Fun with cat sneeze loads update.

J

JasonYuke

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I started a thread a few months ago and this is an update from there.

Been playing with subsonic loads now with a lot of different cartridges and found one in particulate that I really hit home on.

I have a 77/44 been playing with and found a pop gun load that will still drive into a hardwood stump 3-4 inches yet not as loud as a 22 lr. Eary to be honest.

Tried blue dot , trail boss and many more but found my most consistent load was a 240 gr swc seated deep at 650 fps and 1.9 gr I'd titegroup with a magnum Primer.

Having a lot if fun with these. If your looking to plink and have a place you can do this u will be surprised tha accuracy and distance you can lob these big bullets.

Other success stories are 222, 223,6.4x55 ,308,308 and having fun.
 
I've been using the tried-and-true 10 Gr Unique under 100-110 grain half-jacket bullets in my 30-30 with magnum primer. That load was the reason I decided to start reloading for myself, funny enough. I'm thinking I could probably reduce the load even more, but it's already so quiet (about the same as a 22), and recoil is non-existant, so why mess with a good thing right?

I'm thinking about starting to cast some .277 bullets and see if I can get a powder puff load for my 270 WSM using unique. :)
 
Oh bud, you have to try unique. In the cast boolit and reduced load world, it is the king of powders. Full-charge loads for the 44 Mag seem to range between 7-10 Grains. I'd start at 4-5 and work up/down till you like what you get? If you search for reduced loads unique 44 mag, you'll find lots!

That 30-30 load w/ 100gr half-jacket and 10 gr on Unique nets around 1100-1200 FPS. Most fun load for my Savage 24, I'm planning on taking a partridge or 2 this fall with it.
 
TT_270wsm said:
Oh bud, you have to try unique. In the cast boolit and reduced load world, it is the king of powders. Full-charge loads for the 44 Mag seem to range between 7-10 Grains. I'd start at 4-5 and work up/down till you like what you get? If you search for reduced loads unique 44 mag, you'll find lots!

That 30-30 load w/ 100gr half-jacket and 10 gr on Unique nets around 1100-1200 FPS. Most fun load for my Savage 24, I'm planning on taking a partridge or 2 this fall with it.
Click to expand...

If you want a powder that gives almost identical results to Unique give Universal a try - super clean and meters through a powder measure more consistently...
 
I'd be worried about getting a squib, especially if you under-throw a charge with that little of powder. Sounds pretty bad ass though!
 
TT_270wsm said:
I'd be worried about getting a squib, especially if you under-throw a charge with that little of powder. Sounds pretty bad ass though!
Click to expand...

You can tell no prob. Had many playing this game. They just tap out no biggy.

Had them go pop 2 times so light lol primer pop than 1 sec later the bullet pops out the barrel.

But no issues. U can tell so easy if u squib a rifle cart.
 
TT_270wsm said:
I've been using the tried-and-true 10 Gr Unique under 100-110 grain half-jacket bullets in my 30-30 with magnum primer. That load was the reason I decided to start reloading for myself, funny enough. I'm thinking I could probably reduce the load even more, but it's already so quiet (about the same as a 22), and recoil is non-existant, so why mess with a good thing right?

I'm thinking about starting to cast some .277 bullets and see if I can get a powder puff load for my 270 WSM using unique. :)
Click to expand...
Exactly! Why mess with a good thing. Besides that point with copper jacketed bullets and low powder loads there is the strong possibility one could lodge a bullet half way down the barrel merely by pushing the limits. Cat sneeze loads of the lowest power, are best served with softer cast lead bullets IMO. If you doing any reading from the website: Gunwriters of the Web, he warns of this hazard as well.
 
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^ That's what I meant by a squib (lodged bullet), and I feel the same way. That's why I'm going to take the next step to casting my own bullets, see if I can make a powder puff load for my 270 WSM. The look on the guys' faces when I take my moose rifle to shoot partridge will be completely worth it! lol Amazing how addictions evolve eh?

Jason, as long as you're careful I'm sure it will be fine, I personally would just prefer to err to the side of a little bit hotter load to make more sure it doesn't happen. Maybe I'm just being a cautious cathy here, but I'd rather go out of my way to get a more reliable load, even if it meant a powder with more charge (less margin for error). Anyways, have fun and happy shooting! And I guarantee you will fall in love with Unique, it's the most versatile powder on the planet.

TT
 
10-4 TT.
I hear ya. I am on the edge !
But shooting basically off my deck so it's not as bothersome in that regard.
Yes up north is no place for a squibber to spoil ur hunt
However I do find them quite easy to knock out.
 
I've had good luck with Unique in really light loads for my 444Marlin, with a good bit more case capacity than the 44Mag.
A .458 musket ball, run through a Lee .429 sizing die, and 4.5gr Unique sounds more like a spring going "sproing" than a rifle. The 24"barrel helps too, I'm sure.
With very light, low pressure loads, Unique tends to burn a bit dirty. Stiffer charges and heavier bullets make it burn nice and clean.
I think I have a good bit more fun playing with the light loads than full snort hunting loads.
Some of them have proven to be not especially useful, but they are still a lot of fun.
Cheaper than drinking, too.
 
I run unique cat sneeze loads in my Ruger 44 and have done so in an H&R Handi in 444 Marlin with great success using 240 gr JSPs as well as hard cast. Great for pest disposal without waking up the countryside. I plan on smoking a deer with one at close range. I am running 850-950 fps.
 
I have been trying lots of different light loads for my milsurp rifles. Generally use lead bullets for this. The Lyman Cast bullet load book has lots of good light loads. I have the older 3rd edition as well as the current version as it has more loads not carried in the new book. The RCBS cast load book had some good loads too. Unique and Red dot wit no fillers are my go to powders for most shooting.
 
I use 000 buck pushed through a Lee .357 sizing die with 4 grs. of Titegroup in my 350 Rem mag for gopher hunting, great fun and good (cheap) shooting practise.
 
I'm currently having fun with 5.7 Gr of Trail Boss behind "as cast" Lyman 311410 in SMLE .

420yrd rear sight and it's bang on at 50M.So quiet I had ppl asking me if that SMLE is in 22LR :)

0 recoil and about an inch and a half on paper so far.
 
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