Benchmark falls apart above 80f for me. Should I try 8208 XBR?

G

GJgo

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So I have a really great load for my 6PPC with 80gr bullets & Benchmark. I've done a couple benchrest matches with it, and every time when the sun comes out & the heat gets above say around 80, the load falls apart and starts vertical stringing about 1/2". Since I load at home for matches it really frustrated me. I live in the desert so temp swings are the way it is.

Lately I've been reading a lot about the new 8208 XBR, and I've seen threads where others say the same thing about Benchmark. I've also seen other threads where guys are hypothesizing that the new 8208 isn't working that great at lower temps, but there is hope it will shine when the heat comes in this summer. If this turns out to be correct it could work well for me in terms of having a good cold temp load & a good warm temp load.

So, is the "gold" stuff pretty close in burn rate to Benchmark? My gun doesn't cae at all for 322 (faster) and works pretty well with Varget (slower). My hope would be that I could have 2 good loads to take to a match and shoot whichever was working best that day. Thoughts? Thanks. :)
 
GJgo said:
Lately I've been reading a lot about the new 8208 XBR, and I've seen threads where others say the same thing about Benchmark. I've also seen other threads where guys are hypothesizing that the new 8208 isn't working that great at lower temps, but there is hope it will shine when the heat comes in this summer. If this turns out to be correct it could work well for me in terms of having a good cold temp load & a good warm temp load.

So, is the "gold" stuff pretty close in burn rate to Benchmark? My gun doesn't cae at all for 322 (faster) and works pretty well with Varget (slower). My hope would be that I could have 2 good loads to take to a match and shoot whichever was working best that day. Thoughts? Thanks. :)
Click to expand...

The gold stuff seems to be fairly close to Benchmark with maybe just a tad slower pressure curve. However, it is denser so you can get more powda in the case.

I've shot it from freezing to 80 degrees and been able to get it to work fine everytime in three different barrels. But I'm not hot rodding it. The folks who have had it fall apart in cold weather are the ones who are using too much I think.

As Marty says, it should work great with your 80 grainers.
 
What 8o grainers

What/who's bullets are you shooting for the 6ppc?
From what I have read about the 8208 it has problems when the temp gets over 80 also. Search back and you will find Jackie did a thread a week or 2 ago that was pretty good.
 
80's in the ppc? thats different.

Actually I had some nice repeatable results with XBR in the ppc in cold/cooler weather. It fell apart when I retried in 70 degrees.
As goodgrouper said I was in the upper node. Its quite possible if I dropped to the middle node it may work with a different seating depth. I'm using roughly .035" jam with Barts Ultras and did'nt have the time to run through a full seating depth test in the middle node. While the middle node is there it definately does'nt like my present seating depth.

I went even higher to the upper upper node and it settled down a little(I thought)
At a match Saturday I found it was'nt settled at all:D

Its not easy being a preloader:D

XBR is just a scootch faster than H-4895. I'm still not convinced its magic for a preloader.
 
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No Such Thing!

GJgo said:
So I have a really great load for my 6PPC with 80gr bullets & Benchmark. I've done a couple benchrest matches with it, and every time when the sun comes out & the heat gets above say around 80, the load falls apart and starts vertical stringing about 1/2". Since I load at home for matches it really frustrated me. I live in the desert so temp swings are the way it is.

Lately I've been reading a lot about the new 8208 XBR, and I've seen threads where others say the same thing about Benchmark. I've also seen other threads where guys are hypothesizing that the new 8208 isn't working that great at lower temps, but there is hope it will shine when the heat comes in this summer. If this turns out to be correct it could work well for me in terms of having a good cold temp load & a good warm temp load.

So, is the "gold" stuff pretty close in burn rate to Benchmark? My gun doesn't cae at all for 322 (faster) and works pretty well with Varget (slower). My hope would be that I could have 2 good loads to take to a match and shoot whichever was working best that day. Thoughts? Thanks. :)
Click to expand...



There is no such thing as a powder that is immune to changes in atmospheric conditions because it is not the powder that causes the rifle to go out of tune. Benchmark is an excellent powder and if it shoots well in your rifle early in the morning when temp is cool and then goes completely out of tune when it gets warmer as the day progresses, that is perfectly normal and predictable. If you preload, there is only ONE way you can solve this problem and that is with a tuner.

Shooters have for years searched for the magic powder, the holy grail of benchrest, a powder that you can shoot the same load day in and day out anywhere and tune never changes. Many were hoping the new XBR from Hodgdon would do that but of course it doesn't because NO powder can control mother nature and her influence over air density and that is what makes the rifle go out of tune if you do nothing to compensate. Preloading under controlled conditions is fine but if you have no way of compensating for changes in air density as the day heats up, you are out of luck when temp increases by about 20 degrees. What you are experiencing with your Benchmark is exactly what you will experience with ANY powder if you do not have a tuner.

Have you been following the threads on the use of tuners? :confused:

Gene Beggs
 
Vern, I'm shooting Berger 80gr FB bullets in a 12 twist barrel that doesn't like anything lighter. Definitely not a match winning rig, I really just do it for fun & for the personal challenge.

Gene, I actually hadn't thought about a tuner but now that you mention it they make sense just as you say. I'll check out the threads. Thanks for the insight!

So then, where would one shop for a barrel tuner?
 
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Contact Gene Beggs
I think he has a web site but I am sure he will chime in.
I have been considering it.
 
goodgrouper said:
The gold stuff seems to be fairly close to Benchmark with maybe just a tad slower pressure curve. However, it is denser so you can get more powda in the case.

I've shot it from freezing to 80 degrees and been able to get it to work fine everytime in three different barrels. But I'm not hot rodding it. The folks who have had it fall apart in cold weather are the ones who are using too much I think.

As Marty says, it should work great with your 80 grainers.
Click to expand...

When it was colder down here in Ky...it shot fine at 29.2 gr. Let me see now thats how many clicks... :)
 
Last match I shot weather was nasty. Probably 60's cloudy and misty.
I shot 30.3 grains of it.
It shot really really good.
Have a match this weekend and its suppose to be in the low 90's.
I guess I will have to retune and see how it shoots.
I shot it a few years ago but could not tell you how it shot in the upper nodes.
Gun I had there would pierce primers at anything above midrange velocities.
Otherwise it was stable in the mid range, relatively so.
 
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