JohnH
09-10-2005, 11:19 PM
Not sure where to start.....
Read the thread on lapping, figured it was impossible to hurt a barrel that wouldn't shoot, so I fit a tight as Dicks hatband patch on my cleaning rod, coated it heavily with some Clover and proceeded to scrub my bore. (I figure scrubbing is more appropriate description than lapping) There was a tight spot a couple inches past the chamber, and pushing a dry patch through after firing a dirty load, I can still feel it, but not on a second pass. I could not see anything in or on the lands at that point prior to this.
Fired off 20 rounds of the RCBS 35-200 over 9 grians of 107 and got mediocre results. Loaded and fired 20 rounds of the Lee 359-158-RF over 7.2 grains of 107 with equally mediocre results. This is a load I have shot lots of, and it shoots on and off again with no rhyme or reason. I tried it because of familiarity. Decided I was going to give up on this barrel, but decided to give the Lee 180 group buy mold a try. I had been shooting a batch of these bullets that Leftoverdj had sent me. They are water dropped, obvioulsy harder than ACWW. I had not cast at all with the mold I got in the recent group buy, so I broke that out, Lee Mented it, cleaned it and cast with it. Man does that thing make a pile of bullets in a hurry
Loaded up these and 9 grains of 107, mediocre results. Decided to try a primer change....went from small pistol to small rifle, and have been rewarded with 7, 10 shot groups of 3/4" to 1" WOW!!! Big single holes are very rewarding :)
I don't know if my scrubbing did any good, but I don't find any sign at all of even faint lead lines I was seeing at the root of the land/groove.
The Lee 180 bullets I am firing at present were cast Thursday night. Still rather soft. I'm making copious notes of this as I plan on shooting this load and bullets every other day for the next two weeks to see how they shoot as they harden up.
I don't like that I have to use a gas check, but as I'm getting good results, I"m just gonna keep on with 'em for a while.
I stumbled onto increasing the powder charge with my 38-55. I got stuck on using around 7 grains of powder in an attempt to maximize my powder useage. Obviously not the best way to decide what a load should be. But as I was getting good results in the 38-55 by bumping up to 11.2 grains, I figured a heavier bullet and an increase would do the same thing for the 357. Hence I got the RCBS 35-200, and skipped using the Lee 180.
The 35-200, and the 2 grain increase did what I wanted, it made an obvious difference in how clean the powder burned, it just didn't shoot well. I had also tried using small rifle primers under the 35-200, but the mediocre groups went to really lousy groups. Not sure why the small rifle primer didn't help this bullet but did help the 180, but I'm not complaining.
I tried the 180 more as a final act of desperation than a thought out plan, as was the switch to the small rifle primer with it. I also tried 24 grains of WC846 with the 180, have done this in past. It shoots really well, but is dirty, even more so than the 107 in small charges, and is a pretty ineffecient use of the powder. Does better in a 30-30.
So I have a plan of action, now that I have a load that will shoot well enough that I can see what a change does.
First, I'm going to continue shooting this batch of bullets as it matures to see how they shoot as hardness increases.
It has been suggested that I may be using too hard an alloy at the pressures I'm shooting. I've got some 20:1 and am going to make some 50/50 lead/WW to try out as well. I just wonder if lead/tin alloys shoot differently than lead/antimony/tin. I've had this thought concerning hunting bullets, if a lead/tin alloy expands more readily and hold together better than WW even with tin added.
Anyway, I've a place to start from now. Just want to say thinks for listenin' to me whine about this rifle and all the help offered to make it better. It may never shoot any other load as well as it shoots this one, but this one is quite satisfying as it is.
Read the thread on lapping, figured it was impossible to hurt a barrel that wouldn't shoot, so I fit a tight as Dicks hatband patch on my cleaning rod, coated it heavily with some Clover and proceeded to scrub my bore. (I figure scrubbing is more appropriate description than lapping) There was a tight spot a couple inches past the chamber, and pushing a dry patch through after firing a dirty load, I can still feel it, but not on a second pass. I could not see anything in or on the lands at that point prior to this.
Fired off 20 rounds of the RCBS 35-200 over 9 grians of 107 and got mediocre results. Loaded and fired 20 rounds of the Lee 359-158-RF over 7.2 grains of 107 with equally mediocre results. This is a load I have shot lots of, and it shoots on and off again with no rhyme or reason. I tried it because of familiarity. Decided I was going to give up on this barrel, but decided to give the Lee 180 group buy mold a try. I had been shooting a batch of these bullets that Leftoverdj had sent me. They are water dropped, obvioulsy harder than ACWW. I had not cast at all with the mold I got in the recent group buy, so I broke that out, Lee Mented it, cleaned it and cast with it. Man does that thing make a pile of bullets in a hurry
Loaded up these and 9 grains of 107, mediocre results. Decided to try a primer change....went from small pistol to small rifle, and have been rewarded with 7, 10 shot groups of 3/4" to 1" WOW!!! Big single holes are very rewarding :)
I don't know if my scrubbing did any good, but I don't find any sign at all of even faint lead lines I was seeing at the root of the land/groove.
The Lee 180 bullets I am firing at present were cast Thursday night. Still rather soft. I'm making copious notes of this as I plan on shooting this load and bullets every other day for the next two weeks to see how they shoot as they harden up.
I don't like that I have to use a gas check, but as I'm getting good results, I"m just gonna keep on with 'em for a while.
I stumbled onto increasing the powder charge with my 38-55. I got stuck on using around 7 grains of powder in an attempt to maximize my powder useage. Obviously not the best way to decide what a load should be. But as I was getting good results in the 38-55 by bumping up to 11.2 grains, I figured a heavier bullet and an increase would do the same thing for the 357. Hence I got the RCBS 35-200, and skipped using the Lee 180.
The 35-200, and the 2 grain increase did what I wanted, it made an obvious difference in how clean the powder burned, it just didn't shoot well. I had also tried using small rifle primers under the 35-200, but the mediocre groups went to really lousy groups. Not sure why the small rifle primer didn't help this bullet but did help the 180, but I'm not complaining.
I tried the 180 more as a final act of desperation than a thought out plan, as was the switch to the small rifle primer with it. I also tried 24 grains of WC846 with the 180, have done this in past. It shoots really well, but is dirty, even more so than the 107 in small charges, and is a pretty ineffecient use of the powder. Does better in a 30-30.
So I have a plan of action, now that I have a load that will shoot well enough that I can see what a change does.
First, I'm going to continue shooting this batch of bullets as it matures to see how they shoot as hardness increases.
It has been suggested that I may be using too hard an alloy at the pressures I'm shooting. I've got some 20:1 and am going to make some 50/50 lead/WW to try out as well. I just wonder if lead/tin alloys shoot differently than lead/antimony/tin. I've had this thought concerning hunting bullets, if a lead/tin alloy expands more readily and hold together better than WW even with tin added.
Anyway, I've a place to start from now. Just want to say thinks for listenin' to me whine about this rifle and all the help offered to make it better. It may never shoot any other load as well as it shoots this one, but this one is quite satisfying as it is.