Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

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All handloading data posted on Full-Bore UK from 23/2/2021 must reference the published pressure tested data it was sourced from, posts without such verification will be removed.
Any existing data without such a reference should treated as suspect and not used.

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All handloading data posted on Full-Bore UK from 23/2/2021 must reference the published pressure tested data it was sourced from, posts without such verification will be removed.
Any existing data without such a reference should be treated as suspect and not used.

Use reloading information posted here at your own risk. This forum (http://www.full-bore.co.uk) is not responsible for any property damage or personal injury as a consequence of using reloading data posted here, the information is individual members findings and observations only. Always verify the load data and be absolutely sure your firearm can handle the load, especially older ones. If in doubt start low and work your way up.
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42DAF
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Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#1 Post by 42DAF »

So I’m looking to develop a 308 155grain load now I made the switch to Swiss Reloading powders alwhike who as I can get them and they give me good results. I know lots use it for 155 grain but I can’t find any data has anyone got a source of data and or recommend which powder is best.
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Pete
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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#2 Post by Pete »

RS52 is the go-to powder for 155grainers in 308...............I use 46.3 grains with 155 Scenars at a COL of 73.5mm. MV around 3000fps.
If you try this, start 15% lower and work up. My node won't be the same as your node.........

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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#3 Post by rox »

You've a good choice from Reload Swiss for 155 grain .308.

My staple diet for 155 grain 'TR' loads uses RS50 to achieve 2950 to 3000 from a 30" 1:12 or 1:13 with 0.2985" x 0.3065" dimensions. It's easy to work-up and there are some well-known pet loads that work well in most TR-style rifles. I believe this is the only single-base option.

For higher velocity applications the high-energy RS52 can produce some stunning speeds. Don't expect your barrel to last as long as the RS50 option though.

Both the above have brought home a lot of silverware for me over the last couple of years, but I believe RS40 has recently become popular with F/TR shooters for light bullets (like the 155) - seemingly in preference to RS52. I haven't used it myself, but I'm guessing that velocity is part of the appeal.
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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#4 Post by Laurie »

rox wrote: ............ but I believe RS40 has recently become popular with F/TR shooters for light bullets (like the 155) - seemingly in preference to RS52. I haven't used it myself, but I'm guessing that velocity is part of the appeal.
Yes, some years back and then only in small primer 'Palma' brass or other small primer equivalents. Some startling MVs were obtained. However, many suffered disappointing results when they tried this combination, or worse in the form of blown primers and brass only fit for scrap. Even those who got very good results often found that those results weren't consistent between outings. In any event, its use in standard large primer brass gives no advantages over RS50/52 at best, and at worst sees people blunder all too easily into serious pressure problems.

I'm unsure how many top flight F/TR competitors still use RS40 these days, but not many I'd suspect. Moreover, there has been a move in the discipline worldwide to heavier bullets, Berger's 200.20X now the 'go to' design, and this powder is quite unsuited to anything heavier than 155gn. RS50 and 52 are far more forgiving propellants in the 308 with most bullet weights and I advise people to always consider them as being better choices.
42DAF
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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#5 Post by 42DAF »

Great thanks RS52 has been my go to for 165gr stalking bullets so looks a good place to start but still can’t see an publisher data.
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WelshShooter
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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#6 Post by WelshShooter »

The closest published data you will find is for a 150gr bullet. I'd use that as your starting point for a 155gr Scenar. See the first link below for pressure tested loads by Reload Swiss.

https://reload-swiss.com/en/reload_swis ... hw_mass=ft

There is also a section where customers can display their loads. These aren't simply added by a user, they must be submitted to Reload Swiss who verify the results before publishing on their website. Use these loads at your own discretion as they are not pressure tested (if they are, then it's not shown on the website) and may act differently based on what cases, primers etc you use.

https://reload-swiss.com/en/reload_swis ... hw_mass=ft

The highest customer load for a 155gr Scenar is 47.1gr which is also the maximum published load for a 150gr bullet per the first link.
42DAF
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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#7 Post by 42DAF »

Thanks I saw the customer loads and wasn’t sure how trustworthy they were.
Never used a powder that did have load data for my bullet weight. I’ve worked up loads to over book that are safe in my rifle but always started at a published minimum and worked up slowly and tested in different weather conditions before going firm as good.
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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#8 Post by Laurie »

So far, in some four different cartridges including 308 Win, I've found that usable loads are very close to those for H. VarGet. So in the absence of anything else, VarGet's data is always my starting point. In the 308 my experiences predate the Reload Swiss brand introduction by loading RS52, or rather EI-N 130 (the works OEM designation) as it was supplied in a sample form by Nigel Cole-Hawkins for evaluation. (Nigel was about to introduce it alongside Elcho-17 and TR140, but Nitrochemie decided to go down the RS distribution/marketing route with the powder bottled in Switzerland and supplied in this form, so we never got it in the £55 / kg Commonside bottle form.)

Knowing its rough characteristics (somebody had already nicknamed it Elcho-15 thanks to its similarity to Re15) I tested it alongside VarGet and Re15 using identical charge weight steps with a range of bullet weights from 155 to 190gn in the 308 and found that there were no over-pressure signs up to listed maximum charges for the other two and that the Swiss powder gave a small but useful MV gain as you approached these levels.

Does the VarGet link actually work now that we have some usable and official RS52 data? Look at Hodgdon's VarGet data set for 150/155gn bullets in the 308 and you get (Maximum charges):

150gn Nosler BT ....................... 47.0gn (C)

150gn Nosler E-Tip ................... 46.5gn

155gn Sierra MK ...................... 47.0gn (C)

So, the same as we see as the highest customer 155 load on the Reload Swiss website, an RS52 increase of 0.1gn aside.

The usual caveats about transposing data apply and this is more useful for getting usable starting loads, but does provide a useful pointer to where the usable maximum might lie. As always, start low and work up carefully and in this case I'd reduce steps to 0.2gn for the last one to one and a half grains.

Also, in this example, I'd have reduced the Hodgdon maximum to 46gn in standard Lapua large primer brass as Hodgdon uses the roomy Winchester case and pretty warm Fed 210M primer in its testing.
42DAF
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Re: Swiss Reloading powder. 155grn 308

#9 Post by 42DAF »

Thank you I’ll try RS52 and gently work up I normally start with 0.2 grain increases
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