Ammunition & Hand Loading > Cartridge and Shotshell reloading

Boolits!

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bkoenig:
When the going gets tough...the tough get casting!  .311 caliber bullets aren't exactly cheap or easy to find compared to .308.  I have a stash of pulled Russian 150 grain bullets that shoot very well out of my Finn Mosin, but I haven't seen any more for sale for years so I wanted to save those and use some cast bullets for short range and plinking.  So, I put this together:

168gr Lee gas check bullet cast from a 50/50 mix of soft lead and Linotype.  It's lubed with a 45/45/10 mix of Alox, Johnson's Paste Wax, and mineral spirits.  Loaded over 12 grains of Unique with a S&B primer I was shooting 1 hole groups at 50 meters a couple weeks ago, slung up from prone (not from a bench) and with iron sights.  I started out at 11 grains and the accuracy got better as the load increased, so I've loaded up a few more to keep bumping it up 1/2 grain at a time until I reach the sweet spot. 

Recoil is LIGHT.  Feels about like a .223.  My M39 has a sharp edged steel butt plate and while full power loads aren't unpleasant they get your attention.  I had to run my sight up to the 600 meter setting to get my point of impact correct, but I think with a little more powder this could be a decent load out to 200 meters or so.

My M39 has a much shorter throat than most Mosins, so I had to seat the bullet pretty deep to get it to chamber. 

unfy:
Purty :)

12gr in that case ... you using poly fill to help keep the powder towards the head for better ignition ?

bkoenig:

--- Quote from: unfy on February 20, 2013, 09:54:00 PM ---Purty :)

12gr in that case ... you using poly fill to help keep the powder towards the head for better ignition ?


--- End quote ---

I haven't tried that yet.  I've heard some horror stories about ringed barrels due to filler so if I can get away without it I would rather not.  From what I've read Unique is fairly insensitive to its position in the case, but I need to experiment a little.

unfy:
I know buckshot fill with something like refined oatmeal can produce problems...

Don't think I've heard of any issues with polyfill.

It's basically only a very tiny amount of polyfill due to how poofy it is.  Only 1.5gr is typical afaik.

But if Unique is doing fine, then never mind :)

bkoenig:
When it warms up and I have some time I want to load up 20 or so identical rounds and run half over the chrony with the powder tipped forward and half with it tipped back and see what kind of difference it makes. 

I'm also running Unique in my 38-55 but getting some vertical stringing.  I'm not sure if that's due to the powder or the shooter, though.  Last weekend I shot a group from the bench that was about 2" wide and 4" tall at 100 yards.  That rifle has a Williams peep sight with a really big front bead and a huge rear aperture, so while the sights would be great for hunting they aren't really conducive to precision shooting.  I need to at least change out the rear insert and see if that helps tighten things up.

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