Remington Woodsmaster 742 30-06

[snaggdit]

I tried some rounds in my Remington Woodsmaster 742 yesterday and had bad luck. Lee 309-180GC-1R sized to .309. My grooves are .3075. OAL was 3.125.

I tried 4198 with 29, 31, 33 and 35gr loads. 35gr almost ejected the shells but 29 was the most accurate. 35gr really smacked the shoulder, too (but still less than jacketed loads).

Then I tried some Red Dot. Someone here told me I could do 13-15gr of RD in any 30 cal so I tried 13, 14, 15 and 16gr. It was a nice comfortable load but didn't even think about ejecting. 16 was the most accurate. Do I keep going up with this? IIRC, 16gr is only around 1750fps.

This spring I tried some 4895 and got full action cycling (at lighter loads would get ejection sometimes but next round would not grab) with 34gr, but accuracy was mediocre at best. I had tried a filler with 30-32gr loads and it didn't help much. Consistant functioning at 34.

I guess I have to accept that I will have to use this gun as a "bolt action" if I want to use lead and get accuracy. I'm thinking a softer boolit and up the RD just a little and find a sweet spot and this could be a decent hunting round.

[runfiverun]

i would be worried about the pressures with that much r.d.
i know the 13 gr load is in the 40k range in slightly smaller cases,7.7 jap, 303 brit etc.

[Bob Krack]

Eric,

Ya might try a .308 sizer (if ya got one).

Why "softer" boolit?

Just curious.

Bob

[snaggdit]

Well, I compared the 13gr cases with the 16gr. No difference with the primers or the case mouth diameter.

Bob, I cast these with 8:1 WW/Foundry type and water dropped. They are high 20s close to 30bhn. If I use RD and am shooting them around 1700-1800fps, I could use straight WW air cooled. As a hunting boolit they would have much better expansion.

[outdoorfan]

What is the throat like? How is the overall fit with that boolit in that gun? Just curious.

[snaggdit]

This time I had issues with it going to battery. I used my case guage to find OAL and I ended up a few thous over. I had to let the bolt slam home to get it to fire. As long as I keep it in the crimp groove it will be fine. That's like .005 less than I had them at. I was just trying to get them to touch the rifling and succeeded... Actual OAL was 3.130, 3.125 is where I have had working rounds in the past. When not sticking them out too far, they fit the gun fine.:oops:

[MtGun44]

Probably seating the boolit into the rifling. Have you chambered a (no powder) trial round
and then extracted it and a) does the boolit stick in the throat b) is it engraved heavily
with rifling marks?

No way to expect that you will get functioning with the std spring with RD loads., way too
fast, would be my guess. Likely port pressure would be way down.

Bill

[mroliver77]

Snaggit,
If you want a gas gun to function with cast you need to use powders on the slow side of appropriate powders. You need the pressure in the barrel where it bleeds off the gas. I would go back to the 4895 and you should find a load that works with it. Your boolits are hard enough to stand some pressure. 4895 burns easy and clean and also works well for reduced loads. Keep plugging away and read all you can over on cast pics.
Jay

[shotman]

I am with Oliver on the 4895 in a gas op. Your red dot will plug the gas port on a light load.