Cast bullets at 600+ yards?? With Swedes

[Bike Rider]

Is there anyone there in cast bullet land that has shot with the Swede or any other 6.5mm at 600 yards or further? If so I would like to hear your results. I have several Swedes and Dutch mannlichers and would like to try them at 600 yards on a highpower target.

My guess it that it would take 35-40 minutes to get it to 600 yards from 100 yd zero.

If anyone is in Central NC let me know and we can go to Butner and give it a try all the way out to 1000.

[Buckshot]

Is there anyone there in cast bullet land that has shot with the Swede or any other 6.5mm at 600 yards or further? If so I would like to hear your results. I have several Swedes and Dutch mannlichers and would like to try them at 600 yards on a highpower target.

My guess it that it would take 35-40 minutes to get it to 600 yards from 100 yd zero.

If anyone is in Central NC let me know and we can go to Butner and give it a try all the way out to 1000.

...............Not that far. Only 200 meters. Used to shoot our clubs non-registered cast lead silhuette deal. That was a good 12 years ago and I used the NLA LYman 268645 Hi-Velocity (their words) 152gr slug.

http://www.fototime.com/8B8B8013CDC151A/standard.jpg

It would be #3 in this photo. Even at only 1550 fps (34.0grs surp WC872) it would topple the 200 meter ram. As they used to say, "The bullet carries up well". Only required 1 sight change between the pig and the turkey. Hold belly , then back and a sight change then body and back.

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

[beagle]

Fartherest I've shot cast is at 300 meters with the .30/06 .375 H & H, .38-55, .223 and now, get this....the .25-20 with 60 grain bullets.

All of them did well and the .38-55 was just a little over minute of angle at that range.

The .25-20 was really surprising in that it made it to 300 meters but it was fairly accurate at that range.

Usually, from my experiences, the biggest problems with shooting cast at long range is to (1) Find a range that is over 300 yards. (2) Haveing a sighting system that will compensate for the low velocity/high trajectory of our cast bullets. (3) The wind drift would be atrocious at our velocities.

Even with those problems in mind it's a lot of fun if you can make it work.

You mean Butner's still going? I thought the state gobbled that up. Dad lived in Roxboro and I'd get over there once in a while. #2 son lives in High Point. I'll let him know it's still going./beagle

[andrew375]

I cannot recall if I ever used my old M38 at 600 but I certainly used it at 500 yards. This was with the NEI .264-140gr. loaded to give around 2000 fps.

I haven't got the range data anymore but I do recall that the bullet went subsonic at between 300 and 400 yards.

I've used my .308 with the 200gr Lee at 600 plenty of times with good results.

[26Charlie]

Used the 311335 210 gr. in the .30-06 at 600 yds., velocity around 1500-1600 f/s. Midrange trajectory was about 15 feet, which put it above the treetops which bordered the range. It was a gusty day, and some shots were lost due to the wind. I imagine a 6.5mm bullet would have the same approximate wind drift as the .30 bullet, both being long for their diameter.
For comparison, I think the 600 yd. MRT for a jacketed boat-tail at 2700 f/s is about 3 feet.

[B747]

Better try it on pretty calm days. :roll:

The wind drift at 600 Yds for a 10 mph X-wind will be near 8 feet.
The NRA 600 Yd target aiming black (7 Ring) is 36" across, so you will have to be reading wind / mirage changes to under 1 mph changes to stay in the black.
Not easy to do.
Wally

[twoworms]

Corbin,

Let me know what you come up with. I have shot my 1904 year M96 Swede out to 500meters and hit the ram 4 out of 5 shots from a bench with (J) bullets.

I would like to cast some WW boolits with a gas check and fire a few at the same ram at 500meters/ 547yards.

Tim

[mike in co]

from 200 to 600 yds with a 175 condom is a 28-29 inch change...i go up 28 from my 200 setting. that is with about 2600/2700 fps.....me thinks you are gonna need a lot more......and a calm day.....

[longbow]

While I certainly haven't gotten that far yet I do have articles regarding long range shooting with cast bullets in .30 cal and under. I am currently working on loads for .303 British but 600 yards is a ways off yet (no pun intended).

Here is a excerpt from a C.E.Harris article (this is for 7mm to .30 cal but 6.5mm isn't far off):

Four load classifications from Mattern (1932) cover all uses for the cast bullet military rifle. I worked up equivalent charges to obtain the desired velocity ranges with modern powders, which provide a sound basis for loading cast bullets in any post-1898 military rifle from 7 mm to 8 mm:

1. 125-gr., plainbased "small game/gallery"
900-1000 f.p.s., 5 grains of Bullseye or equivalent.

2. 150-gr. plainbased "100-yd. target/small game",
1050-1250 f.p.s., 7 grs. of Bullseye or equivalent.

3. 150-180-gr. gaschecked "200-yard target"
1500-1600 f.p.s., 16 grs. of #2400 or equivalent.

4. 180-200-gr. gaschecked "deer/600-yard target"
1750-1850 f.p.s., 26 grs. of RL-7 or equivalent.

Good luck and good shooting.

Longbow

[Bass Ackward]

Long range shooting with cast is about sights and small extreme spreads and enough velocity.

I could never do it well enough until I got a Springfield Armory scope with mildot cross hairs calibrated for 308 Match ammo. Now I use a 30-06 with a 160 grain LBT spitzer at 2600 fps and I can bust ground hogs fairly regularly out to 400 yards. Beyond that, and the bullet has too much drop for the dots for hogs. It becomes a guess that you would have to experience often enough to utilize it which I don't as 400 yards is hill side to hill side here. I just use this rig for self gratification at times and to earn a few bucks when I find someone who is an expert on what a cast bullet won't do.