8mm CB help

[moonclip]

I made some loads to shoot in my K98. I used a 190gr saeco with a gc. I put it on 48gr of h4350. Thats 1gr under the mimium load for the cartridge. I shot them at a target at 100yards and got 2 fo the 8 rounds in a 3'X2' box. Thats a pretty good pattern a shotgun, but id like to se better from my rifle. I dont know what to do. I got two thoughts, One im shooting them two fast for a cast boolit(about 2100fps) or two im shooting them too slow and they dont stablize. Anyway i got zero experence with shoot cb's in a rifle and im not sure what to do. I would love any help i can get. :?

[Ben]

Are you certain that your bullet is sized properly for your particular rifle's bore ? If the bullet isn't fitting the bore well, it probably won't shoot very well with any load. Have you tapped a soft slug down the barrel and miked it ? Your bullets need to be .001 " or .002 " larger than this slug that has been driven down your bore. I think you're pushing the bullet far too fast. Let's slow things down , use this load with your bullet and report back :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20X%2057%20mm%20Sporter/3333.jpg

[Hardcast416taylor]

A big "DITTO" on slugging the bore for boolet diameter and the Unique powder for loading.Robert

[Larry Gibson]

Your pushing it too fast. If you want to use 4350 back off to 36 gr with a 1/2 - 3/4 gr dacron filler. Work up in 1 gr incrments until accuracy gets better and then worse. I use 29 gr 4895 with the dacron filler under a 190 gr cast GB GC'd bullet right at 1800 fps. It shoots 1 1/2 moa at 100 yards in several of my M98s.

Larry Gibson

[moonclip]

Thanks for the posts guys, I got some unique in my reloading room. I think ill make some of these loads right now. Thats a really nice group Ben!

[Ben]

moonclip :

That load will shoot good groups in a fairly wide variety of military cartridges. Of course, it is no long range, elephant killing load.

It is a fun load and has always shot well for me.

Ben

[Ben]

moonclip :

You got any updates to offer on your 8 X 57 progress ?

[Jim Sheldon]

Moonclip,

One that works really well out of my 98K Mauser is a 205 grain (Lee 329-205-1R mold) sized down to .323 as my bore slugs .3219. If yours slugs a bit bigger, size 'em to .325.

I run that 205 over 10.5 grains of IMR trail boss. I don't have any chrono figures as where I shoot on an indoor range, there's no way to set up the chronograph. Maybe someone else with one could try it and chrono that load.

I am guesstimating it running around 1500 FPS or a bit less but it groups around 1" and sometimes a bit better at 100 yards on the indoor range. Pleasant recoil and not a lot of muzzle blast, even indoors. Probably has the trajectory of a mortar round - [smilie=l:

Jim

[moonclip]

Havent shot them yet :( With some luck ill get to the rang on monday. :)

[moonclip]

Shot the Unique load today. My best group was just over an inch at 50 yards. With what i was using for opitics, and how windy it was today, I think I could shoot a much better group with them than I got today. Very fun load to shoot and pratice with. I might even see if I can thump a coyotte with one. Thanks for all your help.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have a Longbranch No 4 Mk I that was nicely sporterized. The barrel is a two groover and in outstanding condition. I did a Cerro Safe Cast on it and the area just ahead of the end of the boolit is .317 but the bore finally goes down to .303 at the muzzle at the top of the lands.

Using a cast boolit that comes out of the mold at .314 is not making it. I have been getting shotgun patterns at 25 yds and I cannot abide an inaccurate rifle. Either I am going to have to PP these up to .317 or beagle the mold up to that diameter. Once I get that done I expect to get better results.

It is a shame since this is a finely balanced and handy rifle and would be a perfect weapon for WTSHTF days to come. A bolt rifle that can shoot up to 300 yds accurately with cheap and plentiful cast boolits with Unique and holds 10 rounds in the magazine would be a very nice thing to have. I just need to spend some time and make it work OK.

I have had some outstanding success with PP boolits for my M-1 Garand. Taking a .309 cast boolit and sizing it down to .308 and then wrapping it with two layers of computer paper wet and then dried and a dab of JPW and sized down to .309 is really getting the job done. I get excellent accuracy with the 311284 boolits and achieve about 1750 FPS with excellent function, low recoil and muzzle blast at a very low cost. I also use a dacron filler to keep the powder next to the primer and I have been able to get over 15 reloadings of the same casing without any problem. Having 4 bandoliers of clips loaded and handy near the rifle gives me a more than adequate amount of ammo that works up to 300 yds and I am sure that although the FPS is low these rounds will smart some.

Now the next step is HP these rounds to achieve some better end results but that is for another day.

[Ben]

moonclip :

While that load is mild ( and you've also found it to be very accurate ) it will put a coyote in the grave real quick !