35 wcf

[muskeg13]

Although they aren't cast boolits, I've gotten my rebarrelled Model 1895 to group respectably with Hornady 250 RNs. I can get 1" or less 4 out of 5 shots at 50 yards. I managed to screw up two excellent groups with a flyer in each. CBs are next on the to-do list. I have both Ideal/Lyman 250 and 282 gr RNGC moulds to work with.

[StrawHat]

Always good to read that someone else is getting good results with the 1895! Mine is cut for the 405 WCF and after a while I was able to find boolit loads that satisfied me.

I would think that with a little tinkering, you should be able to find the right boolit and powder combination for your rifle. What powders are you using in your loads now? For cast, 3031 and 5744 are places to start.

Good luck and keep us in the loop.

[muskeg13]

I've been using 3031 and 4064 in the jacketed loads, with 4064 being the winner thus far. I can get sub-1 inch groups (0.7) @50 with an avg velocity of 2241, which is good enough. 46gr of 3031 got 2300, but was a bit over 3". I'll cut this one back 1/2 grain and try again when I get the time. I had begun to develop 250 gr cast boolit loads using 2400, Unique and 5744, but I ran into a leading problem caused by the combination of a rough bore and undersized (.358) boolits. I was also using cast loads to fireform the cases. 28 gr of 5744 showed promise, but I lost time lapping the barrel and waiting for a .360 sizer to arrive. Moose season will be here in 2 weeks, and I saw a legal bull at the end of the driveway a week ago, so I had to switch gears and suspend cast boolit development for a while. I did shoot a few cast 5744 loads, and noted just a "flash" of lead at the muzzle. Also, the cast loads shoot quite a bit lower than the full power jacketed loads. I didn't chronograph the cast loads, but estimate they are in the ~1800 fps range. Ideally, I want a cast load that achieves the same general point of impact at 50 yards as my jacketed loads so I won't have to keep moving the sights. My eventual goal is to have a good cast boolit hunting load.

I fully agree with you on preferring old and often obscure cartridges. I also have a new (Miroku) .405 that loves cast boolits. It had bothered me for years that my original 30-06 SRC had both excessive headspace and a rough bore, so it would go for years without being shot (and only with low pressure loads). I'd always liked what I've read about the .35 WCF, and when a barrel came available last year, I took a chance and had the winning bid. I figured that new manufactured Hornady .405 cases could be made to work even though their rims are thicker than originals. I also got a replacement bolt that had to be opened to accept the larger rimmed cartridge. I didn't want to make any major alterations to the original SRC parts. Everything worked out, and headspace is fine.

[Irascible]

I have a 1907 production 1895 in 35 WCF. Great Cartridge. I used a 250gr Old West Hammerhead bullet with good results. The load was 37.5gr of H4895 with a 1.6cc LEE scoop of Ballistic Products shot buffer compressed by the bullet. Cases were Bertrum, primer was the Remington 9 1/2