I recently saw some cast bullet data for the .303, 200 grain bullet and 4064: Charges ran between 24 and 30 grains. The shooter also used a tuft of filler to hold the powder in place. I agree with Groverino, though it would likely work, IMR 4064 might be a bit on the slow side for your application. IMR 3031 might be a better choice. Better still: Trail Boss. If you can find some, SR 4759 or XMP 5744 are very good powders for reduced cast bullet loads. A good source for cast bullet load data is the Lyman cast bullet handbook. You might find something useful there.
Info Needed - Reloading for 303 British - Options?
- Thread starter Savage Haggis
- Start date
This barrel wear from Tombac or Mild steel jackets is a Red Herring, IMHO.
Since a barrel will erode primarily in the throat area from the hot, abrasive gases of combustion,
I would be inclined to believe that the extra amount of wear from MS or Tombac jackets would be largely inconsequential.
Long before any type of bullet would wear a barrel appreciably, the throat will be toast. Go ahead and shoot those pulled military
slugs. The wear is a non-issue.
Regards, Dave.
Since a barrel will erode primarily in the throat area from the hot, abrasive gases of combustion,
I would be inclined to believe that the extra amount of wear from MS or Tombac jackets would be largely inconsequential.
Long before any type of bullet would wear a barrel appreciably, the throat will be toast. Go ahead and shoot those pulled military
slugs. The wear is a non-issue.
Regards, Dave.
Actually, with the exception of one recent website, almost no documentation to that effect.
I was shooting Hornady Z-Max 123g .310 in one of my SMLE No1 MkIII* yesterday. I was happy with the accuracy at 100 yards.
Hornady link: 7.62 Cal .310 123gr Z-MAX Box of 500/
Hornady link: 7.62 Cal .310 123gr Z-MAX Box of 500/
Using a filler is best left alone in my opinion unless you know what you're doing (I don't). I'm not sure how likely it is, but done improperly there is a chance of ringing your chamber. I like powders that are less position sensitive and don't necessarily need a filler.
I agree with Groverino. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, its best to avoid using case fillers. I don't and won't use them for the very reason mentioned....the real possibility of chamber ringing. Better to select a powder that makes the most use of the available space within the case. There are those that do use them, though.
This is for .223 but still an interesting read:
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/
Throat erosion seemed to be about 4x greater for number of rounds shot with bimetal jacketed ammo compared to copper. Rifling appeared to erode about 2x faster with bimetal bullets.
Of course that is at .223 pressures so it could be totally different for a different cartridge.
The rifling was pretty much gone after ~6000rnds of bimetal jacketed ammo but still functional (not good) at 10,000 rounds of copper jacketed.
If most of the erosion is from gas cutting then lower pressure should drastically reduce the erosion. If most throat erosion is from pressure, why did the bimetal jacketed bullets erode it 4x more? Personally, I don't know. What I do know is I don't plan on shooting thousands of rounds in any rifle I wouldn't want to replace the barrel on. Only my main target rifles get that much use and the sooner the barrels are toast, the sooner I can go barrel shopping for a new one
Personally I take the article as a point of interest; not a rule to dictate my firearm use. I shoot bimetal jacketed ammo in lots of firearms including .303's with pulled 7.62 (x39 and x54R) bullets. I don't see myself firing thousands of these in my life, especially since most of my surplus shooting is cast, so the effect shouldn't be significant in my situation. YMMV
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/
Throat erosion seemed to be about 4x greater for number of rounds shot with bimetal jacketed ammo compared to copper. Rifling appeared to erode about 2x faster with bimetal bullets.
Of course that is at .223 pressures so it could be totally different for a different cartridge.
The rifling was pretty much gone after ~6000rnds of bimetal jacketed ammo but still functional (not good) at 10,000 rounds of copper jacketed.
If most of the erosion is from gas cutting then lower pressure should drastically reduce the erosion. If most throat erosion is from pressure, why did the bimetal jacketed bullets erode it 4x more? Personally, I don't know. What I do know is I don't plan on shooting thousands of rounds in any rifle I wouldn't want to replace the barrel on. Only my main target rifles get that much use and the sooner the barrels are toast, the sooner I can go barrel shopping for a new one
Personally I take the article as a point of interest; not a rule to dictate my firearm use. I shoot bimetal jacketed ammo in lots of firearms including .303's with pulled 7.62 (x39 and x54R) bullets. I don't see myself firing thousands of these in my life, especially since most of my surplus shooting is cast, so the effect shouldn't be significant in my situation. YMMV
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Try IMR 4064 and IMR4895 at the starting load for jacketed bullets in reloading manuals. I had good results with both using with cast bullets with .303 200 gr.
I've used the Hornady 174 RNs for decades. Used it to kill my first moose. This year I can't find them, so I am loading Speer 180s until I run out of them. I don't hunt with my P-14 anymore, just as a backup rifle and plinking....
Savage Haggis
New member
- Location
- Lower Mainland British Columbia
200 gr cast LRN 303 British
working with IMR 4895
read most people load close to 28.5 grs, while others load up to max 42 grs.
Thoughts?
working with IMR 4895
read most people load close to 28.5 grs, while others load up to max 42 grs.
Thoughts?
Sometimes internet rumors are true but mislabeled, I made the mistake of buying some pulled Mosin bullets at a fantastic price.
"BUT" they were steel core, and didn't fill the bore when kicked in the seat of the pants. You read above about flat base bullets shooting better than boat tails and the reason is the same. Boat tail bullets will not fill the bore (Obturation) when fired, with the exception of rebated boat tail bullets.
"BUT" they were steel core, and didn't fill the bore when kicked in the seat of the pants. You read above about flat base bullets shooting better than boat tails and the reason is the same. Boat tail bullets will not fill the bore (Obturation) when fired, with the exception of rebated boat tail bullets.
I'm glad you pointed that out, thanks!
The last time I looked at the Hornady website, it stated that the FMJs were "No Longer Available". I now see that they have been relisted in 2,800 bulk packs. I must call Higginsons to see if they have them as I also reload 7.62x39...
