.310Cadet alloy

[JeffinNZ]

Team.

I have been given a .310 Cadet to play with. Brand new BSA barrel measuring .320 in the throat just before the rifling and .318 in the groove. The mould is a CBE 320-120.

Thus far the best accuracy I have achieved is 4 inches at 50m. This is using 8gr of 2400 for just on 1100fps. Unique and Vectan A1 threw shots right, left and nowhere near centre. Cases are not sized and bullets finger seated. Primers are CCI small pistol.

My question is what alloy/BHN do the successful .310 shooters use? I am presently shooting pure lead, 5.0 BHN. The factory Kynochs I have measure 6.4 BHN and I have tried my 40-1, 7.8 BHN though not with 2400 yet.

[PAT303]

Jeff,mine shoots 1'' at 50 with 10BHN CBE boolits over a case full of AR2207. Pat

[dromia]

I'm using my run of the mill WW/range scrap mix around 10-12 BHN.

2" 50yrd groups the norm.

Lee GB and RCBS boolits.

3.5 gns VV N320 or Alliant Red Dot.

Cases just cleaned, de and reprimed not resized and boolits hand seated.

[curator]

Jeff,

We use wheel weight alloy here in the US. (97% Pb, 2.5% Sb, .5% Sn) which air cooled and aged gives a BHN of 12. Pure lead is a bit too soft. My most accurate load is 4.3 to 4.5 grains of Unique which gives 1250 to 1350 fps. I too use the CBE 320/120 mould. Fired cases are only reprimed and bullets thumb-pressed without sizing. I lube them with Lee liquid alox. 2" groups from the bench is about normal as Dromia says. I have never gotten the same accuracy using Alliant 2400.

[smlekid]

G'day Jeff I use 50\50 WW PB with the same mould I load them with 6.5grs of Winchester 540 in Bertram cases with PMC small rifle primers lube ie Lee allox here is a picture of an average 10 shot group at 50m the patch size is about 1"
I get around 1450fps with this load

[358wcf]

G'Day Gents!
I've been using 4.0gr Unique in my .310 Cadets- using the RCBS mold, with heeled boolit and single external lube groove- Win Small Pistol primers- tumble lubed in liquid alox, then after seating the boolit by hand (unsized case), I dip the loaded boolit, up to the case neck in melted lube (50%beeswax/50%Johnsons Paste Floorwax)- wipe excess lube off with a rag, ready to shoot- with a very mild pop, and a hole appears in your target!
I've had poor luck with very soft alloys, and much better luck using WW or harder. There was an old Ross Seyfreid article a few years back in Handloader about the Cadet- his recommendation for accuracy was to use something harder than WW-
Perhaps I'll take his advice and try adding some linotype to the mix-
Keep those old Cadets shooting! What fun!!!!
Chuck
358wcf [smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[JeffinNZ]

HHHMMMM. Well, I'll be. OK, will run up some WW and send them down range. Back soon.

[wbwizzard]

Ross Seyfield also used CFV wax wads under the boolit with no other lube; chambers a lot easier and cleaner. I use 8 grains of little gun with the RCBS 125 gr cast from wheel weghts.

[PAT303]

G'day Jeff I use 50\50 WW PB with the same mould I load them with 6.5grs of Winchester 540 in Bertram cases with PMC small rifle primers lube ie Lee allox here is a picture of an average 10 shot group at 50m the patch size is about 1"
I get around 1450fps with this load

My 10 shot groups are very similar to yours.There is a very active cadet group in NSW and the groups they are shooting are eye watering. Pat

[midnight]

I would greet you all with G'day mates but since everyone else has , I won't. Nice to see others shooting the 310 Cadet. So many of them have been rechambered. I have only shot bullets from Buffalo Arms ahead of 8.0gr of 4759 for 1200fps using Bertram cases. Groups are under 2 in at 50 yds. Got the RCBS mould but havn't shot them yet. Didn't know Jim Allison at CBE made a mould. I may have to get one. I got a 512975 from him with KAL handles and my credit card company stopped my card. Guess I don't buy much from Australia. Have to warn the credit card people next time I do that. It was cool calling Jim at 7PM Tuesday here and it was 10AM Wednesday there.

Bob

[JeffinNZ]

Ross Seyfield also used CFV wax wads under the boolit with no other lube; chambers a lot easier and cleaner. I use 8 grains of little gun with the RCBS 125 gr cast from wheel weghts.

Does anyone have this article I could my hands on???

[303Guy]

There's just no way a .310 Martini can't be made to shoot accurate! Lil'Gun powder would probably make it into a remarkable performer. Compress the stuff if necessary! Consider heavier boolits too.


Brand new BSA barrel ...Jeff, you have the means of keeping us intrigued for quite a while with this one. Should you fail .... well, you know my address. I'll make it work!:guntootsmiley:

[PAT303]

Funny enough mine has a pretty ordinary barrel but shoots like stink yet my mates is like a mirror but doesn't shoot any better. Pat

[Boz330]

I haven't tried this load yet but a friend said it shoots good in his. 7.6gr of Accurate #9. Not sure you can get that stuff in NZ though but I think some of Accurates's powders are made in OZ.

Bob

[303Guy]

shoots like stinkMight I suggest a trick or two?

Try this principle.
http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo327/303Guy/MVC-133F_edited.jpghttp://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo327/303Guy/MVC-168F_edited.jpg

That arrangement holds the bullet/boolit in place but, I used to dip the seated bullet (ofter the exposed paper hand towel strips had been cut off with another case over the bullet) into molten 'waxy-lube' which would soak up to the bullet base and 'glue' it in place quite firmly. Cases necks are unsized. Accuracy from that gun was pretty impressive even though it had a rust damaged bore. (Quite badly damaged). I devised that little tool to facilitate seating of the paper hand towel strips to speed up the operation. I had to pre-compress the Lil'Gun charge first.

[JeffinNZ]

Right, progress report. I appear to be getting somewhere. Today I shot ACWW bullets over 4.5gr of WST for 1230fps using a LDPE wad under the heel and was rewarded with 2 inches at 50m. Given that Cadet sights are not great that accuracy is OK(ish). I will re shoot on Thursday and try 5.0gr also. Incidentally, same load, no LDPE wad, HORRENDOUS accuracy. Looks like the 320 120 might be too skinny for bare bottom bullets in this rifle as all loads using any powder (WST, Unique, Vectan A1, 2400) under a bare heels causes leading in the first two inches of the barrel. A grease cookie prevented this but accuracy was about double that of the LDPE.

[Bill Torzsok]

Hi Jeff,
4.5 gr of AP70 with the same CBE boolit mold as yours
My Martini has a peep sight and groups under 1".

[JeffinNZ]

Hi Jeff,
4.5 gr of AP70 with the same CBE boolit mold as yours
My Martini has a peep sight and groups under 1".

What's your alloy/BHN?

[smlekid]

Hi Jeff with that mould with my 50/50 alloy (PB WW) I get .320" and 110gr (light isn't it) my barrel slugs at .320" I've tried AP70 and get sticky extraction and not so good accuracy
I started searching around the internet to find load data and kept seeing Bluedot mentioned I didn't have any and found the closest burning rate Powder I had was Winchester 540 (Hodgson HS6 I believe today) Istarted using it and haven't looked back 6.5 grs is getting along at 1450fps with very good consistent accuracy and easy extraction
this load shoots well in my 2 cadets but doesn't quite work to the sights of my 1st pattern it needs a heavier boolit to get it shooting straight (groups are little off to one side with the lighter boolit it shoots straight with a blackhawke 128gr)
if you can find some try HS6 (I know you probably don't want another can of powder!!!)

[Bill Torzsok]

Hi Jeff,
WW - about 12 I guess