500gr Lee

[tbierley]

I poured some 500gr Lee boolits today and I have run out of Varget. But I do have H4895 can I use it?

[454PB]

45/70?

Sure.

[tbierley]

I am sorry I forgot to state that it is 45/70. I was looking in one of my loading manuals and they did not have H4895 in it for the 500gr Plain base. The powder I have on hand is H4895 and Benchmark.

[tbierley]

Does anyone have some load data for H4895 with a 500gr Lee?

[oldred]

Which 500 grain Lee???? There is a big difference in loading data due to the COL from the required seating depth of the different versions. I ran into this very same thing using the Lee 459-500-3R and Varget in my 45/90 and thanks to some of the guys here I discovered that this version of the 500 grain Lee was running much higher pressures than I had estimated due to it's seating depth.

[tbierley]

I was loading 45gr of Varget. I mould is Lee 459-500-3R.

[454PB]

H4895 is quite a bit faster burning than Varget, so you are going to have to reduce the charge weight. If it were me, I'd start at around 40 grains.

[oldred]

What are you shooting these in? My goal was to keep pressures in the 45/90 to around 28,000 PSI and I was shooting 50 grains of Varget (longer case) based on info for a 500 grain at a longer COL but it was pointed out to me that the pressures were closer to 32,000 PSI due to the seating depth of the 459-500-3R.

Don't know if you saw that discussion or not but it has some very good info on the 45/70 in addition to the 45/90 I was asking about, both using the 459-500-3R Lee with H4895 and Varget.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?165473-Cartridge-air-space/page2

[tbierley]

I am shooting them in a H&R BC.