This thread isn't that old, so I thought I would revive it.
At the last Kamloops show this spring, I saw a couple of pounds of RL26 on a table. If it had been a jug with at least five pounds, I would have snapped it up as soon as I saw it.
The second day of the show, about an hour before it closed, and there was just a trickle of people in the show, I asked the fellow vendor next to me to watch my stuff as I wanted to take a quick look around for some reloading components.
I lucked out on five boxes of Barnes 145 grain LRX, .284 for 2020 prices, and the table I saw the RL26 on still had it.
I hadn't bothered to look at the price on day one because it usually sells for $200/lb when it shows up.
The fellow told me no one even made him an offer on it over the two days, but cleaned up most of his other powders.
He told me I could have both unopened bottles for $100, so I grabbed it, just because I was curious and wanted to compare it to RL25, which I have a lot of.
I did the comparison in my 26in, JC barrelled, 280AI, chambered remage, on a 700 LA Remington.
With 120 ttsx over 65 grains of both powders, over CCI250 primers, the RL25 beat the RL26 both in accuracy and velocity. Not by much, and I am satisfied with both groups, which were just under 1moa at 100 with RL 26 and about 5/8 moa with RL25, which was also 45fps over ten shots faster.
With 145 grain LRX over 63 grains of both powders, RL26 beat out RL25 for accuracy and velocity. Velocity was about 100 fps faster with RL26, and the groups were around 3/4 moa. RL25 was 1moa, but maybe with a bit of tweaking, it could tighten up.
With 160 grain LRX, RL 26 was about 135fps faster and again more accurate, but not by much.
If I can come across a shootable amount of RL26 at a decent price, I would likely buy it.
That being said, RL25 will do everything I need it to do, at the ranges I am willing to shoot an animal.