First handloads for the 20" Howa are in reformed Starline 6.5 Grendel brass, F205 primers, Hornady 75gr VMax with Benchmark. I used Forster dies, but had to take several thousandths off the top of the shell holder so that the cases would chamber easily. They will not go in my Faxon barrel!
Hornady lists 2.095" OAL, but I seemed to touch at 2.15" so loaded just shorter at 2.135". Powder charges were thrown through a Redding BR measure and NOT weighed. I started at Hornady's midlevel gas gun data 27.5gr, 28.0, 28.5, and 29.0 where 28.7 is the top of their gas gun data, but 29.5 is top for the boltgun.
The little Howa has had 50 rounds of Hornady Black through it, and seems to do fine for a hunting rifle. The scope provided is a scope, but not the clarity that my eyes need, so will be remedied shortly. From a clean barrel, 27.5gr shot right at MOA at 100 yards. It was misty, and the scope and my choice of target for the day didn't help. 28.0 went 3/4 MOA, 28.5 went MOA all for 5 shot groups. The conditions worsened, and I chose to pack up rather than get wet with the increasing mist blowing in. Primers look mild at 28.5gr. I'll load more, use different targets, and mount a different scope by this weekend.
Good stuff. Somehow I ended up with about 300 of those 75 grain Vmax or SST. It's a flat based red tipped Hornady bullet.
I've got some 87 grain Hornady on the way to try. And I've got those three boxes of 85 grain spear soft points as well. I did pick up a box of 90 grain game changers last time I was in Cabela's. I used 75 grain hollow points in my fire forming loads because I have about 300 of those as well of an unknown manufacture. I suspect there Sierra. They just came in a bag and a bunch of reloading stuff that I bought some years back. I'm also hoping 2520 proves a good powder because I've got an 8 pound jug.
CW; Gary here (from Bullet Casting) and I have the SH-4J in 6 x 24 -50 and love it. Also have a Tru-Glo that I don't use now cause of the Arken's. Also have a Blackhound that has very good glass, almost as good as the Arken's.
03-26-2024, 06:31 PM (This post was last modified: 03-26-2024, 06:33 PM by 300BLK.)
I had the Howa mini to the range again today, very light wind, overcast, and some mirage visible @12x. Two consecutive (3) shot groups at 300 yards has me pretty stoked. 1-3/16" and 1-1/4"! Reticle subtensions say 1" high @ 100, 1" low @ 200, 9" low @ 300.
I tried a similar load in the 20" Faxon upper today. New Starline cases, F205AR primers, 27.5, 28.0, and 28.3gr Benchmark (newer lot) and 75gr VMax loaded to 2.105" for the Faxon's shorter than Howa throat. I didn't measure, but 27.5gr shot a group wider than tall, probably 3.5" for 5 shots at 300 yards. 28gr went 2-1/2" and 28.3 must have been 6" +. This upper was assemebled with a BCA side charge receiver, and no gas tube, so literally a straight pull bolt. The smallish lugs on the Grendel/ARC bolt are still the limiting load pressure factor.
These cases were only collet neck sized and deburred before loading, and I thought I was detecting a bit of inconsistency in neck tension while seating bullets. I'll run some of these through the FL sizer before loading more and see if groups tighten up a little.
(03-29-2024, 08:50 PM)grayfox Wrote: How do you like that straight pull back? I've thought about trying it, just haven't got around to it.
It doesn't have the mechanical advantage for extracting that a bolt action has, but is a relatively inexpensive conversion for an AR lower. That BCA upper is very snug on the Stag lower that I'm using, so no complaints about BCA's upper. This upper was $100 including BCAs BCG, but I swapped out the 556 bolt for the 6.5Grendel/6ARC from Rexus ($65?)
This particluar lower has a Geissele SSAE trigger, Ergo enhanced grip, and ACE Skeleton stock. The recoil impulse is stiffer than the Howa Mini or (heavier) Savage 110T.
It is important to make sure that the chamber is completely dry after cleaning so that extra bolt thrust doesn't occur or else hard unlocking/extraction will occur.
04-09-2024, 07:11 PM (This post was last modified: 04-10-2024, 12:30 AM by 300BLK.)
I'm working with the 75gr VMax/Benchmark load in the 20" Faxon straight-pull. It defintiely has a shorter throat than the Howa, so tried from 2.080" to 2.115" with best groups running 1 MOA at 300 yards for 5 shots.
One of the guys had his LabRadar setup, so I shot (3) rounds at 28gr. 2955fps average and 9 fps extreme spread. That is faster than Hornady's gas gun data suggests, but I'm using Starline cases and have an extra 2" of barrel. Its only 45 fps slower than their 24" boltgun data.
Back to the range with the Faxon upper and 75gr VMax. 28gr Benchmark 2.085" and 2.095" OALs. 2.085" seems more consistent, and three groups of 3 shots at 300 yards were 1-1/2" - 2" @12x with variable mirage. I'm calling this good!
