looking for gallery loads

[camerl2009]

ok so i was on the net and was thinking of loading 7.62x54r and .303 brit with some indoor shooting loads

i was thinking of a roundball in them and maybe using .209 primer in them with a bit of powder

i was reading thishttp://guns.connect.fi/gow/arcane1.html but there is no info there i can use

[Bret4207]

People have been doing this for some time. Use one of the fast pistol powders. I've used Bullseye, Red Dot, SR7525 and Unique, although Unique is in the slower class. With something like BE start off with something like 3 grs and work down till you get what you want or stick a boolit. You'll need a bit more as the powders get slower. You may find you need to position the powder near the flash hole to get consistent results. Just raise the muzzle to vertical to do that.

I've seen loads as light as 1.0 gr BE reported but have never gone that low myself in the larger cases.

[HARRYMPOPE]

I recently had to work up a silent load for some aggressive feral dogs that cost me $1600 in vet bills.(dont worry,i live in the country and its legal to shoot out here)As it turned out it ended up being a very nice gallery load for the shops 10 meter pellet gun range.I played with lighter bullets like the 311008 but on advice from a buddy settled on 150g-190g bullets for my 7.62 x 54.My silent load ended up being the ideal 308241 Plain base (150g) and chronographs @ 500 fps.I used 2.5g Unique(a .3cc Lee dipper).The same .3cc dipper full of the Bartlett Reloaders 10B101 surplus stuff also worked well.All i do is de-prime,prime,dip powder and finger seat the bullet.it cant get easier than that.The load penetrated 1"-1.5" into dry Doug Fir at 30 feet.it is sighted dead on @ 30feet, is about 1/2" low @ 15 yards,2" low at 25 yards and 16" low @ 50 yards.Accuracy at 30 feet is little cloverleafs,15 yards was 1/2",25 yards was 2" and 50 yards I never found them all.
I shoot into stacked blocks of wood and split it for kindling then i am done and get the bullets back.

I have used the same charges and bullet weights in the 30-06 and 8x57,but not the 303b.


pic shows a couple of 10 meter offhand groups.




HMP

[Larry Gibson]

You will have much better results with the Lee TL314-90-SWC if you are casting them yourself or with the Hornady 90 gr .32 cal swaged lead bullets if you are buying them. The Hornady and Speer .32 cal swaged lead HBWCs also work very well. I load them over 3.2 gr (2.7 gr with the HBWCs) Bullseye in both those cartridges for excellent accuracy. Velocity will be 800 - 900 fps depending on barrel length. These are excellent indoors or outdoors for casual target practice, plinking and dispatching small game.

Larry Gibson

[HARRYMPOPE]

You will have much better results with the Lee TL314-90-SWC if you are casting them yourself or with the Hornady 90 gr .32 cal swaged lead bullets if you are buying them. The Hornady and Speer .32 cal swaged lead HBWCs also work very well. I load them over 3.2 gr (2.7 gr with the HBWCs) Bullseye in both those cartridges for excellent accuracy. Velocity will be 800 - 900 fps depending on barrel length. These are excellent indoors or outdoors for casual target practice, plinking and dispatching small game.

Larry Gibson

I agree,i shot round balls in my 7.62 x 39 Ruger #1 and M77 and it was fine for 10 meters but horrible at much more than that.I get better accuracy with 125g-190g bullets but heavier bullets a waste of metal if you are not recovering them.

HMP

[camerl2009]

ya im talking indoor loads here i'll see what a small charge and .209 primer do

[badbob454]

i am working on filling my case with zinc from wheel weights, drill out the center all the way thru to the flash-hole .. i put dirt in the empty primer pocket to stop it from filling up then wash it out when done, drill through the center with a 22 cal drill open up the primer pocket flash hole only a little to ease punching it out and for the flash to light easier and use 2-3 gr powder .. the zinc takes up all the excess room in the case allowing the use of less powder,and to have less pressure at the barrel end when firing haven't finished this yet but I'm sure it will work.. just make sure there is enough room to seat your bullet when filling up the case ....hope this makes sense

[Longwood]

way back when, I machined some 44 mag brass, using a step drill, to accept shotgun primers, then used them with round balls for gallery loads.
Not silent, but very simple to load and fun to shoot.

[Multigunner]

Don't take this as a recommended method, its just the first time I read of this sort of homemade gallery load.

The author as a youngster had an old SMLE and a bunch of 30-40 Krag empty cases, and a barn full of pesky birds, I forget what breed.

He took apart some old swollen 12 ga shells and used a buckshot and pinch of powder from these, and after punching out the krag primers he flattened the pin indentation and reloaded the primers using the dots from paper roll caps from his toy cap buster.
He managed not to blow his face off and killed a lot of birds without blasting too many holes in the barn roof.

There are chamber inserts that allow one to fire the .32 acp in a .303, but I'd want to ream one of those for the .32 S&W Long since I have a hand ejector and I figure the lead bullets would fill the grooves better.

Hatcher wrote of a Low Number Springfield failure involving a very light gallery load. The rifle had passed proof and been fired many times with full power .30-06 but simply broke like a jelly jar when a 9.5 gr load of bullseye was used.
He investigated the possibility of a double charge but found nothing that would indicate and actual pressure excursion.
He figured it was simply the fast powder and lack of sufficient case expansion resulting in the case head striking the bolt face in a sort of sharp rap rather than a smooth push.
I suspect many supposed double charge related failures of old receivers may not be that at all.
Its probably safer to use a reduced capacity case or a chamber adapter and pistol cases.
The Marlin adapter held a pistol cartridge on the front end of the adapter so it fit into the chamber neck with bullet closer to origin of rifling.

[camerl2009]

Don't take this as a recommended method, its just the first time I read of this sort of homemade gallery load.

The author as a youngster had an old SMLE and a bunch of 30-40 Krag empty cases, and a barn full of pesky birds, I forget what breed.

He took apart some old swollen 12 ga shells and used a buckshot and pinch of powder from these, and after punching out the krag primers he flattened the pin indentation and reloaded the primers using the dots from paper roll caps from his toy cap buster.
He managed not to blow his face off and killed a lot of birds without blasting too many holes in the barn roof.

There are chamber inserts that allow one to fire the .32 acp in a .303, but I'd want to ream one of those for the .32 S&W Long since I have a hand ejector and I figure the lead bullets would fill the grooves better.

Hatcher wrote of a Low Number Springfield failure involving a very light gallery load. The rifle had passed proof and been fired many times with full power .30-06 but simply broke like a jelly jar when a 9.5 gr load of bullseye was used.
He investigated the possibility of a double charge but found nothing that would indicate and actual pressure excursion.
He figured it was simply the fast powder and lack of sufficient case expansion resulting in the case head striking the bolt face in a sort of sharp rap rather than a smooth push.
I suspect many supposed double charge related failures of old receivers may not be that at all.
Its probably safer to use a reduced capacity case or a chamber adapter and pistol cases.
The Marlin adapter held a pistol cartridge on the front end of the adapter so it fit into the chamber neck with bullet closer to origin of rifling.

i dont think a SMLE would chamber .30-40 brass

[JeffinNZ]

I downloaded Sharps handloading manuel from the Castpic link. It contains LOTS of gallery type loads of which some of the powders are still current.

[camerl2009]

I downloaded Sharps handloading manuel from the Castpic link. It contains LOTS of gallery type loads of which some of the powders are still current.

do you have a link

[HARRYMPOPE]

i am working on filling my case with zinc from wheel weights, drill out the center all the way thru to the flash-hole .. i put dirt in the empty primer pocket to stop it from filling up then wash it out when done, drill through the center with a 22 cal drill open up the primer pocket flash hole only a little to ease punching it out and for the flash to light easier and use 2-3 gr powder .. the zinc takes up all the excess room in the case allowing the use of less powder,and to have less pressure at the barrel end when firing haven't finished this yet but I'm sure it will work.. just make sure there is enough room to seat your bullet when filling up the case ....hope this makes sense

in the 30-06,8mm and 7.62 x 54 3g of BullsEye is a decent velocity gallery load.the reduced powder column would only need abut 1-1.6g i would guess.it takes a bit less than 1.5 to get a bullet out of a 30-06 with the muzzle up.It goes right though the roof of the shop too.

HMP

[badbob454]

in the 30-06,8mm and 7.62 x 54 3g of BullsEye is a decent velocity gallery load.the reduced powder column would only need abut 1-1.6g i would guess.it takes a bit less than 1.5 to get a bullet out of a 30-06 with the muzzle up.It goes right though the roof of the shop too.

HMP

yeah, im trying to get velocity and quiet by reducing the case capacity looks like a great place to start at 1.6

[HARRYMPOPE]

My load with 2.5 of Unique is about as loud as a std velocity 22.

HMP

[Longwood]

I give up! I have looked and looked. Where is the link please?
The Castpic link that is.

Thanks

[JeffinNZ]

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/Gen...e/default.html

[DCP]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=86949


There is a wealth of information in the link

[Longwood]

Thanks guys
I tried castpics dot com but forgot to try dot net.

[chrispy]

On the guns.connect.fi site, they talk about the 'cats sneeze' load for the 308 (but it applies to all like cases such as the 303). It involves using a 310cal round ball (about 40gn) and a primer only. Used by the author in Finland for indoor target use. The discussion also involved use of different lubes for the load, worth a look.

Chrispy