Edgeofthewoods
02-28-2008, 12:19 AM
Been to durn busy with work and kids and this darn 21st century. But took the boys to the range (read Central NM Prairie) with a handful of .22's a couple of .50 cal flintlocks and my old Yugo SKS. Bought a Lee CTL312-160-2R mold a few months ago and finally got to try it out. Man that bullet makes the old SKS an decent accurate rifle!! I used H4198 for the powder and CCI Large rifle primers. Started at 18 grains and loaded 5 bullets each in .5 grain increments.I first loaded a dummy and let the rifle decide the COL, (2.21") 18-19.5 grains would not cycle the action totally, Partial extraction and stove pipes. At 20 grains the action cycled dropping the brass at my feet but all 5 keyholed at 100 yards. 21.5 gave me 5 shot group of about 4". Off sandbags. 22 grains shrunk it down to 3" (About) 22.5 opened up to 5" with one oblong hole and 23 looked like a shotgun blast. My 10 year old gave his approval by helping me load a full magazine ( I have a 1" piece of plywood that I can bolt my Lee Challanger press to for "range work" ) it C clamps to the tail gate and proceeded to make a strainer out of a 5 gallon bucket of sand at 100 yards!
This for my rifle works great and it is less expensive than the cheap Com Block stuff, plus I get to spend time with my 3 sons reloading ammo for them to burn up. It saves me money, which the wife likes, Keeps the boys and I together on a Sunday afternoon, plus it is damn fun watching a 7 and 10 year old with a SKS and a smile the size of the Grand Canyon. My 16 year old had fun with my Glock 21 a 1858 Remington with a conversion cylinder in .45 Colt and his .50 Cal Traditions Hawken. (All them shoot cast bullets of course!!)
My load for MY RIFLE is Winchester brass CTL312-160-2R cast hot and then dropped in water, Lubed with liquid Alox heat dried with an old hair dryer then dipped in my personal mix of beeswax Palm oil and Stick Alox . Kind of an odd mixture but it works! I use the same in my black powder but with out the alox.
22 grains of 4198 and the CCI Large rifle primer.
The cost savings versus Com Block stuff is huge, plus the accuracy is better . Roughly about 300 rounds per pound of powder at 16.95 per pound, lead is free, primers at 25.00 per thousand. I don't count my time since it is paid in full with my 3 sons helping me. My 7 year old in charge of the brass, Decapping and tumble. My 10 year old sizing bullets and my 16 year old casting and doing his turn on the Lee Turret press. A friend of mine asked why I let a kid reload since it is dangerous, but it is safer than him driving!! Plus it teaches him attention to detail. I have him measure every tenth round. Powder charge on the scale cartridge length etc. Plus he found a use for the math he didn't think he would have a use for! A win win situation for all of us. Nothing better than kids and dad reloading then hitting the range and shooting it up.
Chuck
Edgewood NM
This for my rifle works great and it is less expensive than the cheap Com Block stuff, plus I get to spend time with my 3 sons reloading ammo for them to burn up. It saves me money, which the wife likes, Keeps the boys and I together on a Sunday afternoon, plus it is damn fun watching a 7 and 10 year old with a SKS and a smile the size of the Grand Canyon. My 16 year old had fun with my Glock 21 a 1858 Remington with a conversion cylinder in .45 Colt and his .50 Cal Traditions Hawken. (All them shoot cast bullets of course!!)
My load for MY RIFLE is Winchester brass CTL312-160-2R cast hot and then dropped in water, Lubed with liquid Alox heat dried with an old hair dryer then dipped in my personal mix of beeswax Palm oil and Stick Alox . Kind of an odd mixture but it works! I use the same in my black powder but with out the alox.
22 grains of 4198 and the CCI Large rifle primer.
The cost savings versus Com Block stuff is huge, plus the accuracy is better . Roughly about 300 rounds per pound of powder at 16.95 per pound, lead is free, primers at 25.00 per thousand. I don't count my time since it is paid in full with my 3 sons helping me. My 7 year old in charge of the brass, Decapping and tumble. My 10 year old sizing bullets and my 16 year old casting and doing his turn on the Lee Turret press. A friend of mine asked why I let a kid reload since it is dangerous, but it is safer than him driving!! Plus it teaches him attention to detail. I have him measure every tenth round. Powder charge on the scale cartridge length etc. Plus he found a use for the math he didn't think he would have a use for! A win win situation for all of us. Nothing better than kids and dad reloading then hitting the range and shooting it up.
Chuck
Edgewood NM