Reloading the .270 Win with Barnes 130 gr TTSX

[bamboomaster]

Reloading the 270 WIN with Barnes 130 gr TTSX BT

The Bullet

I found one of these that retained 72% of its weight in a venison roast a friend had given me a few years ago and was grateful not to crack my teeth on it after I unknowingly forked the venison morsel into my mouth. I promised myself then that if I ever had the time, I’d work this bullet up for a hunting load. Now that every day is a Saturday, the choice of working up a load or raking the leaves was an easy one to make.

Barnes 130 gr TTSX BT 270 cal.jpg

A description from Barnes:

“The Barnes Tipped TSX features a 100-percent copper body with rings cut into the shank. A polymer tip boosts the ballistic coefficient, improves long-range ballistics, and provides fast expansion. The four razor sharp cutting petals double the bullet diameter making delivering “dead right there” performance.”

“These revolutionary bullets from Barnes are made of 100% copper and contain no lead. Barnes recommends initially seating bullets .050 off the lands. Best accuracy will be found from .030” to .070” depending on the rifle.”

“Well,” I thought. “We’ll see…”


The Cartridge

Bullet: Barnes 130 gr TTSX BT (Ballistic Coefficient .392)
Powder: Hodgdon Hybrid 100V
Primer: Remington No. 9 ½ Large Rifle Primer
Cases: Assorted Remington, Winchester, & Federal
OAL: 3.250”

The brass prep for me was the longest part of the process mostly because it “once fired” (or so they said) brass and there were around 300 of them. The prep included tumbling, lubing (Hornady’s ONE SHOT spray lube), resizing/decapping (always Redding precision dies when available), swaging the pocket, trim/chamfer the case (Giraud Power Case Trimmer), debur flash hole, final brass inspection, and tumbling a second time. I wasn’t trying to make a career out it, just following many of the same steps as if I was reloading match-grade ammo.

Thanks to other PAFOA forum members who have posted here in the reloading forum, I also wanted to be sure that all “suspicious” cases that may/might/could later cause issues were culled.

This is easier to do than you think if you remember the mantra “When in doubt, throw it out!” Failing that, ask yourself “What would Cephas do?”

I did the reloading on a Dillon 550B and used it as a single stage press not only for the duration of this testing but also for reloading the “post-test” cartridges.

Just to provide a “head’s up”, if you are loading to the recommended 3.25” OAL, the top ring in the shank will be entirely visible. If it is not, better knock the bullet out a bit, back-out your seating stem , and try again. Measure as many times as you need to confirm OAL.

If you ignore these signs, you do so at your own peril for you will have created an over-pressure load!

Nobody needs that excitement at the range….especially the dad with two kids shooting next to you....


The Powder Selection

Barnes recommended using the Hybrid 100V powder (noted with an “*” in their load data as the recommended powder) for their 130 grain bullets. I loaded 7 different loads from 48.0 grains to 51.0 grains, each .5 grains heavier than the prior load.

Page four of this pdf suggests ten different powders including the minimum and maximum loads for their 130 grain bullets: http://barnesbullets.com/files/2014/11/270win.pdf . They apparently have done their homework…


Reloading the Cartridge

For the powder-throwing exercise, I unboxed a new Lyman Gen 6 (replacing my Lyman 1200 DPS3 which is now relegated to the “where do I store this beast” department). The readings on the old Lyman were about .4 grains off at the end of its really happy life and I’m pretty sure that the Russians or I caused the problem when I sprayed a near empty can of compressed air (used to clean crumbs and such off computer keyboards) and mostly froze the electronics under the surface scale.

My bad…

NOW I KNOW to use “Windex” on a soft white cloth and rub it across the surface areas – a manly skill that will also remove any built-up static electricity (which also may have contributed to the electronic brain freeze on the old scale). So I guess if your hair is sticking to your comb in the winter, just a spritz of Windex will settle things down.

Sometimes, life just isn’t fair. Caitlyn Jenner is relegated to the men’s room at every rest stop in North Carolina and I’m complaining about using a new Lyman Gen 6?
Hey, you get what you pay for...and politicians in any barbershop will tell you “That includes campaign contributions and votes!”

Lyman Gen 6 + 50.5gr Hybrid 100V.jpg

A few words about the Lyman Gen 6: it’s half the footprint of the old one, and although it cost more than a penny, it didn’t cost me my vote, has shielded electronics, warms up in three minutes instead of half an hour, and has a powder pan that can be manipulated by either a right or left-handed reloader. It also has a nicely back-lit screen and comes with some replacement bushings for the powder reservoir which I imagine the engineers decided I will need down the road, several power adapters, a 50 gram weight for zeroing, a cleaning brush, and an instruction manual.

I discovered that at 2 grains per second, it throws only about 2/3rds the speed of the prior one (so a charge of 50.5 grains of any powder is going involve more waiting than I was used to).

Thankfully, it either throws straight on the money or + or – 1/10th of a grain. That was with the first 30 throws I did for practice. There was a throat restrictor included that I could have screwed in for it was designed by Chinese engineers to assist various satellite targeting components as they orbited this planet and to solve such a simple problem as mine.

I verified the scale for accuracy against two other scales over two dozen times and they were all in agreement no matter the charge it threw (that was reassuring – and a “SHOUT-OUT” to my back-up scales). As I ran it through its paces (particularly the “Auto-Repeat” feature), about the only thing I did was re-zero the scale after every load change– not because there was any “drift” and the machine required it, but because I felt like I needed something to do.


The Rifle

It was a long-lost but apparently well-loved Beretta Mato with a LOP of approximately 12.50 inches. When I first butted my shoulder into the forearm, I reminded myself to be “situationally aware” of scope creep, for I had been “kissed” before by a carbine in 5.56x45 borrowed for a Zombie shoot and I bled like a pig…

It had optics already mounted and aged a decade or two. Maybe a Simmons 2.8x10x44 scope that really fought us on making adjustments.

But this is what was offered for the test and the half-dozen hash marks on the stock either represented misfires, women, or deer. Since we were butting up against hunting season, I thought it might be the latter….


At the Range

At the risk of sacrificing thoroughness for expedience (think “hunting season just around the corner”), we shot each load in 3-shot groups at 50 yards and immediately a second 3-shot group at 100 yards, the likely interval of distance over which we have harvested deer the last several years.

For each group, we recorded the group size for all three shots and the group size for the best two shots. Yes, I know that’s cheating, but it is a well-tested axiom that age and treachery will always win over youth and strength. (Why do you think the two candidates, soon to be septuagenarians, are the best that political parties can offer?)

Besides, I know some hunters who are still working through their first box of 20 rounds they bought nearly ten years ago! Some of the bullets are almost certainly shorter than they were on the purchase date from correctly following the requirement of unloading the rifle before putting it in a vehicle and reloading the rifle five minutes later.

Thankfully, they’re on a tree stand 300 yards to my right…

In our neck of the woods, I’m fairly sure that most hunters don’t get the opportunity to send five rounds at the same deer, so a five-round group measurement can be a meaningless data point that sounds impressive if you’re selling accuracy on a new $900 bolt rifle mounted by a $700 scope (rings not included), but is relatively meaningless where hunting is concerned.

There were two volunteer shooters involved capable of sub-sub-MOA accuracy who provided letters from their personal physicians certifying they were in perfect health, but sadly, neither were immune to the gremlins of testing or the heavily compensated muzzle-blasts from nearby range members with tricked-out SBR’s or those new-fangled pistol builds (“Ken dolls” – the only dolls men are just fine playing with) on the firing line.

Hint: “You can take your time to dress them up – and then take them out in public! Nobody will know…”

“Ummm, you guys are supposed to have empty chamber flags somewhere on your Ken dolls. Here are a few – would you mind sticking them in the breach after you’ve dumped the mag? Yes, keep the muzzle pointed THAT WAY…”

But to put this in perspective, all that racket nearly replicates the magical first day of hunting season in PA where the thickest tree in your neck of the woods is your best pal. After all, the bullets from the “staccato” of gun reports you hear that day have to land somewhere….

The rifle was fouled by firing nine rounds of generic Wallyworld 270 Winchester in Remington brass and was never cleaned during the testing. One three shot group measured 1.35” at 50 yards and the other two groups averaged a measured 1.96” inches. Anyone who shot those rounds had better than coin-flip odds on getting a deer. Especially if one or more walked in front of their muzzle.

I did allow the barrel to cool for five minutes between every set of six test cartridges.

The results of these specific loads:

************50 yards*********** **********100 yards**********

48.0 gr: All 3: .478” Best 2: .3l3” All 3: 1.256” Best 2: .523”
48.5 gr: All 3: .981” Best 2: .508” All 3: .539” Best 2: .452”
49.0 gr: All 3: .857” Best 2: .683” All 3: 1.232” Best 2: .300”
49.5 gr: All 3: .367” Best 2: .162” All 3: 1.336” Best 2: .413”
50.0 gr: All 3: .741” Best 2: .367” All 3: .881” Best 2: .298”
50.5 gr: All 3: .262” Best 2: .027” All 3: .469” Best 2: .283”
51.0 gr: All 3: .715” Best 2: .479” All 3: 1.371” Best 2: 1.139”

Even though all of these loads would probably get you within “minute of deer” as long as you weren’t busy taking selfies or snoozing in your tree stand, I particularly liked the way the 50.5 grains of Hybrid 100V grouped in this rifle. After the first two shots at 50 yards (and some increasing but not discordant recoil with the higher powder throws), I was crossing over to the “I’m freaking out” zone. I nearly ruined the group. Thankfully, there was another group to fire but this one at 100 yards and the 50.5 grain load really shined.

Wait a minute! A hunting round with sub-.5MOA accuracy? Life is good! Now all you have to do is make the shot…

Whatever your 270 Winchester load (if you have a .5MOA load for your rifle, it’s a keeper), good luck this season.

And just remember that the worst day hunting is better than the best day working…


The Finished Cartridges

They look like a phalanx to me, roughly ten ranks deep. It may not have won the Punic wars in ancient times for some of those infantry ranks were 20-30 deep, but they are uniformly correct and are awaiting orders…

270 Win Cartridges.jpg

[gghbi]

Reloading the 270 WIN with Barnes 130 gr TTSX BT

The Bullet

I found one of these that retained 72% of its weight in a venison roast a friend had given me a few years ago and was grateful not to crack my teeth on it after I unknowingly forked the venison morsel into my mouth. I promised myself then that if I ever had the time, I’d work this bullet up for a hunting load. Now that every day is a Saturday, the choice of working up a load or raking the leaves was an easy one to make.

I hope it was not a rump roast!

[bamboomaster]

I hope it was not a rump roast!

OMG! That's exactly what it was.

But as much as I enjoy the sedative effect of running a ramrod down the barrel, I'm a really great cook and I was surprised that I missed this! Still though, while it was great venison, there was a reloading lesson that came attached...

I just didn't figure it out until a few days ago.

Many thanks for your insight....

[cephas]

Now that's an informative, entertaining report. Have not paid any attention to the Hodgon 100v powder. Seems like a real advancement. On paper the burning rate between 4350 and 4831 is perfect for the 06 case. Wouldn't miss the crunching sound of IMR4350 going through my measure.
Windex on your comb? Seem to remember having one in the past. Will apply directly to my head.
However you should edit it and state don't do what cephas did.

My confession: http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.php?t=308087

[bamboomaster]

Now that's an informative, entertaining report. Have not paid any attention to the Hodgon 100v powder. Seems like a real advancement. On paper the burning rate between 4350 and 4831 is perfect for the 06 case. Wouldn't miss the crunching sound of IMR4350 going through my measure.
Windex on your comb? Seem to remember having one in the past. Will apply directly to my head.
However you should edit it and state don't do what cephas did.

My confession: http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.php?t=308087

Ceph, you are THE MAN among men. There are very few reloading manuals less than 50 yrs old that actually acknowledge what doesn't work. FWIW, Thomas Edison didn't really care about his failures because he always stood a couple of axe-handle lengths away.

And thanks to your disclosure and the mistakes I have made along the way, PAFOA members know that a "cursory" case inspection on high-power loads can not only make a mess of things, but ruin the rest of your life.

What accelerated this test was a few visits to the range were folks were running chronys (the "requires three fence-post" kinds) and I always inquired "Is there a power outage somewhere?"

"No, we're just testing Hybrid 100V."

"For what caliber?"

"6.5 Creedmore"

It's not a wonder that those rifles recently made by Ruger in this caliber have been ripped off the shelves and that folks who know how to reload are baking their own recipe - which apparently includes this powder.

No doubt, the powder may work/and/or/shoot the lights out for other calibers.

It just takes folks - mostly with the aspirations of astronauts - to figure out the engineering and ballistics.

Kudos to you for "coming out". You know what I mean....

I've run into more than a few folks at the range who are attempting to dial this load in for 6.5 Creedmore.

So when I figure it out, I'll let folks here know. But in the meanwhile, can someone workout this load for the normal and customary calibers the deplorables shoot? (say 5.56x45, 7.62x51) We would seriously appreciate it!