Thread: Is RL17 a barrel burner?

Against everyone's advice I've just had a .284 built on a Rem 700 short action. Scott Trail did the work and unfired I'm very very happy. I can get a Amax in it with a reasonable OAL - I'll post photos and actual OAL tomorrow. It's got a older blued action, a fluted stainless barrel and a HiTech stock. With some heavy steel weaver rings and a Bushnell Elite 4500 3-9 she weighs under 7 pounds. If she shoots I'll change to Talleys and flute the bolt, I'll also change to the Tubb pin and shroud.

There's no way you can do this type of thing on the cheap!

Originally Posted by craigc

Against everyone's advice I've just had a .284 built on a Rem 700 short action. Scott Trail did the work and unfired I'm very very happy. I can get a Amax in it with a reasonable OAL - I'll post photos and actual OAL tomorrow. It's got a older blued action, a fluted stainless barrel and a HiTech stock. With some heavy steel weaver rings and a Bushnell Elite 4500 3-9 she weighs under 7 pounds. If she shoots I'll change to Talleys and flute the bolt, I'll also change to the Tubb pin and shroud.

There's no way you can do this type of thing on the cheap!

Why were people advising against it? its a great build. Scott did mine as well and very happy with his work. But mine was done on the cheap craig. Mine was just a Remington Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08 that he rechambered and with an extended mag box. A very easy conversion. A light and powerful conversion.

Originally Posted by Kudu

Why were people advising against it? its a great build. Scott did mine as well and very happy with his work. But mine was done on the cheap craig. Mine was just a Remington Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08 that he rechambered and with an extended mag box. A very easy conversion. A light and powerful conversion.

Don't use a short action is what I was told by quite a few people, almost put me off doing it. Glad it didn't!

We'll see how it goes and then I might free my self of the 7mm Rem Mag...

Originally Posted by craigc

Don't use a short action is what I was told by quite a few people, almost put me off doing it. Glad it didn't!

We'll see how it goes and then I might free my self of the 7mm Rem Mag...

That makes sense. Mine is a short action as well. With 140gn projectiles they JUST fit in the mag so I haven't bothered to go any bigger, but that doesnot bother me as there is nothing in NZ that I can't knock over with a 140gn projectile. (All my Sambar shooting has been done with a 25-06 after all!!!!)

Originally Posted by craigc

Don't use a short action is what I was told by quite a few people, almost put me off doing it. Glad it didn't!

We'll see how it goes and then I might free my self of the 7mm Rem Mag...

My 30/284 in a short action performs above expectations.

Originally Posted by von tempsky fan

Once my re17 is used up might try vihtavourI n550 in my 284 Tikka

My apologies for jumping in this thread, but for some reason N550 always gave me higher muzzle pressures than other powders.
This will affect your muzzle (crown) life.

I get higher velocities with RL17 as well, but the powder itself is more bulky, so most of the times I get compressed loads (more than 100% case filling).

Just my 0.10$

Never seen a crown burn out - even when the leed has disappeared up the barrel. Seen crowns damaged by bad cleaning techniques. How do you know there is high pressure at the muzzle? Just interested.

Originally Posted by zimmer

Never seen a crown burn out - even when the leed has disappeared up the barrel. Seen crowns damaged by bad cleaning techniques. How do you know there is high pressure at the muzzle? Just interested.

There's a pretty good software called QuickLoad

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

My 30/284 in a short action performs above expectations.

Same with my 6.5SAUM

Originally Posted by icebug

There's a pretty good software called QuickLoad

What are you trying to say....Yes I am fully aware of the capabilities of Quickload. I have my 284 and my two 6.5s fully "quickloaded". Still to get my 6mmBR and 308 done
And if you use and understand Quickload what it tells you is the %age powder burned in you barrel length. It is flame that might damage you muzzle. If you read Litz he will tell you the muzzle pressure almost instantaneously drops to zero when the bullet exits so I don't think muzzle pressure will be the crown burning culprit more likely flame erosion. At any rate enough of semantics, I have yet to see a burnt crown.

QuickLoad predicts the pressure on the muzzle using specific charge weight/bullet/barrel length.
IMHO, a load that exceeds 700 bars at the muzzle will burn your barrel/crown faster.

For those unfamiliar with Quickload this what it offers. This load is close but needs a few tweeks. My muzzle pressure is below the safe limit set by icebug

And a comment of burning/erosion - it is not caused by pressure although obviously high pressure may have an associated high flame level. Erosion works best in the leed area where there is a transition from no rifling to rifling and the angle of the rifling (no matter what angle it has been reamed to) inevitably presents sharp edges, which are exposed to the super hot gases and unburned/still burning powder. Some powders are more aggressive to the rifling than others via abrasion as well. To a lesser extent the primer compound will also erode. At the muzzle the gases are less able to abrade/firecrack as they are travelling in the direction of the parallel rifling ie no exposed edges at an angle to gas flow. Any burning of the crown will occur from the jetting effect of the flame as the projectile exits but will never exhibit itself the same as leed erosion.

Using quickload, what would be the predicted velocity for the same load but from a 22" barrel?

Originally Posted by kimjon

Using quickload, what would be the predicted velocity for the same load but from a 22" barrel?

@kimjon Unfortunately I don't run my own copy (a guy on an Aus forum did my 284 and my others another willing guy), and I am currently tossing up whether to buy my own. Otherwise I would be glad to run that thru.
Maybe @icebug would be willing to do it.
The results using my data and your 22" barrel would be indicative only but interesting to see.
It would be better still to do it for yours with some accurate data for your setup plus using maybe a different powder. My barrel is after all 33" long :-) (My one is longer than yours ha ha)

Haha...I'm sure it true on many levels :-)

It was a bit cheeky of me to ask, so all good.

Cheers
Kim