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View Full Version : Marlin 1894CL x 25-20.....Again



9.3X62AL
06-01-2005, 10:44 AM
I gave another test series to the Marlin lever critter in 25-20 yesterday after getting trounced at the Burrito Shoot by Buckshot and the rest of those miscreants. This involved the Lyman #257420 (72 grain FNGC) and 12.0 x RL-7, with 50 each loaded with CCI 400 primers and WSP primers. The "tweak" this time was boolits sized to .260"--formerly, I had sized to .258".

Grouping improved somewhat from what the skinnier castings produced, but there is still a gap between these results and what the 75 grain Speer softpoint flatnoses can do. One 10-shot cluster was encouraging--about 1.25" @ 50 yards. The remaining 5-shotters ran around 1.25"-1.5", always with a flyer or two screwing things up.

Buckshot commented that scaling boolits and tweaking powder charges up and down is about all that remains to try. The powder charge work is worth trying for sure, but I dunno about scaling boolits. What a PITA, for a levergun used on gnarly rats.

45 2.1
06-01-2005, 05:31 PM
If you haven't tried SR 4759 in it, I would recommend doing so.

Sky C.
06-01-2005, 06:59 PM
Howdy Deputy Al-

I did load development for mine about a year ago. I found the little gun to be somewhat finicky about powder selection and charge weight.

If you've not tried it yet - I'll suggest you look to Aliant 2400. Using an NEI 75gr. GC bullet sized .258" (my bore slugs a tight .256") and 7.9 grs. of 2400 - the gun shoots <1" for 5 shots at 50 yds. consistantly. Velocity runs on the order of 1750fps about 10ft. from the muzzle. If I ran off of this charge by more than a couple tenths (velocity range?) - the groups would open up. Other powders were not really enven close with groups 1.5" to 2"+ range at the same 50 yds. Load development was done with a 3x9 scope set at 9x but switching over to the receiver rear & an aperture front works as well if the targets are sized right.

Primer was a WSR but my experimenting with different primers including the pistol primers didn't show anything conclusive in my testing.

One thing I took to doing from the beginning was to size only the nex of the case down to the base of the bullet. It leave a step in the lower portion of the neck that I believe helps to keep the round aligned until ignition. I have also gone to only dipping the necks in dry moly prior to sizing which has worked beautifully.

Alloy for both was WW+ a whisper of Tin - air cooled.

Good luck in getting your loads wrung out.

Best regards-

Sky C.

9.3X62AL
06-02-2005, 01:01 AM
I tried SR-4759 early in the going, but not with the fatter boolits. I plan to re-try 2400 and 4759, and give IMR-4198 and 4227 a test drive with #257420 before pinning my faith on #257312. If the rifle didn't do so well with jacketed bullets weighing nearly the same as Lyman 257420, I would have thrown in the towel already. Since I do have a fine load for the Speer j-words (12.0 x 4198), I can afford to play with the cast critters a while longer. My concern is that Speer will discontinue that 75 grain .257" flatnose softpoint at some point in the future, and I'd like to have a reliable load concocted using home-made boolits prior to such an occurrence.

Like a lot of these 94CL's in 25-20, mine is chambered a little long, so I've been turning the sizing die out about a 1/2 turn to leave the shoulder untouched. Just for fun I'm going to try your method of sizing only to the boolit length. Nothing to lose at this point! This text reminds me of a gunsmith friend that shoots with the Burrito Bunch once in a while. His belief is that SAAMI 25-20 reamer specs are fat in radial clearance, and that short case life and inaccuracy results from use of fully resized ammo in these generous chambers. This tweak might be an answer.

9.3X62AL
06-02-2005, 03:57 PM
What the hey--I took the little Marlin to the range this morning after evading some chores that can wait.

The remaining #257420's repeated their inconsistent grouping--3 or 4 inside 1"-1.5" @ 50 yards, with 1-2 fliers making things look ragged and ugly. I see an electronic scale in my future--or accepting poetic grouping from this boolit.

I brought along the loads bearing the #257312's--WSR primers, and 11.0 x IMR-4198 and 11.5 x RL-7. Both loads shot noticeably better (without fliers), 5 shots spanning a taste over an inch to 1.5". Nice and round, maybe a little vertical distribution here and there.

Progress--slow, but progress nonetheless.

9.3X62AL
06-05-2005, 09:26 PM
Awright--I have some more loads with necks about 1/2 sized, and the "best of breed" component combos--Lyman #257312's @ .260", and 20 each of 11.5 x RL-7 and 8.0 x 2400. Talk about radial clearance in that chamber--with the neck getting sized only half its length in the F/L die, there is still slight engagement with the die and the slanted case wall about .300" above the rim. I'm guessing that a true neck sizer die for the 25-20 is about as easy to find as 8-track tape deck repair services.........maybe a collet neck sizer is needed to do this correctly. What the hell, that might be the next step, since one of those of proper size might be indicated for the 7.62 x 38R Nagant.

What have I gotten myself into here?

Buckshot
06-06-2005, 05:59 AM
"What have I gotten myself into here?"

............Ah the shear fun of it all!

............Buckshot

Rrusse11
06-06-2005, 10:17 AM
Al,
Got a 25ACP die? That might work as a neck size only. I too am about to embark on another 25-20. Standing at the counter of one of the local gunshops with one rifle in hand, a SS Rossi SRC model 92 in 45Colt, when an original Marlin 1894 in 25-20M appears beside me. Uh oh,,,,,,,,
24"round barrel that the shop had just offered $250 for,,,,,,,,. Rough, but the bore looked to be ok, though clearly in need of a major clean. We clinched the deal in the parking lot, with the proprietors' approval.
I've been cleaning away last coupla' hours, and am off to the range with some test loads for both the Rossi and the Marlin.
Cheers Gents,
R*2
Ps. Gawd, it's a disease,,,,,,,, leveritae collectivitis,,,,,,,, {;o).

9.3X62AL
06-06-2005, 11:46 PM
2R--

That 25 ACP sizer die idea is a good one. The Redding 3-die set (F/L sizer, neck sizer, and seater) is a little steep, and the 25 ACP die could do the same work in my 250 Savage and 25-35 loads.

45nut
06-07-2005, 01:21 AM
Al,
I have a set of steel .25acp RCBS dies I can get to you for a $20.00 dollar bill. S&H incl.
I do have 2 sets of 44 steel dies here also should anyone have an interest,,all RCBS steel,not carbide. All have S/H included. Same price,S&H Incl.
PM me here or send me a e-mail.

Rrusse11
06-07-2005, 09:51 AM
2R--

That 25 ACP sizer die idea is a good one. The Redding 3-die set (F/L sizer, neck sizer, and seater) is a little steep, and the 25 ACP die could do the same work in my 250 Savage and 25-35 loads.

Al,
Lee does a carbide set for ~ $20, the more I play with the Lee dies, the better I like them. Most of the inserts are interchangeable. I've got their dedicated decapper die, and now use that on everything. Prime with the Lee tool, and then start fiddling. Eg., the straight walled Factory crimp die consists of a carbide insert that roll crimps the 41Mag, et al.
Putting that in a 45Colt LeeFCD means that I can put a beautifull crimp on my 41/454 prototype cartridge. You may find that the taper crimp die in the 25ACP set might be the right size for necksizing the 25-20, followed by the collet crimp die. Whereas the FL die might be more suitable for the 250Savage,,,,. YMMV.
This kind of swapping and changing is ideal in the Lee 4 hole turrets, once set up for a cartridge, the whole shootin' match stays set.
Cheers,
R*2

9.3X62AL
06-07-2005, 10:10 AM
This 25-20 project has sort of taken on a life of its own, eh? I am DETERMINED to get this little rifle shooting cast as well as it shoots the j-word bullets, specifically the 75 grain Speer. I'm now comfortably to the point with two cast designs where the cast loads match the rifle's work with the Rem 86 grain SP's--about 1.125"-1.25" @ 50 yards. It will print the Speer 75's into .75"-.875" @ 50 yards with very little case tweaking--just use WSR primers, 12.0 x 4198, and consistent case length--voila! I don't mind a few dimensional gymnastics to earn tight groups with the cast critters. If the true neck-sizing regimen yields fruit downrange, it's a double gain--case life will likely be extended, too.

I expect the same gymnastics will be required in the 32-20 Marlin. Early firings show similar radial expansion above the case web. Aren't these hyphenated Winchester rat rounds just a ton of fun?

Char-Gar
06-07-2005, 11:59 AM
I have a Remington 25 pump and a Winchester 92 lever in 25-20. I have a four hole Lyman 257312 and find that bullet sized .258 over 9/4227 will deliver first rate accuracy in both rifles.

woody1
06-07-2005, 08:36 PM
Al, before you spring for a 25 auto die set, consider this: With R-P 25-20 brass fired in my Marlin 94 (original) and sized with RCBS steel 25 ACP the Remington 86 grainers are a loose slip fit and Leftover DJ's plain base run thru a .259 sizer and lubed with Johnson's Wax and liquid alox is a tight slip fit ie, I can shove 'em in with my fingers. Although I haven't tried it, I suspect the 25 sizer would work fine on the 250 Savage. I have the old Lyman Tru-Line or 310 die sets for both the 250 Savage and 25-20 and they only neck size. YMMV
Regards, Woody

35remington
06-07-2005, 09:40 PM
Al, a few more questions, if you don't mind, because I'm rassling with my own .25-20 Contender Carbine using the .25 caliber group buy Lee bullets, and I'm slowly figuring things out, I hope. Do you apply a crimp to the loaded rounds, or straighten the bell out of the case in any way after hitting it with the "M" die? What kind of extreme spreads are you getting over the chronograph? I've got more questions, but that's a good start.

My gun's preferences in ammo are remarkably like yours.

The Speer 75 is a tough one to top. My Contender loves it. I can't beat it, but I'm trying like hell.

The CC is an entirely different kind of animal than a bolt or lever, and it's pretty fussy about loading details, which I'll go into more detail about later when I post about it. I think some of those things might translate over to a levergun, but I dunno for sure. Could be you've tried damn near everything already.

I've got between five and six thousand rounds of lead through it, and I might just finally be getting things under control. After beating my head against the wall for what seems like forever, I think I'm ready to admit I like loading the .25-20, even as fussy as it can be sometimes. It IS a blast to develop good loads for the .25-20, but I think you and I would be having a lot easier time if we had a properly fitted falling block single shot or boltgun instead of what we've got to work with.

9.3X62AL
06-08-2005, 01:09 PM
I haven't chronographed any of these loads to date. That might be an eye-opener.

I am turning a very light crimp on my loads with the assumption that the rounds will at some point after establishing good behavior get fed through a tubular magazine.

I'm sizing at .260", which seems to have increased consistency downrange in both R-P and W-W brass. The 25 ACP sizer may or may not resolve the issues for me with the 25-20, but this is "all chase and no catch" so far, and I do have the 75 grain Speers as a fall-back position with this little monster if the castings won't do the right thing. The heavier #257312 is a little better overall than the #257420 so far, but I cannot get over the feeling that the wide chamber tolerances in the Marlin rifle are a large part of the problem.

35remington
06-08-2005, 08:22 PM
Al, I have to agree about chamber dimensions being the issue. To load for the Contender, the gun has to lock up like there's nothing in it. Otherwise, it may lock up differently for various reasons-not taking the bell out of the case, seating a bullet against the rifling, lube buildup, etc. etc. Variations in lockup cause wide groups in my gun. Seating the bullet into the rifling, or seating a .259-260" bullet into my .2595" throat is also a no-no. A jump into the throat is better. For me, the crimp is needed to help cut down on wide velocity swings, and I would not load without dacron in most loads. The extreme spreads using nearly all powders are almost shocking when this is not done, on the order of 100-140 fps. Casefilling charges of 4198 and RL7 are the only powders not subject to this. Even supposedly position insensitive powders like 5744 and 4759 show wide extreme spreads if dacron is not used in my loading.

I pushed the "loose fit" of cartridges too far, and attempted using cases sized in my full length Lyman die, then neck expanded in the M die, as opposed to using my Redding neck die for the sizing step then belling the case. This tightened bullet fit in the case neck enough that when I seated the RCBS Cowboy (.260) of hardened wheelweights, the cases would crumple very slightly despite the M die treatment. This was evident when I took a close look at the crimps and noted the uneven case mouths. These locked up differently, and groups opened up.

It seems like there is always some little thing standing between me and very small groups, but I think I'm narrowing it down pretty well. Still, though, tighter chamber dimensions, a proper throat and thicker brass would make the .25-20 easier to load for. I think it is such a good small game cartridge it is worth the effort. I've still got more to learn.

Baron von Trollwhack
06-10-2005, 04:31 PM
Sir: I shoot a CL in .25-20 with the 257420 with good(lucky?) results. The bullet is unsized at .2585 with a gas check and thinned lee liquid alox. It is moderately hard. I use no decap stem in the f/l die but decap with a Lee universal die. The case is neck sized only then a M die is used for uniformity of case neck tension and a slight belling. Sometimes a case is "m"ed 2 times till it feels like most of its brothers in neck tension. The action is modified to work with up to a 1.648 cartridge, but the loaded length for the 257420 is 1.61", which is touching the rifling. The bell is straightened out but a crimp is not used. The bullet will not move back in the magazine. I use both AA2200 and AA1680, but prefer AA2200 at the 14.5 grain level. I use a CCI BR primer. Either powder routinely provides 5/8" at 50 yards off sandbags and 1 1/2 at 100. This is a powerful load for small game and does not lead. Oh yes. I had to recrown the rifle and lighten the trigger pull. I absolutely believe the fliers that come are from the sloppy chambering and varying neck tension. I try to make fresh ammo for each fall of hunting as I think the neck tension degrades with time. I get a few fliers but count them in on group(10) size. I find this load to accept the 75 grain Speer fn interchangeably concerning group size but hardly use that bullet now. Good luck in your shooting, BvT

wills
06-10-2005, 05:13 PM
Greetings Baron, welcome to the board!

9.3X62AL
06-10-2005, 05:26 PM
Baron, that is a colorful title.

If I wasn't so freakin' particular, I could probably live with the situation "as is". The little carbines are a joy to carry and hunt with, for sure.

In an off-site E-mail, Beagle said something about using Starline 32-20 brass to form 25-20 cases with. That might get a test drive, since I need to get some of those cases for the 32-20 rifle. Yet another masochistic accuracy quest, methinks.

grumble
06-10-2005, 05:58 PM
"...using Starline 32-20 brass to form 25-20 cases ..."

Good luck! I crumpled 20 or 30 cases trying to do that, and finally gave up and bought some 25-20 brass.

I think the main problem is that the necks are so thin that they "oilcan" laterally along the neck. I had previously necked 308 brass to 243, and didn't see how it would be much different, but it sure was!

If you can find a way to support the inside of the neck as it's being sized down, my hat will be off to you!!

9.3X62AL
06-11-2005, 12:58 PM
Grumble--

Starline 32-20 cases are supposedly thicker than their Remchester counterparts, but I haven't been "eyes on" with them myself. We'll see.

Scrounger
06-11-2005, 01:22 PM
"...using Starline 32-20 brass to form 25-20 cases ..."

Good luck! I crumpled 20 or 30 cases trying to do that, and finally gave up and bought some 25-20 brass.

I think the main problem is that the necks are so thin that they "oilcan" laterally along the neck. I had previously necked 308 brass to 243, and didn't see how it would be much different, but it sure was!

If you can find a way to support the inside of the neck as it's being sized down, my hat will be off to you!!

It has been my experience in necking down cases that you can only go so far at a time. In necking down .308, it worked better to neck them down to 7/08 first, then maybe 6.5 before finally .243. Maybe you can think of an intermediate die to use but I can't. Only thing that comes to mind is .270 Ren.... Much less trouble to just buy the Starline brass in the right caliber. I have a good source if you and Al want to invest in some, either caliber.

Edit: How about finding an old .270 Win sizer die and cutting it off right at the shoulder?

Baron von Trollwhack
06-14-2005, 06:10 PM
Thanks for the welcome folks. I use a number of "nom de typfhos" in playing at the keyboards. Going back to the .25-20, I played with resizing .32-20's in an early effort at getting marginally thicker rims and bases. It isn't worth it! Neck size without setting the shoulder back and forget the rim. I like Winchester's components but that's part of the magic of shooting. If you must resize however, you will find that a slight belling of the case mouth before resizing does away with most length-wise wrinkles. EXCEPT for Starline. They are very hard and you will get a 60%+ fail rate by the conclusion of first firing. I plan to try neck annealing of new "W" brass as soon as I start playing with the gun again. But For now I really think I've whipped the major problems with my classic.

NVcurmudgeon
06-14-2005, 07:32 PM
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far away, I got lucky and formed .25/20 from several makes of cases, even some Savage! All it took was a 7/8-14 bolt from the hardware store with a hole drilled in it splitting the difference between the .32/20 and .25/20 outside neck diameters. Once the necks were formed in the homemade die, the .25/20 FL sizer did the rest. And there you have the history of the 7mm/20 curmudgeon cartridge.

9.3X62AL
06-16-2005, 10:04 AM
45 Nut sent along a 25 ACP die set, and after reviewing the specs for the two calibers involved (25 ACP and 25-20), I think the sizer die will be well-nigh perfect for the 25-20. The "bullet seated" diameter for the 25 ACP is .276", while the 25-20 specs at .274". Since I'm using boolits at .260", this might work very well. The 250 Savage and 25-35 show larger "bullet seated" diameters, but those calibers aren't keeping me awake at night with their recalcitrant behavior--so if use of the 25 ACP sizer resolves the consistency issues downrange in the 25-20, the 25 ACP sizer's lack of utility for the other 25 caliber rifle rounds won't be an issue.

FWIW--I don't think I'll be getting a 25 ACP pistol or components to reload the caliber. No boolit molds, either. The die set did have a shell holder, though.........nawwwww, forget it.

Rrusse11
06-16-2005, 10:25 AM
.

FWIW--I don't think I'll be getting a 25 ACP pistol or components to reload the caliber. No boolit molds, either. The die set did have a shell holder, though.........nawwwww, forget it.[/QUOTE]

Al,
Awwwwwwwwwww, g'on! I'm tellin' ya' the Beretta 950 Jetfire I think it's called, is a little sweetheart. The tip-up barrel is an interesting feature. I get fist sized groups at 50'. Lol, its quite the exercise in micro-reloading. Magtech makes the bullets so damn cheap that I've NOT considered a mould, though there is an RCBS offering for the caliber. Speer and Hornady from memory here do some nasty lil HP's for it.
In your professional capacity, you might want to regard one as the final backup. Pathetic ballistics I know,,,,, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to get in front of one, and sooooooooo discrete.
Let us know how it goes.
Cheers,
R*2

wills
06-16-2005, 10:34 AM
45 Nut sent along a 25 ACP die set, .

FWIW--I don't think I'll be getting a 25 ACP pistol or components to reload the caliber. No boolit molds, either. The die set did have a shell holder, though.........nawwwww, forget it.

You have to. After all you have the die set and shellholder. Then you need to re barrel a Mauser and explore the overlooked long range accuracy potential of the caliber.

slughammer
06-16-2005, 01:47 PM
explore the overlooked long range accuracy potential of the caliber.

Not only that, but imagine the small game possibilities of such a round in an accurate arm. Perhaps a 1911 platform for durability.

9.3X62AL
06-16-2005, 05:04 PM
You guys are killing me. As if the 30 Mauser/7.62 x 25 Tokarev and 7.65 MAS pistol aren't arcane and esoteric. I've copped out to loading the 7.62 Nagant......enough, already!

Time for a little "confession".......I DID carry a Walther TPH stainless in 22 LR as "Onion Field Insurance" for a time on a neck chain. It would have raised a significant welt, I suppose.

I tried out the sizer die on a sample run of 25-20 cases this morning--the results were a sized OD of .274", and after using the RCBS Neck Expander 25 caliber spud--the case neck OD went to a skinny .276". I think it will work, in other words. The proof will be in the shooting, to follow in the next few days after I get a decent sample re-stuffed. Retirement is so cool! Time enough to play with this stuff!

Hmmmm........pretty significant earthquake just now as I typed out the above text. No apparent puter service interruption.....hope this goes through.

Bret4207
06-18-2005, 09:03 AM
Owning both a 25 Beretta, which dotes on Silver Tips thus far, and a mess of other 25 rifle types I don't dare get the 25 Auto dies for fear I'll do somethin' crazy like reloading the 25 Auto. But if Al can withstand the temtation I may try it. I;m curently trying to talk a guy out of a Stevens Marksman in 25 Long RF. The 25 RF used the smae .251 bore of the 25 Auto, or so goes the legend. There was talk of taking a Ruger 10/22 and converting to 25 Auto on the old Shooters a few years back. It'd be fun to see what the case is capable of.

I'm fortunate in that both my 25/20's are Savage 23's and shoot pretty much everything well.

9.3X62AL
06-18-2005, 01:13 PM
This load sequence in the 80 casings I'm neck-sizing will likely be the last loading of this lot--it will be their 7th time through the dies, which is well-nigh immortality given this caliber's reputation for short case life. The wide and long chambers relative to SAAMI specs are the culprit, and the cases definitely last longer when partial-F/L-sized.......and shoot a little better with cast, too.

The anomaly is that new "undersized" cases with the Speer 75 grainers drive tacks. I have a lot of 100 such loads set aside as my next test series. I will shoot these over time, and process them as cast boolit housings.

9.3X62AL
08-17-2005, 11:38 AM
I think I found a load for the 25-20 Marlin 94CL, at long last. Talk about "all the tweaks".......once-fired new brass, trimmed at 1.320", neck-sized in the 25 ACP die, Dacron.......The World's First Benchrest Lever Rifle.

#257420 @ .260" atop 8.0 x WC-820, Rem SP primers, and Dacron did a little better than past efforts with this boolit. Not earth-rattling, but on the edge of acceptable.

#257312 copped the prize, though--same regimen as above, using 7.0 x WC-820--ran out some tight 4-shot clusters with a flyer that is the bain of existence for the eyeball-only inspection sequence. I'll repeat this load next range session, and do a little powder tweaking upward to gauge responses to such work.

Rrusse11
08-22-2005, 11:32 PM
Congrats! We knew you'd get there!
R*2

beagle
08-25-2005, 08:37 PM
Darn Allen...you'll have me scouring E-Bay for a .25 die set now....../beagle

9.3X62AL
08-25-2005, 11:42 PM
Beagle--

I think Redding makes a neck-size die set for the 25-20 WCF.......and YES I would have bought one if the rifle stayed screwy.

The Marlin 94CL's in 25-20 are noted for having been chambered "long". Using the rather warmish jacketed loads (75 grain flatnose Speer/12.0 x 4198), case life was about 3X if you full-length sized after each firing. I have partial-F/L sized my cases for this rifle since making that discovery, but the neck-sizing may have done the trick with the castings.

26Charlie
08-26-2005, 09:29 PM
All this talk about the .25-20 prompted me to get out my Marlin 1894 (4x scope) and Savage 23B (peep & bead) and see what loads I had squirreled away for them. At 100 yards wrist rest today I shot three groups:

Marlin - 87 gr. 257283 PB, 9.5 gr. 4227, WSR primer - 5 in 4 1/2", but three of those in 1 3/8". Now I remember how tantalizing this gun was, shooting a decent group with a little over half the rounds, but throwing fliers making it not so much better than average. This gun has been back to the factory for a rebarreling - it wouldn't shoot even jacketed well, at first.

Savage 23B (I know, its not a lever gun, but I am not getting into that thread that mentions 23Bs going on now)
70 gr. 257420 GC, 4.2 gr. WW231, Fed GM100M SP primer - 6 into 5 3/4", 5 of those into 3 3/8".
75 gr. NEI 75-257 FPGC, 4.2 gr. WW231, Fed GM100M primer - 5 shots into 4".
Why such a powder charge? its from the #6 rotor of the RCBS little dripper powder measure. Why pistol powder and primer? I just couldn't get a load that shot well in both rifles.

The sheet metal magazine for the Savage is a PITA, because the load has to be short enough to function in it and it seems the edges are continually grabbing the brass somewhere as you load it. Then, the last round cocks up at too high an angle to feed unless you guide it by hand.

The Savage is good enough with peep sights for a 100 yd. game gun - it is not a target rifle by a long stretch, but it is appealingly light and slender. When Savage developed the 340 in .22 Hornet, .222 Rem, and .30-30 I think they just uglified the 23's, but most 340's will shoot well.

The Marlin would do nice 2" groups at 100 I think, IF I could find the secret to it. I took one shot at 200 yds, and it was not a flier but was right on point of aim, satisfying me to hit what I shot at.

9.3X62AL
09-04-2005, 08:32 AM
26 Charlie--

Your results with the Marlin 94--meaning, half the hits in a small group, and flyers going galley-west like the rings of Saturn--describes much of the work done by my Marlin 94. The tantalizing part of the gig is how well it shoots the j-word things, 1.5" @ 100 yards with Speer 75 FN's and 12.0 grains of IMR-4198. There is SOME intrinsic accuracy in that rifle, in other words--and I'm going to find it with a cast boolit, come hell or high water. The Lyman #257312 shows promise with 7.0 grains of WC-820 and dacron, so I've assembled some more of those and some stair-stepped loads to 8.0 grains to really tempt fate.

9.3X62AL
09-08-2005, 01:05 PM
I commented elsewhere on the results of the WC-820 loads from Tuesday, so won't go into detail here other than to say things are going pretty well with Lyman #257312. Dunno what I'm going to do with the #257420--try it in the 250 Savage or 25-35, I guess. Talk about DIFFERING ballistic environments--the 250 has 1-14" twist, and the 25-35 has a 1-8" pitch. Sublime to ridiculous, that.

Further work with the 25-20 to follow, accellerating them a bit more to see what happens.