Ballistic comparison of some of my hand loads past and present

[RifleBowPistol]

So I have found a couple of on line ballistic calculators. I put in the info and the calculators spit out the data. Pretty interesting stuff to me.

So recently I have been thinking about multiple of my hunting rounds and how the numbers seem fairly close when going over the bullet weight, bore diameter and velocities. So I decided, I wanted to get a better idea of how my various hand loads compare to each other. So I ran them through Hornady's ballistic calculator, I ran some through Berger's calculator first, but Berger won't calculate anything with a .458 caliber bullet, it seems, since they don't sell 458 caliber bullets. It tells you you have entered invalid info. So I found the Hornady calculator and it worked for all of the data I ran through it.

I listed everything in order that I started loading that load. So it may seem like a random listing, so the first loads are the oldest loads, last ones are the most current.

The first chart for each load, is ballistics out to 1000 yards. The second chart is that same caliber out to the maximum range that, that load produces 1000 ft. lbs. of energy.

[RifleBowPistol]

So the first load, is my old 30-30 Super 14 Contender load. That was one very deadly deer load out to at least 300 yards. Dropped deer dead where they stood, almost every shot. That load was a 135 gr. Sierra Single Shot Pistol bullet, with 31.5 gr. of IMR 30-31 out of 14" barreled Contender. It would produce 2150 fps at the muzzle.

[RifleBowPistol]

I could have done a few of my different 7mm Rem. Mag loads, but I just wanted my last one, which was one of my deadliest 7mm Mag. loads, for comparison to my current hand loads. That last load was 140 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip. with I think 61.5 gr. of Reloader 19, I am not 100% sure on the powder charge, am sure of the powder used. The gun was a early Remington Sendero with a 26" barrel. It would spit that bullet out the barrel at 3350 fps.

[RifleBowPistol]

Next load was for my 16" barreled 5.56 AR. I shot mostly 223 out of it. I found a Speer 52 gr. hollow point was by far the most accurate bullet out of that gun. So that's all I have loaded in that gun. I killed a lot of coyotes, one deer and one large hog with this load. I think this was the first load I shot out of that gun. I am sure of the bullet, I think this is the first powder I used. It was IMR 4064. I did not have a chronograph at the time, but later found some old loaded rounds and fired them across my current chronograph and got theses numbers. I am pretty sure the loads that produced 2740 fps, were done with the 4064, but may have been a different powder I forgot I tried.

[RifleBowPistol]

Next I used the same bullet, same gun, but tried the 3031, to reduce the muzzle flash with the short 16" barrel. I am pretty sure those are the loads that years later produced only 2450 fps. I know when I was shooting the 3031, I shot a coyote in the rear, with that 52 gr. bullet and it went all the way up into his brain. I was shocked that a varmint bullet could penetrate that deep. I knew the velocity had to be pretty load, below the range where they bullet would expand much at all.

[RifleBowPistol]

After the poor performance from the 3031, I tried Winchester 748, to step up the velocities and get a flatter trajectory. This load produced 2950 fps, this is the load, I killed the one buck with, at 180 yards with a neck shot. Then a large hog, with a head shot. Then quite a few coyotes.

[RifleBowPistol]

I wound up finding Nosler 125 gr. Ballistic Tips. They worked great, I killed two bucks with them, both went down very fast, within 10 ft. of where I shot them. Then later I discovered Leverevolution powder. I don't remember what powder I was using with the Barnes bullets or the Ballistic Tips when I first started loading the Ballistic Tips, but it produced about 2550 fps, with the 125 gr. Ballistic Tips. It may have been 748, not sure. I know I eventually used Leverevolution, that stuff got me 2740 fps, with 38 gr. I got around 2850 fps with 39 gr., it was still plenty safe with 39 gr. I could have gone as high as 40 gr., but the recoil was getting high, I don't think my daughter would have liked it, so I stopped at 38 gr. Someday I will go back and see what I can get from that powder and bullet combo. For now, I have a bunch loaded with 38 gr. of powder.

Eventually I want to get a 23" barrel, try the same loads, but probably all the way to up to 40 gr. of Leverevolution. I think I can get it over 3000 fps. Then possible even have the barrel reamed out to a 30-30 AI or 30-30 JDJ. Then try the Leverevolution powder and probably step up to a 150 gr. Ballistic Tip. Pretty amazing to me, what can now be done with older calibers. Years ago, I never found any powder I could load more than 31.5 gr. of, in the 30-30 case with the 135 gr. bullet, without getting high pressures.

[RifleBowPistol]

Then the next load I worked on for a while was my 270 AR. It's a wild cat, based off of a 6.5X47 Lapua case, that is shortened and then necked up with .277 caliber. The bullet that works best because of the length, is the Sierra 130 gr. Game King. The overall length of the AR mags really limits the overall length of the round. If you were to chamber a short action, bolt action rifle for this caliber, it would definitely improve the performance. You could seat the bullets farther out of the case and add more powder. Then also use better bullets with higher ballistic coefficient. But in a 20" barreled AR, with rounds that will fit in a AR mag, this thing does pretty good.

This round, I am using Lapua 6.5X47 Lapua cases, that have been shortened and necked up. The case uses a small rifle primer, doing so, allows slightly higher pressures. Then the Leverevolution, has been a miracle powder in this little cartridge. I tried a lot of other powders, that I have had very good results with in years past, in short action cases. I tried H 414, BL-C(2), Benchmark, and about four other powders. The best I got out of the powders that I had previously known as very good short action powders, was around 2650 fps. CFE 223, got me around 2800 fps, then Leverevolution, which I have been told is the same chemically as CFE 223, just does not have the anti copper fouling chemical in it. The cases and the powder, really worked wonders with this caliber. The bullets used, are short enough to allow 38 gr. of powder in the case, and still feed in a AR magazine. You can seat the bullet farther out of the case and shoot single shot and get 40 gr. of powder in the case. Even with a 20" barrel, it's supposed to produce around 3100 to 3150 fps. Other guys, have had custom built 24" or 26" barrels, then used the 38 gr. powder charge and got 3150 fps. All with the same 130 gr. Game King. I think this round in a short action bolt gun, with a much better 130 gr. bullet, basically a bullet with better BC numbers. This would be one interesting little caliber. As it is, it will duplicate the older 270 Win. ballistics. With a longer barrel or a 40 gr. powder charge, will equal the hotter 270 130 gr. loads.

I get 2850 fps, with the 130 gr. Game King. I have killed two mule deer bucks with it, three hogs and a turkey with it. It does quite a bit of damage. One of the hogs I shot a few weeks ago. I shot through the heart, broadside. That pig sprayed blood all over the brush, that it ran through. The white colored brush that the pig ran through was cover with red stains, made it very easy to find the pig. One of the smaller pigs, it blew the shoulder off on the outgoing side. Then one of the mule deer, I shot it from above, through the base of the neck. Shattered the spine and dropped the buck dead, it blew a large exit hole out of the deer. On the other mule deer, did some serious damage to the lungs, with the first shot, then blew the liver up with the second shot. The buck still trotted off down a hill like nothing had happened. He did go down the hill and curl up under a large sage brush, but the way he acted after being shot twice, I would never have guessed I hit him. Those are tough deer.

[RifleBowPistol]

Next up is my 6.5 Creedmoor, the ammo I am loading, is a combination of multiple modern improved components. I am using Lapua brass, that uses small rifle primers, then Superformance powder and Berger 140 gr. Elite Hunter bullets. The long range numbers this combo produces is pretty impressive.

My old 7mm Rem. Mag. load also used a 140 gr. bullet, but 7mm. Then started off at 3350 fps, with 3488 ft. lbs. of energy. Then at 1000 yards, which I shot that gun to 1000 yards and beyond numerous times, the velocity is 1618 fps., with 814 ft. lbs. of energy. The little Creedmoor starts off with 2850 fps. and 2525 ft. lbs. of energy. Then at 1000 yards, it has 1573 fps. and 770 ft. lbs. of energy. Less than 100 fps. difference and less than 100 ft. lbs. of energy, than the 7mm Rem. Mag., at that range. BC numbers make a lot of difference at longer ranges. Even at 700 and 800 yards, it's pretty close to my old 7mm Rem. Mag. ballistics.

[RifleBowPistol]

My latest caliber I have been working on, is my 16" barrel 458 SOCOM AR. I started off with 350 gr. Hornady flat point Interlocks, I like those bullets, not sure how well they will work on deer and pigs with chest shots, I suspect they may have to thick of jacketing to open up much. Hope to find out soon. Hope to shoot some hogs with them. I am getting 1650 fps with them, I am using Reloader Number 7. On cedar logs, they penetrate very well and hold together very well.

Ballistically they are not bad, but there are definitely better loads for the 458 SOCOM.

[RifleBowPistol]

One last load, this is one of my favorite loads right now. I really need to find some bullet molds so I can cast at least a .461" diameter 405 gr. flat nose bullet. I will be working on that soon.

I did get a chance to load up some 405 gr. 458s, with the 10X. I got right around 1758 fps. That's one nasty load for a AR. The recoil is stout, and it does a lot more damage than I though possible for a low velocity lead bullet, when shooting at 1/4" steel plate. Those things have bent, dented and warped the crap out of the first layer of my 1/4" steel plate bullet back stop. For a long time, most everything I shot at that back stop, just left splatter marks on the plates. The faster 6.5 Creedmoors have actually punched through the first layer of plate, but did not warp the plate, if they did not penetrate, the made small dents in the plate. Same with the 30-30s, just small dents or splatter marks. Even my nephews AR 10 in 308, only left dents in the first layer of plate. But those dang 405 gr. 458s have bent the crap out of the first 1/4 plate. Also my back stop is set up at 100 yards. Those things are something else, so I have been curious about how much energy they have.

So I was pretty impressed to see 2750 ft. lbs. of energy at the muzzle, that blows all of my 223 AR loads out of the water. These things can fit in the same magazine as the little 5.56 or 223 and have that much more energy, is amazing. I really love this load. I am going to work on getting a mold and casting some gas check 405 gr. bullets for this gun. This thing will be a hog killing beast. This caliber is another case of modern cartridge and powder designs, but it's shooting a very old bullet design.

[RifleBowPistol]

I could have added some of my old 22-250 loads, or my old 308 loads, or even some of my other 7mm Rem. Mag. loads or a bunch of other calibers I loaded for. I don't remember enough about those loads, most I don't remember the velocities. Some I remember the bullets and powder used, but that's all. Then others I remember bullet weight and powder, but not the velocities or what bullet. Then for the 7mm Rem. Mag. turns out I loaded a lot of stuff, I don't remember loading. I have a lot of old 7mm Rem. Mag ammo, I loaded many years ago, that I don't know what bullets are in the cases.

My next caliber I want to work on, is a 300 Weatherby, I plan on trying a couple of different Berger bullets. Once that gun is built, it should produce some pretty crazy numbers with some Bergers. I also plan on building another 7mm Rem. Mag. I decided that's the best thing to do with the Weatherby Vanguard I have now, that is currently chambered for 300 Weatherby. I have decided to build a different rifle into a 300 Weatherby. Really want to try some of the new powders and bullets in those two calibers. Should be interesting.

[Draco]

Thanks for that .458 data.

[muzzlebrake]

Lot of work you did. Easy to see where different bullets perform at distance.
Amused at how you stretched that 5.56 with 52 gr pill out to almost 500 before it starts to tumble. I see people claiming 1000 yard shots with a .223/5.56 but data such as this just makes me smile and shake my head. Good work!

[RifleBowPistol]

I have killed coyotes with that little bullet with the powder charge that produced 2750 fps, out to 400 yards. That's the farthest I have ever shot that gun. It was very deadly on coyotes out to that range. Now seeing how low the energy was out that far, I am a little surprised it did such a good job on coyotes out that far.

Also seeing how deep the same bullet penetrated another coyote, when launched at only 2450 fps. That shot was only about a 70 to 80 yard shot. The velocity was quite a bit higher when that bullet hit that coyote, than the other ones were when they hit the coyotes out around 400 yards.

Yes, that's not the most stable long range bullet, pretty poor BC numbers, but it's extremely accurate out of my rifle. I have been thinking of getting a 22" 223 Wylde barrel for years and then looking for a better bullet to shoot out of that barrel. Seeing the numbers I got with the Speer bullet at longer ranges, I think I will eventually look for a longer barrel chambered for 223 Wylde. That Speer bullet, is definitely not a good long range bullet. The BC number for that bullet is .168. It's a spitzer bullet with a large hollow point and a flat base.

I looked up the BC number for the 350 gr. Hornady flat point Interlock I use, it is listed as .195. I searched for long time and found one guy that posted, most of the 405 gr. 458 caliber bullets have a BC of between .197 and .205 or .210, don't remember on the high end. But I chose to use .200, to enter into the software to get the numbers I got. I was shocked, when I found that, that little Speer 52 gr. hollow point, I have been using for close to 20 years, that my gun loves so much, only has a .168 BC. Both of the .458 caliber bullets I have shot, have a better BC number.