Reduced loads-lead bullets

[Bart]

Hi Guys

I have a Husqvarna m38 in nearly new condition, and I want to keep it as good as possible for a long time.
Now as I am shooting this one as my first gun, I do a lot of rounds a week 150+.
I want to do 50-100 meters competition, so I don't need to have heavy bullets and fast loads.

So looking around for alternatives I found that reduced loads were shot with a lot of oldies,
I don't know if it is called the same all over the world.
With reduced, I mean really reduced.
In Germany they have bullets from Haendler and Naterman, and the loads they give are around 12-15 Grains of N110.
That is less then 25% of the total volume.... :confused:
This is so little that you will have to keep the powder to the back, putting some cotton on top of it.
The have loads for IMR Trail Boss as well, but that stuff is sooooo expensive here, plus I will have to drive half way through the country to get it.
Someone is already looking if I can order it in the States.

Anyways, do any of you guys use loads like that?
Do they have bullets for those low loads in the States as well?
Any tips or tricks?

Cheers Bart

[xpertgreg]

I'm not much of a reloader only having done it a few times for my .270. Perhaps Mosko or rcb will have some ideas for you.

gw

[Mosko]

The reason for the small volume of N110 is that it is a pistol / shotshell powder. Actually what you will get there is as, much peak pressure due to the very fast burn of the powder as you would with a normal slow burning rifle powder.

Normally, with my experience, I only use the small volumes of fast powder with cast bullets in the large diameters, (11mm or greater) held to the base of the cartridge with spun daycron.

On small dia like the 6.5 x 55, utilizing a cast bullet, I'd use a normal volume of rifle powder, and avoid the N110.

The big danger here is that it is easy to double, or even tripple load the fast powder, and cause considerable damage and / or injury.

[Bart]

Hi Mosko,

That would have been my first thought as well.

However the guys at Haendler & Natermann Sport GmbH have got a different approach.
They try to keep the speed at or below 550 Meter/sec, to keep the bullet from being peeled in the rifling, and designed bullets for those speeds.
They claim that the bullets at them speeds do very accurate at the 50-100 meter ranges. The load is tricky though, low volume, high speed powder.
Plus it is feely touchy, half a Grain makes a world of difference. The loads (see below) given are start loads, max loads are 18 Grain.

With my cases I started with 12 Grain N110, and had to climb to 15 Grain. Now I am at the sweet spot, with my original sights.
I now get groups of around 30 mm, when the gun is warmed up.

The nice thing is, the gun does not overheat, gets handwarm in 50 shots.
Recoil is a laugh, and it doesn't wear the gun out with the rate I am shooting at...

Take a look at the given loads by H&N:

Form Dia/Grain A.O.L. Case Primer Powder Grain Sort Crimp V0 m/s Testweapon
HP .264/090 HS 69,0mm Lapua CCI 200 IMR 12,0 Trail Boss no 515 Mauser M 38
HP .264/090 HS 69,0mm Norma CCI 200 Hodgdon 10,0 Universal no 485 Mauser M 38
HP .264/090 HS 69,0mm Norma CCI 200 Vihtavuori 12,0 N 110 no 420 Mauser M 38
RN .264/090 HS 69,0mm Lapua CCI BR2 Alliant 13,0 Unique no 575 M 96
RN .264/140 HS 75,5mm Norma CCI 200 Vihtavuori 11,5 N 110 no 350 M 96
RN .264/140 HS 73,mm Lapua CCI 200 IMR 15,0 Trail Boss no 490 Krag-conv

Are the loads for cast bullets in small diameter much higher with you guys? I can't seem to find loads for Lyman cast bullets.

Cheers Bart

[Mosko]

I don't actually, or maybe "exactly" know what you mean by...

the bullet from being peeled in the rifling

Unless I'm misunderstanding that term, the lube on the cast bullets should remedy that problem. In all my years I have never had a "peeled" bullet, or didn't recognize it as such if I did.

With the fast powder, you're getting a very high peak pressure initially, which incidentally is not ideal for the weapon, which was one of your concerns. That can cause locking lug "setback", and errosion / pitting in the freebore area and 1st couple of inches in the barrel as well. Secondly, the powder burns virtually instantly causing the high pressure, then thereafter the bullet is "dragging", un-powered through the remaining distance down the bore, being "slowed down" to the 1800 fps muzzle velocity you mention.

Again with my experience with these older weapons, I find it much better to use a slower rifle powder to avoid the high peak pressure, and having a much slower controled burn to power the bullet all the way to the muzzle, with velocity being gained throught the length of the bore, with the highest velocity being at the muzzle.

I've loaded light cast bullets in the past using normal load data from the Sierra manual, per the specific weight of the projectile, downloaded 15% or so and have achieved the same results as you have without the stresses on the rifle. I am at my office at the moment and do not have access to any specific load data, or I'd list some of them.

[HerrMesser]

I find the Speer manual gives a reduced load for just about all calibers. Lyman manual also lists loads for lead bullets.

Rad