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Thread: Cast boolit too much pressure?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    Cast boolit too much pressure?

    So the data first, I have an AR in 300 AAC with 16” barrel. Using Lake city converted brass H110 powder, Winchester small rifle primers, trimmed to 1.360” with a Lee 312-155-2r projectile has checked and lubed with Felix lube at 22bhn using 17lbs pure lead, 2lbs super hard and .8ounces pewter...oops on that more than I meant to lol.

    So I was working up a load in .5grn increments, I started with 14 grns and worked my way all the way up to 17grains. By 16.5 I noticed light cratering and a slight impression on the brass from the ejector. So I fired one 17 gen and I noticed slight cratering, flattened primer but slight impression from the ejector. Here’s the problem, 16 grns is the last load that didn’t show high pressure signs but my groups didn’t show any improvement till I hit 17 grns. That load shot a .78” group at 50 yards. The rest were at 1.78” at 50 was the secon best at 14grns, probably a fluke. These were all 5 round groups.

    My question is with 300AAC being such a low pressure round yet creating these high pressure signs should I lower the load to 16grns and just cast like 18bhn rounds. Also at 16 grns I was averaging 2013fps, at 17grns I was averaging 2104fps.

    I based my data off of hogdons website for jacketed data.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master S.R.Custom's Avatar
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    Cast a bit softer... Like 18 bhn. That should tighten groups with a lighter charge.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Boolit_Head's Avatar
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    17.2 is max for a 150 grain bullet with around 50k pressure so not suprising you are seeing signs with what sounds like hard cast bullets. 50k is not exactly low pressure.
    On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.

    Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823

  4. #4
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    one of my sources says 15.3 of H110 1800 Max Vel

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    I have never loaded for that cartridge but if it was me I would lower the load to 16 gr and be happy with the loss of 80 odd fps and have peace of mind. I just wish we still had the right of owning such firearms again. Regards Stephen

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    22 BHN is pretty hard. Probably the reason you got better accuracy at higher pressures is because the bullet obutarated at the higher pressure. Soften the bullet. 12-10 BHN runs just fine in my gas gun. Back off the BHN and try a lighter load. Besides that an expensive alloy
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
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  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    Y’all confirmered what I thought, I’ll back it down to 16grns and shoot for 18bhn next time. I had some 14bhn rounds and anything last 14grains went to heck. The 15 grain groups were everywhere.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rcmaveric View Post
    22 BHN is pretty hard. Probably the reason you got better accuracy at higher pressures is because the bullet obutarated at the higher pressure. Soften the bullet. 12-10 BHN runs just fine in my gas gun. Back off the BHN and try a lighter load. Besides that an expensive alloy
    Well the alloy was after 5 minutes of mind numbing math saying to heck with it 17lbs lead 2 lbs super hard with some tin should be harder than my previous bullets. I accidentally melted a bit more pewter than I anticipated, by that I mean I dropped an old flattened pewter cup on accident when I meant to just melt the bottom quarter off lol.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master

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    I have never considered the 300AAC a low pressure round. It is meant to be pushed hard with supersonic jacketed bullets to achieve the ballistics and numbers to compete with the claim of 30-30 and 7.62x39 ballistics. I have ran mine pretty warm in the bolt gun. Same loads in the AR will sling brass 30 feet.

    Also, depending on the gas and powder used, if it unlocks with more pressure, you can still get some burnishing by the ejector cut, especially if there is a burr or rough edge.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by sutherpride59 View Post
    Well the alloy was after 5 minutes of mind numbing math saying to heck with it 17lbs lead 2 lbs super hard with some tin should be harder than my previous bullets. I accidentally melted a bit more pewter than I anticipated, by that I mean I dropped an old flattened pewter cup on accident when I meant to just melt the bottom quarter off lol.
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KgGXiwkskEE

    I prefer the mixing cross or table method. Simple subtract and division.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check