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Picking a powder? Reloading novice!


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So as title, I’m planning stating reloading and I’ve just ordered up all the rcbs gear - literally all the gear an no idea. I’ve got a friend who has similar equipment but I want to get a lot of the bits and pieces together before I ask for help.

 

current plan is to start with the .22-250. 1 in 14 twist. And reload for roe. Now I’ve always shot lighter bullets better in the rifle,(say 50grains).

 

1) how do I chose a powder to start with? H380 is popular. 

2) a lot of the soft point bullets such as these https://www.sportsmanguncentre.co.uk/hornady-varmint-22-224-50gr-sp-bullet-heads-100pk look good but they all seem to be described as varmint types? Are they still suitable?

A lot of folk have suggested I try a hornady 60 grain sp as these tend to be quite short in length. I’d be equally as happy going for a 50-52g soft point.

 

3) primers, again. Where to start?

 

looking forward to getting going but plenty of pitfalls as well. Going to be a lot of reading and a steep learning curve!

 

 

cheers!

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Guest cookoff013

my advice sould be to seek out specialist relaoding information, thats specific to the calibre. 
sometimes info is too opinionated by end users who "sometimes" dont know how to interpret what they have done.

powders are marketed, as well as all components (bullets etc)

just ask around, buy reloading media, form your own opinion and reload what suits you the best. 

opinions here are an exellent start, but dedicated data, and dedicated databooks, often have lots of  great data in a whole bunch of other data !

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I've just started to reload pistol rounds so slightly different, my advise is if you know someone who reloads (especially if it's the same round) ask them if they can show you the ropes and give you a few pointers on powders and loads etc.

I would never have started reloading, without the help that I got from people at my club, it gave me enough confidence to setup the press and one of them very kindly offered to double check everything. I found the hands on experience far better than any of the reading I did.

Good luck and enjoy, I find it quite satisfying knocking up some rounds the day before a shoot.

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RWild fowler,

H380 is excellent power for the 22-250, but it's one of the banned powders so don't waiste your time working up a load for it, only to find you can't get it.

Primers stick with CCI large rifle

stick with Vit powder, bullet wise, Sierra game kings take some beating. You can download Vit Powder data here

https://www.vihtavuori.com

Edited by reggiegun
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4 hours ago, steve_b_wales said:

H380 is an excellent powder for reloading 22-250. A 50 or 55gr bullet would be ideal.

There are many other good powders on the market, but I can only recommend H380 as I reloaded many 100's of bullets with it.

Take a look at this site: http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle

Thank you, I’ll have a look!

4 hours ago, cookoff013 said:

my advice sould be to seek out specialist relaoding information, thats specific to the calibre. 
sometimes info is too opinionated by end users who "sometimes" dont know how to interpret what they have done.

powders are marketed, as well as all components (bullets etc)

just ask around, buy reloading media, form your own opinion and reload what suits you the best. 

opinions here are an exellent start, but dedicated data, and dedicated databooks, often have lots of  great data in a whole bunch of other data !

Totally agree, I think the kit if purchased comes with a Speer manual so that will give me a starting point. Just nice to have some pointers to start in the right direction. Appreciate the reply!

3 hours ago, Newbie to this said:

I've just started to reload pistol rounds so slightly different, my advise is if you know someone who reloads (especially if it's the same round) ask them if they can show you the ropes and give you a few pointers on powders and loads etc.

I would never have started reloading, without the help that I got from people at my club, it gave me enough confidence to setup the press and one of them very kindly offered to double check everything. I found the hands on experience far better than any of the reading I did.

Good luck and enjoy, I find it quite satisfying knocking up some rounds the day before a shoot.

Thank you!

3 hours ago, reggiegun said:

RWild fowler,

H380 is excellent power for the 22-250, but it's one of the banned powders so don't waiste your time working up a load for it, only to find you can't get it.

Primers stick with CCI large rifle

stick with Vit powder, bullet wise, Sierra game kings take some beating. You can download Vit Powder data here

https://www.vihtavuori.com

Thanks for the info! I didn’t realize it was banned,(will have to read into this).

 

i was very tempted by the gamekings so i think I’ll give them a go and see if I can get them to group.

 

Out if interest, is there one of the viht powders you’d recommend?  The N130, N133 and N135 all sound appropriate! Too many choices!

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Vihtavuori make excellent powder and it's REACH compliant (the relevant EU legislation). For Load Data, I'd use their website:

https://www.vihtavuori.com/reloading-data/rifle-reloading/?cartridge=6

If you are looking for an equivalent to H380, then you want a comparable burning rate powder (it's quickness). The closest by Vihtavouri are going to be N140 and N540. The 500 series powders are what is called Double Based and they contain Nitroglycerine. This gives a bit more velocity potential but at the expense of heat. If the 22-250 is a barrel burner, then it may be better to start with N140 and see how you go. Always start with the minimum load and work up, looking for pressure signs.
 

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I use n140 in my .223 and .243 and it’s easy because I use a powder thrower to get me close before I weigh it on my scales I know I won’t mix my powder. Having a quick look on the vit app it shows N140 in .223, 22-250, 243, 308 . I have no problems with it . 

N140 is in stock around here too :)

i use Sierra but that’s because it’s also in stock the same as cci primers. I shoot 1/2” groups at 100 with this lot but have moved on to lapua brass as I find it’s actually cheaper than others.

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another shout for n140 simply because you can get it..... I love to use varget and h380 but because of it being banned what I have left of the varget is now only used for 1x type of my fave foxing round

n140 I load .22-250 - .303 -. 308 its a do all powder

Edited by SPARKIE
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Personally I find that the powder supply is what ultimately messes you about. Having worked up loads for my 223, 243 and 308 using Ramshot powders, it dried up for 2 years and is still a problem getting it supplied. The cost of getting it sent is more than the cost of the powder, so select something that your local supplier keeps on the shelf, same with primers, I have not noticed that any particular primer works better than another and am currently using Murom primers which are the cheapest available and are marked as competition grade. I have now switched my allegiance to Vit powders and am currently using Vit 133.135 and 140,  to experiment with, though I think I will settle on the Vit 133 for all my calibres. Same needn't apply to bullets as they can be purchased from any where at a reasonable postage and some companies will send post free if you purchase £50.00 or more. A good reloading book is a must, I know all the information can be found on line, but it takes time trolling around and a ready reference is a very good idea when you begin to doubt what you have found on the web. Also you will get a lot of peripheral knowledge that will help you, such as selecting the right bullet seating depths and how to go about changing it for your particular rifle..

Just one other thing I would add, don`t be afraid to post a question, you may feel its stupid, it`s not!!! if you don`t know the answer. Its better to ask than risk damaging yourself or your equipment.

Good luck with your new hobby,  its highly addictive!

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Use the latest info from the powder manufacturers websites, books are written months even years ago so the data isn't always up to date.

As for powder, as mentioned above avoid the American powders as around 90% of them will start to become unavailable after REACH comes into effect on June 1st.

Viht is an excellent choice and fully REACH compliant so no problems with a continued supply.

Latest 22-250 load data is here, https://www.vihtavuori.com/reloading-data/rifle-reloading/?cartridge=6

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Viht are always conservative on there load data, as an example the max load for my 6.5 Creedmoors using N150 with a 139 Scenar is 35.5gr @ 2602fps, in reality I get just under 2500fps. 

There's shooters who've pushed this load to 39gr using small primer brass and get 2800fps with excellent results, low ES & SD and no pressure signs.

So far I've ran mine up to 37.5 with a 140gr Nosler custom Competition bullet and got 2600fps (small primer brass), I could switch to magnum primers but the Murom KVB223 I use are pretty good to start with.

Edited by phaedra1106
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Thank you for all the replies, plenty to work on! Now just t buy in some gamekings and some primers and should be good to go!

 

Out of interest, do I realistically need to get a chronograph? Am I working a bit blind without one? A rangefinder is my next real intended purchase so gradually building up all the kit. It's not a cheap hobby!

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1 hour ago, wildfowler.250 said:

Thank you for all the replies, plenty to work on! Now just t buy in some gamekings and some primers and should be good to go!

 

Out of interest, do I realistically need to get a chronograph? Am I working a bit blind without one? A rangefinder is my next real intended purchase so gradually building up all the kit. It's not a cheap hobby!

You don't need a Chronograph, although they are handy. And the Hawke 400 or 600 rangefinder is good value for money.

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