310 kieth

[Lloyd Smale]

loaded some up yesterday and went shootin today. Took my 4 inch lightweight vaquero that clements built. Its a linebored gun but has never been a real tack driver with any load. About the best it has done is 1.5 at 25 yards and to get accuracy like that a guy has to run the gun on the verge of hand genade territory. I loaded two loads 12.5 grains of hs6 and 22 grains of wc820. Both are kind of go to loads in the 45 for me. First shot the 12.5 hs6 load and right away i said to myself this aint changed crap! It shot about 2-2.5 inch for 6 shots at 25. I then tried the wc820 load and low and behold i finally got that gun to shoot. I shot 4 6shot groups at 25 yards the biggest was 1 1/16 smallest was 3/4s of an inch and all 4 groups had 4 to 5 bullets touching. By far the best that gun has ever done with any load. Do you think i like this bullet!!!!

[dubber123]

Thats what I'm expecting from mine, I just need the time to prove it. Can't beat that for a 60$ Mould!

[Halfbreed]

Lloyd, mine came in today, now I just have to find a 45 to go along with it. Now ain't that somethin?
Or find a 500 linebaugh and trade up for what I really want.
John

[Lloyd Smale]

John if you get to the point that you dont think your going to use that mold let me know id surely take it off your hands.

[PatMarlin]

Lloyd, what alloy are you using and are you water dropping them?

[Lloyd Smale]

Pat i casted them out of #2 air cooled because thats what was in my pots. Its probably what i would have casted them out of anyway for a first try.
Lloyd, what alloy are you using and are you water dropping them?

[Halfbreed]

Lloyd, I am going to hold onto it for a while, just to see what happens. I might pick up a .45, went out looking yesterday. Man the prices in this area are unreal. I might have to buy off gunbroker or some other auction site.
But if I decide to sell, I will contact you first.
John

[Lloyd Smale]

thanks John.

[dubber123]

Shot 50 rounds with the 310-Keith .45. 44mans 18 grains of 2400 load has been the best so far, grouping in 2-1/4" at 50 yds. I tried 18 grs of AA#9, not good, and 9 grains of Herco, also not good. I'll keep trying, but more than likely, I'll just stick with the 2400 load, and practice more. (I really need it). 2" or less at 50 yds. is looking likely. Great bullet.

[Lloyd Smale]

your 18 grain of aa9 load is just to light for that powder to burn right. Id try at least 20 grains in the 45 colt and use a mag primer with it and id bet your accuracy would come around. If your and my load work so far says anything its that it needs a kick in the but to shoot well.

[dubber123]

your 18 grain of aa9 load is just to light for that powder to burn right. Id try at least 20 grains in the 45 colt and use a mag primer with it and id bet your accuracy would come around. If your and my load work so far says anything its that it needs a kick in the but to shoot well.

Lloyd, I was wondering about that. I did use Winchesters primers that say they are for standard/mag loads. The 2400 loads are getting standard Federals. The #9 load was a little sooty, which clued me that it might have been too light. #9's usually very clean for me. I'll have to go hotter and see what happens. Your right, the lighter I went, the worse it seemed to shoot.

[PatMarlin]

Just got through casting up a whack of Cat's 310 and 210, plus 4 other GB molds. Man the 310 is awesome, the 210 also. Both cast very well.

I've got one more GB mold coming and I just realized I have $600 in GB molds.. :shock:

[Lloyd Smale]

tell you what my favorite primmers are for those powders. With 2400 i use w/w std/mag and with aa9/wc820 i have had my best luck with fed mags but if your going to run aa9 at really low levels a cci 350 might be better to light it off and get consistant velocitys. If i were you id go back and try at least 20 grains and a fed mag primer and see what that does. Id about bet the hotter you go the better it will get but a guy has to stop where its safe and where recoil is at a comfortable level for himself.
Lloyd, I was wondering about that. I did use Winchesters primers that say they are for standard/mag loads. The 2400 loads are getting standard Federals. The #9 load was a little sooty, which clued me that it might have been too light. #9's usually very clean for me. I'll have to go hotter and see what happens. Your right, the lighter I went, the worse it seemed to shoot.

[Lloyd Smale]

nice lookin pile of lead there pat!!!

[PatMarlin]

Thanks Lloyd. By the end of the night I had a few bigger piles. I haven't been able to cast that much in awhile.

Can't wait to try the W820 with my 45 colts. I'm wondering if it will feed in my 94 carbine in 45lc? That would be awesome.

[Catshooter]

Pat,

I would brag up my GB moulds, mmm, maybe 30 - 35 or so, but then 45 2.1 would chime in and he's got more unopened GB moulds than I do total, so I'll just shut up. :)


Cat

[PatMarlin]

Pat,

I would brag up my GB moulds, mmm, maybe 30 - 35 or so, but then 45 2.1 would chime in and he's got more unopened GB moulds than I do total, so I'll just shut up. :)


Cat

-yes but 45 2. is an anomaly... :mrgreen:

Dang Cat, that's a whack of GB moldz.. :drinks:

[45 2.1]

Pat,
I would brag up my GB moulds, mmm, maybe 30 - 35 or so, but then 45 2.1 would chime in and he's got more unopened GB moulds than I do total, so I'll just shut up. :) Cat

I do open them (and yes, I do have that many waiting), they just haven't got heated up yet.

[dubber123]

tell you what my favorite primmers are for those powders. With 2400 i use w/w std/mag and with aa9/wc820 i have had my best luck with fed mags but if your going to run aa9 at really low levels a cci 350 might be better to light it off and get consistant velocitys. If i were you id go back and try at least 20 grains and a fed mag primer and see what that does. Id about bet the hotter you go the better it will get but a guy has to stop where its safe and where recoil is at a comfortable level for himself.

Lloyd, I tried 19 grs. of AA#9 today, with a WW either/or primer in Federal cases. The recoil seemed pretty snappy, and the primers were starting to flatten. Extraction was still a one finger deal, but was definately stickier. Accuracy is still not good. About 4" at 50 yds. Only 2 groups, so it isn't much of a test, but 19 grs. is about as hot as I want to go with this gun. I'll have to try and refine the 2400 load, or try some different powders. I'm determined to see 2" or less at 50 yds. I can still fiddle with primers, or casting some harder bullets, as all of these I am currently shooting are air cooled.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Today was my first try with the 310 .45 Keith. Not so good so far. Using 7.5" Blackhawk, WWAC'd, Felix lube, bench rested 25 yds, 75 degrees, slight breeze, 5 shot groups.

10.0 gr Herco, 978 fps, 16 sdev, 4 & 1/8"

20.0 gr H110, 1163 fps, 43 sdev, 2 & 3/4"

18.0 gr Lil'Gun, 1137 fps, 12 sdev, 4 & 3/4"

19.0 gr Lil'Gun, 1189 fps, 11 sdev, 3 & 1/4"

20.0 gr Lil'Gun, 1236 fps, 24 sdev, 3 & 3/4"

21.0 gr H4227, 1141 fps, 32 sdev, 2 & 7/8"

22.0 gr H4227, 1207 fps, 24 sdev, 2 & 1/8"

23.0 gr H4227, 1254 fps, 46 sdev, 3"

I recovered about 8 boolits from a sand and tire backstop at 100 yds from the firing line, all still had lube in the groove. My chronograph screenes were polka dotted in lube. My theory is the lube is not blowing off or slinging off cleanly and is contributing some imbalance to the spinning boolit. I think I'll try spraying the boolits with silicone lube before lubrisizing and lubing with Felix lube, so the Felix lube will sling off the boolit more quickly and completely. I get 2" groups at 25 yds with several 454190, 454424 and Lee 300 RFGC loads running 950 to 1100 fps and I think this GB 310 Keith should shoot that good or better.

But if it worked the first time, there wouldn't be room for the hobby of working out loads.

[dubber123]

If I read correctly, your usual groups are 2" and one of your new loads is 2-1/8". For a first outing, I personally would consider that a good start. My groups even at 50 yds. have showed a blue splatter around the holes, telling me that the bullets carried quite a bit of lube all the way to the target. I'm interested in your tests to get the lube off more quickly. I've never done anything like that.

[Lloyd Smale]

With such a large lube grove If your going to run a hard lube or even a semi hard lube your probably going to run into problems in a short barrel. lube it soft. Felix or javalina would be my choise. I use felix. Second i cast hard. Im not one that believes in the softer bullet is needed to bump up theroy. Get your gun right and use hard bullets. Espesically if a bullet is designed like this one and has a large lube grove. They have a tendency to colapse as the lube is pushed out if the bullet is to soft. Dubber i sent you a pm with some load suggestions that i wont post here.

[PatMarlin]

Lloyd how hard do you think your AC booits were when you first tried and fired the 310?

[Lloyd Smale]

@16 bhn

[Lloyd Smale]

more results. The bullets were shot at 350 yards sunday evening and seem to fly real well at long range.

[PatMarlin]

If they cycle in my 94 I'll be doin' the happy dance. Or maybe the bump.. :mrgreen:

[shooting on a shoestring]

Yep, I cast a batch of 310 gr .45 Keith SWC and sprayed them with silicon spray lube before I ran them through the lubrisizer and applied Felix lube. Using my .45 Colt Blackhawk, shooting 10 grains of Herco, I recovered a couple of boolits from a sand berm at 100 yards. No Felix lube left in the lube groove. Last week, same load, no Silicon, I had lots of lube left in the groove when I recovered the boolits. Also the groups were running over 4 inches at 25 yds, but with the silicon under the Felix lube the groups ran just over 3 inches. However, shooting 23 grains of H4227 and 22.0 grains of H110, no difference between silicon and not. So I conclude the silicone does let the Felix lube sling out of the groove more cleanly. However, there's not much improvement in precision. More work to be done.

[jtaylor1960]

Sounds like at higher velocity the lube is thrown out due to centrifigal force.That being said It seems like you still have an accuracy problem.I have a Bisley Blackhawk that had undersized throats which caused poor accuracy until I had them reamed to a larger size.

[Lloyd Smale]

Like i said i shot it only in one gun and it was the best that gun ever shot with groups at around an inch. Thinking on that bullet it needs alot of sizing as it runs big out of the mold. Maybe if a guy that wasnt having luck should try sizing it to 453 or even 454 as theres alot of swaging done at 452. Like i said if you dont find a way to get it to shoot. Im still intersted in buying another. In my experience and i know alot of guys will argue with me about this but true keith designs have never done that well for me without some pressure behind them. I like casting them on the hard side (Say #2) and shooting them at at least 1100 fps. You also need to keep in mind that im shooting a line bored gun with a match barrel. Funny thing is the gun was never a tack driver with any other load. Most went around 2 inch and a few snuck down to 1.5 but this bullet sure works in that gun. I should be gettting my other clements 45 back from dave. he had to do a repair on it. When it gets here if i have time before hunting season ill run some in that gun. that guns allways been a better shooter.

[fivegunner]

after casting with my 310gr. group buy mold with my alloy 50WW/ 50Lino 17.5 on my scale my bullets came out at 307grains they looked good --But size wise they were .460 X .455 and when trying to size at 453 one side was sized more than the other, (one side is now heavier than the other. not the best for accrate shooting I think this would be a good bullet if Lee used a cherry cut to .451.452 instead of 460+. my guns are a little bit to tight to shoot this bullet that is this far out of round. maybe a call to Veral Smith is in order.:Fire::castmine: