WC860 In MilSurps?

[alamogunr]

I just purchased some LC .30-06 brass to go with some I already had. I would like to start shooting my milsurps using what I have on hand. I plan to start out with NOE 3XX299 boolits, size depending on how the rifles bores and throats slug out.

The rifles I have in the safe are a Smith-Corona 1903-A3, a 1917 Eddystone Enfield and a Madson/Colombian Model 47. I also have a Garand but don't want to try surplus powder in it. I have other surplus rifles in other cartridges that I might try it in also.

Basically, my question is: is the WC860 suitable for this purpose. I don't want anything over mid-range loads but don't want a lot of unburned powder either. I have a lot of this powder, not sure why I bought so much. Maybe because I bought a lot of other components back when Obama was elected the first time. I would like to use some of it up before I'm gone and someone decides to use it for fertilizer.

Any advice will be appreciated.

[skeet1]

I have been shooting WC 872 in my 03-A3 with that same bullet and I very pleased with it. I see no reason that WC 860 wouldn't work just as well. My load comes to about the base of the bullet seated to the crimping groove with a bit of dacron on top. Those slow burners need a bit of compression to burn well and a crimp helps. I get almost no unburned powder.

[roverboy]

That stuff is major slow but, is useable. I used magnum primers and crimped. It shot ok but, couldn't have been burning good. I imagine some powder got blew out the barrel. Good luck.

[Hamish]

I use a lot of WC870 in anything .308 or larger and find it very accurate. Have read many times that magnum primers will help. Duplexing a couple of grains of fast flake powder down next to the primer will help cure unburned kernels if you want to spend the time.

I won't shoot anything else in 7,92x57 until I run out,,,,,,,.

http://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/reloaders-reference/surplus-powder-data/353-30-06-springfield

I don't know about you, but I usually end up with the mid range loads for this powder. The load data goes quite a bit higher with good accuracy, but, the recoil gets to be a bit much off the bench just poking holes in paper.

[Maven]

Lots of information here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/google.php?cx=partner-pub-6216953551359885%3A1942134700&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=WC+860+loading+data&sa.x=4&sa.y=15&siteurl=castboolits.gunloads.com%2F&ref=&ss=10116j10178230j20

[earlmck]

I haven't yet used 860 in your application though I probably will in the future. Been using it in 38/40 and 44/40 with a 2 or 3 grain Unique kicker and my two jugs will go a long ways this way.

For what it's worth, QuickLoad (substituting AA8700 for the 860 which isn't listed) says a slightly compressed load around 60 grains would get you about 1800 fps and 20k psi which should be just about ideal for a cast boolit load. I'd be thinking magnum primer, good crimp to help ignition.

[pworley1]

I have had good results using both wc860 and wc872 for cast with 6.5x55, 7x57, 3006, and 8mm using a slightly compressed load.

[alamogunr]

Thanks for the information so far. I've bookmarked the referenced threads/sites. I don't want to discourage anyone that has more information because I'm in new territory with this powder.

BTW, I've ordered some Remington large rifle mag primers that I will also try with this stuff. I haven't seen too many recommendations for these but for the price I paid($20/M +hazmat) I can use them up on something.

[Buckshot]

.............The link (http://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/re...06-springfield) in Hamish's post is all data I'd ginned up. In the 30'-06 using either WC860 or WC872, you cannot get enough into the case to cause any problems. You WILL probably have some unburned powder grains lying in the bottom of the barrel. However you will get good accuracy if your barrel is in any kind of shape at all.

When I was messing around with these surplus powders, both WC860 & WC872 ran about $3.50/lb, so I was trying it in just about everything :-) In the 308 it's really not optimal without a 'Kicker'. It's excellent in a modern 45-70, but requires a Kicker to burn clean, and it's wonderfully accurate. In cartridges like the 6.5 Swede or 7mm Spanish it will burn fairly clean, but is optimal with a heavy slug.

................Buckshot

[Hamish]

Standing on the shoulders of the folks who came from Aimoo, and made this board great, loaded up CastPics with a treasure trove of solid information, has made my cast journey about as painless as it could have been.

Buckshot, you have my thanks and my gratitude.

[roverboy]

I loaded some .223 ammo with it a few times. Worked ok. with good accuracy.