What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Discussions covering the components and techniques of reloading for your long gun.
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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by mr surveyor »

I just loaded the last 10 of the C311-170-RF bullets I was gifted early last year. It's been a tough grind getting over the brain surgery issues in 2016, and early last year was still "iffy". So, I held on to the last of those good looking bullets until there was significant improvement. Previously I had run them through the chrony with 31.0 gr of IMR 4895 for average of 2070 and SD 25. Accuracy was fair at 50 yds, but I'll admit to still suffering from "dain bramage". Anyhow the next step for the IMR 4895 was to be 31.5 gr, so that's what these got loaded with. If the nasty storms will go away, tomorrow afternoon I may get to the range and see what they do. The scope will have to be moved up 6-8 inches at 100 yards just to get them on paper since I've been playing with 143 gr cast and 9 gr Unique.

Lightening now ... gotta pull plugs...


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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by GasGuzzler »

Should be settled by now. Have I sent you some 180's yet?
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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by mr surveyor »

GasGuzzler wrote:Should be settled by now. Have I sent you some 180's yet?
Yep, your memory is getting close to mine ;)

You did send me some of those good looking 180 gr bullets to try in my .357 mag R92 ... I found the original mailer pouch, dated July 2017, with about 10 bullets left. I first built a couple of dummy rounds, loaded as short as I could in .357 brass. Unless I tore it down and revamped the cartridge guides (I think), it wasn't going to feed those big honkers in .357 brass. So, I loaded up another couple of dummy rounds in .38 spl brass and they cycled fine. Loaded up a batch with 11 gr of AA#9 and they worked well. Considering that was less than a year after my experience(s) with the brain surgeon, I had to take it pretty slow so I didn't shoot all that I had loaded. I ran across the box last week with the few loaded remainders and took them to the range. I honestly can't remember much from 2016-2017, and maybe only half of 2018, so can't remember the details of the first load tests. After shooting those last half dozen remaining rounds last week, I was tickled with the results. Now, since you reminded me to look, and I found the mailer envelope with a few stragglers, I'm gonna load them up.

If this had all come up mid day today I would have loaded them today. I had the .38 spl brass out for loading a batch of .38 wad cutters for my old M36, had the bullet seating and crimp dies set for .38 cases and could have loaded those 180's in the same session.

Those are some good looking bullets, and I appreciate the chance to give them a whirl.


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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by GasGuzzler »

...sweet. And I was talking .30-30. :)
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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by mr surveyor »

GasGuzzler wrote:...sweet. And I was talking .30-30. :)
So ... you were asking if I've tried your 30-30 cast 180's? I haven't.


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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by Ohio3Wheels »

Yesterday did primer pocket prep on 100 new Winchester 38-55 cases. No loading today, it was devoted to the dog, the wife and a scent trial.

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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by Ohio3Wheels »

50 rounds of 38-55, new WW cases, CCI LR primers 33 grain H4198, Mo Bull 245 grain with Hytech coating. In testing this load had an SD of 3.5 so I have hopes for some decent work from it.

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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by mr surveyor »

I finally had a chance to load a few more 30-30 win ... 20 rounds of Sierra PH 170's with 35.5 gr of LVR and 13 rounds of Rem C-L 150's with 33.0 gr of IMR 4895. Before I started re-loading, the Rem Core Lokt 150 gr factory rounds were by far the most accurate in my 1973 vintage Marlin 336. In 2009+/- I stripped the gun down and had it re-blued and refinished the wood - suddenly to 150 gr C-L's were no more capable of sub-moa. I have no doubt that stripping down and re-assembly had a lot to do with it, at least barrel harmonics. To add to the confusion I replaced the old original Bushnell Sport View scope (on shoot through rings) with a Nikon Prostaff with low rings - that could (most likely not) be an issue. The main thing is most likely that I rarely shot the 30-30 between the re-finish and my reloading for the caliber in 2013. Having interest in the several calibers I'd been re-loading for during the previous couple of years, the 30-30 got put on the back burner. Having started reloading 30-30 in Jan. of 2013, I had nothing to compare with in terms of what my old gun "used to do" with the factory stuff since I had no factory ammo left (I thought). It's now May of 2019 and I still haven't bought any metallic cartridges since 2010.

Last week, while digging through a box that was covered up in a corner, I ran across three partial boxes of factory ammunition. They went to the range with me and the chrony, along with 4-5 different varieties of my jacketed re-loads, fully expecting the factory stuff to completely outshine the re-loads I've been working on for a short 6 years or so. HA - a really pleasant surprise, one of my Sierra PH 170 loads was by far the best, and one of my 150 gr Core-Lokt loads was a near distant second. Just a guess, but the gun could probably be tweaked, here and there, to return it to it's sub-moa capability with the 150's ... but why? Now that the 170's seem to shoot moa at near 2200 fps, I think I'll just sit back and call it good.

I did notice while loading the 150 gr Core Lokts the same issues I remember dealing with a couple of years ago maintaining COAL (after the medical issues of 2016 I got on a cast bullet kick for a while). I don't have any issue with the Sierra Pro Hunter flat points, but the Core Lokt round nose bullets are very inconsistent in their nose profiles. Anywhere from .004" to .005" in COAL seems to be the norm - using my RCBS 30-30 dies. That could possibly have at least a small effect on the accuracies from my 336, but most likely no more than the previous re-assembly of the gun itself.

For the time being, the Sierra 170's seem to be the thing. Time to order more :)


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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by GasGuzzler »

I'm pretty sure the only OEM type bullet I have for the .30-30 WIN is the Sierra 2000 which is the 150 grain flat point Pro Hunter.
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Re: What Rifle Reloading Did You Do Today?

Post by Ohio3Wheels »

50 rounds 38-55, 33 grains H4198, MoBul 245 Hytek coated, twice fire StarLine cases. Check through the Marlin. Now for weather and time to work outdoors.

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