314299 and IMR 4895

[SlamFire1]

And recommended loads with IMR 4895 and the 314299 Boolit? I would like to push them as fast as they will go without destroying their accuracy.

I will be trying these for the first time in a No4 MkII. This rifle has a slightly used barrel and I have not slugged it. Rather I just went out and cast a bunch of Lyman 314299's with Alloy #2 and put a gas check on them.

I was disappointed to find that my new Lyman mold does not cast the bullets larger than .313. When I used my cheap Harbor Freight electronic dial calibrator, that thing read .312. However I broke out my Mitutoyo , really expensive, highly calibrated, caliper ,and found that the bullet was in fact coming out at .313. Since I thought the mold would cast .314, I purchased a .314 sizing die. Well at least the grooves got lubricated.

Oh yes, when I weighed lubed, gas checked bullets, they came out at 220 grains!.

I am going to use once fired 303 Greek brass, I neck sized the stuff, and am using WLR primers.

I want to mention that I tried to use my Stoney Point comparator on this brass. Unfortunately the brass had not been segregated by rifle. I have a bunch of 303 Lee Enfields. At least two No 4 MkII, two Long Branch, three Austrialian No 1 MK III’, a Savage, and a No 5. Maybe a couple more that I can’t think of. Hey, when they were $80.00, and had good barrels, I could not help myself. What would you have done? :drinks:

Measuring fired brass, the comparator was all over the map. Some of the fired cases had case shoulders that looked like quarter circles. Others looked 30-06 ish. Again the measurements were all over the map. I tried my best guess at neck sizing according to the average case. Some these the case heads had been blown out so large that the sized case looks like a belted magnum. I can say with certitude that the British did not standardize on chamber reamers.

I am going to shoot this stuff offhand at my 100 yard gong target. If it shoots within 2 MOA at that distance I will be happier than a pig in clover.

I am going to shoot up a couple of pounds of IMR 4895 and then try AA5744. I gave AA5744 a try in the 45/70 and with cast bullets in the 30-06 and I think it works just great.

[trk]

Intertesting - as I just picked up a #4Mk1. Just got lots of info: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=10273

It's not a direct answer, but lots of perspective.

[Leftoverdj]

Slamfire, are you using spray on mould release? That stuff reduces bullet size.

[Buckshot]

................Welcome to the board, first of all. I would say that you need to invest in some new brass and some 20 round boxes so you may then dedicate a 'lot' (X number of 20 rnd boxes) per rifle. Or a 50 round box/rifle. Your brass will last a LOT longer, your brass housekeeping will be much more simple, and your accuracy will no doubt reflect the dedicated brass.

Using brass with mixed headsamps, and variable sizing (if I'm reading your post correctly) is just going to complicate the search for accuracy. Good brass of at LEAST the same headstamp will go a long way toward more consistant shooting.

..................Buckshot

[SlamFire1]

I probably did use spray on mold release, or Rapine mold release. I have used the Rapine mold release with Minie Balls. Works great, I use a Q-Tip to put that one.

Actually I have no memory of what release agent I used when I cast these bullets. But it is either one or the other. But I really think these Lyman molds don't cast bullets of .314 diameter.

My Greek brass is all of one headstamp. They all came off the same machine gun belts. How they got there and whether they are the same lot, I don't know. I doubt it is going to make much difference in a 303.

[Bigjohn]

Hey, when they were $80.00, and had good barrels, I could not help myself. What would you have done?

EXACTLY THE SAME THING! I may have even been tempted to send a card or two into meltdown mode.

I have a No1 Mk 3* with a very clean heavy target barrel which all fits inside the original woodwork. Great for shooting cast boolits.

I have shot the 314299 backed by 4064 and 4320. This was some years back and I have moved house since then. I will check and see if I still have the data.

My mold, which I never 'miked' resized and lubed alright in a .314" sizer/lube die.

:drinks:
John.

[SlamFire1]

I would be grateful for 4064 data. Generally speaking you can cut a 4064 load by a grain and get the equivalent velocity with 4895.

I just looked at the latest Lyman 48 handbook. What a waste in so far as cast bullets and the 303 British. The max loads were in the 1400 fps range. Used powders like 2400, unique. Wimp loads. The original 303 load was a 215 grain FMJ at 2200 fps or so. I am certain a 303 Brit is not going to fall apart with a lead bullet going 1800 to 2000 fps.


SlamFire

[Bigjohn]

Slamfire
I packed this data away about ten years ago when I moved house, now I will look for the right box or the original source of the data. May take a day or two.

When I started these load developements, I did not have access to a chrono so that data will be missing. I was casting these out of a mix which is unknown to me but somewhat harder than ww's. Again, no method available to test the hardness.

I do recall that they shot well and very accurate with the sights available.



I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

John
P.S.
Try the link below to the cast bullet page on the 303 site as this has data for 4895
BJ

http://www3.sympatico.ca/shooters/cast.htm

[Uncle Grinch]

If you increase your casting alloy hardness you can gain a thousandth or more. Softer alloys shrink more and thereby drop smaller boolits.