwa,
One other thing before I leave here concerning pressures in general since you mentioned you have a difficult time judging pressures in your AR. I'm not big on advice, but one thing I would highly recommend to ANYONE who handloads is to prioritize a quality chronograph purchase ASAP, if you don't already have one. You can "waste" a LOT of powder by adding another grain or two, thinking your going a little faster (because the books say so) when in fact you're not. But the reason I mention it now is a chronograph can be very helpful in HELPING to determine max loads. Watch your standard deviations. Don't be cheap and try to get by with only loading 3 of each powder charge, but watch the SD's. USUALLY as you approach your "max" pressure they will progressively get smaller, then rapidly get larger again when you've gotten too hot. Most of my rifles shoot best at or very near maximum, and also most of them will do it with single digit SD's with a little work. I feel very srongly about chronographs, though. I seriously would not handload without one. Kind of like brushing your teeth without toothpaste.....you're going through the same motions, but not getting much out of it!! Thanks again. X

[cherokee]

I go for the double lung shot on deer when using the whisper. I have taken three deer with the 300 whisper. Two doe's and one buck. Neither went more than 50 yds. All bullets went completely through the deer. I would not go for the shoulder shot with the 300 whisper. I am not saying that it won't work but I prefer to go for the double lung shot with the 300 whisper. With more powerful calibers I like the high shoulder shot. I use the whisper in thick areas so my shots are never over 100yds. My rifle is an AR15 with 16 inch barrel.