Anybody running 175 SMKs and RL15?...input sought...

Chuckbuster

Chuckbuster

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Is anyone shooting 175 grain SMKs and RL15? I'm currently using 40gr of RL15 and am getting good accuracy. However, I'd like to up the wattage a bit to see how much speed I can get with that good accuracy. My question is, what are people running for max?

I see from the Sierra manual that they recommend 41.3gr of RL15 as max. The Lee manual lists 44gr. Surfing the 'net and looking at other sources reveals people using as much as 45gr with plenty of comments as to how meek and conservatively the Sierra book max is loaded.

So, anyone with experience, or information as to what you are loading as max for this bullet and powder combination?
 
That is dependent upon your gun, your chamber tolerances, your firing pin clearance and the batch of powder.

You might be disappointed to know that most ammo does not deliver top accuracy at or near its red line, I would take accuracy over velocity any day.

Having said that, you can find your own max load by starting at a known safe load and working up in 0.3 grain increments until you start to see pressure signs. Flattening primers, cratering primers is just beyond red line. Piercing primers or sticky bolt lift and you are now unsafe.

Hot loads are not only inaccurate, but they also increase barrel wear.

RL15 is a good powder, so is BL-C2, Varget, 4895, N550/150 and many others.
 
RL-15 with the 175 SMK is what the US military used to use in their M118LR round. I believe the recipe was:

175 gr. SMK
43.1 gr. RL-15
210M
2.810" COAL

RL-15 is temperature sensitive and has since been replaced with 41.7 gr. IMR-4064.
 
Thanks for the info. From what I've been able to gather, the Sierra max is indeed conservative. Upping the speed from my rather sedate loading is more about satisfying curiosity than anything else: I'd just like to see how far I can go before my rifle's accuracy ( a lefty Rem 700VS) deteriorates to the point where I know it's the load and not me.
 
RL15 is a double base Bofors powder (from Sweden). I love it in 308 and 223 (80gr).

Work up in .3 increments and see if groups get better. Once you fnd the best load, try 0.5 more and see if it is over max. if it is, you are too close to the limit and will have problems on a hot day.
 
SMK 175 44.6 gr of Varget cci br-2 primer oal 2.812 out of my Icon Warlord i get top class grouping my try with rl-15 did not permit thight groups, Hard to bet the varget in any 308... Cheers. JP.
 
colinmatchett said:
When did they go to IMR 4064?
Click to expand...

Within the last couple years. RL-15 was giving them fits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2009infantrysmallarms/tuesdaysessioniii8524.pdf

It is (or was) know as Mk316 Mod 0. Someone managed to get he data card for it using the FIA:

MK316.jpg
 
RL-15 marked bottles have not changed (benchrest crown would lay eggs if it did), and neither has it's temperature stability (or lack thereof). The improved version is what they're selling as "AR Comp".

From: http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/tag/ar-comp/
Though this is a reformulation of Reloder 15, the burn rate of AR-Comp is slightly faster than Reloder 15. Alliant told us: “Reloder 15 is slightly slower, in burn rate, than Varget. The new AR-Comp, with the enhancements, ended up slightly faster than Reloder 15, so it is now very close to Varget in burn rate”. This is the result of the “tuning” of the powder to be much less temp-sensitive.
Click to expand...
 
John Barsness says in his experiments RL15 is much better than it used to be. I know in my 30-06 going from 26 celcius to -5 celcius IMR 4350 lost 130 fps, H4350 lost 31 fps, Varget 27 fps, and RL15 46 fps. That was with 165's.
 
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