RL-10X?

[FireBallGuy]

I am starting to notice with alarming regularity that more of us are using but a few powders to feed our 204's. Have been down that road as well....tried them all for the most part and have settled on only 3 for use in my remington. Benchmark, RL-10X and RL-15. Have spent the winter happily hunting with a load of 25.5 grains of benchmark and the 39 grain sierra BK to great effect. Once these 200 rounds are FINALLY gone, I am moving to 10X as this powder has turned up the best accuracy to date in my gun. Thankfully I have 8 pounds of the stuff....that should keep the yotes' and other vermin nervous for a while! Is it just me or is this the case? Any thoughts?

[Rick in Oregon]

For me in the 204, if I only had Benchmark and RL10X, I'd be happy forever. In all three of my 204's, those two powders git it all done with bullets from 32 to 40grs with very good velocity and excellent accuracy.

As this is written, I'm loading up a batch of 10X using the 40gr Nosler BT in Nosler cases (Fed 205M) for SPOD, my 11 twist 204. At 3,707 fps and shooting into the low .2's, Skippy absolutely will NOT approve!

Only a few more weeks!

[FireBallGuy]

hear that rick! Mine goes for 25.1 grains with the 39 grain BK....just over 1/4" for 5 shots!

[Rick in Oregon]

That's the load I use in my 11 twist with the Nosler 40 grainer. The last group I shot with that load (.008" off the lands) went into .211". Works for me.

(Disclaimer: Remember my particular rifle has a custom chamber/throat, and both FB Guy and I worked up to this over book-max load in each of our rifles )

One thing though, this load with a 39/40 grainer seems to work for more folks than just us. Another local Howa shooter on this forum also uses it with Nosler 40's in his 11 twist and gets groups in the .25" range also. Good stuff!

[FireBallGuy]

Just a side note rick....my remy HATES ballistic tips! Ended up selling 300 of each weight, the gun just did not like them. Thought the same of Vmax's as well. It is bergers, sierra's and barnes for me....with....of coarse.....benchmark and RL-10X!

[Inrut24/7]

I have tried Reloader 10x, Reloader 15, H322, and Varget. Reloader 10x does better in my howa than varget or RL 15, althouth they still gave good groups. I was real disapointed in h322 though, It shot like crap with every bullet i tried.

[FireBallGuy]

Ya, me too! H322 was a real stinker in my remy as well. I have not tried since I realized how long the throat in my remy is but I am fairly certain not much will change.

[Rick in Oregon]

And to think that H322 punches lil dinky five-shot groups with either the 25gr Berger or V-Max in my .17 Mach IV, and almost always launches a squirrel at each trigger squeeze from my Sako Vixen. Which is why we have to try so many combinations to see what food our rifles really prefer.

I was the guy who thought IMR 4320 was only suited to cases like the '06. I had no idea that it worked so well in a caliber like the .17 Rem. Life is a long learning lesson, and I'm still learning it appears...... So many combinations, so little time.......

[FireBallGuy]

Agreed rick......too many powders and bullets.....not NEARLY enough time! My fireball also happens to like 10X and benchmark as well, so they both have the same diet....LOL!!

[giterdone]

I would like to hear if anyone (RIO) has compared accuracy using different lot numbers of RL-10X? I just finished up a 5 pounder, and the new 5 pounder I have now is a different lot number and its been too crappy outside to do any accuracy/chronographing until the weather warms up. Silverfox told me he had two different lot numbered containers of RL-10X (some years back) and the second lot was not as fast or accurate as his first lot. Rick in Oregon im sure has used quite a bit of RL-10X and would probably be the best source of info regarding this comparison?

[FireBallGuy]

Good call! I have heard this as well. I have three 1 pound can from the same lot and a 5 pounder as well. The 5 pounder is still a virgin.....what do you say rick? The people need to know!

[Rick in Oregon]

Rick in Oregon im sure has used quite a bit of RL-10X and would probably be the best source of info regarding this comparison?

Don't know if I'm a good source for anything, but I have used up pounds of the stuff on Skippy and his pals. All I can say is that I've been using it ever since TK found out in 2001 in one of the very first 204's made by Ruger that it offered (in his particular rifle) the best accuracy with the highest velocity with both 32's and 40's with all the powders he tested, and he tested a bunch. At that time, only Hornady and Berger made .204" bullets commercially.

In the time I've used it (10X), it still gives me the best of both worlds in two out of three 204's I own. Meaningless in the real world, but that's the way it worked here. When I change lots, I load up 10 "ladder test" loads to make sure I can still go to my old near or at max loads. Not everyone wants to do that, but I want all the performance I can get safely out of my field rifles. When it needs a new barrel, it gets one.

I've noticed small velocity lot variations, but not enough to warrant changing anything to any great degree. But as we're all at different ends of the country, lot numbers can and will vary regionally, so always best to re-test when using a new lot number just to be on the safe side.

[FireBallGuy]

Well said rick! When I get into my 5 pounder I will do some retesting as well.

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

A picture is worth a thousand words.



Three rounds of 26.2gr of RL-10X w/ 32gr Noslers (WS2-coated) at 200 yards, 0.375" OA, 0.171" C-C.

[Rick in Oregon]

Fred: That would be a most excellent 100 yard group! Nice shooting!

It appears you've found the "magic bullet".