WC872 You guys made be do it, now need loads

[Cary Gunn]

Howdy BCB,

You mentioned yesterday in Post No. 37 that you experienced corrosion in your RCBS powder measure when throwing charges of surplus 860 and 872.

I'm wondering if you or other readers have experienced any other unusual corrosion associated with the use of those two surplus powders?

I ask the question since some time ago I had some mysterious bore corrosion occur for reasons still unknown to me. At the time, I was shooting some compressed loads with WC 872, along with many other loads (uncompressed) with other various powders.

The bores of a couple of my rifles developed a light, "hairy" coating of red-brown rust. The rifles cleaned up fine, so I guess I spotted the trouble before it caused any pitting, but I never really pin-pointed the source of the corrosion.

Might there be some corrosive component in surplus WC 872? Please let me know if you've encountered any similar occurrence of corrosion using surplus propellents.

Thanks, and happy trails,

-- Cary Gunn --

[9.3X62AL]

Never got "rust" per se in my powder measures or bores, but when smokeless powders begin to degrade they sometimes show a rusty red "dust" where they come in contact with air inside the flask. I presume this is some element in the powder oxidizing, and this may be occurring under combustion in the admittedly inefficient environments some of these "experiments" take place within.

I have used close to 30# of WC-860 in a variety of calibers without problems, apart from zombie powder kernels. In 223, using 69 grain Matchkings from a bolt rifle I got 1900 FPS and decent accuracy at 50 and 100 yards. Too funny! Powder weight unknown, I poured it halfway up the case neck and compressed it, and used CCI 450 primers.

[BCB]

The corrosion was when I was using WC-872. I never really noticed it much with WC-860, although I didn't use as much WC-860.

I never noted corrosion in any of the bores, but after each shot, I ran a dry patch down the barrel to push out the unburnt power. The patch eventually got black and more black from continued useage, and sort of had an oily feeling. Maybe running the patch through the bore picked up some of the lube and distributed it throughout.

Not sure.

Good-luck...BCB

[9.3X62AL]

Other WC-860 adventures.......

6.5 x 55 Swedish--55.0 grains underneath any 140 grain jacketed bullet and lit by Federal #215 Large Rifle magnum primers gives 1896-level ballistics (2450 FPS) and SUPERB accuracy.

30-06--60.0 grains lit by the Fed #215s topped with the Lee C309-200 bore rider gave 1975-2000 FPS and decent accuracy. Both of these loads also give a deep, boomy report that is easily worth the price of admission.

45/70--6.0 grains of IMR-4198 followed by 48.0 grains of WC-860 and held in place by 1/16" of compression by Lee #457-405 FN has been a standard in my 45/70s for 20+ years. Again, Fed #215 lights the fires. It gives 1873-level velocities (1300-1325 FPS)
and STELLAR accuracy in my rifles (Ruger #1 and Marlin 1895). 1-1/4" 5-shot groups at 100 yards have been the norm in the #1, and the Marlin runs pretty close to that mark.

[pacomdiver]

you guys running the 872 in the 338 lapua, are you using a kicker charge or all 872?

[Loudenboomer]

My lot of WC860 is in the fast side. In the .338 Lapua with bullets from 215 to 300 gr. I pressure up before a compressed case is reached.

[soewe812]

you guys running the 872 in the 338 lapua, are you using a kicker charge or all 872?

All 872. In 338 Lapua it cleans up nicely.

[biffj]

I used to run the WC872 in the 50 BMG and it works very well. It has about the same velocity as the IMR5010 but it meters really well being a ball powder. I typically ran about 230gr for the standard 650gr military bullets. It burned clean and created much less throat erosion than the extruded 5010.

I never tried the 872 in any of the tiny cals because it works so much better in the 20mm and 50 cal stuff which normally use long barrels and big bores where the slower powder can actually get you good results. Never could see what advantage there was in using a really slow powder for stuff meant to use much faster powder. . .

In the 20mmX 138B for the Solothurn rifle I use about 10 gr of 2F black powder to light things up. Its not enough to cause corrosion but it really helps to light up the tough to light ball powder. Hang fires can be very dangerous so using an initiator can be important, not just convenient. Might help with some of the midrange cartridges you guys are using.

I've tried 872 in my 338 Lapua but never got the velocity and accuracy I wanted. I've had much better luck with extruded powders for that and when you spend the time, money and effort on working up loads, buying bullets, cases and loading equipment, it makes no sense to cheap out on powder unless you're just blasting.

My Desert Tactical rifle with a 30 inch barrel in 338 Lapua does outstanding to 2000 yds and beyond with reloader 33 and 250gr SMK's. Never did as well with the 300gr stuff and 872

Frank