I am planning to reload for my old Winnie 1894 (dated 1900) 38-55 with both cast and smokeless. Needless to say there is a lot of space left over once the charge is put in. Suggestions? I see people talk about wax plugs, Red River cereal, gun cotton etc. What is appropriate?
Smokeless in a BP cartridge
- Thread starter bogie
- Start date
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- Eastern Ont.
Consult a good reloading manuel to ensure you are starting with at least the
"Starting" load for that caliber and bullet weight you are going to use.
Filler is generally used for light loads to keep the low powder charge
together when its lying down in the case in a chambered round,
shouldered rifle.
Not all loads allow this either.
Again, consult a good manuel, experimenting can go very bad.
Generally there is an air space left in a case when loading with smokeless powders.
Compressed loads are for black powder loads.
There are some exceptable compressed loads for smokeless,
but they have to be slowly worked up to, by experienced reloaders.
"Starting" load for that caliber and bullet weight you are going to use.
Filler is generally used for light loads to keep the low powder charge
together when its lying down in the case in a chambered round,
shouldered rifle.
Not all loads allow this either.
Again, consult a good manuel, experimenting can go very bad.
Generally there is an air space left in a case when loading with smokeless powders.
Compressed loads are for black powder loads.
There are some exceptable compressed loads for smokeless,
but they have to be slowly worked up to, by experienced reloaders.
trail boss works very well in reduced loads.
it is extremely bulky
about 13 grains fill up a case of 45-70.
check out the hodgdon website, they have recommended guidelines on using trailboss.
i have had very good success with it in my 243, 308 and 45-70 and i did not need to use any filler because it is so bulky.
velocities i got were around the 1100fps.
here is the link to the info they have on trail boss, fallow these guidelines and you should be off to a good start
http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf
it is extremely bulky
about 13 grains fill up a case of 45-70.
check out the hodgdon website, they have recommended guidelines on using trailboss.
i have had very good success with it in my 243, 308 and 45-70 and i did not need to use any filler because it is so bulky.
velocities i got were around the 1100fps.
here is the link to the info they have on trail boss, fallow these guidelines and you should be off to a good start
http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf
I have some factory Winchester jacketed rounds that shoot real well at 1300fps and am looking at moving that up a bit. 250gr boolit from OMA on the island. Had the bore slugged and passed that info to him. Sized and lubed for my barrel so far. Thinking of IMR3031 and try a few others. Not looking to pick a crapload of BP residue out of my action. There will definitely be lots of headroom left in the case with most of the powders recommended. FYI I have the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and a copy of ABCs of reloading. Also one of my reloading manuals has loads for cast for the 38-55. Not sure what it is but the 38-55 was one of those rare cals that called my name. Seems to be quite a popular round for an obsolete cal.
The .38-55 was originally introduced by Ballard, some time in the 1870s and was for many years a popular match cartridge along with its little brother, the .32-40. Both were 'borrowed' by Winchester and brought out, as Winchester developments, in the Model 1894, but both were actually Black Powder rounds from many years before.
Many of the old-timers used to reload Black cartridges with smokeless, using the DuPont Bulk powder. Alas, it has not been available for the last 80 years or so.
But there also are SR powders, just a few: Sporting Rifle powders. These are descendants of the old-time Bulk and one of the best is SR-4759. SR-4759 was, for many years, the standard smokeless powder for reloading Black-powder rifle cartridges. Originally a very bulky powder, it has been revamped a bit recently. When I started reloading (1965 or so) SR-4759 was sold in a one-pound-size can that held only half a pound of powder. It was/is very bulky. I notice that it is now being sold in one-pound plastic bottles, so likely that has something to do with things, the plastic bottles generally holding quite a bit more than a single pound.
SR-4759 is the perfect powder for reloading Black cartridges. No muss, no fuss, no fouling, no unburnt powder. Pressures are low and velocities are the same as with Black. You use it in a 38%-of-Black formula. The .32-40 would be loaded .38x40=15.2 grains by WEIGHT. For .38-55, you would use .38x55=20.9 grains by WEIGHT. It is very bulky; did I mention that already?
This was for many years the formula used for loading smokeless-for-Black. Many of the old loading books contain smokeless-for-Black loads and if you work them out, you will find that this formula works on all of them. Pressures and velocities are the same as with Black.
Hope this helps.
Many of the old-timers used to reload Black cartridges with smokeless, using the DuPont Bulk powder. Alas, it has not been available for the last 80 years or so.
But there also are SR powders, just a few: Sporting Rifle powders. These are descendants of the old-time Bulk and one of the best is SR-4759. SR-4759 was, for many years, the standard smokeless powder for reloading Black-powder rifle cartridges. Originally a very bulky powder, it has been revamped a bit recently. When I started reloading (1965 or so) SR-4759 was sold in a one-pound-size can that held only half a pound of powder. It was/is very bulky. I notice that it is now being sold in one-pound plastic bottles, so likely that has something to do with things, the plastic bottles generally holding quite a bit more than a single pound.
SR-4759 is the perfect powder for reloading Black cartridges. No muss, no fuss, no fouling, no unburnt powder. Pressures are low and velocities are the same as with Black. You use it in a 38%-of-Black formula. The .32-40 would be loaded .38x40=15.2 grains by WEIGHT. For .38-55, you would use .38x55=20.9 grains by WEIGHT. It is very bulky; did I mention that already?
This was for many years the formula used for loading smokeless-for-Black. Many of the old loading books contain smokeless-for-Black loads and if you work them out, you will find that this formula works on all of them. Pressures and velocities are the same as with Black.
Hope this helps.
Lyman book shows IMR4895, IMR3031, IMR4198 as being good powders for cast 250 gr boolits in a 38-55. No fillers needed, these loads would fill the case 80% or better.
