Wc860?

[texaswoodworker]

I found a place that sells this stuff for a price almost too good to be true ($56 for 8 pounds) I've never used the surplus powders, but at that price I'd be willing to try. How would this stuff do with rounds like the 30-06, 8mm Mauser, .303 Brit, ect? Would it shoot at decent velocities with heavy cast bullets? How about standard jacketed ones?

The cast velocities are more important to me. The cost of jacketed bullets has pretty much made me stop using them. Right now, I shoot those rounds at about 1800-2200 FPS. If I could keep it close to that, I'd be pretty happy.

[salpal48]

Wc 860 is listed on the GIBrass site. . I used it @ one time using H870 data . starting with a reduction of 15 % . In PO Ackley Books he list H870 for various calibers. I currently use WC 870 with good results.. Like you said the price was good but Play it safe
Sal

[RayinNH]

It would do fine with listed rounds. See here http://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/reloaders-reference/surplus-powder-data.

[Sgtonory]

I have wc 870 picked up 50 pounds to good not to buy. I use it 308 With a booster of 5 grains of red dot and then fill the case to have a slightly compressed load. I use a 312 185 grain sized .310 cast from ww. I run it out of my m1a at around 2200 fps. Cycles the gun just fine. Accuracy at 40 yards was good. Hope this helps. Big thing is getting the powder burning. without a booster velocity was 1800 fps and lots of unburdened powder.

[madsenshooter]

In the .303, a caseful will net you around 1900-2000fps with heavy bullets. I have boosted it in my Krags and likely had some 200gr bullets going at least 2300fps. A boosted caseful was more recoil and gas blast out the muzzle than I cared for! However, I was using an alloy that wouldn't hold up beyond 36,000psi or so, and even at the high velocity pressure either did not get high enough or came up slow enough that the alloy didn't fail. For the price, can't beat it now a days, even though you use more of it per load.

[BCB]

It would do fine with listed rounds. See here http://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/reloaders-reference/surplus-powder-data.

I was looking at the 30-30 just out of curiosity and it lists and it lists 36-38 grains for 160's to 200's. Quickload indicates this is 102% to 108%. That seems like pretty much compression to me?...

I wonder if a person could go to a load of approximately 85% safely?...

I was also wondering about the 7-30 Waters and cast boolits too...

I shoot both of these in a Contender using Bullseye--5.0 grains--nice quiet and quite accurate with both of them to 75 yards--just plain fun to shoot a cans, etc...

I have a keg of WC-860 also and it would be nice to drop charges into the cases and be able to visually see it basically just a bit below the neck on both...

Any thoughts with such charges?...

I actually would like to stay at the 1000+ fps or a bit slower...

Thanks...BCB

[ballistim]

Works well in my 45-70.

[madsenshooter]

Compressed loads are sometimes used, doesn't seem to help things a whole lot. Guess it would help squeeze all the pressure and velocity out of what is going to burn. I've compressed a few loads hard enough that the case wouldn't fit in the standard 30-40 chamber after I was done. Luckily I was loading for a friend who had an Ackley improved chamber. It already doesn't like to burn at the pressure levels we're able to generate with full cases, and 30" barrels, it isn't likely to burn better at the lower pressures generated by 1000fps loads. Others have loaded it in the 85% range you mentioned without problem, except for the dirty burn. Don't think it'll make a good pistol powder, unless you like big fireballs! You'll for sure want to fire it with a magnum primer. Going down in bore size gives you a bit more pressure and improved burn, some of the 6.5x55 shooters were getting close to the velocity of the original 160gr load.

[bruce drake]

I've used the powder in two Mausers so far. One in 8x57 and the other in 8mm-06 (ie. 8x63mm). Without kickers and full caseloads of powder over 180gr and 240gr boolits respectfully, the velocity stayed around 1800fps for both. The 240gr boolit kicked like a mule but it burned a bit cleaner than the 8x57 but was still pretty dirty.

[NavyVet1959]

Don't think it'll make a good pistol powder, unless you like big fireballs! You'll for sure want to fire it with a magnum primer.

I did an experiment with .50 BMG and 10mm powders in a 10mm once, just to see what would happen. I used a case full of each powder with the bullet compressing the load and a magnum primer with a 175 gr cast bullet. It was a relatively quiet load and it would not eject the brass. There was no fireball either. Very uneventful... It is definitely NOT useful for handgun calibers. :)

[texaswoodworker]

Thanks guys for the info. I think I'll pick up a jug of it. It'll make some good plinking rounds. :D