Load Data

[7 MM]

I am an old (real old ) reloader. I have been casting bullets for several years (pistol) for my son and granddaughter.
Now I would like to try my hand at rifle bullets.
I have a Lee C285-130-1R and aC324-175-1R mould for 7MM and 8MM Mauser but cannot find any load data for them. The Lee Book says to pick a load for a heavier bullet and use a load for the powder you have.
Maybe it is true but sounds a little shaky to me.
Does anyone have a good reload data for these 2 bullets in the weapons stated

[docone31]

With Lee molds, Pat at Lee told me to send them a written letter for starting load data. They will not give information for that over the e-mail.
Personally, I use the next heavier load to start with. So far I haven't had any issues. I do this with my pistol loads, and rifle loads. Seems to work well enough for me. With swaged bullets I use the starting load. With lead, I go up one weight category. The primers did not show any excessive pressure signs and I get a lot of reloads from my cases. I even had a casting fall into the case once. The gas check was definately below the shoulder. I had set that load upside down in my shell holder at the range. A person I knew asked if I had one he could borrow. I said sure and he just took the first one he touched.
The round hit the target where he had been hitting, and the shell showed no signs of excessive pressure. Impressed me. I thought he would grab one of the Milsurp I had with me.
Send out a letter to Lee recquesting data for lead. They have always been helpful to me.

[James C. Snodgrass]

What powders do you have to work with? I like a case full of a slow powder like WC 860 or H-870 , they provide good accuracy and low pressure, you do get some unburned powder but it isn't a big deal.

[VTDW]

I just use jacketed data and go from there.

[7 MM]

I am a died in the wool survivalist who had to return to the city because of family health problems (the Wife not me).
I want to only utilize 2 or 3 powders as that will allow me to buy in quanitity so for rifle I wanted to use either Red Dot or IMR 4895 .
For primers CCI 300 , large pistol ,CCI 200 , large rifle , andCCI 209 shotshell.
I handle all brass with a RCBS Jr single stage press and all reloading is done with Lee Classic Reloaders,no particular reason for the Lee Loaders except it is the way I started out and is still comfortable to do it that way

[Buckshot]

.............7 MM, welcome to the board. You said you wanted to shoot rifle boolits in 7mm and 8mm Mausers, but is that in actual military Mauser rifles, or the 7x57 and 8x57 Mauser 'Cartridges' in say a modern made rifle or what?

Regardless the powder you'd like to use, with cast it's first of all MOST important to know the groove diameter you're dealing with, and can those 2 moulds supply what you need? Pretty fruitless to fire a .284" cast slug in a 7x57 with a .286" (or larger) groove. Ditto the 8mm. I have a couple Turks in 8x 57 which surprisingly enough have a .323" groove and a .324" throat. Both measurements within the ability of the Lee 8mm mould.

On the other hand I also have a CZ24 with a beautiful barrel that slugs .326" and a .327" throat. All I had at the time was a mould dropping .325" of pure linotype. Yeeesh! It shot patterns.

So far as your powders go both are useable and neither is exactly optimum. Use the Red Dot starting at 10.0grs to 13.0 grs, and the 4895 starting at about 32.0 grs. For a casual cast lead shooter the Red Dot will probably make you happiest. Better powders for probably 90% of what one would wish to load without much effort run speedwise from SR4759/4227 to the 3031 area.

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

[jmabbott888]

I have the old (circa 1970's lol) Lyman cast bullet handbook. The closest load listed in here for the powders you mentioned are:
7MM 139gr cast with gascheck mould# 287346 Red Dot 9.0gr start 1350fps, 12gr max 1625fps

8mm 185gr cast with gascheck mould 323366 Red Dot 10.0gr start 1315fps, 14.0gr max 1580 fps

Hope this helps some & happy casting.

[7 MM]

Thanks Buckshot and JM,
I think you have supplied the data I needed.
Buckshot,
The weapons are as they came from Mauser.
I purchased them in the 60's and they were "Westpac project " guns.
Taken down ,headspaced polished for reblue jobs, and new stocks made for them out of exotic woods from the Phillipines or Japan.
Something to do while you are on plane guard duty for 120 days at a time..
All in all I made 7 weapons on westpac tours.
As I said they are survival guns and nothing more.
I do not recreation shoot!!I only hold a gun other than to keep them clean and ready when I entend to use it for real.

7 MM

[KCSO]

For Red Dot in the 7mm start at 10 grains and work up till you hit the sweet spot, mine likes 11.0. For The 8MM I shoot 12.5 and the Lee bullet as cast and slightly beagled to give me a 325 bullet.

[Buckshot]

I purchased them in the 60's and they were "Westpac project " guns.
Taken down ,headspaced polished for reblue jobs, and new stocks made for them out of exotic woods from the Phillipines or Japan.
Something to do while you are on plane guard duty for 120 days at a time..
7 MM

.............So you were in the Navy. Plane guard to me is what the Destroyer I was on attempted to do for the carriers :-) They DID call it plane guard, too. We were supposed to race up and rescue flyers going into the drink. What really happened was the carrier would turn into the wind to commence ops, and then disappear over the horizon, leaving us sucking our thumb.

In the meantime the boilermen in the holes would steam all 4 plants as hard as possible without lifting the safeties, and the Machinists Mates would have guys standing by with firehoses next to the shaft bearing pedestals in case they began to smoke.

Meanwhile the rest of us would enjoy a liberal rain of dust, paint chips and bits of lagging which would rain down from the overhead as the tin can tried to shake itself to pieces trying to keep up :-)

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

[7 MM]

I see you have been there and done that.
Try to tell some of these young people about it and they think you are senile.
Did a stint in country Nam and had my fill.
Only took the weapoms out after my Granddaughter decided to learn to shoot.
When she finds out about boys I guess I will put them back.

7 MM