Bent Ramrod
01-11-2010, 01:14 AM
Took a while, as I needed to cobble together a buttstock for my Cadet Martini. Bought three packages of Bertram brass and cast up a supply of boolits from the Group Buy mould.
Since the boolits were smooth sided and heeled, I rolled a cannelure halfway along the side and lubricated with Lee Liquid Alox. I had to expand the Bertram cases as they were rather tapered. This was done by charging the case with 4 grains Unique and breech-seating an Ideal 32359. The cases expanded OK. They could also be belled, slightly, but too much and the shell would not chamber. However, if the bell was just right, the Group Buy boolits could be squeezed in with a homemade seating chamber for the .32 Ideal that I found for a .310 tool. They would then chamber, with more or less finger pressure. Once the shells were expanded, the heel of the Group Buy boolit was a perfect slip fit in the case, loose enough so the boolit could be fully seated with finger pressure, yet tight enough so it would take some rough handling to dislodge the boolit. This worked with two different lots of Bertram .310 Cadet cases. The cartridges so made chambered without problems in the Cadet.
I took the rifle out today and with 5.5 to 7 grains of 2400 or 4 grains Unique I got about 3" groups for five shots at 100 yards; not bad for the rudimentary sights. The loads shoot a little high (reducing the sight setting to 50 yards brings them pretty much in for elevation at 100) and about 2" to the left. There is no windage adjustment on the sight, as far as I can see. Extraction of most cases was good, although I sometimes had to bear down some on the lever.
Full marks to the designer and honcho of the Cadet Group Buy. The boolit looks like a winner!
Since the boolits were smooth sided and heeled, I rolled a cannelure halfway along the side and lubricated with Lee Liquid Alox. I had to expand the Bertram cases as they were rather tapered. This was done by charging the case with 4 grains Unique and breech-seating an Ideal 32359. The cases expanded OK. They could also be belled, slightly, but too much and the shell would not chamber. However, if the bell was just right, the Group Buy boolits could be squeezed in with a homemade seating chamber for the .32 Ideal that I found for a .310 tool. They would then chamber, with more or less finger pressure. Once the shells were expanded, the heel of the Group Buy boolit was a perfect slip fit in the case, loose enough so the boolit could be fully seated with finger pressure, yet tight enough so it would take some rough handling to dislodge the boolit. This worked with two different lots of Bertram .310 Cadet cases. The cartridges so made chambered without problems in the Cadet.
I took the rifle out today and with 5.5 to 7 grains of 2400 or 4 grains Unique I got about 3" groups for five shots at 100 yards; not bad for the rudimentary sights. The loads shoot a little high (reducing the sight setting to 50 yards brings them pretty much in for elevation at 100) and about 2" to the left. There is no windage adjustment on the sight, as far as I can see. Extraction of most cases was good, although I sometimes had to bear down some on the lever.
Full marks to the designer and honcho of the Cadet Group Buy. The boolit looks like a winner!