What did you do in the reloading room recently?

[Dana_15]

Nice! Pretty much the best magnum powder. I use 23.5 gr of H110 for my 240 gr JSP loads. Get ahold of some 180 gr XTP's and the powder charge goes up to 31 gr! Talk about a flamethrower.

Picked up some 180 XTP's at Cabelas over the weekend, 31 gr pretty much fills up the case! Hopefully I'll get to shoot them tomorrow

 

[DW357]

Picked up some 180 XTP's at Cabelas over the weekend, 31 gr pretty much fills up the case! Hopefully I'll get to shoot them tomorrow

Haha yeah when I first loaded them I was surprised how little room was left in the cases. I load on a Hornady LNL progressive press and I had to be very careful not to spill the powder which meant I hold the cases every time the press indexes.

 

[ruebarb]

Wow, I load 23.6 for my 240, 31gr is insane, would like to watch that round go off.

 

[DW357]

Wow, I load 23.6 for my 240, 31gr is insane, would like to watch that round go off.

These are the 180s back in January from my Henry big boy and my super redhawk LOL.
View attachment 143428View attachment 143429

When you shoot these from the Henry, it literally sounds like a cannon going off and anyone nearby can feel it lol. I haven't chronoed them from the Henry, but out of my 7.5" super redhawk, they're running around 1,600 fps if I recall. Out of the longer barrel in the henry, they must be going over 2,000 fps.

 

[DW357]

My photos and 44 loads don't compare to Jim's 500 mag loads with 50 grains of H110!!

 

[ruebarb]

Those are awesome pics

 

[headednorth]

You should be fine with those loads with IMR4895. A call to Hodgdon or a email will get you some load info. Expect a generic response from Hornady such as "we don't list powders that we feel will not perform well, they will how ever give you some data that is safe.
Also do a Google search on NRA Garand loads.....mind you these can be stout.
There's a few other things out there also.
Reloading For The M1 by John R. Clarke another good read is reloading for the semi auto rifle, I forget the author. It's either a rifleman or NRA publication.
Flipping through the reload manuals the few loads that have IMR 4895 seem to be with heavier bullets? As many would say the IMR 4895 is a "military" powder and what was used in M2 ball ammo.
Does not make it the best powder. M2 ball ammo is ok but there is no need to try and duplicate it.
You can generally find match bullets like nosler custom comps on sale for same as those hornady 150g fmjbt. Powders I used so far H335, IMR/H4895 ,4064, Varget, VHT n140, win748,BLC2. Some perform better
N140 did very well but is hard to come by and to expensive for garand use.
I settled on varget it just does well with any bullet I tried.

For my 100 yard plinking loads I used the lightest charge of H335 that would cycle my rifle
Which for me is 38 grains. Bullet is some inexpensive pulled bullets I got years ago when pulls where cheap. It's a nice light -3moa ish load great for plinking.

All my M1s find the best accuracy in the lower middle range of published data. I only shoot out to 200 yards so hot loads are not needed for me.

I got a reply from Hornady today basically saying they havent done any testing with that specific combo of powder and bullet and they suggested I call Hodgden.

Thanks for the input and the the head ups on Clarke and semi auto reloading.

- - - Updated - - -

Sounds like you have your answer.
FWIW, Speer 13 states the following under data for the .30-06 168gr. BTHP-Match bullet #2040 @ 3.295": "This propellant recommended for gas-operated semi-automatic match rifles"
The loads so annotated are:
H380 51.0 to 55.0 (2454 to 2736)
IMR 4064 45.0 to 49.0 (2367 to 2549)
IMR 4895 44.0 to 49.0 (2437 to 2605)

Thanks for the info.

 

[Dana_15]

When you shoot these from the Henry, it literally sounds like a cannon going off and anyone nearby can feel it lol. I haven't chronoed them from the Henry, but out of my 7.5" super redhawk, they're running around 1,600 fps if I recall. Out of the longer barrel in the henry, they must be going over 2,000 fps.

Awesome, I believe that is going to be my next purchase, lever action .44.

I did fire 50 of those 180 gr 44's, they were pretty "spirited" to say the least. Very accurate and quite a few people came over to see what I was shooting. My right hand feels like I've been using a jackhammer all day though lol

 

[WanMan99]

Just got through priming 4000 .45acp large primer cases. I have 1500 small primer cases for some later date.
I use to use Bullseye for .45 but this time I will be going with;
4.6gr Titegroup
1.20 COL

Dillon XL650.... Love it.

 

[84ta406]

Heading to NH for the weekend so I loaded up as much .44 MAG as I could all week. Did a bunch of 180xtps at 30gr and some 240s at 23.5gr. Tossed my box of 340gr +p+ in the range bag in case someone is feeling adventerous.

 

[DW357]

Awesome, I believe that is going to be my next purchase, lever action .44.

I did fire 50 of those 180 gr 44's, they were pretty "spirited" to say the least. Very accurate and quite a few people came over to see what I was shooting. My right hand feels like I've been using a jackhammer all day though lol

Yes you need to add a lever action 44 to your list.

What are you shooting for a revolver? My super redhawk has nice hogue grips that cover the backstrap so it's pretty comfortable to shoot. Not to mention it weighs over 3 pounds lol.

 

[DW357]

Heading to NH for the weekend so I loaded up as much .44 MAG as I could all week. Did a bunch of 180xtps at 30gr and some 240s at 23.5gr. Tossed my box of 340gr +p+ in the range bag in case someone is feeling adventerous.

Nice to see others enjoying 44 magnum. I assume the 340 gr loads are the Buffalo Bore? Those are brutal! They're manageable but holy crap, when I shoot my steel target stand/plate, it almost knocks it over with those loads.

 

[Dana_15]

Yes you need to add a lever action 44 to your list.

What are you shooting for a revolver? My super redhawk has nice hogue grips that cover the backstrap so it's pretty comfortable to shoot. Not to mention it weighs over 3 pounds lol.

Ruger Super Blackhawk, 10.5 barrel. The grip is Altamont Wood, I really like the size of the grip and how it looks. I couldn't stand the stock grip. I might pick up a Hogue one though for extended shooting sessions!

 

[Tiktock]

Reloading sessions these last two weeks have yielded:

300 rds 45acp, 5.1gr HP-38, FMJRN, Fed Lg Primer
300 rds 45acp 5.0 gr Bullseye, FMJRN, WLP
300 rds 44 Magnum, 23.5gr H110, 240 gr JHP, WLP

Dillon 550

 

[mac1911]

Reloading sessions these last two weeks have yielded:

300 rds 45acp, 5.1gr HP-38, FMJRN, Fed Lg Primer
300 rds 45acp 5.0 gr Bullseye, FMJRN, WLP
300 rds 44 Magnum, 23.5gr H110, 240 gr JHP, WLP

Dillon 550

What 2 weeks and only 900 rounds! once I get my progressive press I'm basically loading up all my components in a long weekend session. Then I won't need to worry about loading for a few years!

 

[Tiktock]

Haha yup! I was a bit limited as I ran out of H110 and couldnt find more locally. Shooting full load .44 mag means those 300 rounds will last me a long time! I tend to only shoot 20-30 rounds each time I go to the range. The 45 I tend to just stay ahead of my shooting. When I get a full weekend I plan to crank out a few thousand rounds to stockpile.

I "share" my Dilon 550 with my father. When he is low on ammo I give it to him and we swap back and forth. Its mounted on a thick board that we both have holes in our bench to attach it with. Its surprisingly easy to move and we keep all the reloading tools/components in a rubbermaid bin. Takes me 5 mins to break it down and throw it in the trunk.

The 550 does crank out rounds pretty quickly! I'd say each batch of those 300 didnt take much more than an hour.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

Haha yup! I was a bit limited as I ran out of H110 and couldnt find more locally. Shooting full load .44 mag means those 300 rounds will last me a long time! I tend to only shoot 20-30 rounds each time I go to the range. The 45 I tend to just stay ahead of my shooting. When I get a full weekend I plan to crank out a few thousand rounds to stockpile.

I "share" my Dilon 550 with my father. When he is low on ammo I give it to him and we swap back and forth. Its mounted on a thick board that we both have holes in our bench to attach it with. Its surprisingly easy to move and we keep all the reloading tools/components in a rubbermaid bin. Takes me 5 mins to break it down and throw it in the trunk.

The 550 does crank out rounds pretty quickly! I'd say each batch of those 300 didnt take much more than an hour.

Now thats a name I haven't seen in a long time. How's everything man? you still making knives in between reloading sessions?

 

[Kicker96FS]

Stocked my locked shelf with a couple of jugs of Titegroup that was SHIPPED to me! HAHAHAHAHA! Guess the AG can't intimidate everyone.

 

[DW357]

I started loading some newly acquired 147 gr Bayou hi-tek coated bullets with N320. I've never shot 147 gr bullets so I'm interested to see the recoil/slide action, and the POI compared to the 115 and 125 gr bullets I've been shooting.

Well I tested the 147s yesterday after work. Definitely softer shooting than the 115s and 125s. They averaged 950 fps which is more than enough to make power factor so I'm going to bump the charge down to 3.1 gr N320.

At 35 feet I could only notice a slight change in POI - maybe 1-2" and they grouped fairly well. I thought my 125 gr JHP loads seem to shoot better but I need to do more testing.

AND I had my first squib load. I made 40 of these loads and one was a squib. I'm pretty sure the squib round was a test round I made to check OAL and crimp which I forgot to pull right away. So that got mixed in with my loaded rounds. I usually don't make a dummy round in a primed case but I did this time. Luckily I knew right away it was a squib. Gun didn't even move/cycle, just heard a faint "poof". Tapped it out when I got home and all is well lol.

edit: also wanted to mention I made these rounds with a Lee taper crimp die not the FCD which I had been using for every round up until these. Seems to work fine. Just did a 1/2 turn with the die.

 

[DW357]

Stocked my locked shelf with a couple of jugs of Titegroup that was SHIPPED to me! HAHAHAHAHA! Guess the AG can't intimidate everyone.

Nope. Luckily the AG hasn't prevented all vendors from shipping to MA. Hi AG trolls

 

[gerrycaruso]

loaded 2 batches of .44/40 for an 1883 Burgess rifle. 1 batch with .427 and 1 with .429 to see which diameter this rifle likes better. I'll find out in the morning.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

Well I tested the 147s yesterday after work. Definitely softer shooting than the 115s and 125s. They averaged 950 fps which is more than enough to make power factor so I'm going to bump the charge down to 3.1 gr N320.

At 35 feet I could only notice a slight change in POI - maybe 1-2" and they grouped fairly well. I thought my 125 gr JHP loads seem to shoot better but I need to do more testing.

AND I had my first squib load. I made 40 of these loads and one was a squib. I'm pretty sure the squib round was a test round I made to check OAL and crimp which I forgot to pull right away. So that got mixed in with my loaded rounds. I usually don't make a dummy round in a primed case but I did this time. Luckily I knew right away it was a squib. Gun didn't even move/cycle, just heard a faint "poof". Tapped it out when I got home and all is well lol.

edit: also wanted to mention I made these rounds with a Lee taper crimp die not the FCD which I had been using for every round up until these. Seems to work fine. Just did a 1/2 turn with the die.

Glad to hear they worked well. Any leading in the bore?

 

[Tiktock]

Now thats a name I haven't seen in a long time. How's everything man? you still making knives in between reloading sessions?

Things are good! I still make knives from time to time! VERY part time, usually only doing an order here and there. I sell what I make, though

Really like that chef's knife on your home page. Hamons on chefs knives are great and love the lines.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

Things are good! I still make knives from time to time! VERY part time, usually only doing an order here and there. I sell what I make, though

Really like that chef's knife on your home page. Hamons on chefs knives are great and love the lines.

Glad to hear it. same here. I spend more time casting bullets and shooting that making knives. Either way family and work eats up most of my time.
Thanks, that was probably my favorite knife that I ever made. I hated to sell it

 

[Mountain]

View attachment 143224 458 SOCOM


View attachment 143225 Benchrest loads for 7mm Rem Mag.

Tried these 7mm Rem Mag loads today at the range- 2 different projectiles, different grain wt for the powder. Best combo shot ~1 MOA at 100 yards:


I had a clover leaf with the first 3 rounds but 3 doesn't count. Not bad considering my excuses du jour, lol: jet lagged, eyes tired w/ only 7X scope, wind. With typical factory loads this is a ~2 MOA rifle- old post-64 winchester model 70. Oh, the new Timney trigger helped too.

Hodgdon 4138 57.0 gr, 175 gr SMK's, CCI 250's, 3.29" COL. I might try a little hotter- this load didn't beat the crap out of my shoulder like some factory hunting loads do. The old Winchester is a lighter weight version- Dad carried it on caribou hunts in Alaska and elk hunts in Colorado. Anyway, I'm happy with the results so far and might be close to the limits of this rifle.

 

[mac1911]

Tried these 7mm Rem Mag loads today at the range- 2 different projectiles, different grain wt for the powder. Best combo shot ~1 MOA at 100 yards:
View attachment 143693

I had a clover leaf with the first 3 rounds but 3 doesn't count. Not bad considering my excuses du jour, lol: jet lagged, eyes tired w/ only 7X scope, wind. With typical factory loads this is a ~2 MOA rifle- old post-64 winchester model 70. Oh, the new Timney trigger helped too.

Hodgdon 4138 57.0 gr, 175 gr SMK's, CCI 250's, 3.29" COL. I might try a little hotter- this load didn't beat the crap out of my shoulder like some factory hunting loads do. The old Winchester is a lighter weight version- Dad carried it on caribou hunts in Alaska and elk hunts in Colorado. Anyway, I'm happy with the results so far and might be close to the limits of this rifle.

Nice
That 7mm only needs to be accurate once then very close the 2nd shot if needed.
What distances was your dad taking his game generally.
Growing up my friends dad traveled all over hunting. I for get the brand of rifle he had fancy custom rifle think it was weatherby?. I do remember his dad taking a week off waiting for his Kahles rifle scope to show up. Never seen him take more than 2 shots at the range

 

[84ta406]

Well all 75 rounds I loaded for the .44 MAG went bang. Had 3 that were light primer strikes which was very odd for the DW. Never happened before. I had one case that got stuck in the cylinder slightly but when I looked at it afterwards it was one of the Buffalo bore 340 cases that got mixed in somehow when reloading. Popped out easily by pushing it with a small screwdriver.

I had some Sig vcrown ammo for the Glock 33 that had 2 light primer strikes as well. Doubt it was the gun as Ive had a couple issues with the ammo. A few had major setback and were discarded.

 

[DW357]

Glad to hear they worked well. Any leading in the bore?

Forgot to check until you reminded me . Looked last night and I didn't see any leading from what I can tell. I didn't care for the smoke from these bullets though. I'll give them another shot sometime down the road. But right now I got like 3k Zero jacketed bullets on hand to be loaded.

 

[tysdad115]

Forgot to check until you reminded me . Looked last night and I didn't see any leading from what I can tell. I didn't care for the smoke from these bullets though. I'll give them another shot sometime down the road. But right now I got like 3k Zero jacketed bullets on hand to be loaded.

I shot 300 of them yesterday, 4.0gr TG ,1.130 OAL. My G34 ate them no problem ,and very accurate.

 

[NavelOfficer]

A few Tokarev rounds to sample at a later date...