.303B cast bullets

[gerardjohnson]

I bought a No.4 Lee Enfield from a friend's estate. I shot with him many times and he usually had a #4 with him. I also got a bottle of his cast bullets and the data from his load book. The bullets are 185 gr sized .312 from a Lee Mold and gas checked. His loads were 31 gr IMR4895, 20 gr IMR 3031, and 18 gr of IMR4198. (He also used Bullseye & 2400 but I don't have those powders.) I have been trying to find some published data in load manuals to verify the safety of the above loads but can't find anything for those powders. The rifle is a Long Branch and the headspace has been checked. I watched him shoot some very nice groups with it with both lead & jacketed. Should those be safe loads for the cast bullets?

 

[ben hunchak]

Those are light loads esp. with cast, my info shows 41gr. of 4895 to be about max. for a 180gr., instead of the bullseye and 2400 loads, I would try 4759(about 19grs.) for an accurate light load.