.284 Win and heavier-ish bullets

[Brian in Montana]

I'm interested in seeing if I can get my .284 Win to shoot a little heavier bullet. So far all I've tried 160gn NABs with H4350. I'd say the outcome was mediocre. Before I try something else I thought I'd put out the question for others that load and shoot a .284. What do you use for 160gn (and that neighborhood weight) bullets?


Here's what I got on hand for projectiles:

160gn Accubonds
160gn Federal TBTs (possibly the last 70 on the planet)
162gn Hornady ELD-X


I'm better stocked for powders:

RL19
H4831sc
H4350
RS Hunter
RS Big Game
IMR4831
IMR4350
VV N150 (excellent with lighter bullets)
Varget
RL15

I could also easily get some A4350 or various VV powders, including N550 which looks great in simulations I've run with Gordon's Reloading Tool. I have a few other powders on hand I didn't mention as I'd consider them either too slow or too fast for such a thing.

 

[ThunderNocked]

Love this! I shot several things out of my .280AI that I was playing with.
I'm not reloading yet but am excited to look into that hopefully later this year.

I want to load 150 grain or 160 grain bullets as well.
Good luck and I'd love to follow along.

I do have a local company that just put out a 150 grain Maker Hunting Round from their shop here in Alaska - I get a couple boxes to test and if it performs well I told them to hold 100 rounds aside for me when they deliver to the retail locations.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Love this! I shot several things out of my .280AI that I was playing with.
I'm not reloading yet but am excited to look into that hopefully later this year.

I want to load 150 grain or 160 grain bullets as well.
Good luck and I'd love to follow along.

I do have a local company that just put out a 150 grain Maker Hunting Round from their shop here in Alaska - I get a couple boxes to test and if it performs well I told them to hold 100 rounds aside for me when they deliver to the retail locations.

Not to hijack my own thread, but my .280AI shoots Accubonds of all weights extremely well. The 150s are about .5MOA with H4350 and an MV of about 3080fps. Currently that's my go-to.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I'm interested in seeing if I can get my .284 Win to shoot a little heavier bullet. So far all I've tried 160gn NABs with H4350. I'd say the outcome was mediocre. Before I try something else I thought I'd put out the question for others that load and shoot a .284. What do you use for 160gn (and that neighborhood weight) bullets?


Here's what I got on hand for projectiles:

160gn Accubonds
160gn Federal TBTs (possibly the last 70 on the planet)
162gn Hornady ELD-X


I'm better stocked for powders:

RL19
H4831sc
H4350
RS Hunter
RS Big Game
IMR4831
IMR4350
VV N150 (excellent with lighter bullets)
Varget
RL15

I could also easily get some A4350 or various VV powders, including N550 which looks great in simulations I've run with Gordon's Reloading Tool. I have a few other powders on hand I didn't mention as I'd consider them either too slow or too fast for such a thing.

Never had a 284. Are you loading to short action or long action mag length? Would think H4350 would be a good choice for that application.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I love H4350 in mine. As mentioned, if in a short action you may need a magazine extension to handle the extra length without losing capacity. Since you have a .284 I'm betting you already probably know that.

4831sc would be my second choice. The data on the hodgedons website seems pretty progressive. With mine and 4350 I assumed the max load was benign but when I went over .5 there were clear signs of pressure.