So, I Was In The Loading Room Today...

[gizmo]

Welp, I may or may not have bought a few more rifles here lately. The first was a Sabatti prototype ST-17 in 6.5 Creedmore. (Kinda cool, I have the only one. Literally) It’s a heckava Rifle and I shot some factory ammo through it with @Royal27 and the cheap grey box Winchester (only ammo I could get at the time) didn’t produce the results I was wanting, but hey at least I got to shoot it. Anyway, the best result was a box of empty brass sooooooo, I’m starting to work on a load for that. During testing it printed a 1 hole group with Hornady so I’m hoping it likes Barnes We’ll see.
Also I bought a Pedersoli 1874 Sharps Old West Walnut! It’s 45-70 (I know I needed another 45-70 like I need another hole in my head but I had to have it) and I’ll be playing with loading rounds for it. I have a bunch of factory loaded ammo for it but it’s much more fun to shoot loaded ammo I think.

 

[ChrisG]

Welp, I may or may not have bought a few more rifles here lately. The first was a Sabatti prototype ST-17 in 6.5 Creedmore. (Kinda cool, I have the only one. Literally) It’s a heckava Rifle and I shot some factory ammo through it with @Royal27 and the cheap grey box Winchester (only ammo I could get at the time) didn’t produce the results I was wanting, but hey at least I got to shoot it. Anyway, the best result was a box of empty brass sooooooo, I’m starting to work on a load for that. During testing it printed a 1 hole group with Hornady so I’m hoping it likes Barnes We’ll see.
Also I bought a Pedersoli 1874 Sharps Old West Walnut! It’s 45-70 (I know I needed another 45-70 like I need another hole in my head but I had to have it) and I’ll be playing with loading rounds for it. I have a bunch of factory loaded ammo for it but it’s much more fun to shoot loaded ammo I think. View attachment 357037

How are the LRX bullets in the swede? I like that they are a little heavier and they look like they are built like a TTSX to expand at lower velocity (like 1800fps). I have gone to almost exclusively using the 120 TTSX in my swede and they are hammers with pinpoint accurate to boot. After I bedded my Ruger MkII, They practically all go into the same hole at 100 yards. Might have to make the switch

 

[crudeoildude]

me thinks your gonna love that creedmoor specialy with the Barnes.

 

[Royal27]

During testing it printed a 1 hole group with Hornady

Amazing how a different load works. It was slinging bullets so bad that it had Erik rattled. I shot it and same thing. He would have crapped had a shot a half inch group.

It's a neat rifle.

 

[gizmo]

How are the LRX bullets in the swede? I like that they are a little heavier and they look like they are built like a TTSX to expand at lower velocity (like 1800fps). I have gone to almost exclusively using the 120 TTSX in my swede and they are hammers with pinpoint accurate to boot. After I bedded my Ruger MkII, They practically all go into the same hole at 100 yards. Might have to make the switch

Dont know yet. I’m loading them now and it will be a few weeks before I can shoot them. My hopes are high. I’m a TTSX but. I shoot them in everything I have that they make it for. I like the TSX’s too and will be taking my next buff with them.

 

[tarbe]

Waiting on my melting pot to show up and a custom Martini Henry mold. I decided to go with a very similar service load I.e. paper patched lead bullet @486 grain with .460 that I can patch up to .468-470. Getting pretty excited. Won’t be long hopefully and I’ll be breathing life back into my 1871 MK II short lever Martini Henry. Once I get it all sorted out all I’ll need is some seriously pissed off Zulu warriors to charge me

Hey @gizmo

What paper are you using to patch?

I just started venturing into PP with this Sharps I just got. I bought a roll of Seth Cole 55W to patch my .442 505gr to about .449. PP is a weird game!

 

[gizmo]

Hey @gizmo

What paper are you using to patch?

I just started venturing into PP with this Sharps I just got. I bought a roll of Seth Cole 55W to patch my .442 505gr to about .449. PP is a weird game!

Well I don’t know yet. My schedule has been brutal and I haven’t had time to mess with the Martini. I figure I’ve got to find a way to trim down the 24ga cases accurately first. I want to buy a small lathe but they are expensive so it’s kinda been on the back burner.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I want to buy a small lathe

A buddy has this one from Harbor Freight. He seems to think it works pretty well. Obviously it’s not a Hardinge tool room lathe!

 

[gizmo]

I saw that one Phil and I like it. Now just gotta get $600 to drop on it.

 

[bruce moulds]

tarbe,
if you just need to go a little bigger, but not much, 55w is worth a try.
patchind dry will add a little more diameter than patching wet and vice versa.
patching to bore works well.
i have been shooting 300 to 1000 yards with fullbore shooters for about 5 yrs now using patch to bore.
this will shoot as well as or better than grease groove bullets.
somewhere i have some data on what different papers add to a bullet diameter.
if i can find it i will post here.
when i started everyone was using 20:1, but i have worked right up to 10:1.
mostly i use 12:1 lead/tin now to minimize nose slump and the loss of b.c., potentially off centering the nose, and leading that occurs with this.
incidentally, breech seating the bullet on top of a full case of powder is the most accurate of all.
the load is tuned by adjusting the airgap between the wad and the base of the bullet, and as you increase this from touching, when it happens accuracy is scary.
bruce.

 

[tarbe]

Bruce - you get adequate bump-up at 12:1? I am truly surprised by that!

Not based on personal experience...just from research. Conventional wisdom was saying don't go below 20:1.

I am pretty sure the weak link is always going to be me!

 

[bruce moulds]

tarbe,
the old dead guys of creemoor, etc experimented at between 10:1 and 14:1 for best accuracy with bore diameter pp bullets in 44 and 45 cal rifles.
44 cal in those days referred to bore diameter, often 0.446" making groove diameter often around 0.452", so 44 and 45 cals were pretty close.
i have shot a lot of bullets patched to 0.400 for a 0.400/0.408 barrel.
never a dirt digger or unexplained shot.
start adding antimony and bullets can get too hard and not bump up enough, allowing gas cutting to cause leading.
lyman no 2 is too hard.
most guys are now using 16:1 for pp, being too scared to go harder.
for best resultsthe bullet should slide into the bore with a bit of feel but not too nuch force.
too loose can be a problem with harder bullets.
to 40/50 and 40/70 seemed to be loaded in the old days with 20:1 for some reason.
suspect the need for bullet expansion terminally.
old time 45/70 military bullets were 16:1 groove diameter greasers.
shooting 12:1 against 20:1 shows noticeably less drop at ranges 800 to 1000 yds.the old dead guys put this down to harder bumping up of the softer bullet causing more friction in the barrel.
i have found you have to put a longer patch on softer bullets of the same design, as the nose bumps up further forward than harder bullets.
this of course means the shank gets longer and the nose shorter, reducing b.c.
studying your confetti (cut paper) will establish how far forward the patch needs to go so you get a clean cut right to the front, but no lead exposed to the bore.
recovering fired bullets can help here as well.
patching with a tail had disappeared by 1880.
the patch only needs to fold over the base a bit leaving a circle of lead exposed.
a clean cut at the front and bases done like this will release shreds of paper at the muzzle beautifully.
bruce.

 

[tarbe]

It was a very strange thing when I was able to slide my patched boolit into the muzzle with only my thumb and forefinger!

My "logical" mind said "this boolit needs to be soft enough to bump up 8 thousandths"! Coupled with admonitions to avoid antimony, had me leaning toward softer, more easily obturated alloys.

As usual, actual practice/experience must modify our thinking!

 

[bruce moulds]

tarbe,
you will have fun going on this journey.
the more you learn the more you discover to learn, and it is fascinating.
bruce.

 

[Royal27]

First thing that dawns on me is - as I get older, I am mostly loading really old, rimmed cartridges!

Just looked at the first post again. Interesting that you've gone even older and into black powder now.

 

[D.M.V]

 

[D.M.V]

I'm having fun with Blue Dot in the 10mm lately

 

[tarbe]

I'm having fun with Blue Dot in the 10mm lately

Great timing on that photo!

I first used Blue Dot around about 1975 in hot 45 Colt loads. I always loved the Hercules powders....Bullseye, Unique, Green Dot, Red Dot, Herco, Blue Dot...used them all.

 

[gizmo]

Good lord. This reloading stuff is going to break me. We’ve bought an insane amount of components lately for rifle, pistol, and shotgun.
I remember when I first started reloading close to 20 years ago now. I did it to “save money” Bahahaha that’s pretty funny now but what a ton of fun. I hope to load up some stuff this week after work and put some of this stuff I’ve been hoarding to use!

 

[JimP]

People who reload to save money are just trying to fool themselves.