Just one more thing...

[nagantino]

OK, with lots of help from the members I am about to make some .303 boolits using cast from a Lee C312-185-1R. I have the Lube made and the gas checks ready. I dont live in the United States so choice of powders is limited. Its severely limited because of the exchange rate and the Euro. The ONLY powder available to me is BLC-2 but its real hard to find data for lead. I was hoping to use 20 grs. with the 185 boolit as a starting load. Some sources say BLC-2 is the same as AR 2206 and also IMR 3031. Is it?

If anyone is using BLC-2 to propel a 185 cast boolit?

Is there an equivalent to BLC-2 that I could make comparison with?

[georgewxxx]

My load book shows I've tried 27gr Blc2 and 311299, 311466 and a old Lee 170gr flat nosed designed boolit. All shot well, but just about any weight boolit will work OK. Don't get too hung up on boolit weight. Just try any you happen to have on hand. As far as similar powders WW748 is BLc2. I might be easier if you told us what you powders you can buy, then we go from there. Even fast shotgun powders do well in a .303 if you have access to any. 10 to 13gr. is usually the recommended charge for trap or skeet powders.

Here's a link for burn rates. Decide for yourself what you want.. http://www.reloadersnest.com/burnrates.asp

...Geo

[Kraschenbirn]

Dunno how much this might help but I load 31.5 gr of H4895 (with a dacron fill) under that same boolit for my #4Mk1 and all my reloading books show BLC-2 starting charges 4%-9% higher (by weight) than H4895. According my thumbnail math (fudged slightly downward for safety), a starting load of around 28 gr of BLC-2 should put you in the ballpark.

Have no experience or data for AR2206 but BLC-2 has a w-a-a-y slower burn rate than 3031.

Bill

[mpmarty]

I use BLC(2) exclusively in cast boolits for 308 Winchester. 32gr of it under a 180gr cast gas checked boolit does quite nicely.

[nagantino]

George, the problem here is that there are very few powders to select from. My last visit gave me 1[one] choice BCL-2. Its all about paying transportation from Germany which local dealers wont pay. I have read .303british.com but can find no equivalence from the powders mentioned like #2400,IMR4759,4198 or or 3031. I have never seen any of these for sale here[UK].
Part of the fun for me is casting the bullet more cheaply than bought bullets and then driving them with much reduced loads. I see websites recommending other powders that have 17grs or 18grs of this or that powder so I thought that my BCL-2 would run on a similar amount.

Krashinbirn suggests 28 grs but this sounds a little high but thanks K for the suggestion.

You guys are spoilt for choice for powders aint, ya.............

[frkelly74]

You don't want to go too light with slower powders ,in my opinion, for risk of detonation. You might want to explore fillers for use in lighter charges of medium to slow powders. They will increase pressures, so you will need less powder and will help get consistent ignition. Explore the correlation between IMR 4895 and BLc2 especially in cartridges like 30/06. Take starting loads for jacketed bullets and reduce 10 - 20% or so to get cast data starters. read up everything you can find.

[NHlever]

Looks like 30.0 grains of BLc2 will give you about 1600 fps with mild (13000 psi) pressures, and 40.0 grains of BLc2 will give you about 2200 fps at 29,500 psi with the bullet you mentioned. C312-185-1R. These numbers are from the Quickload program, and I can't verify them, of course so you will have to work up a load that is good in your gun. Hopefully it will give you a place to start.

[georgewxxx]

I agree, we do have a extreme abundance of powders available. So your saying the UK dealer's don't even sell shotgun powders?

I understand where your coming from as far as trying to have fun with your hobby. Most all of us here started out that way. In my case it's just snowballed through the years into something massive . After you needled us about powder, I just counted the number of different powders on my shelf and it's close to 40. Just guessing, I've must have 300 or more moulds on hand. As it turns out, it's as much an investment as money in the bank. Some of the 5 dollar moulds I bought years ago now sell for hundreds of dollars. Same with the guns I own.

If it were me testing that .303 of your, I'd start by loading 5 rounds with 25 grains and 5 with 26 grains and keep going up until the groups open up. There again it's part of your hobby testing. Above all, keep good records of each load for that one gun so you don't end up repeating the same thing over. Seating that same boolit in differing depths might just change your groups also, as does the lead alloy if you change to something harder or softer.

By the way welcome to the forum, we're glad to hear from all countries, and happy to help if we can...Geo

[nagantino]

George,
Thanks for that mate. Your suggestion of building from 25 grs to 26 etc sounds good. I dont a know a single person who reloads for shotgun and so these powders are, lets say, rare. I shoot DTL and even I have to admit that the price of cartridges has remained reasonable this side of the pond, so no one reloads for shotgun.

40 types of powder! The Land of the Free and.................

[45nut]

What part of the UK? Dromia is a registered dealer there and I am pretty sure he stocks a few different powders.