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Kraschenbirn
05-17-2007, 10:19 PM
Went to the range yesterday and tested my (very!!) first batch of .308 Win cast-boolit loads. Weather was decent except for a gusty crosswind...like 15-25 mph. Fired a couple of fouling shots at 50 yards then fired a 5-round group off sandbags at the same range. Was totally amazed when that first five shots went into .663 center-to-center...remember, this is my first attempt at loading cast boolits for a "modern" centerfire. Had only loaded 20 rounds, so I went to a 100-yard target right away. Five shots there went into 1.256" center-to-center. Now, by this time I'm about to hyperventilate...I can't remember EVER having a load come together like this on the first try. So, I figure, what the Hell, and fire five more...about the same results: four shots into 1.110" with a called flyer opening the group to a little under 2 1/2". Tagged the 8" gong at 200 yards with 2 out my last 3 test rounds.

Load was a 311291 cast from 3 parts W-W to 1 part Lino, sized .309 and seated .030" off the lands over 27.5 gr. of Milsurp 4895 with a dacron filler wad, . Remington cases and W-W WLR primers. Rifle is a McGowan-barreled Rem 700 with a Burris 6X-18X scope.

Bill

cbrick
05-18-2007, 12:01 AM
Well Kraschenbirn, there's no hope for you now. This cast bullet thing is a disease and more addictive than dope. Now that you've gotten this far your hooked. In a few years you'll have 50+ moulds and be buying guns just so you'll have something to shoot that new bullet from. No escape for you now.

Nice shooting and welcome to the "pour your own" fraternity :-D.

Rick

Buckshot
05-18-2007, 12:40 AM
.............I'd say you were off to a VERY fine start, indeed! Were the boolits scaled or visually inspected? Each charge weighed or thrown?

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

454PB
05-18-2007, 12:40 AM
Buy some lottery tickets!

I've had a few similar experiences, sometimes we just put everything together right the first try.

If you're like me, as soon as you find an accurate combination, you move on and do your best to screw it up.

cbrick
05-18-2007, 01:11 AM
If you're like me, as soon as you find an accurate combination, you move on and do your best to screw it up.

http://www.lasc.us/deprimetriste294230fr.gif So true.


http://www.lasc.us/TSO_avatar_31657.gif But then there is good note keeping and more range time.


Rick

Kraschenbirn
05-18-2007, 11:20 AM
.............I'd say you were off to a VERY fine start, indeed! Were the boolits scaled or visually inspected? Each charge weighed or thrown?

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

As this was my first attempt at loading cast for the .308, I did everything I could think of to reduce variables. Boolits were visually inspected under my bench magnifier AND weighed, tossing anything over =/- .5 gr into the "rerun" can. Likewise, charges were individualy weighed (for 20 rounds, I wasn't going to set up the Belding & Mull) and cases freshly trimmed to length and necks chamfered.

Btw...anyone have a ballpark idea what velocity this load (175 gr 311291/27.5 gr IMR4895) might be producing out of a 24" barrel? Was too windy to set up my Chrony on Wednesday.

Bill