Tikka T3 develops very LOW velocities

tkms002,

It has been my experience after having a chronograph, that there seems to be three basic grouping of rifles as per velocities.

First and largest group, are those which product velocities well blow published data, and in some cases a couple hundred FPS - OR MORE - below what is expected.

Then, the second and smaller group are those rifles that come close to matching published data.

Then the 3rd and smallest group of rifles are those that exceed published data, all while staying within the published guide lines and without signs of excess pressures.

As was alluded to above, this can be attributed to a number of reasons, bore size and condition, chamber dimensions, Amount or absents of free bore, case wall thickness, not to mention the lot to lot differences in powders.

I have seen velocity drop with no other changes, by about a 100fps with just the change from one lot number of powder to another.

One time in a Speer loading manual, they listed a velocity for a 300 Win Mag that would make the high velocity lovers slobber all over them selves. Good luck to come any where close.

My test were with a rifle that would be mid range in the three grouping, yet it was hundreds of fps off the listed velocities.

WOW, to have a jug of that powder lot number.

So, bare in mind that the critters will never know that you bullet didn't make the listings, but your experience is not out of line.

Sorry that your rifle appears at this point to be one of the first group, but remember it and enjoy the next time you chronograph a friends hot wizz banger and it is a couple hundred or more FPS slower then he/she had expected. It happens.

Another example, I had a 30/06 that was in the slow group. I had the chamber opened up to a 30 Gibbs which makes for a sizable increase in powder volume plus the guy that chambered the rifle allowed the reamer to run a bit deep and the increase in powder volume was even greater then normal for this wildcat.

Well even with all this increase powder space, the 30 Gibbs never shot at velocities high then what can be expected with a mid group or fast group standard 30/06. It was simply a slow rifle even on it's best day.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

View the original article here

What alloy for 38/357 hollow base wadcutters at target velocities?

I recently bought a Mihec 4 cavity mould for 38/357 hollow base wadcutters and was wondering which alloy to use for casting hollow base boolits? I normally use Lyman #2 alloy (90% lead/5%tin/5% antimony) for everything, but I thought that a softer alloy might be better to allow the hollow base to expand. 1:20 tin/lead? I would appreciate any suggestions. I'm not a serious target shooter, I just want to keep my S&W M66 fed..it liked the Hornady swaged HBWC, but I got tired looking for these projectiles since they were always "out of stock". Buying a Mihec mould to cast these boolits was a great decision..thanks

I use just about any old alloy for wad cutters, but at normal terget velocities, I think I'd just use range lead with a bit o' tin and call it good. It fill out well and stll be soft enough to shoot well.

_________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.

Can't tell you about hollow-base .38's, but the 9.75 BHN mix of range scrap & COWW from my first smelt is working GREAT in a hollow-base .455 Webley. Thus far, it seems to be my least lead-prone handgun - whether that's just the low velocity, the hollow base sealing better, or both, it gets the job done. Will probably be casting 9-9.5 BHN straight range scrap for it in the future - simply because any future wheel-weighty alloys in the 12+ BHN range will get shifted to the .357/.44 end of the pile. Unless you're doing serious match work, I don't see much point to breaking out the sexy alloys on pokey rounds like this.

While I personally wouldn't be pouring out rifle-worthy 15BHN Lyman #2 for plinking-grade 700fps WC's, I also would try not to overthink the base-obturation issue. I tend to think that if you have pressure to smash a boolit down enough to engrave the rifling and travel the bore, you've got enough pressure to blow a hollow-base into the rifling as well.

WWJMBD?

I like my science WEIRD.

You may not post new threadsYou may not post repliesYou may not post attachmentsYou may not edit your postsForum Rules

Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

View the original article here

cast boolit velocities,,,, 'how come?'

Boolit Mold Join DateDec 2012Posts15

a recent post I read elsewhere caused me to stop and check my loading for my .45acp. I did it right, it was under the max for the time the Speer #8 manual was printed. But, I noticed something else.... That manual lists a jacketed 200gr boolit with 7.7grs of Unique for 1000fps velocity, and also a 200gr cast semi-wadcutter with 6.0 grains of Unique for 840fps velocity. How come? Wouldn't the lead hold up just as well at 1000fps as it would at 830? I mean, the rifle rounds run much faster without lead stripping. What is it that I don't understand?

IIRC, the Speer manual is the one with the notation under the lead loads "The loads listed are not necesarilly maximum loads, but are velocities most often used for target shooting" or somesuch.......

Dan

Boolit Mold Join DateDec 2012Posts15

IIRC, the Speer manual is the one with the notation under the lead loads "The loads listed are not necesarilly maximum loads, but are velocities most often used for target shooting" or somesuch.......

Dan

I never noticed that. Print must have been small. I used the jacketed load data, buy not the max, and never had any trouble with lead stripping, so, I was curious. Glad it was a simple thing. However, this does raise another question. My newer Speer manuals have a lower max charge of 7.4grs Unique, whereas the older manual listed 7.7grs max. Did the powder change, or did Speer become more conservative in their estimates?

I never noticed that. Print must have been small. I used the jacketed load data, buy not the max, and never had any trouble with lead stripping, so, I was curious. Glad it was a simple thing. However, this does raise another question. My newer Speer manuals have a lower max charge of 7.4grs Unique, whereas the older manual listed 7.7grs max. Did the powder change, or did Speer become more conservative in their estimates?I think it was fear of litigation. In some cases more testing from multiple fire arms can show better performance than a universal reciver but for the most part it prolly had to do with lawyers more than anything.

GSSF RSO
NRA RSO
DU

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell

These are the times that try men's souls.
Thomas Payne

because i doubt there using hand casted bullets. probably swadged commercial bullets made out of pure or near pure lead.

Most if not all of the manuals have lowered there max loads. Partly more conservative but mostly electronic measurements in place of crusher measurements.

Carl

Wasn't it Speer #8 that was somewhat notorious for having some rather "energetic" loads, too?

it was either 7 or 8.
if I sold bullets and was doing a reloading manual.
I would make dang sure my product was the one highlighted by the best accuracy potential and highest velocity.
it wouldn't hurt if the profit margin on those same bullets were the highest either.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Most if not all of the manuals have lowered there max loads. Partly more conservative but mostly electronic measurements in place of crusher measurements.

Carl

Today's better testing equipment and a switch from CUP to PSI tend to show slightly lighter loads...

Boolit Master Join DateMar 2005LocationWashington StatePosts198

Jacketed bullets offer more resistance than cast, so a max load for jacketed should be entirely safe with cast. There must be another reason for the lower max. Could be old data (jacketed) vs. new (cast), then the better measuring equip. could account for the difference, maybe.

You may not post new threadsYou may not post repliesYou may not post attachmentsYou may not edit your postsForum Rules

Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

View the original article here