The Dust Collector
09-29-2007, 02:31 PM
Many years ago when I first got my model 71 Winchester ( .348 Win. caliber ) a friend
thought I said that I had a .338 Win. and gave me a box of Hornady 200 grain jacketed
round noses that he no use for. At first I didn't know what I'd do with them as well. So
I squirreled them away in my cupboard with the rest of my goodies and that was that.
Factory ammunition was readily available then yet, and I had about 6 or 7 boxes and
I figured that I would shoot these up and have the brass for reloading. When that time
came or there abouts, I went to a number of gun shops that I had been buying my
reloading stuff from, but 348's anything were not to be had. So I ordered a box of 180
grainers from Speer and a box of 200 grainers from Hornady through a local dealer.
Those were slower times back then and the bullets were 60 to 90 days out.
Now for some reason that just bugged the heck out of me as in my mind I just had to
have bullets now !
The gears in my brain started to turn when I came up the brain fart of patching those
338s that I had squirreled away. Patching jacketed bullets? Was I nutzo? That never
stopped me before!
In anticipation to to the future realoading of this cartridge I had already picked up an
RCBS die set. I still had to flare the cases to allow the finnished PPB to enter without
damaging the wrap. For this I used a 3/8" ball bearing lightly tapped into the case mouth.
In patching the bullet, I had 9 pound onion skin dampened with water, made a double
wrap, twisted a tail and allowed to dry. The tail was clipped flush with the bullets base
after drying. I covered about 5/8 of the 338's body from the base up. The resulting
diameter was .351" and I left it at that. I did lube the patch with STP ever so lightly.
I forgot just how deep I seated the bullets, but I remember that I seated them so that
they cycled through the action without problem.
The primer was a CCI 200 And the powder charge was 50 grains of 4320.
At the range of 100 yards I set up a sheet of card board fo about 4 feet square figuring
the worst. My rifle had consistenly shot 1 1/2" to 2'' groups with factory ammo.
I have a Reddfield reciever sight on the rifle and I always thought that this was good
deer hunting accuracy. And it still Is!
Back to my PPBs. My first shot was to the left of center by about 3 1/2" but even with
the center. The second was 5" left and an inch lower, the third was just under 4" left
and a little high, and the fourth was 5 1/2" and even with center. WHOA!
Just a little sight ajustment to move things to the right and I was getting roughly the
same grouping that I did with factory rounds. NEAT!
I don't have a need to do this any longer, and I do believe that the jackets on the
338s are more heavily constructed, BUT it does show that it can be done with success.
I personally do not see any reason that this idea cann't be applied to any other caliber
that is in reasonable range to the caliber that one is seeking.
I'm much further along now than I was 40 some years ago, but it is still very rewarding
( FUN ) to try things that don't seem common usage, just to find a " new " way of
approaching a problem and seeing that it works!
FWIW
DUST
thought I said that I had a .338 Win. and gave me a box of Hornady 200 grain jacketed
round noses that he no use for. At first I didn't know what I'd do with them as well. So
I squirreled them away in my cupboard with the rest of my goodies and that was that.
Factory ammunition was readily available then yet, and I had about 6 or 7 boxes and
I figured that I would shoot these up and have the brass for reloading. When that time
came or there abouts, I went to a number of gun shops that I had been buying my
reloading stuff from, but 348's anything were not to be had. So I ordered a box of 180
grainers from Speer and a box of 200 grainers from Hornady through a local dealer.
Those were slower times back then and the bullets were 60 to 90 days out.
Now for some reason that just bugged the heck out of me as in my mind I just had to
have bullets now !
The gears in my brain started to turn when I came up the brain fart of patching those
338s that I had squirreled away. Patching jacketed bullets? Was I nutzo? That never
stopped me before!
In anticipation to to the future realoading of this cartridge I had already picked up an
RCBS die set. I still had to flare the cases to allow the finnished PPB to enter without
damaging the wrap. For this I used a 3/8" ball bearing lightly tapped into the case mouth.
In patching the bullet, I had 9 pound onion skin dampened with water, made a double
wrap, twisted a tail and allowed to dry. The tail was clipped flush with the bullets base
after drying. I covered about 5/8 of the 338's body from the base up. The resulting
diameter was .351" and I left it at that. I did lube the patch with STP ever so lightly.
I forgot just how deep I seated the bullets, but I remember that I seated them so that
they cycled through the action without problem.
The primer was a CCI 200 And the powder charge was 50 grains of 4320.
At the range of 100 yards I set up a sheet of card board fo about 4 feet square figuring
the worst. My rifle had consistenly shot 1 1/2" to 2'' groups with factory ammo.
I have a Reddfield reciever sight on the rifle and I always thought that this was good
deer hunting accuracy. And it still Is!
Back to my PPBs. My first shot was to the left of center by about 3 1/2" but even with
the center. The second was 5" left and an inch lower, the third was just under 4" left
and a little high, and the fourth was 5 1/2" and even with center. WHOA!
Just a little sight ajustment to move things to the right and I was getting roughly the
same grouping that I did with factory rounds. NEAT!
I don't have a need to do this any longer, and I do believe that the jackets on the
338s are more heavily constructed, BUT it does show that it can be done with success.
I personally do not see any reason that this idea cann't be applied to any other caliber
that is in reasonable range to the caliber that one is seeking.
I'm much further along now than I was 40 some years ago, but it is still very rewarding
( FUN ) to try things that don't seem common usage, just to find a " new " way of
approaching a problem and seeing that it works!
FWIW
DUST