Loads for a Nat'l Ord 'o3A3

[helice]

Some years ago I was given a barreled action marked Natl Ord. 19o3A3. I have done some study on line and find that there is question about the quality of the cast receiver used to cobble these together. I know that some like them and that some are terrified by them. I have finally got the action in a nice older Fajan stock and will soon start to develop cast loads for it.
I would welcome your ideas for this rifle. My intentions are to use it only with cast, once I have my order of gas checks in hand. I have the 311284, 311334, 311316, Lee's 30-30 170 and a couple of LBT 115 gr. 32 Mag moulds. I have Red Dot, 700X, H-110, A-2400, ReL-7 & 15, and H-4831 (and a wee bit of Unique left). Powder is tough to get in Kalifornia and expensive so I prefer to use what I have (for now). This does not mean that you can't recommend loads with other powders. I will log your information for future reference.
Thank you in advance for your kindness and knowledge.
Karl

[L Ross]

Karl, just did some work with the 311284 in the past couple of days for an 03 Springfield sporter with an El Paso K-3 Weaver with a crosswire and post I intend to use for deer hunting a week from tomorrow. The bullets are straight ACWW, the noses are almost round at .3005" to.301" as they rotate through the mic. Sized nose first in a Star at .311". Lubed with White Labe Carnuba Red in the rear grease groove only, checked with Hornady checks. Then tumbled in 45 45 10, total weight 221 grains. Loaded in once fired FC cases, neck annealed, primed with CCI 200's. C.O.L is 3.365". Loaded with H-4831. Targets bench shot at my back yard range at 80yds and chronographed yesterday. 40 grains velocity 1,465 fps and wonderfully accurate, but I felt this was too slow for deer with that nose shape. 42 grains 1,490, 40 and 42 grains loads had sooty cases, 46grains 1,600, and finally the load I settled on 51 grains right at 1,900 fps with a 5 shot group right at 1 1/2" at 80 yards. Just what I had in mind for woods work where I cannot remember shooting over 100 yards and most right around 40. I was surprised that it took 51 grains of H4831 to hit 1,900.
I had fired approx. 100 rounds of the exact same data only with 16.0 grains of H-4227 at 1,270 fps. and had zero leading, not even a flake. After I did my load testing with the H-4831 I was a little concerned that ACWW might lead with the heavier loads. Tight patches with Ed's Red, nothing at all, not a single fleck even looking with the magnifier.
Hope this helps.

Duke

[DIRT Farmer]

I bought mine in 1967, and for years it was the only cast gun I had many pounds of 311-291 and 10 grns of Green Dot went through the gun. The sad part of it was I could have bought a 1903 cheaper if I could have made the DCM qualification day.

[helice]

Duke,
Thanks for the detailed report. I have no way to knowledgeably comment on your results but they do concern me. I have been given a few printouts from Quick Load and the numbers for H4831 are very different. It shows 44 gr at 2005 foot seconds. I wonder why its so different. I hope I can get similar accuracy tho. Thanks for the post.

Farmer,
Bummers. I bet you had a lot of good times with the cast loads tho. I've never had a can of Green Dot. My bad...

[randyrat]

I also have a Nat'l Ord 03A3 I had mine tested some years ago for hardness on the receiver and head spacing. Slightly soft but not a problem...The very qualified gunsmith I had check it said; You can shoot it for a very long time with medium loads but limit the full bore nuke heavy 30-06 loads. He couldn't find anything wrong with it. OH yeah one thing, resale value is not good on it. I shoot cast all day long with no problems and excellent accuracy.

[helice]

RandyRat,
Thanks for the post. This is about the same as what I have heard concerning the Natl. Ord. receivers. It has been dedicated as a "cast only" rifle. A young man who now has most of my loading equipment wanted to give me some 200 grain Nozlers but that doesn't fit the bill for this 'o6.
If you'd be so kind Randy, please relay me the loads you have been using. I have not fired the gun yet. The man who fitted the Fajan stock to it fired 7 or 8 rounds of full house 30-o6 thru it to see if the stock was ok but that is the last condom load to go thru it. I want your loads. You have experience with this rifle. I value it. Give to me of your experience.