34 cal ball in 303 brit

infideleggwelder

infideleggwelder

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have about 3000 34 ish cal balls. I swage them down for my .32 cva, which gives a slightly oblong projectile(almost conical) but I get good accuracy with it. I don`t know how heavy they are, they slightly vary in size. they were originally intended for .32 cal cap and ball revolver shooting, and are apparently oversize so some lead gets shaved off while loading cylinders. I know nothing about cap and ball revolvers.

but could they also be used for plinking with the 303? they fit perfect in my game getter, but what charge of what would be best just for plinking with hand loads? I have unique, lil gun, some IMR 4895, and some various other powders that I can`t remember right now. anyone with any experience in this to give me an idea for a starting load? I`m looking for low velocity, non leading loads for pop cans, grouse, rabbits, paper, etc.
I also have a pile of black powder that is too coarse (cannon grade maybe) for easy loading in my muzzle loaders, and a No1 MkIII that I would shoot BP in.

I do use the game getter, but I only have one and the reloading time for that is slower than racking a bolt
 
I think you've found an answer in using Unique. I load .303 with 10-12 grs under jackets 123 gr bullets and 190 ish gr lead bullets. They're quiet and accurate. I set my No1's sights to 400 yards and its dead on at 90 with the heavy lead load. I actually haven't tried the 123s yet.
Sounds like you have a great supply of projectors and a pound of unique goes a long way.
 
How much does a .34" ball weigh, probably under 100gr? If so i think you're in the ball park. Just make sure there is nothing stuck in the barrel before the next shot.
 
Got out this past Monday. at about 60 yards, sights at 300, the 7 grain landed in front of the target, and the 8 grain hit the target, although no semblance of groupings.

at 25 yards, sights at 100, it was hard to miss with either.

am making up some more to test again if there is no hurricane this weekend, will shoot out of the back of the truck if it`s raining. am going for groupings at 25 yards, if I can consistently hit the bottom of a pop can, they`ll be great rabbit and grouse getters on a moose hunt. no louder than a .22 lr

they did not reliably chamber from the mag on a No4 due to the short length of the projectile. loaded single shot.
 
I think TrailBoss is the go-to powder here. I use 100gr Hornady Short-jacket in my 30.06 with Trailboss. No recoil to speak of.

Google Trailboss and rifle and you'll find the instructions (min 70% fill, max 100% fill, do not compress the powder).
 
infideleggwelder said:
Got out this past Monday. at about 60 yards, sights at 300, the 7 grain landed in front of the target, and the 8 grain hit the target, although no semblance of groupings.

at 25 yards, sights at 100, it was hard to miss with either.

am making up some more to test again if there is no hurricane this weekend, will shoot out of the back of the truck if it`s raining. am going for groupings at 25 yards, if I can consistently hit the bottom of a pop can, they`ll be great rabbit and grouse getters on a moose hunt. no louder than a .22 lr

they did not reliably chamber from the mag on a No4 due to the short length of the projectile. loaded single shot.
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Try lubing the RB with liquid alox or similar soft lube. Should help keep the barrel cleaner and maybe improve accuracy a touch.

I expect the spin rate in your barrel is too fast for a round ball which is why it didn't group at 60 yds. But should still be able to get minute of grouse at 25 yds.
 
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