Reduce powder charge

[abunaitoo]

So......
I'm wanting to reload some 7.65 x 53 Agr.
Friend gave me some bottles of powder from pulled rounds. Military.
185gr bullets, 39.5gr powder.
I have some old surplus 147gr bullets.
Cases are reformed 30.06.
How low can I go with the powder.
Only going to be used for target shooting.
50 and 100yds.

[Bookworm]

I cannot help with the Argentine, but I can relate my experience with 7.62x54r.

Surplus 150 gr steel jacket, 2850 fps. I pulled down 10 rounds, average 49.5gr of a powder that looked (and, as it turned out, acted) remarkably like IMR 4895.
I dropped the charge 2 grains at a time and shot 10 rds each over a chrono.

I stopped at 40gr, with 2230 fps. IIRC, I had under 20fps ES, and single digits SD. It was like shooting a 9 pound 30-30. My 115 pound wife fired 20 rounds from a bench, with no complaints about recoil.

Accuracy was only fair, with the surplus steel jacketed projectiles, but it worked.


So, I dropped the charge 20 percent, with no weird chrono numbers, and good solid ignition. No Dacron fillers involved.

[RED BEAR]

What powder is it? Its hard to say without knowing what the powder is. I use a lot of surplus powder and just like commercial powders there is a large range from handgun to cannon.

[abunaitoo]

Powder was pulled from 7.65x53 surplus ammo.

I was thinking 10% reduced load.
Would like to go lower, if it's safe.

[David2011]

H4895 is the go-to powder for reduced rifle charges. The starting charge is 60% of the maximum charge. I’m on the road with no reloading manuals and barely enough signal to post text but you can get reduced load information on Hodgdon’s website.

[abunaitoo]

Here's what I get.
Rem case. Surplus powder.
39.5 is what came out of a surplus case.
100%...44.9
90%.....40.4
85%.....38.1
80%....35.9
75%.....33.7
70%.....31.4
65%.....29.2
60%.....26.9
I should be safe to start at 80% and 75%.
Just to be safe, I will be using a dacron filler.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would attempt to identify the powder before I'd load it.
Once you have identified it, you'll be able to find data for the 147gr bullets.

[abunaitoo]

Don't think I can find out what powder it is.
Pulled surplus powder from a friend.
He got a case of the ammo at at the Gunshow.
Corroded, dirty, old, but almost 1/2 was shootable.
He pulled the heads and kept the powder from the bad ones.
He kept the heads. I got most of the powder. #4
Powder had no smell. Not clumped. Looked good to me.
Head stamp is SF 81, 7.65x5?
Guy at the range I'm helping, bought what good ammo there was.
He's shooting it in his 1909 rifle, but is running low.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If it were me, I'd get some 185gr bullets and load the original 39.5gr and chrono the load.
Then I'd reduce the load by 10%, and chrono that. Then start fishing through old reloading manuals to find similar results.
That'll give you an idea of what it is, or what it acts like...then decide whether it's safe reducing the loads any further and/or using the 147gr bullets.

[trapper9260]

Here is a link that might help because of it dose not ask what the powder is. I had use it for some reduce loads and works good for me . http://www.weatherby.dk/rlc.htm

[Larry Gibson]

Is it the cut flake "Nobel" type of powder? That was a "standard" powder used for numerous Mauser milsurp cartridges pre and post WWII.

If that's what you have the several different lots of 7.65 Argentine (SF and FMAP arsenals) I tested were loaded with it at 39.5 - 40 gr under a 185 gr FMJ bullet. If that's the powder you have it has a burn rate in the range of 3031 to 4895. I have down loaded it 30% w/o any problems and it performed well considering the mostly AK/SKS bullets I used it with. I also down loaded it a straight 10% for use with the 185 gr FMJs for a friend just to lesson the recoil for him. He shot them all up w/o a problem.

Two different lots of Belgian 7.65 (FN made) were loaded with 44.5 - .44.8 gr of the same powder under a 154 gr FMJ bullet. The mentioned milsurp cartridges ran a measured (M91 Argentine) psi of 52 - 56,000.

[abunaitoo]

Shot it today in my 91 Carbine.
Powder looks like IMR 4895.
35.9 and 33.7,
left out the filler.
Didn't look like it was that low.
That would be 80% and 75% of a full case.
Or 90% and 85% of the loaded charge.
I think I could go lower with a dacron filler.
Shot better than I expected.
Very light recoil. No hang fire.
Both shot 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 at 50yds. 4" high.
I'm kind of happy with it.

[Larry Gibson]

That is extruded powder from the later produced ammunition. it is very much like 4895 in burn rate. You wouldn't happen to know the headstamp (year and arsenal) of the ammo it was pulled down from would you?

[abunaitoo]

Here you go.
245985245986245987