Cayoots Wide, Flat & Kinda Heavy .45

[ktw]

I've been playing with this boollit a bit over the course of this summer in a Winchester 94 45 Colt Trapper. It has become one of my favorite bullet designs for this carbine. I plan to use it for deer season this year. Thanks again to Cayoot for running the group buy.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g232/ktwna/reloading/cayoot2.jpg

GBLee 455-300-LFN (Cayoot) .455/NRA50-50/bhn12
SL brass, CCI300
Powder ... Charge . Vel(FPS) . SD . ES .. N ... Note
Unique ..... 9.5 ..... 1158 ....... 7 .. 24 .. 10 ... Ok
Unique .... 10.0 .... 1200 ....... 4 .. 11 .. 10 ... OK

H4227 ..... 22.0 .... 1318 .... 19 .. 64 .. 10 ... OK
H4227 ..... 22.5 .... 1337 .... 24 .. 72 .. 10 ...
H4227 ..... 23.0 .... 1354 .... 19 .. 50 .. 10 ... good

2400 ....... 17.0 .... 1274 .... 22 .. 75 .. 10 ... good
2400 ....... 18.0 .... 1351 .... 27 .. 80 .. 10 ... OK
2400 ....... 19.0 .... 1412 .... 15 .. 49 .. 10 ...

H110 ....... 21.0 .... 1364 .... 23 .. 72 .. 10 ... CCI350, good, best overall
H110 ....... 21.5 .... 1389 .... 25 .. 71 .. 10 ... CCI350


I have tried the 21gr H110 load with card, polystyrene and LDPE over-powder wads with the intent of protecting the plain base but these did not offer any improvement over the regular non-wad loads.

I suspect I could get the ES down some on the 21gr H110 loads by upping the charge a bit, but the 21 gr load is pleasant to shoot and accurate as is and I plan on sticking with it.

The loads listed as "OK" above are all shooting 2"-2.5" groups for 10 shots at 60 yards over bags with with a peep sight and the short sight radius on the Trapper. The "good" loads are all shooting better than 2" for 10 shots.

-ktw

[yondering]

Nice lookin boolit. What's the meplat diameter on that thing? It looks slightly smaller than the production Lee 300gr WFN, but still plenty big. (My Lee boolit measures .380" at the meplat).

I'm surprised that you are getting more velocity with 2400 than H110. That boolit looks like it occupies less room in the case than a normal 300gr, so you could probably crank up the powder charge a bit more, to get a more complete burn and better velocity. It would certainly start to hit a bit harder on your end too! FWIW, I use 24gr H110 in my 5" Ruger Bisley Blackhawk with the Lee gas check 300gr boolit and the same CCI350 primers, for about 1,275 fps. Haven't tried that load in a long gun though.

[ktw]

I'm surprised that you are getting more velocity with 2400 than H110.

A review of my load notes shows a solid 100 fps more velocity with a 300 grain jacketed bullet under 21 gr H110 than I am getting with the 300 gr plain based cast bullets.

I would attribute this to having a lot more neck tension on the jacketed bullet (seated in belled/unexpanded cases) resulting in a more efficient burn with H110 at this charge level. I don't put near that much neck tension on the plain based cast boolits. I tend to cast them relatively soft and this tends to size them down when seating.

I would expect the burn characteristics of 2400 and H4227 to not be as dependent on the level of resistance/neck tension. This is a good argument for not being satisfied with the H110 load and doing some additional work with the faster burning powders in the future.

This bullet was spec'ed at a 75% meplat.

-ktw

[yondering]

If you still have those jacketed bullets, check the distance from the base to the case mouth (at the crimp groove?) compared to the boolit pictured above. I'd bet the jacketed bullet sits down in the case farther, creating more pressure and boosting velocity. More case capacity means you can use more powder, for the same pressure, and higher velocity (if you want it).

[ktw]

You are right. After lining them up at the crimp point and comparing, the amount of case capacity they use up is a better predictor of velocity with H110 than my earlier neck tension theory.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g232/ktwna/reloading/seat-depth.jpg


And, while I have the camera out, relative meplat sizes

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g232/ktwna/reloading/rel-meplat.jpg


I have always understood that I could push these faster through the carbine with more H110. I just got burned out on the heavy kickers in the light carbine after shooting a pile of the Lee 340's through it this summer. Our deer aren't that tough. I've specifically been looking for a more relaxed "300 grain bullet at 1300-1350 fps" load.

-ktw

[yondering]

I hear ya on the heavy kicking stuff in those carbines. I find my 30-06 easier to shoot than the Win 94 I tried, I'm sure stock design has a lot to do with it.

Just a thought, are you seating to the upper or lower crimp groove? You might try seating to the upper crimp groove (reducing case capacity) to get the same velocity, but at higher pressure, with a little less powder. This might help reduce the velocity variation with H110, which just doesn't like to be downloaded at all.
Other than that, looks like its working well for you. Nice selection of boolits, btw.