stubbicatt
03-11-2016, 10:17 AM
My most recent acquisition is a 1904 vintage 1894 in 30 WCF. Neat rifle, with its warts and whatnot, but I like it
So I purchased a 2 cavity RCBS RNFPGC mould and casted up some bullets a couple months ago. Its the first time in years I have had a gas check design.
I thought I would try something different than I usually do, so I bought a Lee sizer die in .313", and mounted up my single stage Lee Classic Cast press. I really like the press. I bought the larger bullet sizer to make sure the gas checks are crimped onto the bullets, but with hopes that it wouldn't size the shanks of the bullets. The bullets themselves do show signs of sizing in a couple small places though.
Rather than get a sizer die for my Star lubrisizer, I pan lubed these bullets. I have pan lubed the tapered 32-40 bullets before and have been very happy with the results. However, trying to press these straight, nominal .309" bullets, from the lube cake had me with very sore thumbs for quite awhile. --I guess the tapered 32-40 bullets are easier to pop from the grease cake due to the taper. So I will modify a 308 case to use as a "kake cutter" for the next batch of bullets I lube in this way. The sore thumbs won't work, but I am learning from doing which is a good thing... keeps the mind nimble.
So I loaded up 39 rounds last night with IMR4227 powder and these RCBS bullets, CCI large rifle primers.
These bullets are quite long, and the bases extend into the powder chamber of the 30 WCF, when crimped in the crimping groove. I have no idea how they will perform, but it is my hope to get to the range soonest to find out. The dummy round cycled perfectly.
As an aside, I use all sorts of tools from every company. But I must say, the RCBS dies generally are the smoothest resizing dies overall. I am not so crazy about their seating dies, but the one thing I can say is they are a "set it and forget it" proposition, which in the case of the 30 WCF is just as well, as its design is such that to assure function from a tubular magazine, there are narrow parameters, and really only limited outside dimension variables. So the RCBS seater works fine. :)
It has taken awhile to bring all these new to me techniques together, but it is good to experiment with new cartridges and new techniques. I hope there is enough grease on these bullets to make it all the way down that 26" barrel.
So I purchased a 2 cavity RCBS RNFPGC mould and casted up some bullets a couple months ago. Its the first time in years I have had a gas check design.
I thought I would try something different than I usually do, so I bought a Lee sizer die in .313", and mounted up my single stage Lee Classic Cast press. I really like the press. I bought the larger bullet sizer to make sure the gas checks are crimped onto the bullets, but with hopes that it wouldn't size the shanks of the bullets. The bullets themselves do show signs of sizing in a couple small places though.
Rather than get a sizer die for my Star lubrisizer, I pan lubed these bullets. I have pan lubed the tapered 32-40 bullets before and have been very happy with the results. However, trying to press these straight, nominal .309" bullets, from the lube cake had me with very sore thumbs for quite awhile. --I guess the tapered 32-40 bullets are easier to pop from the grease cake due to the taper. So I will modify a 308 case to use as a "kake cutter" for the next batch of bullets I lube in this way. The sore thumbs won't work, but I am learning from doing which is a good thing... keeps the mind nimble.
So I loaded up 39 rounds last night with IMR4227 powder and these RCBS bullets, CCI large rifle primers.
These bullets are quite long, and the bases extend into the powder chamber of the 30 WCF, when crimped in the crimping groove. I have no idea how they will perform, but it is my hope to get to the range soonest to find out. The dummy round cycled perfectly.
As an aside, I use all sorts of tools from every company. But I must say, the RCBS dies generally are the smoothest resizing dies overall. I am not so crazy about their seating dies, but the one thing I can say is they are a "set it and forget it" proposition, which in the case of the 30 WCF is just as well, as its design is such that to assure function from a tubular magazine, there are narrow parameters, and really only limited outside dimension variables. So the RCBS seater works fine. :)
It has taken awhile to bring all these new to me techniques together, but it is good to experiment with new cartridges and new techniques. I hope there is enough grease on these bullets to make it all the way down that 26" barrel.