Ok I am gonna open a can of worms here but please understand I am only interested in the actual, factual, results of the scientific data. I am not trying to honk anyone off or step on any toes.
Steve White has commented many times about many powders being temp. sensitive in the Savage. Ok I will buy a certain amount of that as I know in centerfire applications some powders do display temp sensitivity while other seem to be fairly immune. However Steve maintains that N120 is temp sensitive. Well first let me say I have the utmost respect for Steve and his intellect and I know he tests many more loads then I even care to. However I am not sure this subject has really been looked into enough to provide a conclusive answer. I can honestly say that I have not Chronographed N120 for the sole purpose of testing temp sensitivity. However I have shot this load (60 grs N120, Barnes 300 gr original, MMP orange sabot, and WW209 primer) almost to the exclusion of all others for quite some time, and I have shot it in a wide range of temps. If this load was temp. sensitive to the degree I believe Steve maintains it is, then I should have at the very least picked up a change in POI. I have not seen a change. Matter of fact a couple weeks ago I shot a deer in the top of the heart at 135 yds (temp was about 35) and this was somewhat of a difficult shot. I had to get off my little stool and contort my position and thread the needle through the brush to hit the deer where I wanted to. I aimed low on the heart and with my given zero, my POI was dead on for the given range. No doubt this is not a conclusive test, however it jives with what else I have seen with this load and serves as an example.
So my question is this. Has this question of temp. sensitivity with N120 ( or any other powder for that matter) been tested in a complete and scientific manner? Has this matter of temp. sensitivity been tested solely or has been just an observation made in conjuction with other tests being conducted? Is there recorded data that would stand up to scrutiny to support such conclusions?
I do believe at lower charge weights or lighter bullets this powder will not make consistent pressure. However at 60 grs with a 300 gr bullet I do believe both are heavy enough to avoid temp. sensitive issues. But again I myself have no hard data to support or disagree with my own conclusions.
Again I am not trying to pick a fight with Steve, he is my favorite powder stuffin dentist! Just looking for the facts.
Thanks Rman
Steve White has commented many times about many powders being temp. sensitive in the Savage. Ok I will buy a certain amount of that as I know in centerfire applications some powders do display temp sensitivity while other seem to be fairly immune. However Steve maintains that N120 is temp sensitive. Well first let me say I have the utmost respect for Steve and his intellect and I know he tests many more loads then I even care to. However I am not sure this subject has really been looked into enough to provide a conclusive answer. I can honestly say that I have not Chronographed N120 for the sole purpose of testing temp sensitivity. However I have shot this load (60 grs N120, Barnes 300 gr original, MMP orange sabot, and WW209 primer) almost to the exclusion of all others for quite some time, and I have shot it in a wide range of temps. If this load was temp. sensitive to the degree I believe Steve maintains it is, then I should have at the very least picked up a change in POI. I have not seen a change. Matter of fact a couple weeks ago I shot a deer in the top of the heart at 135 yds (temp was about 35) and this was somewhat of a difficult shot. I had to get off my little stool and contort my position and thread the needle through the brush to hit the deer where I wanted to. I aimed low on the heart and with my given zero, my POI was dead on for the given range. No doubt this is not a conclusive test, however it jives with what else I have seen with this load and serves as an example.
So my question is this. Has this question of temp. sensitivity with N120 ( or any other powder for that matter) been tested in a complete and scientific manner? Has this matter of temp. sensitivity been tested solely or has been just an observation made in conjuction with other tests being conducted? Is there recorded data that would stand up to scrutiny to support such conclusions?
I do believe at lower charge weights or lighter bullets this powder will not make consistent pressure. However at 60 grs with a 300 gr bullet I do believe both are heavy enough to avoid temp. sensitive issues. But again I myself have no hard data to support or disagree with my own conclusions.
Again I am not trying to pick a fight with Steve, he is my favorite powder stuffin dentist! Just looking for the facts.
Thanks Rman