Army03CRNA
01-25-2015, 10:22 PM
Hi all, long time lurker--first post here.
My questions first, the back story will follow. I hope I picked the appropriate place for my question.
What is the current methodology for using fillers with powders that don't fill the case with mild loads like IMR 4198?
Has anyone worked up mild-to-moderate loads with XBR 8208 and 350 grain cast boolits?
Now the back story:
I have a Marlin guide gun that I've been using either 14 grains of trailboss under a laser cast (Oregon Trail) 350 grain bevel base bullet (~1100fps as per my chrono) ,or 54 grains of Varget under a Remington 405 grain uhh, err, fully gas checked is it? :smile: projectile (at about 1700fps). The trailboss load is fun to shoot, has no recoil, but is only so-so accuracy-wise. Nothing I've worked up with trailboss has been awe inspiring. The other load is stout to say the least and is probably more than I need here in the Keystone State, but it was the best accuracy-wise when I was working up a load for that bullet. The difference between the two loads at 100yds is somewhere around 18". Not surprising, but not useable with one sight setting either. I've also tried round-ball loads, and shot loads and a shot load topped with a round ball for really short-range settings, but I'd like a better 100yd + load.
What I thought I would do (after much googling, reading this website and others) is work up a mild to moderate recoiling load--a subjective statement I realize--with IMR 4198 since I keep it on hand to load a couple .222 remingtons for use with the afore mentioned 350 grain laser cast boolits. Well, what I learned after that exercise is what a hang-fire is. I also know what unburned IMR 4198 looks like on new fallen snow. My loads were 27-28 grains of IMR 4198 and 32-34 grains of the same, the primers were CCI 200, and the brass was original loaded Starline brass. Why those ranges of powder? Well, I needed to start somewhere and after much reading it seemed the like the lower range listed was supposed to equal a black powder load and the higher loads were what others have stated gave good accuracy.
Nothing showed any promise. Well, not unless I conquer the vertical stringing that I've never seen before. That and the hang-fires. I thought I was dry-firing a time or two. One load of the four shot strings (I use a four shot string to test potential loads--we can discuss the statistical validity of that in another post) almost looked like four shots on a vertical line about 4-5" high.
Where do I go from here?
I've gone so far as to load the 32, 32.5, 33, & 33.5 grains of 4198 again but with the addition of a 1/4 square of toilet paper added to each case. I have fiber wads, but at only .060" they won't help me here.
I've also started with 48 grains of IMR XBR 8208 (I have it since it's really consistent in my AR's with those silly full gas-checked bullets) with ONE vegetable fiber wad (.060 thick) at the base of the boolit to help take up space and I'm going to load DOWN .5 grains at a time to 46--ish grains to see if I might have a decent load. Why did I choose to start at 48 grains? It almost fills the case with the bullet seated to length and the fiber wad in place. I figure (and many people have stated something similar) that filling the case with powder is easier than using a filler.
I'm not new to reloading--or casting--(since the late '80s--wow I really put that in print), and I've been a long time reader of HANDLOADER magazine. But working with the .45-70 and reduced loads has only been something I've doing for a few years--maybe longer, I'm not sure when a good friend of mine parted with this guide gun and I decided to give it a good home.
Any insight is appreciated--thanks!
My questions first, the back story will follow. I hope I picked the appropriate place for my question.
What is the current methodology for using fillers with powders that don't fill the case with mild loads like IMR 4198?
Has anyone worked up mild-to-moderate loads with XBR 8208 and 350 grain cast boolits?
Now the back story:
I have a Marlin guide gun that I've been using either 14 grains of trailboss under a laser cast (Oregon Trail) 350 grain bevel base bullet (~1100fps as per my chrono) ,or 54 grains of Varget under a Remington 405 grain uhh, err, fully gas checked is it? :smile: projectile (at about 1700fps). The trailboss load is fun to shoot, has no recoil, but is only so-so accuracy-wise. Nothing I've worked up with trailboss has been awe inspiring. The other load is stout to say the least and is probably more than I need here in the Keystone State, but it was the best accuracy-wise when I was working up a load for that bullet. The difference between the two loads at 100yds is somewhere around 18". Not surprising, but not useable with one sight setting either. I've also tried round-ball loads, and shot loads and a shot load topped with a round ball for really short-range settings, but I'd like a better 100yd + load.
What I thought I would do (after much googling, reading this website and others) is work up a mild to moderate recoiling load--a subjective statement I realize--with IMR 4198 since I keep it on hand to load a couple .222 remingtons for use with the afore mentioned 350 grain laser cast boolits. Well, what I learned after that exercise is what a hang-fire is. I also know what unburned IMR 4198 looks like on new fallen snow. My loads were 27-28 grains of IMR 4198 and 32-34 grains of the same, the primers were CCI 200, and the brass was original loaded Starline brass. Why those ranges of powder? Well, I needed to start somewhere and after much reading it seemed the like the lower range listed was supposed to equal a black powder load and the higher loads were what others have stated gave good accuracy.
Nothing showed any promise. Well, not unless I conquer the vertical stringing that I've never seen before. That and the hang-fires. I thought I was dry-firing a time or two. One load of the four shot strings (I use a four shot string to test potential loads--we can discuss the statistical validity of that in another post) almost looked like four shots on a vertical line about 4-5" high.
Where do I go from here?
I've gone so far as to load the 32, 32.5, 33, & 33.5 grains of 4198 again but with the addition of a 1/4 square of toilet paper added to each case. I have fiber wads, but at only .060" they won't help me here.
I've also started with 48 grains of IMR XBR 8208 (I have it since it's really consistent in my AR's with those silly full gas-checked bullets) with ONE vegetable fiber wad (.060 thick) at the base of the boolit to help take up space and I'm going to load DOWN .5 grains at a time to 46--ish grains to see if I might have a decent load. Why did I choose to start at 48 grains? It almost fills the case with the bullet seated to length and the fiber wad in place. I figure (and many people have stated something similar) that filling the case with powder is easier than using a filler.
I'm not new to reloading--or casting--(since the late '80s--wow I really put that in print), and I've been a long time reader of HANDLOADER magazine. But working with the .45-70 and reduced loads has only been something I've doing for a few years--maybe longer, I'm not sure when a good friend of mine parted with this guide gun and I decided to give it a good home.
Any insight is appreciated--thanks!