Thread: Handloading for Placid and Challenging Cartridges

Originally Posted by muzza

Just finding reliable information with current componants is the chore with calibres that are regarded as obsolete. The Donaldson Wasp was the King of benchrest shooting for many years until the .222 Rem came along.

@muzza have you looked at the Edition VI of the Sierra reloading manual? In the rear of the manual there is a section called Rifle Legacy Reloading Date which includes data for the 219 Donaldson Wasp.

by far the easiest has been both the 44 magnum and the 45/70 the 45/70 in particular is a doddle to load for...Ive settled on 45grns of 2208 behind a 405 grn cast and 45 grns of 2219 behind the 330 cast...just cause its an easy number that is top of the bottom,bottom of the middle tiers . black powder is easier still,stuff it in till no more fits..well actuall I weigh it out first,but thats pretty much how it works.

I have
6br ai
6.5-06 (have some 147 eldms and n560 I want to try as a combo)
284 win
7mm rem mag

Intend to add 223 and 6.5prc to the lineup, seems I'm mostly in the latter category

Originally Posted by distant stalker

I have
6br ai
6.5-06 (have some 147 eldms and n560 I want to try as a combo)
284 win
7mm rem mag

Intend to add 223 and 6.5prc to the lineup, seems I'm mostly in the latter category

Greetings,
Plenty of challenges in the first four. I have only loaded the 6.5-06. Your intended additions should be much more placid.
Regards Grandpamac.

I just had a succes and a failure with my Marlin 30-30 on Christmas eve. The success was finding a load for 180gn S&W soft points I first mentioned in a post some months ago. There being no current published data from powder manufacturers in particular I searched out earlier magazine writers and current forums. I settled for a modest load of 30gn of IMR 3O31and produced groups like this at just under 50m from a table fore-wood rest


Then I shot some incremental loads with Walker 152gn Cast Gas Checked HP. No good news there other than velocity seemed to improve the poor groups I was getting. These were loaded with Nobel 78 Shotgun Powder, a substitute for Red Dot which has worked very well for me elsewhere. Dinner plate at 47m was about as good as it got
Between 1400 and 1600fps. Then at the end I fished out a bag with half a doz spire point factory rounds that had come to me intended for a bolt action, which I had pulled and re-seated with the Walkers with the original powder charge - whatever that was. These did better but not a lot, averaging close to 2200fps. Five of the shots would have taken meat home, the 6th a maybe.



Finally, done with the 30-30 for the nonce, I loaded the Rossi 44mag with more Walkers- this time 240gn GC FP over 19.8gn Belmont Magnum Pistol (WC296). Pretty happy with this result.



So a pleasant few hours out in the hills and some success. 13gn of Pistol/Shotgun powder is max for me in the 30cal Rifle cartridges so will be going to something different to nail down a tighter group. A max load of AR2205 should deliver around 1800fps. As would 2207. Either AR2206H or AR2208 would bring velocity up into early 2000fps well under max loads. But would love to hear what is giving others success with this cast bullet in the Marlin 30-30 - I know the projectile has a bit of popularity out there.

Such nice props to have in holiday time.

P.S. The Marlin has a Vortex Red Dot on it, the Rossi a Vortex Scout Scope

i was very lucky with the 416 Remmy. First lot of handloaded cartridges done by a reloading guy in CHCH (barnes x points 340gr) with a fireforming load would do under MOA at a hundy for 3 shots.
Repeatable.
Then I did my own with 340 woodleighs and 2206. Both myself and my friend trying it out with the second load tried got similar groupings of approx 17mm x14mm at 40 yards out the back of his place. Picked a starting load 2.5 grains back from the max load. This was when the ADI book only had a max load from the picture I took of the page.
Went a whole grain higher just because, and that was the one with the groups just mentioned.
Never sighted it in properly for those as i still had a handful of the monos to use. These chronographed over 2700fps which was the book velocity for a standard load. so i left it
Fast forward years later and I let an acquaintance have a crack. Using my projectiles and his 2206. He used a starting load similar to mine and was getting 2500fps and change and about MOA at a hundy.
I do have some factory stuff to try for shitz and gigs but i do want to load up some more of the woodleighs.
Even though it does shoot well with the 340 cup and core, it also did well with a slower load (i did have the chance to crony the last few i had recently but only thought of it after the fact), and they would be longer so could be getting close to the traditional 400gr projectiles for them and in reality, the twist should be right for that as that is benchmark projectile for them.
The manual does suggest that you could get 2900fps out of a 300gr pill. That is fair stonking.

The most 'out there' cal I'm loading for is an old 43cal ww1 rifle. Altering, sizing and fireforming 45-70 brass for it which isn't pretty tbf. But the old girl is shooting again so there's life in her yet

Originally Posted by T.FOYE

The most 'out there' cal I'm loading for is an old 43cal ww1 rifle. Altering, sizing and fireforming 45-70 brass for it which isn't pretty tbf. But the old girl is shooting again so there's life in her yet

That would have been an old cartridge in WW1. More details please.
GPM.

I thought .257 Roberts would be a doddle but it turned into a bit of a challenge. Wasnt helped by the OAL of the Kimber Hunter mag which a clever (Jaco) gunsmith sorted for me.

Originally Posted by Tahr

I thought .257 Roberts would be a doddle but it turned into a bit of a challenge. Wasn't helped by the OAL of the Kimber Hunter mag which a clever (Jaco) gunsmith sorted for me.

Another ex wildcat that suffered for it's early life. There have been few new .25 calibre cartridges in recent years and there may not be many in the future, unfortunately.
GPM.