Safe Swiss Vetterli load

[uhjohnson]

I was going to the range today with my 81 and saw 39.3mm and 44.8mm long cases loaded with the same RCBS 416-350 BHN-5 paper patched to .426 weighing in at 373g and is 1.096 long. First off is this bullet seated to deep in the 44.8mm long cases. It works out where .64 is in the case and .45 out, it is the opposite with the 39.3 cases .45 in and .64 out with an OAL of 2.2. Secondly I don’t know where I got the load data of 19gr of 5477, so is this a safe load. I didn’t take the SV

[Battis]

From what I read about Accurate 5744 (if that's what you use), it's made for heavy bullets. Check out this link - about halfway down (past the woman in the leopard dress - I think she's holding a rifle) there's info on Swiss 10.4. 19 grs seems right (I might try that powder if I can find it).
https://www.ammoland.com/2017/07/acc...#axzz88RJWSs5A

As far as seating those bullets - I have no clue. I use black powder in my Vetterli, which makes it hard to get the OAL at 2.2" needed to work the magazine properly.
Totally irrelevant pic of an original cartridge broken down, but it's still cool.

[hpbear101]

I use the Accurate 43-335 bullet and Alliant 2400, however 5744 is also a good powder for this cartridge.
My brass is 38MM which makes my OAL with the 335B function just fine through the magazine. The picture shows an original Swiss cartridge alongside the 335B handload, they are very similar with the exception of the FP vs RN of the original.

Prior to this I used the Lee 300 grain mold and 44MM brass which also worked well with 2400.

[Rockindaddy]

Swiss Vetterli rifles are fun to shoot! They turn heads as they are an odd looking piece. Have been converting and loading for Swiss Vetterli's for over 30 years. There were no dies for forming up cases out of 348 Winchester. After converting the gun to centerfire and reaming the neck to .467" a groove dia boolit can be fired. Originally I found an old 284 sizer die to initally squeeze the case. The case was spun and cut to a length of 1.650" Then I annealed the case and neck sized em in a 44 Mag sizer. The case was fire formed by dropping a lubed unsized 44mag boolit into the chamber and using 14grs of Unique and a Kapok wad. After fire forming, the cases were shortened to 1.632" I flaired the case mouth with an old 44 Special die. Cast Lyman 446110 lubed and sized bullet to .446 was seated so the overall length is 2.132" My favorite loads are: 33grs of No.7 and a Lyman 446110 340gr boolit sized and lubed to .446" dia They print 1 1/2" @50 yards. 25grs of 4759 shoots 3" at 100 yards with the same Lyman 446110 boolit. I have never sloped up my minty bore with black powder! I have a few original rimfire cartridges 10.4mm x 38R They were made out of copper. I pulled a bullet. They were loaded with a healed 312 gr bullet and black powder. The only way to get a Vetterli to shoot is to open up the neck to .467" so a .446" dia boolit can be fired accurately! They kill deer easily with a one part tin to 25 parts lead cast boolit.