HV rifle challenge

fiver

Well-Known Member
those are just the tip.
grab a win 94 in some caliber or the other and try replacing a jacketed bullet with something decent made from lead.
I bet you have good results.
the 338 federal shouldn't be too hard either.

if you want a challenge try a 7mm or a 6.5.
you got 0-fer mold choices and no one makes a custom for them [except maybe Veral]
gas checks? well, you can make your own.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I'm not doing this with the Swedish Mauser again. Once was enough, I get hives just looking at the thing in the safe. I whipped it finally, sorta, and we reached an uneasy truce: It gets fed Sierra round nose bullets from now on and doesn't haunt my dreams.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
yeah I drew a line too.
all of the 22 cal rifles do just fine with lead.
the 25 to 28 area is more jacketed territory here too, the 7's keep jumping back and forth depending on what I want from them at the time.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
I don't know if I've dropped in my hey penny yet .
There are facets I don't agree with here but I suspect it has something to do with the dialect and less to do with the actual information .

I've had near instant success with several rifles and some that just had to live with "the rules".
My greatest success with naked grease groove bullets is with a 222 .
IMG_20170625_104149908.jpg
According to the range buddy app that's .763" at 100 yd me and my calipers say it's closer to .910 . When the driver does it's part that flier is less flighty .
10 ft from the muzzle .
IMG_20170205_120109782.jpg
The spectacular part is that this is a 225-55@62 gr and while I referenced the charge data I never really looked at the velocity information but at 62 gr that's not all that far off 62-65 gr jacketed data .

Other successes include a plain base 32 Rem that while I had limited target success , 3" on our best day with a 1935 Rem Model 14 I was still trying to figure out the best fore end hold on , I did right from the start reach maximum jacketed speeds and I took it on an unsuccessful hog hunt .
A more recent 30-30 is a no brainer as noted above . Made even easier with a gas check added .

A real surprise cartridge was the 6.8 SPCII while a 130 gr bullet loafing along at 2100 fps doesn't seem like a lot but it takes 59,000 psi to get a 120 gr SST to 2400 fps so it's actually getting it done . In that rifle I also closed the best jacketed group by a full half inch with the cast loads .

Of course the 358 got it done as well but only , so far, with a 250 gr bullet at a lazy 2150 fps .

Do I count 45-70 ? I ask because it doesn't seem like that was any task at all to get full bullet weights to nominal speeds .

I don't know that I take any special care beyond the cull . For the most part my casts that look good are within 2% for weight . Of course for any serious work I would weigh lot a lot closer than than that . The hunt gets the best of the best . Yes I've fished out a kernel of powder and put a different one back for a particular load . Would it have made any difference ? I doubt it .

Tricks ? Shoot a bullet on the heavy end for your cartridge , choose the slowest medium pressure powders for the cartridge , use matching headstamps and cases within 2 gr per lot , start at the minimum low start load . Shoot it see what happens.
 

45 2.1

Active Member
It's not that hard (with most any caliber). Some of you are finding that out now...................................
 

Intheshop

Banned
I'll play.'06 in avatar is up for some more juice.It was bought with this as the goal.Got to around 2200 and then it started raining 7-08's and I fell in love with them.Got the CDL outta the safe the other day cause of windy conditions,so will pick that as the Spring project.Lyman lists 4895 full house @2500 fps with my go to varmint .30,311141.Will report back.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
BW if you run into problems let us know, we can move your powder and bullet selection more in line with what most of the others are doing.
I will say one of my 0-6's thinks the 041 is the best mold ever made, the rest hate it.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Going at this a little backwards.Testing primers first.Federal gave it up.CCI cut the 5" group by about 40%.Next up is Winchester...then Remington.Testing in 20 mph wind.Last group,I "englished" the rig.Meaning,shooting off X bags,the 44g of H4895 was really jack'n the,basically bone stock rifle around.If I swing it into the bull,it picks up a bit on accuracy.It needs to be bedded.Sent 20 down range @100.
 

Intheshop

Banned
50/50 BW Vaseline lube turned to water.Could see the muzzle almost dripping wet.This was handlubed,as cast,on the space above GC and the first/lowest groove.Will cut back to just the space above GC.Which is how the 22-250 likes it.Bore condition on the '06 is better @2500 with 4895 than at 2200 fps.From 40 years shooting cast;the quenched WW alloy also turned to water.Kinda like turning line pressure on a SATA from a working 40# to 90.Air and fluid just blows right past the tip,overwhelming it.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Got 100# of rotometal,dang near lino thats been serving as a doorstop for a year or so.Not giving up on the WW,cheap stuff just yet though.Gotta cut back on the lube quantity,finding that balance so the alloy gets better traction.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
that will help.
I'd start adding a bit of the lino to the w's as a second step and trying that a bit at a time.
about 1/3 to the ww's is around where I am.
 

Intheshop

Banned
RCBS uniflow,large cavity "drops" CONSISTENTLY within 2-3 kernels of H4895....btw.Measured on a tight,detailed M5 Lyman scale.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Fiver,gut feeling is I'm just below a node on this combo.Gonna keep going at it backwards (primer testing first) seeing what's what,then start adding powder.Swear I think there was a drip of lube on the muzzle,haha.Like the lube was halfway to the target before the bullet exit...duh.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
a wet lube will throw flyers every which way too.
one of the things I done a long term test on was taking a messy too wet lube and adding more and more wax and watching the groups tighten up until I went too far.
then backing off to the just right point.
it started out so wet it was blowing lube back into the action, and all over the outside of the gun.
I finally had to clean the well rust preserved action and magazine well out for the gun to function.