6mm Lee Navy CB loads?

[AGB-1]

Anyone have any experience with this round? Thanks, AGB-1

[BerdanIII]

No experience, but I posted this on another board:

From: Practical Dope on the Big Bores, p. 407
Soft Game Meat Loads
95-gr. lead alloy (cast) bullet - 5.0 grs - Unique - 1200 fps.
95-gr. lead alloy (cast) bullet - 9.0 grs - SR80 - 1200 fps
(I have substituted SR4759 for SR80 in other calibers. Velocities are usually a little higher, but accuracy is good)

From: Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders, p. 327
6mm Lee Navy
75-gr. bullet
35.0 grs. - IMR3031 - 3150 fps
37.0 grs. - IMR3031 - 3300 fps

112-gr. bullet
28.0 - IMR3031 - 2500 fps
30.0 - IMR3031 - 2650
27.0 - IMR4064 - 2200
32.5 - IMR4064 - 2540

From: Complete Guide to Handloading. P. 351
65-gr. lead bullet, .250" seating depth
7.8 - SR80 - 1270 fps
4.0 - Unique - velocity not given

95-gr. lead bullet, .250" seating depth
9.0 - SR80 - 1268 fps
5.0 - Unique - velocity not given

112-gr. soft point, .229" seating depth
10.0 - Unique - 1380 fps
14.1 - Unique - 1730 - 37,000 psi - probably too hot, don't use.
12.0 - Alliant 2400 - 1400 fps - Ed Harris recommends reducing loads based on pre-1990 data by 15% when using new 2400.
19.5 - Alliant 2400 - 2020 - 37,000 psi - probably too hot, don't use.

112-gr. soft point, .250" seating depth
27.0 - IMR4064 - 2200
32.5 - IMR4064 - 2540

I'm sure somebody's got some better, newer data.

[Bret4207]

No loads. but I'd love to see some pics. Only handled one in my life and it was a custom job made in the 30's. Sweet action.

[wrcook]

I have a rifle, that is in near perfect condition except that some one messed with the butt plate, I have some brass, but haven't been able to afford the dies yet. I suppose I will get around to shooting it sometime. Anyone know where I can get a butt plate?

[Mk42gunner]

No direct experience other than seeing (and drooling over) one in a gunshop in Ventura, CA aroun 98 or 99, it may still be there.


I do have a few ideas:

1. This was the parent case for the 220 Swift, therefore you should be able to turn the rim from a Swift case to get brass; although it will probably end up a litte short.

2. Neck size brass in just about any 243 or 6mm die set on hand except 240 Weatherby (it is longer than the 6mm Lee Navy).

3. I think cast will be difficult these are supposed to have a 1 in 7.5" twist.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that number one will work. I think #2 will work with careful die adjustment.

Good Luck

Robert

[Bent Ramrod]

I have a Sporting Model .236 Lee-Navy in shootable condition, although the bore is pretty bad. Most of my cast boolit shooting was with the Ideal 244203 plain base. The loads were 10 gr 4759 or 5 gr Unique, with most shots under 2" at 50 yards.

Mostly I use either the Speer 105 gr RN or the Hornady 100 gr RN, although I've tried the Barnes 115 gr and the Sierra BTVLD as well. They shoot into 2-1/2"-4" at 100 yards with 33 gr of 4064. This gives 2300-2400 ft/sec. I've also used 32 gr of 4320 with the Hornady 100 gr RN, but have no chrono data.

There's one big lug on the bolt that handles the back-thrust but it is not a Mauser bolt and there is no safety lug. A friend of mine has a brazed-up .236 that a friend of his popped apart during some "advanced load development" work. Nothing but a bad scare that time, but I also heard some guy in Connecticut got killed when one exploded on him. Don't use .240 Cobra loads or anything like that. I don't even try to duplicate factory ballistics, which, if I recall, were 2540 ft/sec with a 115 gr bullet.

My rifle handles blown-out Swift cases with little trouble. The semi-rim feeds fine from the magazine. I get the impression the rifle was designed to use a rimmed case as well as a rimless one; I've seen woodcut illustrations in the old Shooting and Fishing of a .236 Rimmed Lee-Navy that looked like an anorexic Krag round. A couple friends have both the civilian and the military versions and their rifles also handle the Swift brass fine.

The only trouble I experience is from the short neck and the minimally-seated bullet. Occasionally a cartridge comes apart as I slam it into the chamber and then I have powder all over the place. Even that lightly seated, there's still a lot of jump to get into the rifling. I had a few "real" shells and accuracy wasn't particularly better, but again, the bore on this one is pretty dark. Most of the necks on the old UMC shells season cracked on reloading or firing.

Old Western Scrounger makes loaded ammunition for the .236 by turning the rims off .30-40 Krag brass and reforming. I have a box but haven't tried it as the Swift brass seems to last forever.

SAS has a few parts for the Win-Lee. The extractors take a lot of punishment by the design of the action and I believe they supply rebuilt ones.

[rayg]

The 220 Swift was developed from the 6mm Navy rd. It just has a much shorter neck but works well in the rifle when you seat the bullet long. Buffalo Arms and Obsolete cartridges have loaded ammo as well as cases made from 25/06 cases. Not cheap though. The cheapest would be the 220 Swift cases. I fire them with light 28grs of I-3031 powder with the 100 grainer. The resized 25/06 cases work fine also.
All I do is neck size with .243 dies. I love firing mine. The sights are great and also the long barrel helps the focus of the front sight. The action is smooth and shape of the stock with the pistol grip is comfortable and the sound of the rifle with that light load and tiny caliber is really neat. Some day I'll shoot some hotter loads just to try it but I like those light loads. Ray

[Barstooler]

I have Lee Navy that I have shot for years. Started life as a commercail Winchester in .236 Lee Navy. I traded a used 30-30 for it and a 256 Newton. The Lee Navy had a broken stock and I eventually managed to restock it by building the stock myself. Because it was no longer original I mounted a Lyman receiver sight (made for a Win 94) just forward enough for the bolt to clear when it was cycled. Developed loads based on an old "Cartridges of the World" write up -- loading it light and using 3031 and Speer 105 grain bullets. I ordered dies from RCBS and originally used 220 Swift's necked up to 6mm. I later ordered several boxes of brass from Buffalo Arms. They both seem to function well, and you do not need the special Lee "clips" for it to feed properly. Barrel is in bad shape and it groups about 2" at 100 yards. I took one White Tail with it, but have not seriously hunted with it since then. I always figured that the rough barrel would play hell on CBs, so I never tried to develop a load. I believe the twist rate was actually 1:6.5 inches and the original bullet was a 135 gr lead bullet, so go as heavy as you can!

Barstooler

[Wayne Smith]

Look to CH4D for dies. They have an amazing collection and at reasonable prices.