SmallCaliberCentral

Since I'm still green to reloading and really green on the coated bullet side, I need some help.

I loaded some 270s a couple of weeks ago and not please with the results. I coated these bullets with WS2. The max load using imr 4350 is 53 gr. Started load with 50 gr and worked up to 53. But when I got to the max load group I'm still shooting about 4 to 5 inches lower than using a naked bullet and the groups are not as tight as naked bullets.

Can I increase the powder load above max recommendations (in small or tiny increments) to get the velocity and group of a naked bullet or what do you recommend? Different powder?

i don't know about shooting coated bullets. i am loading 130 gr. nosler partition bullets, using imr4831 powder, charge is 52.2 gr. with wlr primers. i would not load above what suggested max load is. maybe try different powders, and maybe different bullets. hopefully someone shooting coated bullets will weigh in on this.
also what bullet are you loading, and what kind of velocity are you looking for? also, why are you wanting more velocity, and what type of game are you hunting?

Try H4831 in the 270. 60.0 with 130 bullets should give over 3100 fps and always groups well in any rifle (total of six different ones so far) I've tried it in. Also usually works well with 140 an 150 grain bullets. Usually one grain less powder per each 10 grain increase in bullet weight. With heavier bullets RL-22 also works well in my experience. Can't speak to coated bullets, never tried 'em.

Howdy Paul,

Do you have any chrono data?

The thing about coated bullets is you will normally see a reduction in pressure and in velocity. This would cause your POI to be a bit lower (with the same scope elevation setting) than what you would see with the naked bullets. Now I'm not telling you to go above max, but that is what I do to get back up to the velocities I like with coated bullets. If you do load above max published data you need to make sure your attention to detail is in top form!

edit:

What distance were you shooting?

Did you pre-treat the bore?

[quote="WrzWaldo"]Howdy Paul,

If you do load above max published data you need to make sure your attention to detail is in top form!

quote]
Can't stress that enough.

As Wrz Waldo stated. Coated bullets reduce pressure and velocity.
One general rule in favor of coated bullets is this. As you increase the charge the velocity will rise faster than the pressure. Hence you MAY end up with a faster load than you had before. Just burning more powder.

That rule does not always apply. (reread quote above)
If by chance your using coated bullets to remedy a copper fouling problem and the coating cannot overcome the deficiencys in the bore you can get into trouble fast. I've seen it often enough.

You can work your way up to the max or higher velocitys with a relatively clean pretreated barrel. Maybe find a load you want to try. Load up ten or so and go back to the range. If the barrel is still fouled and accumulating copper you can watch the velocitys climb through the roof. The hotter the load the worse it gets. Very Dangerous stuff.
I have a 308 factory tube that coppers so bad even with moly it does just that. I gave up on that tube for now. I still have a few tricks I'd like to try on it someday. Just for giggles.

Now if your barrel is not a cheesegrater you should get the benefits of coated bullets.

In my opinion a chrono is a requirement anytime you consider going over book max.

FYI: Barrel is new from MGM with about 40 to 50 rounds thru it and 19 of them were coated.

Paul: The other posters gave you good information, but I'll add that any time you break in a new barrel, you should always do it with naked bullets.

The idea is by breaking it in, and cleaning between just one or two shots, you are "ironing out" and removing small micro-burrs and tool marks from the barrel. By shooting coated bullets, you are effectively jamming in the coating into these micro inclusions, thereby creating more uneveness in the bore for the next bullet to encounter.

Break-in with naked bullets, throughly clean the barrel, then pre-treat with WS2 or whatever you'll use on your bullets, and go have at it normally. Normally, coated bullets are used for extended shooting sessions, such as shooting colony rodents. Do you feel you really need to shoot coated bullets in your deer rifle? Just wondering what the logic is there.....

P.S. Sagebrush Burns' load is the same one I've used in my pet M70 .270 Win for 40 years, and it's killed a lot of deer with stellar accuracy. This is basically the old Jack O'Connor load, which should speak for itself (he used 62.0grs of the very old H4831....good luck getting that much into a .270 case.)