A Trip Down Memory Lane For Us Older Hand Loaders

[JimP]

I think that all of the older manuals have hotter loads than the new ones do

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@Major Khan Sir ,
This is a Hornady advertisement from 1961 ( the time when you were a professional hunter in Nagpur ) .
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As you can see , Hornady was still using copper clad steel jackets in their full metal jacket bullets until 1961 . Then , they used a cheaper cupronickel jacket from 1962 to 1981 . This explains why both you and Mr . Terry Irwin recorded such excellent performance with the early Hornady full metal jacket bullets . Because both of you saw the early copper clad steel jacketed ones in use .

@Professor Mawla
I notice they are even offering a 275 grain 35cal projectiles. It's a pity they still don't. It would be nice to have those prices nowdays.
I started reloading in the late 70s using a hydraulic decapper for my 303 and a cut off case as a powder measure. The projectiles of choice in those days was the locally made Tipans as the imported ones were expensive. That old rifle killed a truck load of game.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My two oldest reloading books. Still interesting info.
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@Ridgewalker
Unfortunately my old manual ended up falling apart. It was the Australian book Reloading Simplified by Cyril something ( I'm sure someone will tell me). It still listed the old Nobles no1 and 2 rifle powders and new powders like reloader 7 as well as American powders. We didn't have our own powders at the time.
How things have changed.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Whilenot as old as some these four very well thumbed editions were the bedrock of my reloading information from the 70's on
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@Von Gruff
I still have the Nick Harvey to be got.
A mate still has a stock of AR2201 so I was able to give him loads for his 270/303. Another friend has still got some old Nobles I was able to give him data for. Love the old manuals and stories of what we used to hunt with. They got the job done but somehow we lost the plot and need bigger, better and faster to do the same job at the same ranges than we used to.
That's why I still like the older cartridges like the Hornet, 25s, Whelen and 303. They just seem to work.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I think that all of the older manuals have hotter loads than the new ones do

@JimP
We weren't as litigious back then we took responsibly for our own actions and didn't blame someone else for or stupidity.
Bob

 

[bruce moulds]

bob, that was cyril waterworth.
he was also editor of sporting shooter magazine.
this was pre nick harvey.
his book also had loads for 4740, the pre ar2201 powder.
bruce.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

bob, that was cyril waterworth.
he was also editor of sporting shooter magazine.
this was pre nick harvey.
his book also had loads for 4740, the pre ar2201 powder.
bruce.

@bruce moulds
That's giving our age away mate
Bob

 

[bruce moulds]

bob,
i remember when cyril went from a 303/25 to a 243.
there were not many 243s in oz yet then.
the in benchgun was a sako vixen in 222 except for 300 where they used a 308.
then along came nick, heavily pushing the 270.
my friend had a 303/25 rimless.
bruce.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

bob,
i remember when cyril went from a 303/25 to a 243.
there were not many 243s in oz yet then.
the in benchgun was a sako vixen in 222 except for 300 where they used a 308.
then along came nick, heavily pushing the 270.
my friend had a 303/25 rimless.
bruce.

@I heard of the rimless 303/25 but never seen one, a lot of hard work.
I remember reading Len Richardson on sambar hunting saying the 270/303 was to much gun for sambar and switching to the 243/303 with 90 grain Sako projectiles and said it was the perfect rifle. Now we lead 375s, 338s the 300 magnums and other big guns to do the same job. We seem to have forgotten how to stalk and hunt as well as shoot properly. I lost count of the game I shot with the old 303/25 and still use my own version of it. A sort of 25 Harrison magnum on steroids. Things used to be so much simpler, it's the gun writers that complicated things by saying you need this new wiz bang cartridge to hunt with because it's better. I've returned to my roots and just use the time proven old calibers like the K Hornet, my 25 and the 35 Whelen so I have all bases covered.

My favorite 25 with 100grain Barnes TTSX and 115grain nosler combined technology silver tip.
Bob

 

[CoElkHunter]

My hat is off to you guys in OZ! When nothing new or reasonably priced brass was available, you took the apparently readily available .303 brass and wildcatted it into other cartridges. Kinda like the ‘06 here, but with many less choices of cartridges available at the time in OZ.

 

[bruce moulds]

ceh,
stuff was not available, and things were tight after the war.
cheap lee enfields were available.
military 303 fired cases where available for several companies to reload as affordable ammunition.
the working man could hunt.
bruce.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

ceh,
stuff was not available, and things were tight after the war.
cheap lee enfields were available.
military 303 fired cases where available for several companies to reload as affordable ammunition.
the working man could hunt.
bruce.

@bruce moulds
In 1977 I bought a brand new still in the grease and brown paper for $15 and my father fitted it.
Should have bought 10 of them.
Bob

 

[bruce moulds]

yes bob.
you would have realized a significant profit.
i bought a new one for 10 pounds to shoot in the school cadets.
walked into the surplus military store in my school uniform, and caught the bus home with it.
should have kept it to sell now.
bruce.

 

[fourfive8]

Enjoying this thread!
Here's a grouping of my earliest that I've had since starting- '69 Lyman Shotshell manual and Lyman '70 Rifle, Pistol and ML manual. Currently using some powder from this old cardboard can of Hodgdon H4895 for some 416 Remington mag brass fire forming using Hodgdon's 60%-of-maximum rule for reduced load with the H4895. Works well. Smells fine and the granules appear to be about the same size and shape as current H4895 but lack the tell-tale greenish tint of the more recent iterations of the "Extreme" Hodgdon powders.