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View Full Version : Well, I tried the 166 grainers...



armoredman
10-01-2007, 12:45 PM
I went out this morning, right after my son left for school, before the rain hit, to our free public range. After discovering one of my three Ruger Mini-14 magazines doesn't work, (factory mags are too dadgum expensive!), I decided to see what these 166gr LSWC would do.
I loaded them at three differant OAL, one for the 173gr data, one for 160 gr data, and one to the crimping groove.
So, OAL at crimp groove, 1.430, shota nice group, but at 4 inches high at 10 yards. Huh?
OK, try the ones at the 160gr OAL, 1.476. Hmm, nice group...2 inches high. Weird.
Last, loaded at 173 OAL, looks like half the boolit is sticking out, 1.515. Well, whaddya know - on target, not bad, needs work. I guess I'll have to see about working a taper crimp on this half-way out already load. Interesting. All three loads were 3.6gr of AA#2 with Winchester Small Pistol primers.

Experimentation is fun, ain't it?:-D

leftiye
10-01-2007, 07:23 PM
Seat a boolit out what is obviously too long- bolt won't close on it. Don't crimp it! try pushing it into the case a little deeper and chambering it until the bolt will close. If this LOA will fungshun through your magazine, then get a factory crimp die and fix the boolit in that position. Boolit will be right against the rifling- see if that doesn't shoot well.

armoredman
10-01-2007, 09:19 PM
Umm, leftiye...it's a revolver. Boolit sits just fine in the chamber at that extension, just looking at a taper crimp to keep it from backing out under recoil. I only loaded three at a time while shooting this load, just to make sure I didn't bind up the cylinder.

35remington
10-01-2007, 09:29 PM
Well, seating it out certainly has an effect on velocity. Your last long seated rounds were probably considerably slower in velocity than the ones seated to the first groove.

Depending upon just how far they're sticking out, a little fouling in the cylinder throats would probably give you problems with seating the cartridge easily into the cylinder after awhile. I'd do some extensive shooting with it to see if that problem crops up before settling on a long OAL.

I'd work a bit of a compromise there if it were my gun. Lee has discontinued this mould but the long bearing surface bullet always shot well for me. Good velocity with light charges of powder due to the high loading density seated to the first groove. That's how I shoot mine in my Smiths.

armoredman
10-01-2007, 09:47 PM
I think I will experiment further with the short setting, and the longest setting. Ah, the joys of experimentation! The mold is a very easy to use one, too.

MtGun44
10-02-2007, 12:25 AM
Armoredman,

Do you work for Alice?

Bill

armoredman
10-02-2007, 09:55 AM
No, I wish! I talk to Jason a lot, and have-mailed Alice a few times. All of my CZ based advertising is free stuff I do simply because of how much I like both the company and the product. I did tell Jason when I retire in 14 years, I may be looking for a job as a field rep/advertising guy. :) He laughed.
This is, of course, based on you asking if I worked for Alice P., CEO of CZ-USA and Dan Wesson.