Trail Boss for Lite loads

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220Swifty

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Read an interesting article in Reloader magazine about using trailboss in centrefire rifles for a lite practice and plinking type load. Anybody here try it?

I just did 5 rounds of 308 with 110 gr Hornady SP over 16 gr of trailboss.

If it show up as half ass accurate, i may have to load up a batch for gopher shooting with a hunting rifle. Should help me stay sharp for bigger critters come fall.
 
trail boss

have not heard of using it as a light load for cf calibers....I use it as a substitute for black powder....in .45/70 cal...13 gr. of trail boss under a 410 gr. bullet is about the same MV as 55 gr. of FFFG...and without the mess and the mandatory cleaning,etc...
 
I tried it in 375 Ruger. VERY little recoil, and was surprised that it impacts not far off the full loads (about 2" away @ 50yds).
Sure makes it easy on the body to do a bunch of target practice.

Hugh
 
Use it in 450/400, 416 rigby and 375 H&H fun loads! Also use it almost exclusively with cast loads in above rounds. Load a case with TB to where bottom of loaded bullet sits, NO compression, this is your max load. Reduce by 30% and this is your start load. Tb is bulky, so unlike other powders that don't fill case for plinking, like 5744, the chance of double charging or needing fillers is eliminated. My 5744 and blue dot are now just candidates for fertilizer!
 
Used TB in my .221FB. Behind a 45 grn bullet, 2.7 grains gave me 975 fps, decent accuracy and only slightly louder than a .22lr.

I tried 12 grains in a .30-'06 with a 250 grain bullet... bullet got stuck about 1/2 way. Major PITA.

Back40sniper: BlueDot is still great in 9mm and .357 Mag.
I'll take it if you want to dump it.
 
220Swifty,

My load is 7 grs of trail boss pushing frontier plated 110 gr round nose .30 carbine bullets. I get that bulk for a 1000 for 80 bucks at Higginsons Powders. I chronoed it at 1200 fps. I tried to get it slower to subsonic speed but it started opening up. It does an inch at 50 yards and 2" at 100. With better projectiles it should do better. I shoot allot of this load for practice out form 50 to 200 yards.
 
I read the same article and loaded up some 165gr. 308 winchester and 120gr in a 6.5x55. I`ve only had a chance to test fire the 6.5x55. All I can say is awesome, no recoil, plenty accurate at 100yds and will be a great way to get my son shooting a "big" gun a lot sooner. It will also get the wife shooting more as she is blast/recoil sensitive.
 
longknife said:
have not heard of using it as a light load for cf calibers....I use it as a substitute for black powder....in .45/70 cal...13 gr. of trail boss under a 410 gr. bullet is about the same MV as 55 gr. of FFFG...and without the mess and the mandatory cleaning,etc...
Click to expand...

A note for people reading this. Do not confuse velocity with pressure. Just because a certain powder gives the same velocity as black powder, it can have little to do with peak pressure.

Here is a link to the Hodgdon reloading site about using Trail Boss in rifle cartridges. http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf

However note that the peak pressures can be about twice what is typically generated by a blackpowder load/cartridge.
 
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I was using about 11grains unique in my -06 behind whatever cheap bullet I could find... I just picked up a 9oz. of trail boss (again, due to the same article) and now am looking for another source for cheap bullets.
 
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