150 Plastic-tipped Imperial .303 load data

[Dogfish858]

Does anybody out there have the data or approximate data for the Imperial plastic-tipped 150 grain .303 ammo, from the 80's? It's the only stuff that shoots well in my rifle.

 

[hunter5425]

Manufacturers don't as a rule use canister powder so you can't duplicate factory loads exactly. If you could chronograph factory loads and approximate this velocity with an appropriate canister powder you might find a load that shoots well. That's the best I can think of, you will probably get a bunch of recipes recommended but unfortunately each rifle is law unto itself.

 

[Ganderite]

^^ Like he said.

At least you know a flat base 150 gr soft point spitzer works.

Buy some bullets (Sierra, Speer and Hornady all make flat base 150 gr Spitzers) and load them up, starting mild with, say 33 gr and load 5 round batches in 0.5 gr increments up to 40gr. One of those should do well for you.

Those plastic tipped bullets were called Saber Tips and I recall doing the R & D expansion tests on them in the 60's.

 

[Dogfish858]

Thanks guys. I shot a bunch of 180 gr Winchester -- the silver boxes -- and it was all over the place. Then into the Imperial and it shrunk down to an inch. BSA sporter on a P-14 action.

 

[Ganderite]

In that case, you can load up to 42 gr in small increments. Stop, of course, if you see pressure.

 

[HUNTERROD]

I've had gd luck using 335 powder in 303
Both with 150-174 grain loads
My BSA P14 factory sporter loves IMR4320
I use it with both weights
Tiny groups, factory 174 loads in dominion/imperial
Catalog I have here from both the yr 1970 and 73
Both list at 2460 fps, at 42 grains in my P14
I was just under the 2460 stated by imperial
Also Winchester and federal listed velocities the same
The 150 gr loads were approaching 2650 fps

 

[scott585]

^^ Like he said.

At least you know a flat base 150 gr soft point spitzer works.

Buy some bullets (Sierra, Speer and Hornady all make flat base 150 gr Spitzers) and load them up, starting mild with, say 33 gr and load 5 round batches in 0.5 gr increments up to 40gr. One of those should do well for you.

Those plastic tipped bullets were called Saber Tips and I recall doing the R & D expansion tests on them in the 60's.

are they not known to virtually explode on impact leaving tons of fragments in an animal?