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Reduced power ammo for BAMM


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I would like to make up some reduced-power ammo with lead gas-checked bullets for a bolt-action rifle side-match at an upcoming Wild Bunch match.  I have numerous molds for casting different weights of .30 caliber bullets.  I'm looking for recommendations for .30-06 and .30-40 Krag at this time.  I know we aren't allowed to give weights of specific powders, but feel free to make general comments or PM me specifics.

 

Thanks for your help.

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150-200 grain bullets in the .30-06 16.0-20.0 grains of 2400 always works. Use Federal 210M primers. You might need to neck turn the cases because most 03 rifles are going to take a .311 or .312 bullet. 2400 is not position sensitive. I've been shooting this load in 03 rifles since 1988.

For .30-40 I'd start at 14.0gr and not exceed 18.0gr.

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A SASS decision a year ago has let us post load data, so....

 

A good 30-06 load I have is the Lyman 314299 bullet, sized to 0.312", over 16 grains of Reloader 7 powder.  Also works with the RCBS 200 grain silhouette bullet.   Alloy is hardened wheel weight at  about 18 Brinnell hardness.   With Carnuba Red lube, either of these will shoot to 2 MOA from a good barrel.

 

Good luck, GJ

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14 minutes ago, Ron "Ironhead" Smith said:

You might need to neck turn the cases because most 03 rifles are going to take a .311 or .312 bullet.

The bore of my 03 slugs at .307".  My Krag slugs at .3075".  I figured on sizing the bullets to .308.

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8 hours ago, Woody Shootem, SASS # 24816 said:

The bore of my 03 slugs at .307".  My Krag slugs at .3075".  I figured on sizing the bullets to .308.

 

Both of those bore measurements are suspiciously small for the rifles you have, even IF the barrels are extremely low round count.

Typical used 03 is about 0.310 or 0.311" and Krag anywhere from 0.311 to 0.314.   Sure you got the slug expanded to fill the grooves/bore when you slugged them?

 

Good luck, GJ

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I just refined a favorite 03 (.30-06) load, and I really like it. Using bullets by Norm Purcella (I'll PM his e-mail and phone) -- 170gn hi-tek coated gas-checked bullet sized at .310, Winchester large rifle primer, and 13.0gn of Unique, I can get 1" groups at 100yds at about 1500fps. It shoots great in my 1943-built 03A3. The OAL is 3.19".

 

You could certainly load them hotter -- I started with 16.0gn of Unique (~1675fps), but they limited us to 1600fps at Legends, so I reduced the load, and I like the 13gn load better.

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20 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

 

Both of those bore measurements are suspiciously small for the rifles you have, even IF the barrels are extremely low round count.

Typical used 03 is about 0.310 or 0.311" and Krag anywhere from 0.311 to 0.314.   Sure you got the slug expanded to fill the bore when you slugged them?

 

Good luck, GJ

Joe,

Thanks for your concern.  I used a .36 cal pure lead ball and drove it into the muzzle and it shaved a solid ring off the outside of the ball.  I then drove it all the way through and measured it.  This was a month or two back.  I will do it again this evening just to be sure.  I have two pair of calipers;  I'll measure using both and report back.

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1 minute ago, LostVaquero said:

 How much reduced load.  That is a particular fps?

15 g with 168 gas check is running about about 1500 fps but that is for 7.5x55 Swiss.  however that case isvv98% case capacity of 30-06 So would imagine similar results

I have a couple of Swiss rifles too, so that load will come in handy when I get around to loading for those rifles.  Thanks!

 

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2 hours ago, Woody Shootem, SASS # 24816 said:

The bore of my 03 slugs at .307".  My Krag slugs at .3075".  I figured on sizing the bullets to .308.


Doesn't matter what the bore is. The groove and throat matter. Fill a fired case full of lead and chamber it, then slide that slug you made down the bore and upset it against the lead in the case. Open the bolt and gently remove the slug. Measure the throat. Best results with cast in these guns tends to be .0005" to .001" over throat diameter.

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Yep, most folks talk "bore",  but really mean groove diameter.   I usually talk groove diameter when I really want to make sure someone t understands we are both talking the same thing.  In this case, I'm assuming the OP knows what is what.

 

Good luck, GJ

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15 hours ago, Woody Shootem, SASS # 24816 said:

Joe,

Thanks for your concern.  I used a .36 cal pure lead ball and drove it into the muzzle and it shaved a solid ring off the outside of the ball.  I then drove it all the way through and measured it.  This was a month or two back.  I will do it again this evening just to be sure.  I have two pair of calipers;  I'll measure using both and report back.

You might want to use a micrometer to check that slug.  It is much more accurate than a caliper.

 

Duffield

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17 hours ago, C.N. Double said:

I just refined a favorite 03 (.30-06) load, and I really like it. Using bullets by Norm Purcella (I'll PM his e-mail and phone) -- 170gn hi-tek coated gas-checked bullet sized at .310, Winchester large rifle primer, and 13.0gn of Unique, I can get 1" groups at 100yds at about 1500fps. It shoots great in my 1943-built 03A3. The OAL is 3.19".

 

You could certainly load them hotter -- I started with 16.0gn of Unique (~1675fps), but they limited us to 1600fps at Legends, so I reduced the load, and I like the 13gn load better.

Great load and great bullets! Dusty

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On 4/29/2019 at 4:02 PM, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

 

Both of those bore measurements are suspiciously small for the rifles you have, even IF the barrels are extremely low round count.

Typical used 03 is about 0.310 or 0.311" and Krag anywhere from 0.311 to 0.314.   Sure you got the slug expanded to fill the grooves/bore when you slugged them?

 

Good luck, GJ

I just slugged the bores again.  This time the Krag shows .3095, and the 1903 shows .308.  I have two dial calipers that I used, and they both read within .0004 of each other.

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3 hours ago, Woody Shootem, SASS # 24816 said:

I just slugged the bores again.  This time the Krag shows .3095, and the 1903 shows .308.  I have two dial calipers that I used, and they both read within .0004 of each other.

 

If you have taken care during slugging to EXPAND the slug by upsetting it against a lead-filled case, or a 3" piece of oak dowel or brass rod "chambered" in the breech of barrel, then you might have good readings, but with the variation you have gotten between first and second tries, I'd guess you did not upset the slug well.  Just driving the slug through the bore measures the tightest section you drove it through.

 

Nothing above intended to make YOU upset, though.

 

Dial calipers are usually quite good enough to read groove diameter on a slug.

 

Good luck, GJ

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1 hour ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

 

If you have taken care during slugging to EXPAND the slug by upsetting it against a lead-filled case, or a 3" piece of oak dowel or brass rod "chambered" in the breech of barrel, then you might have good readings, but with the variation you have gotten between first and second tries, I'd guess you did not upset the slug well.  Just driving the slug through the bore measures the tightest section you drove it through.

 

Nothing above intended to make YOU upset, though.

 

Dial calipers are usually quite good enough to read groove diameter on a slug.

 

Good luck, GJ

I will try again tomorrow using the lead filled case and see what I get.  I was not aware of that method.  I've slugged the bores of many cowboy guns, but when it comes to bolt action rifles, I'm a noob and totally ignorant.  Thanks for your patience.

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