powder for patching

[lreed]

I've been having great fun and some success patching for '06 and 7&8mmMauser,but I've run out of gas,are any of the currently available surplus powders useful for patched bullets in these ctgs? I've searched for data but have not found anything that I thought concerned patched,only gas checked bullets.Maybe I'm too cautious,but with the heavy patched bullets that reach the shoulder of the case,I thought there was a need to ask. Thanks lreed

[CJR]

Ireed,

I believe "Nobade" uses surplus powders in duplex PPCB loads. Contact him and search his posts. Welcome to the addiction!

Best regards,

CJR

[Bullshop Junior]

I usually use the same load I would use for a regular cast of the same weight. Right now in playing with PP in a 32 special using IMR4064

[offshore44]

Nobade has had good success with Mil-surp powders. Brief description here, in an 8mm Mauser thread.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...periment/page4

I'm getting ready to try this in 458 win mag, 8mm as paper patched and with 308 and 45-70 with gas checked. Gotta conserve what little non-mil-surp powder I have left.

[Nobade]

Wow, I got talked about here...this is getting to be like Facebook!

Yes, I am having great results with milsurp powders in pretty much everything I don't use black powder in. WC857 and 860 are very useful with proper duplex loading in cartridges that they are way too slow for, or by themselves where they work properly.

-Nobade

[lreed]

Thanks for the reply- I am pp 312299 in '06 and 323471 for 8x57 using ww760 and H414 with interesting results. The problem I have is the lack of powder, having read your posts concerning wc860,if I remember correctly you are using lighter weight bullets than I am and was curious as to loading heavy for caliber bullets using surplus powder. These patched bullets do extend down neck and a lot of shoulder,would that cause something scary? I do understand the a duplex loading is a workup. My goal is accuracy at 2000plus-anything you have is of interest to me! Thanks lreed

[Nobade]

No worries about heavier boolits, with that powder (860) the heavier the better.

I hear you on the lack of powder, if you find some try WW780. I like it better than 760 in the 30-06 because it doesn't overpressure with a full case and doesn't need any filler like 760. Just fill 'er up and light it with a magnum primer.

I just got in on an order of WC860, evidently Jeff Bartlett still has plenty of it but when the word gets out to the general public on how to use it I bet it's going to go away pretty fast. Gotta get while the gettin' is good!

You should have no problem breaking 2000 fps in either the 30-06 or the 8X57 with WC860 duplex loaded and any reasonable PP boolit. Lots of powders will work for the duplex kicker, I use a lot of IMR4227 because it's about the right burn rate and I have a lot of it. Most anything in that burn rate works - 2400, 4198, RE7, etc. I would be cautious using anything much faster. I have used Red Dot in the past and it is possible to run into pressure issues if you use too much. With the 4227 I normally use about 4 grains, with the Little Dandy powder measure. Make sure you have enough WC860 to produce a tightly compressed load so the powders don't mix together. Of course just like all smokeless PP, make sure your patch engraves the rifling when you close the bolt. That's about all there is to it - it's very hard to run into problems using that powder since it's so slow. But a normal 170gr. boolit in a 30-06 will go 2400 fps easy so it's still plenty powerful. WC857 is a touch faster and will do 2500 fps but it is also more expensive and not significantly more impressive.

-Nobade

[lreed]

Thanks Nobade; Interesting info,got an order in for wc860. lreed

[303Guy]

That reminds me to look for some 860 in my parts. I found some 780 which I haven't actually tried properly yet.

[Nobade]

That reminds me to look for some 860 in my parts. I found some 780 which I haven't actually tried properly yet.

I was wondering if you guys can get military surplus powder. Is the US the only place it is sold, or is it available in other countries? That's something I have never heard about.

-Nobade

[pdawg_shooter]

The powder being too slow is not something to worry about. I have a load using a case full of AA4350 and a 170gr PP bullet in a 30-30 and it is the most accurate load I have ever shot from this Marlin. Velocity? Dont know, but it does kill deer. Bullet is cast from ACWWs.

[Nrut]

The only surplus available up here, that I have seen is WC-735 which is 5% faster than H-335.
And they are out of stock..
Use to have all types of surplus here until the vendor died and his nephew took over..

[Goatwhiskers]

Has anybody tried slow (read available) in smaller cases, let's say .44Mag or .445SM? GW

[Nobade]

Has anybody tried slow (read available) in smaller cases, let's say .44Mag or .445SM? GW

Black powder works a lot better in those cases. By the time you duplex load the slow stuff in a 44 mag you could have just used the kicker charge by itself to do almost the same thing.

-Nobade

[Goatwhiskers]

Had a notion about that. Noticed that in pistol loads for the 445 A1680 seems to be highly recommended. I tried that stuff in 44Mag, got up to 32gr and still had poor combustion and soot all over the case. Figured I could achieve the same (better) results with a lot less powder using the more common loads. Funny thing is it's great in the Max. GW

[303Guy]

In my early hornet days before I discovered Lil'Gun I tried duplexing H4227 and Varget. That was with j-words but still. The results weren't too shabby although I have no idea of the velocity. More than H4227 alone could produce at safe pressures.

I don't know about canister powders. We get whatever Hodgdon and other powder marketers have plus what ADI make for Hodgdon. We get European powders here too. And we have tonnes of 22lr ammo! Sorry - couldn't help myself. But then you see, we need it. It's our mainstay possum and rabbit medicine.

I've heard of 4350 being good in the 30-30. Full case, moderate to mild pressure and moderate to mild velocity but with very good accuracy.

[rhead]

The powder being too slow is not something to worry about. I have a load using a case full of AA4350 and a 170gr PP bullet in a 30-30 and it is the most accurate load I have ever shot from this Marlin. Velocity? Dont know, but it does kill deer. Bullet is cast from ACWWs.

PD The Lee manual list 38 grains with a 170 grain boolit at 2030 fps and 37100 CUP. My Marlins and Winchesters love that load and my NEF ADORES it. The longer barrel may have something to do with that. Comparing POA with this load and factory loads tells me that the velocity data is reasonable.

Please confirm any load data on the web with published sources. I will not lie to you but I can make typos.