Decided to try full power loading

[Kim]

I've been shooting 15 gr. of 2400 behind an Ideal 308274 at 199 gr. in my Ruger 1-B for a while now and decided to try for a full power hunting load. A 180 gr. RCBS FNGC at 190gr. (Brinell 21) with CCI 200 and 50 gr. of IMR 4350 was my first try yesterday. Inch and a half at 50 yards and the barrel is clean as a whistle (recoil was plentiful). I used Carnauba Red from White Label Lube Co. sized to .309. I consider this an early success and will now "fiddle" with the components and try to get smaller groups. I want to thank this forum and all its members for all the information
shared here that has made my first try at full power so encouragingly successful.
:lovebooli

[Kim]

PS It's a 30-06! DUH!

[white eagle]

excellent first time results
keep going

[TXGunNut]

Very encouraging early results, keep us posted!

[pworley1]

You can never do enough fiddling around with your loads. That is why this is so much fun.

[MT Chambers]

I usually have to work very hard to get good accuracy out of that kind of load using Boolits.

[jhalcott]

I tried virgin Linotype alloy some years ago with hunting in mind. I figured the higher velocity would help down the animals quicker! Not all our plans work the way we hope! The deer did NOT fall over instantly, but ran a good distance squirting blood. I had one buck with no exit hole and I couldn't find the boolit. The chest cavity was a mess. The shot was into the onside shoulder, thru the onside lung, heart and offside lung. It looked like a GINZU knife went spinning thru. I believe the boolit started tumbling after it hit the shoulder/rib at about 80 yards. This was a LONG ~185 grain slug moving over 2500 fps. The same slug at ~2200 or less had MUCH better results when cast of #2 alloy.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Enjoy the exercise, but save that load for critters you don't plan on eating.

[Harter66]

Well done ! My boolits haven't cooperated well enough to meet that yet although there is some promise of success in several loads .
If the OP has a minimum energy rule like mine (it is a legal statute) then it may be necessary to drive that hard to meet the law.

[starmac]

Just curious, how does the game warden, or whoever check the energy status of your handloads. I can see if you are using an inadequate caliber to meet their requirements, but it seems checking them would be hard and even harder to enforce.

[Harter66]

No idea just know what the law says . I try to avoid finding out how the load would be proved or disproved . I guess maybe all 18 wardens in the state have a scale and a Chrony. I had a thread about a year ago about all of the legal pistol cartridges that make the cut but nobody in their right mind would hunt big game with them . Just to keep it clear to meet 30 cal ,1000 ftlb/100 yd takes a .400 BC 200gr @ 1900 fps muzzle. It's not hard to get there with an 06' .
It was merely a suggestion as to why he might want or need to go full bore.

[Whiterabbit]

wow, lucky. I can't hit the broad side of the target with H4350 in my 7x57. Wish I could! I also load reduced loads for cast in that rifle.

[Mike H]

I've been shooting 15 gr. of 2400 behind an Ideal 308274 at 199 gr. in my Ruger 1-B for a while now and decided to try for a full power hunting load. A 180 gr. RCBS FNGC at 190gr. (Brinell 21) with CCI 200 and 50 gr. of IMR 4350 was my first try yesterday. Inch and a half at 50 yards and the barrel is clean as a whistle (recoil was plentiful). I used Carnauba Red from White Label Lube Co. sized to .309. I consider this an early success and will now "fiddle" with the components and try to get smaller groups. I want to thank this forum and all its members for all the information
shared here that has made my first try at full power so encouragingly successful.
:lovebooli
Good start Kim,
Not sure what ranges you usually shoot game at but move out to 100 yards and see how your rifle groups there,if it is no more than 3"" you will be alright for the closer ranges.I believe you should test to the maximum distance you are likely to shoot at.
Mike.

[largom]

I would try boolits sized to .310 or .311 if your chamber will accept them.

Larry

[44man]

All my life I used jacketed bottom loads with cast and worked up, some heavier then jacketed when accuracy was found. I never found shotgun powders to work. Give me 3031 or 4895 in the 30-30 and 4064 or slower in the larger.
WHY NOT 4350 in the 06?

[Whiterabbit]

Because many of us find that with standard casting and loading practices, poor accuracy is to be found at 100 yards. That it takes some very special work to make 4350 work with cast. You imply that with enough motivation, effort, and development, we can make it work. I agree! but it's not an iron many of us are willing to put into the fire.

[44man]

I never liked a pinch of powder in a rifle case. Never liked it in a revolver either. I refuse to say cast has to take a bottom position. Worked loads with fast powders and seen never a difference but with slow I could work a load. Tell me 1/10 of a gr of 2400 means anything. REALLY?

[Harter66]

I have found that 4350 can be used but I believe it is easiest when you have heavy for cartridge boolits. I actually have done well with the x39 and 200gr boolits . The biggest problem I had was getting the loads up to pressure and finding a happy alloy . 32 Rem worked out as well too . While I haven't done well with the 7mms it has been velocity and hitting pressure in the smaller cases while alloy and it's limits are the hitch in larger cases . Of course I try to work every load as if it were to hunt.
Yep a fair bit of fooling around but worth it .

[Whiterabbit]

I think you nailed it. Bottleneck cartridges and expansion volume. I use H4350 in my 510 wells express with cast and it is GREAT. But typical deer cartridges, I've had no luck. You mention 7mm, 7x57 is exactly what didn;t work out for me. 135gn, 150 gn, 160 gn, 175 grain. Just didn;t work for me. Tiny expansion chamber? Maybe? It's my go-to powder for jacketed and copper solids in the 7x57, but just never worked out with cast.

Maybe if I loaded it REALLY light it could be made to work. That might be worth trying sometime.

[44man]

There is a time to change, 3031, Varget, etc. Medium burns.
Case size and less friction from cast.
I would not reduce 4350.
Any rifle case I have tried Unique in was a waste. Push is lost fast so even though you can get some velocity, it never seems to even out.
Same in the .44 where 7 gr shoots the same as 10 gr even though velocity will increase. Working in 1/10 gr increments shows nothing for accuracy.
Barrel length and twist also has an affect. Powder choice is always an experiment.
Load manuals can be a pain since there is a whole list of powders and many look to see the velocity. With every caliber there will be only 1 or 2 powders in the list that are best. It is not an easy pick.

[Char-Gar]

I tried virgin Linotype alloy some years ago with hunting in mind. I figured the higher velocity would help down the animals quicker! Not all our plans work the way we hope! The deer did NOT fall over instantly, but ran a good distance squirting blood. I had one buck with no exit hole and I couldn't find the boolit. The chest cavity was a mess. The shot was into the onside shoulder, thru the onside lung, heart and offside lung. It looked like a GINZU knife went spinning thru. I believe the boolit started tumbling after it hit the shoulder/rib at about 80 yards. This was a LONG ~185 grain slug moving over 2500 fps. The same slug at ~2200 or less had MUCH better results when cast of #2 alloy.

Linotype metal is quite brittle and a bullet made from it will shatter when it hits a bone creating secondary missiles. The faster it goes, the more likely it will be to shatter.

[Gunnut 45/454]

Harter66
Funny my Lee cast 170gr GC '06 load makes :Energy of 2,115 foot-pounds for a 180 grain bullet at 2300 fps. at the muzzle I'm sure at 100 yards it would be well over 1000 ft-lbs! My question is why does NV have such a stupid requirement? Or are they just dumb as in to close to Komifornia! Same load in 30-30 would make there requirement cause I run that one at 1998 fps-Energy of 1,596 foot-pounds for a 180 grain bullet at 1998 fps. Or are they saying unless you use commercial ammo your hunting illegaly?

[Harter66]

I suppose that it was a targeted window to eliminate pistol cartridge rifles . Every state has a base level of some cartridge or power level . I suspect that it is there in every set of regulations ,it really makes no difference if you shoot a 30/30 or 250 Savage and up . It simply rules out legally using a 22 hornet to hunt elk . A 200gr boolit that I worked to death would just make the cut at 1900 fps muzzle,it was not a load I would have used in the open country for a 300 yd shot. We just don't have the heavy woods here so longer shooting becomes the rule .

[Freightman]

Humm! Texas only limits you to a center fire cartridge as far as I know

[jhalcott]

Char gar, back then I was young and smarter! Now I know better. I use a lot of COWW at velocities at or above 2000 fps. Results are MUCH better. I always test my loads for accuracy and penetration in wet pack BEFORE hunting with them. A load MIGHT be accurate enough for Sillywets, but not good for hunting edible game.

[David2011]

Linotype metal is quite brittle and a bullet made from it will shatter when it hits a bone creating secondary missiles. The faster it goes, the more likely it will be to shatter.

I usually agree with you when I have enough knowledge to know the difference. ---BUT--- I had to test this theory. Two years ago I had killed a feral hog earlier in the day and decided to do some boolit testing. With my Contender in 14" .44 mag handgun configuration, I shot a 255 grain strait lino (RCBS 44-250 KT mold) boolit at 1600 fps into the right shoulder of the already dead hog of about 225 pounds. The boolit exited the left ham with a single hole the same size as the entrance wound. There was no evidence that the boolit broke up. While I did not cut up the hog to verify, it should have gone through significant bone and the plate over the shoulder.

That said, I will not cast any more pure lino for the .44. I'll cut it 50-50 with lead and try a few. I'll also cut the velocity back. The load was from the Lyman 49th Ruger and Contender section and was supposed to reach 1350 fps in a 7-1/2" revolver. The 14" sealed tube yielded considerably more velocity and substantial recoil.

David