Hand Loading Long Bullets

[AlaskaHunter]

Wow! The 30 Cal 200 gr Barnes TTSX is a loooooong bullet...1.624 inches!
My main purpose is a load for bull moose...so shots typically less than 200 yards, often 25-100 yards.

There are several potential problems with loading such a long bullet.
1) It might not fit in the magazine
2) It might be so long, there is not enough case capacity for powder
3) It might be too long for the rifle twist

So far not a problem in my 300 H & H.
1) I loaded 3 dummy rounds (bullet seated at jam, no primer) and
they cycled through the magazine into chamber no problem.
2) I loaded the 200 gr LRX seated 0.050" off lands
with IMR4831 initial test loads 61.0gr thru 62.5 gr (the case is a necked down 375 H & H)
No problem, no compressed loads, shaking the cartridge powder is still loose.
3) According to Barnes a 1:10" twist is acceptable (although their 212gr LRX requires 1:8" twist)

A fourth potential problem may be the bullet seating beyond the neck into the shoulder/body.
This in unavoidable with such a long bullet.
This is less than ideal in some schools of thought:

source: https://precisionrifleblog.com/2020/04/28/bullet-jump-research-and-load-development-tips/

May be a moot point for my moose loads?
Time will tell...I won't be shooting hand loads until this spring when temps get above zero ....

 

[elkantlers]

I've never had a problem seating a bullet deep.
1:10 twist should be ok with a 200gr bullet.
The real proof is shooting them and seeing what results you get. I'm betting that they will shoot plenty good enough for a 200yd shot and further.

 

[cahunter805]

Your way over thinking it buddy. Your 10 twist will be acceptable and seating them .050 off the lands is a good start. Also loading past the neck shoulder junction isn’t that big of a deal. It can cause a problem if you get a donut from multiple sizings of the brass.
Shoot your initial powder test and see how it groups. Im betting it would be acceptable especially if only shooting 200 yards.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I worked up a load in a 300 RUM with the 200 gr LRX for a moose hunt. I have a factory Remington 700 magazine so they really stick down into the cases and they have a lot of jump. Despite those issues, they shoot well in my rifle and my moose dropped in its tracks.

 

[winmag]

The only problem would be if the bullet is seated so deep that the ogive is below the case mouth (the start of the bearing surface on the mouth end of the case is inside the neck). This can lead to inconsistent neck tension and feeding issues.

Obviously loading deep into the case (bullet protruding past the neck/shoulder junction) will eat into your case capacity, but its inevitable with long bullets loaded to magazine length. But you're shooting a great cartridge for long bullets in the 300 H&H with that long neck.

 

[GunTruck]

I killed my only moose with a 160gr Trophy Bonded Tipped. If I had a 300 H&H I,d use 160gt Barnes TTSX, maybe even 150gr TTSX. They need to go fast. 200gr is on the slow side. Good luck.

 

[Fire_9]

You’re literally trying to shoot something the size of a garbage can lid inside of 200 yards. Load it so it’ll fit in your magazine and roll with it

 

[GunTruck]

I just messed up 4 cases. I was trying to load 154gr Interbond 7mm -08 at a over all length of 2.780 It bulged all 4 case. But shorter 160gr Nosler Partitions worked fine. I was using RL26. 150gr Sierra worked fine. I hate long bullets.

 

[winmag]

I just messed up 4 cases. I was trying to load 154gr Interbond 7mm -08 at a over all length of 2.780 It bulged all 4 case. But shorter 160gr Nosler Partitions worked fine. I was using RL26. 150gr Sierra worked fine. I hate long bullets.

Just use a faster burn rate powder like H4350 or RL15 and you won’t have that problem.

 

[std7mag]

A long bullet in a 300 H&H case is a whole different story than a long bullet in a 7mm-08 case!
I was looking at building a match rifle in 7mm-08AI centered around the 160gr Sierra Tipped MatchKing.
But it would have been single feed, and the chamber throated to seat the bullet out of the powder column. (See Alaskahunter's illustration) COAL at 3.00"+ range.
Planned powder was in the RL19/IMR4831 range.
Your case volume, bullet weight, powder choice, COAL needs more consideration.

 

[GunTruck]

Just use a faster burn rate powder like H4350 or RL15 and you won’t have that problem.

I,ll switch to RL17 I know they work. I,m also trying to get PP4000mr to work. I have a load using 145gr Speer bullet that I get 2895 FPS and Sd of 28.4. Speed is good Accuracy not so good. It is a work in progress.