Need help whit powder

[math]

Hi

I have a .425 WR that i'm hoping to feed whit lead bullets and i would wery much like to hear your suggestions on what powder and what start charge to use.

The bullet weighs 420 grains and uses gascheck. I'm currently using LBT soft blue lube.
If you need more info let me know.
Regards
Math

[BruceB]

Quite a few of us on this Board are using very similar cartridges, if not exactly the same. In my case I cast and load for the .404 Jeffery and .416 Rigby.

In both of these, AA 5744 has worked very well, pushing 365- (.416) and 400-grain (.404) bullets to over 2000 fps with moderate charges and pressure.

H4198 has also done well in the .404.

If I was starting out with the .425 and 400-grain cast bullets, I think I'd start at around 40 grains of 5744. This will be a very moderate load, probably running around 1500 fps. work it up with one-grain increases until you're happy with the results or pressures get high.

If you search here at Cast Boolits for ".404", I believe that loads in the .404 cartridge should be safe in the .425 due to its' being of very similar case capacity to that of the .404. As always, start low and pay attention....

Full-power loads will do better with slower powders such as 4895 and 4350. I don't know what equivalent-speed powders are available to you in Sweden, but a search for ".425 Westley Richards" on google generated a lot of hits for me.

Best of luck to you. These rarer and older cartridges are very rewarding for a handloader, and even more-so for a bullet-caster

[Von Gruff]

Like BruceB I cast for my 404 Jeffery and have loads at 1400fps with 20gn Red Dot, loads at 18-1900fps with 63gn H4350 and right up to 2365fps with 74gn Varget and up to 2435 with 87gn H4350.
The 14-1900fps loads are all capable of 1/2 in for 3 shots at 55yds with iron sights with the heavier loads all in the 1 in range

These are all with a GC boolit that runs between 360 and 380 gn depending on alloy which is 50/50 for the light loads up to 1900fps and lino or HT 70/30 ww/lino for the stiffer loads.

Von Gruff.

[math]

Thanks for the replay

I'm happy to say that i have access to all the powders mentinoned so far some are already standing in my cabinet. I went throu my nots this morning to see what i already tested and saw that i might have been on the high end whit my earler loads.

Do you use a filler whit Red dot ?
20 grains can't take up all much space in a 404 case. I checked Lapuas burning rate chart and red dot seems to compare with both AA No2 and Wihtavuori N320 and those powders have i been using for my revolvers, now i know that one should use such charts carefully, so how do you feel substitute red dot with sone of the above mentioned powders ?

Best regards Math

[Von Gruff]

I do not use any fillers with the Red Dot ( even though it takes such a little space in the case) as it is a powder that is not position sensative and is a recognised powder for reduced loads and 11.5gn gets me 1500fps in my 7x57, but I would leave it to those more knowledgable as to whether there is a substitution possibility with other powders with similar burning rate. Powder type and burn characteristics may be different even though the burn rate is similar.

Von Gruff.