Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Some very-light load testing

Yes, again.  The candidates today were the .30-30 on the left, and
7.62x54r on the right.  Both loaded with 98-grain cast-lead semi-wadcutters, courtesy of a RCBS mold.*  .30-30 loaded with 2.7 grains of Bullseye powder, and the 7.62x54r had five of Bullseye, and five of Green Dot.  I also loaded five .30-30 with 150-grain flat-point cast bullets over five grains of Green Dot, and five 115-grain cast spitzers, both of which I forgot to take pictures of.

Results at 30 yards.  .30-30 fired with a Winchester 94.  with semi-wadcutters

.30-30 with 115-grain spitzers


.30-30 with 150-grain flat-points




The semi-wadcutters and spitzers are on par with previous tries.  I think the 150-grain loads, with better light and/or a better rest, I could get better groups with.


7.62x54r fired from a Mosin Nagant 91/30.  With semi-wadcutters over Bullseye


and a surprise with the same bullet over Green Dot
Either I did a better job of aiming and squeezing, or this rifle prefers Green Dot.  More testing required.

Now I want to try some of the heavier bullets I tried in the past, but using Green Dot and see if any difference with those.


Remember those .357 loads with the paper-patched bullets?
I'm pretty sure the vertical stringing is my fault.  Also more testing needed.

Two things come to mind.  I'm wondering how both the .30-30 with full-power loads and that 150-grain bullet cast of pure lead and paper-patched, and the 162-grain semi-wadcutter in .357 cast of pure and patched, might do?  With the patch there shouldn't be any worries about leading, and that bullet should upset beautifully on game.  This is going to have to be tried.


*That mold is the single most pain-in-the-ass piece of casting gear I've ever used.  No idea why, but getting good bullets out of it is enough to enrage the Good Humor man.
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5 comments:

  1. B 5:27 PM

    My pure lead bullets (,458, 325 G and 405 G) deform wonderfully in flesh.

    Did yo find the paper patches about 3 feet in front of the muzzle?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Firehand5:52 PM

    Seem to have mostly gone to pieces. Indoor range, couldn't go out to really look for remains

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gerry N.7:48 PM

    My favorite plinking load in any common rifle caliber is usually 10Gr. of Unique pushing a wheelweight bullet, tumblelubed with Lee Liquid Alox. Simple, easily remembered and cheap. I like cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alien2:07 AM

    FH, do you have any velocity data on these loads?

    IIRC, an aticle in Handloader about 30 years back (or might have been Rifle can't remember, they were the same publisher) seemed to indicate about 1800 FPS or so was the practical limit for hard cast lead in rifles. I've used straight wheelweight lead in standard-velocity handguns with no problems, although I've noticed the quality of wheelweights has declined markedly over the years. For faster velocities I've used 1-in-10 (10%) or 2-in-10 ratios of wheelweights and linotype, but I'm hoarding my linotype now - way too hard to find, and the only other common choice I've found is Lyman #2 which is spendy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Firehand6:25 AM

    Found the data from some tests a couple of years back, a .30-06, 3.0 grains of Bullseye and the SWC bullet, averaged about 850fps.

    In .30-30, the SWC bullet over 9.0 of Unique, that pushed it up over 1700fps.

    ReplyDelete

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