(Photo Provided by Author.)
January 13, 2025
By STEVE GASH
With the myriad high-tech bullets and over 13 dozen powders from which to choose, we reloaders really have never had it so good. And with the popularity of long-range competitions and hunting, the availability of specialized propellants to launch appropriate projectiles is steadily increasing. Such powders need to have specific properties for such uses. Ramshot’s new Grand powder is a great example. Long, heavy-for-caliber bullets need a slow-burning powder with a density that will fill the case and not leave a lot of air space under the bullet. They need to meter uniformly, and it doesn’t hurt if they have a “de-coppering” agent in them, either. Several powders are available that meet these requirements.
The number of powders available to reloaders varies from year to year, and Hodgdon lists them in order of approximate burning rate in its Annual Manual. The earliest Annual Manual I have is the 2009 edition. There are 118 powders listed. In the period from 2011 through 2016, the number ranged from 144 to 150. Jumping to the 2024 edition, there are now 164 powders from which to choose. That’s an increase of 46 powders since 2009, and many are at the “slow end” of the list. As a guide to the burn rate of Ramshot’s new Grand, I checked the list of powders in the 2024 Annual Manual. H1000 is number 151, Grand is number 152, and Retumbo checks in at number 153. That’s pretty good company.
The author says working with the new Grand powder was grand. It metered consistently, with low extreme spreads and standard deviations. (Photo Provided by Author.) Grand is made in the U.S.A. and is a double-base spherical powder that is designed specifically for such reloading jobs. As a slow burner, it has optimal density for big cartridge cases, is temperature insensitive, provides uniform ballistics and accuracy, and meters very uniformly. To check the metering uniformity of Grand, I weighed 10 charges from my RCBS Uniflo drum powder measure. I set the adjustable stem at 5, 7, and 10, and this produced charges averaging 24.3, 35.1, and 52.7 grains, respectively. Interestingly, the extreme spreads of these three volumes of powder were the same—0.3 grain. The standard deviations were likewise small, at 0.08, 0.09, and 0.10 grain, respectively. This is another feather in Grand’s cap. Furthermore, Grand’s chemical formula includes an agent that limits copper fouling. In my opinion, that’s a major plus for the long-range shooter.
The 2024 Annual Manual has pressure-tested load data for 14 cartridges. This list includes rounds suitable for hunting antelope, deer, elk, moose, and just about anything in between. Perennial favorites like the .243 and .270 Winchesters, the .30-06, the 7mm Remington Magnum, and the .300 Winchester Magnum are included, along with hot newcomers like the 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, and the 6.8 Western. The 30 and 33 Noslers, .300 and 7mm PRC, the .338 Remington Ultra Mag, and the .338 Lapua are also covered.
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The slow-burning Grand powder is just right for rifle cartridges ranging from .243 Winchester through 6.5 PRC and 6.8 Western to 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum. (Photo Provided by Author.) There are, of course, at this early stage, a few obvious gaps. For example, if Grand works in the .270 and .30-06, it stands to reason that it would be a good fit in the .280 Remington, but we must wait for pressure-tested data. Interpolating charges (guessing) is a bad idea, and it’s a good way to damage a fine rifle or injure the shooter.
A Few Test Loads 243 Winchester
When asked to test handloads with the new Grand powder, I knew I couldn’t cover all, or even most, of the cartridges, so I selected a smaller round (the .243 Win.), a magnum (the .300 Win. Mag.), and two mid-sized rounds (the 6.5 PRC and the 6.8 Western). Truth be told, this quartet of cartridges can handle just about any stateside hunting role, and the 6.5 PRC and 6.8 Western cover much of a shooter’s long-range target and hunting needs. Needless to say, I had a rifle chambered to each of these four cartridges to use as test guns and plenty of components on hand.
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I selected a couple of powder charges a bit below Hodgdon’s listed maximum loads for each cartridge. I loaded 15 rounds of each selected load, and weighed each charge on an RCBS M-1500 ChargeMaster electronic scale. I fired three, five-round groups at 100 yards from a Caldwell Lead Sled shooting rest in my shooting building. The rifles were allowed to cool off but were not cleaned between groups. Velocities were measured eight feet from the guns’ muzzles with my Oehler Model 35P chronograph. Incandescent lights and Oehler diffusers were used.
Steve’s .243 Winchester Accuracy using Grand propellant and 110gr Sierra SBT. (Photo Provided by Author.) My .243 Browning A-Bolt has a 23-inch barrel with a 1:10 twist. It wears a Simmons 3-9X 40mm ProHunter scope. It has a few whitetails under its belt and the occasional grape-stealing raccoon. It’s a reliable performer. My favorite bullet weight for the .243 Win. is 100 grains, so I loaded my 15 test rounds for each charge with Sierra 100-grain SBT bullets to an overall cartridge length of 2.65 inches. Winchester Large Rifle primers were used in Remington cases. The lower charge of 46.0 grains of Grand produced a velocity of 2,870 fps. A dose of 47.6 grains registered 2,947 fps. Accuracy averaged 1.29 and 1.07 inches, respectively. The 47.6 grain charge looked about maximum in my rifle.
6.5 PRC
I first saw the 6.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge (PRC) when it was introduced at the 2018 SHOT Show. I was immediately smitten. The 6.5 Creedmoor had already produced much well-deserved hoopla, and the 6.5 PRC looked to me like more of the same good stuff. At the Mauser booth, a nice young man showed me a sleek bolt action called the M18. It was available in several calibers, including the 6.5 PRC, which had a 24-inch barrel with a quick 1:8 twist. I soon had an M18 in 6.5 PRC on the way. And I was not disappointed in the M18 when I received it. It shot well, didn’t kick like a magnum, and took to the long, slinky 0.264-inch-diameter bullets like they were made for each other (which of course, they were). It’s outfitted with a Leupold VX-1 3-9X 40mm scope.
Author's 6.5 PRC shot this respectable group with Hornady 's 143gr ELDX over a charge of Grand. (Photo Provided by Author.) There are plenty of long-for-caliber bullets for the 6.5mms, so I chose the Hornady 143-grain ELD-X hunting bullet , seated to a cartridge length of 2.94 inches. Federal No. 215 Large Rifle Magnum primers were used in new Lapua cases. The powder charges of Grand were 55.0 and 56.5 grains, and the velocities of these two handloads were 2,730 and 2,833 fps. Group averages were 0.91 and 0.82 inch.
6.8 Western
Another relatively new cartridge that incorporates the proven design features established with the 6.5 Creedmoor (and several other rounds) is the 6.8 Western. It was introduced by Winchester in 2021 and has caught on as a fine round for hunting big game in the western U.S. My 6.8 is a Winchester XPR (which I think should stand for “eXtra Perfect Rifle”). It’s a push-feed bolt action with a 24-inch barrel and a 1:8 twist. It has proven to be a fine shooter. The 6.8 is actually a .270-caliber round and uses the long skinny 0.277-inch-diameter bullets now available. It is a fine performer, and mine took to Grand powder like the proverbial duck to…, well, you know.
The latest cartridge from Browning and Winchester, the 6.8 Western shot well with Nosler's 150gr Partition and Grand. (Photo Provided by Author.) The 6.8 cases were Winchester, primed with Federal No. 215 Large Rifle Magnum primers. I used one of the best big-game bullets in existence, the Nosler Partition, for the 6.8 loads. I seated the 150-grain Partition to a length of 2.84 inches, and I charged the cases with 62.4 and 64.5 grains of Grand. The velocities achieved were 2,965 and 2,973 fps, respectively. Groups were quite satisfactory, at 1.38 and 1.06 inches. My plan is to introduce a Texas oryx to the 6.8 at the earliest opportunity.
300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum dates from 1963 and is one of our most popular magnum cartridges. Initial detractors of the round’s “short” neck have been won over by its accuracy, versatility, and game-getting ability on a variety of species, and virtually all rifle manufacturers chamber for it. My .300 Win. Mag. is a Weatherby Vanguard I bought in October 2007. It has a 24-inch barrel and the standard 1:10 twist, and it wears a Weaver 3.5-10X 40mm scope. My modest game tally with it consists of two Quebec caribou bulls, a Colorado cow elk, and a mule deer buck.
The new Grand powder has been described as being similar to H1000, and that’s a pretty good classification. While Hodgdon’s initial loads for Grand in the .300 Win. Mag. use 150- to 230-grain bullets, most overlap smaller or larger .30-caliber cartridges, so I concentrated on the most popular weight, 180 grains. But in the course of testing, the Vanguard seemed to really like Hornady’s 178-grain ELD-X, so I went with that bullet for this trial.
Steve's 300 Winchester Magnum also enjoyed Grand loaded with Hornady 178gr ELDX. (Photo Provided by Author.) A charge of 74.0 grains of Grand is about midway in Hodgdon’s list of loads for 180-grain bullets, so that seemed like a good place to start with the 178-grain ELD-X. In the Vanguard, this load produced a velocity of 2,910 fps and a group average of 1.23 inches. Upping the charge to 76.5 grains gave a velocity of 2,939 fps and an even better group average of 1.18 inches. The muzzle energy of the latter load is 3,415 ft-lbs. With the high G1 ballistic coefficient (.552) of the 178-grain ELD-X , the trajectory and retained energy of either load should make big game quake on their hooves. And at the roll-out party for the ELD-X bullets in Grand Island, Jason Hornady pointed out that this big-game bullet is so accurate it can be used in matches without penalty.
(Data Provided by Author) Looking back, reloaders today have never had it so good. Supply chain problems and other factors over which the powder companies have little or no control are diminishing. Nowadays, handloaders have a terrific array of components from which to choose for our loads. And a notable addition to this group is the new Ramshot Grand powder from Hodgdon. Doubtless, more uses for it will surface as it is incorporated into our loading programs. Grand is grand, indeed!