I’ve had nice success with Ramshot’s Hunter Powder. It has been round for a while, and it nonetheless holds up!
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About Ramshot Hunter
I began utilizing Ramshot Hunter about 10 years in the past and was impressed with the velocities I noticed it producing with 165 and 180 grain bullets from the .30-06 cartridge.
From Hodgdon:
HUNTER is a double-base, clear burning, excessive efficiency propellant that’s good for elk nation cartridges such because the 270 Winchester, 300 WSM and 338 Win Magazine. It’s the one spherical powder within the fashionable 4350 burn vary making it a great powder for a variety of cartridges. The wonderful circulation traits permit correct metering and constant shot-to-shot outcomes. Made in Belgium.
Burn Fee charts are printed yearly and range considerably from 12 months to 12 months. The numbers go from the quickest burning powders to the slowest burning powders
This Burn Fee Chart exhibits Ramshot Hunter as quantity 138, close to helpful powders like Winchester StaBALL 6.5, Vihtavuori N555, and H4831.
Hodgdon’s Information
Wanting by Hodgdon’s reloading data center, I discovered attention-grabbing and helpful masses for fairly a spread of cartridges from the brand new .22 Creedmoor as much as the .338 Weatherby RPM. Such requirements because the .243 Winchester, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, .7-08 Rem, .30-06 and the .300 WSM had been additionally included.
Right here we see a few of Hodgdon’s recipes using Ramshot Hunter in a variety of cartridges from the elk, moose and bear stomping 250 grain .338 Weatherby RPM, down by some helpful common goal cartridges and ending with a excessive velocity 6mm Creedmoor load utilizing the revered 95 grain Berger VLD.
Beneath the Microscope
Utilizing our digital microscope, Tyler was capable of measure the powder grains of Ramshot Hunter in addition to a number of powders with related burn charges.
Ramshot Hunter consists of tiny spherical spheres which explains why it meters so nicely by a standard powder measure. With good approach, very constant powder expenses may be thrown. This makes it significantly helpful for handloaders utilizing a progressive press and to these loaders like me, who merely take pleasure in utilizing a standard powder measure.
Should you’ve used the older “stick” powders from a standard powder measure, you will have run into issues similar to bridging, or powder granules being reduce with every stroke of the powder measure. In my expertise, these issues are eradicated by way of spherical powders similar to Ramshot Hunter.
ELD-X Take a look at Information
I used Ramshot Hunter with my favourite .30-06 searching rifle, a 24” barreled Remington 700 CDL.
Once I labored as much as Hodgdon’s max cost of 60 grains, I discovered the 178 grain Hornady ELD-X was pushed to a exceptional 2860 fps!
For my searching load, I backed that all the way down to 58.5 grains and 2790 fps.
For comparability, it must be famous that the well-known navy load for the .30-06 was a 150 grain bullet going 2700 fps. Normal 180 grain manufacturing unit ammo often produces 2600-2700 fps.
Searching with Ramshot Hunter
In 2020, Gavin requested me to strive the 180 grain Berger Elite Hunter for my Washington state mule deer hunt. I turned instantly to Ramshot Hunter and rapidly labored up a sub-MOA load and zeroed the rifle at 200 yards. A number of days into the mule deer hunt, that bullet immediately dropped sized 3×3 buck at about 350 yards. Bullet efficiency was good and the Ramshot Hunter offered loads of accuracy and velocity for the duty.
I’ve additionally used Ramshot Hunter to load my son’s 6mm Remington with 95 grain bullets. He dropped a younger mule deer buck on the identical hunt. Ramshot lived as much as its status of manufacturing correct, excessive velocity ammunition within the outdated 6mm Remington.
In January 2023 I used an analogous load, however with the 178 grain Hornady ELD-X on an Oregon cow elk hunt. In such open nation, I may solely stalk to 405 yards earlier than working out of canopy, so I took the shot from a steady tripod in a stiff crosswind. That bullet broke the foreleg of a dry cow, shattering it actually, earlier than penetrating by the guts. Regardless of the harm, she did handle to run off a bit and I completed her at nearer vary with one other shot. Once more, Ramshot Hunter did nicely, giving the speed and accuracy crucial for me to be assured about that shot with my easy rifle.
Conclusion
Ramshot is a really helpful powder combining a fantastic burn fee with some great benefits of a spherical powder, that means it flows properly by a powder measure for constant expenses. It additionally packs densely within the cartridge case, enhancing accuracy. The burn fee is conducive to good velocity in plenty of totally different cartridges.
Hodgdon mentions that Ramshot powders are considerably delicate to temperature extremes. I’ve used Ramshot Hunter solely in searching cartridges which had been for use within the cool and chilly temps of fall and winter. The powder carried out admirably in these situations.
It seems to be finest fitted to use with medium to heavy bullets in fairly a couple of well-known rifle cartridges and gives glorious worth for the cash.
Get the Gear
Purchase Ramshot Hunter direct from Hodgdon and from Midsouth Shooters Supply.
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Thanks,
Man Miner
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