H ANDLOADER Ammunition Reloading Journal 6.5-284 Norma Match & Hunting Loads RIFLE S CZ 527 American 6.5 Grendel Extreme Temperature Powder Testing Loads for a Model 71.348 Winchester Digging Up Rare Brass and Projectiles December 2017 No. 311 NEW IMR Red Pistol Powder Display until 1/15/18 Printed in USA
Page 70... COLUMNS 6 Handloading, Old School Reloader s Press - Dave Scovill 10 14 18 Long Range Shooting Part II: Components Practical Handloading - Rick Jamison Colt Offical Police.38-44 Loads Bullets & Brass - Brian Pearce.375 Flanged Nitro Express (2 1 /2) Cartridge Board - Gil Sengel H ANDLOADER ANDLOADER Extreme Temperature Powder Testing 6.5-284 Norma Match & Hunting Loads RIFLE S Ammunition Reloading Journal CZ 527 American 6.5 Grendel NEW IMR Red Pistol Powder Loads for a Model 71.348 Winchester Digging Up RaRe BRass and projectiles December 2017 No. 311 On the cover... The CZ 527 American 6.5 Grendel is topped off with a GPO 4-12x 42mm Passion scope. Photo by Chris Downs. Page 30... 34 40 46 50 56 FEATURES 6.5 Grendel Handloads Testing CZ s 527 American Bolt Rifle John Haviland Rifle Powder Temperature Sensitivity Testing Modern Powders in Hot and Cold Conditions John Barsness Quality Cartridge and Hawk Bullets Digging Up Rare Brass and Projectiles Terry Wieland The.348 Winchester Loads for a Winchester Model 71 R.H. VanDenburg, Jr. 6.5-284 Norma Loads for Match Shooting and Hunting Brian Pearce Page 34... 22 24 28 30 IMR Red Propellant Profiles - R.H. VanDenburg, Jr. Sixgun Tips for Cast and Jacketed Bullets From the Hip - Brian Pearce Shooting the.50-95 WCF Mike s Shootin Shack - Mike Venturino 7mm JRS Wildcat Cartridges - Richard Mann 4 www.handloadermagazine.com 64 70 Page 28... Lyman 50th Edition Reloading Handbook Book Reviews - R.H. VanDenburg, Jr. The Strange Tale of Harold Gerlich In Range - Terry Wieland Page 10... Handloader 311
FROM THE HIP by Brian Pearce I have often been asked if I prefer cast or jacketed bullets for sixguns. I like and use both, as each can produce top performance, though there are certain applications where one works better than the other. There was a time when all sixgun bullets were constructed more or less of pure lead. The velocities associated with early sixgun cartridges such as the.45 Colt,.44 Special and.38 Special, as well as short rifle cartridges chambered in revolvers, including the.44-40,.38-40 and.32-20 Winchester, were generally under 1,000 fps. At these velocities, lead bullets worked very well and still do. Granted, all of the above cartridges started life as black-powder numbers and needed the relatively soft lead (around 5 to 6 BHN) so the base of the bullet would obturate and form a gas seal at lower pressures. This was essential to prevent fouling and obtain accuracy. Handgun ammunition began to change with the development of Sixgun Tips for Cast and Jacketed Bullets Cast bullets are economical, produce minimal barrel wear and are ideal in standardpressure cartridges such as the.45 Colt. autoloading pistol cartridges, such as the.30 and 9mm Lugers and.45 ACP, etc., the bullets for which received some form of jacket to help prevent fouling in the various pistol actions and bores. Sixgun loads changed little, however, until the advent of.38-44 High Velocity loads that appeared in 1930 (a high-pressure version of the.38 Special cartridge designed for use in heavy 44 -frame guns, that propelled a 158-grain bullet to around 1,100 fps from most revolvers). While factory loads contained lead bullets, select loads, such as the metal piercing versions, were first fitted with a special steel tip and al- Cast bullets that seat and crimp to a length that exceeds SAAMI standards usually chamber properly in most revolvers. Jacketed bullets offer reliable expansion and are generally very accurate. 24 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 311
loyed lead bullet. These were soon changed to feature a steel jacket and eventually a copper jacket. Although the production costs were increased, ammunition manufacturers discovered that jacketed bullets were especially easy to load on their automated machinery and eliminated barrel leading. But there were other problems that still exist today, including significantly greater barrel wear. For many years Smith & Wesson indicated that its revolvers were primarily designed for ammunition with plain lead bullets, and we recommend this type of cartridge to maintain the utmost accuracy for the maximum length of time. Metal jacketed bullets may be used, but have a tendency to cause greater barrel wear. Granted, modern barrels are constructed of better, more erosion-resistant steels than vintage guns, but the fact remains that jacketed bullets wear barrels at an accelerated rate. Of much greater concern is the possibility of sticking a jacketed bullet in the bore when fired from a low-pressure cartridge. This should be of special concern to handloaders, as there is a considerable amount of published data for.38 and.44 Specials,.45 Colt and others that will stick bullets in the bore or come very close. In short, the pressure energy is insufficient to reliably push bullets from the barrel, which is compounded when a revolver has a tight bore or a large or excessive barrel-cylinder gap (greater than.012 inch), which further reduces velocities. Usually the same powder charge can be used in conjunction with a cast bullet of the same weight that will reliably exit the barrel. The reason is simple: Jacketed bullets require much greater force to be pushed down a barrel, whereas comparatively soft lead and hard cast bullets will slide down the barrel with much less force. When lubricated with high-quality lube, their resistance is reduced even more. As a result, cast bullets generally reach notably higher velocities when used with the same powder charge and are far less prone to sticking in a bore. For these reasons, I generally favor cast (or lead) bullets in standard-pressure cartridges, or when magnum sixgun cartridges are loaded down to similar velocities and pressures. Jacketed revolver bullets are generally manufactured with a crimp cannelure that, when seated and crimped accordingly, are within the overall cartridge lengths established by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI). In other words, they will function in all guns, including bolt-action and lever-action rifles that sometimes will not function with longer cartridges. There are exceptions to this, such as the Hornady.44- and.45-caliber 300-grain XTP bullets that feature dual crimp cannelures and offer handloaders the option to seat bullets farther out to increase powder capacity. Many cast bullet designs are in- December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 25
NewfouNdlaNd, CaNada Moose, Woodland Caribou & Black Bear Hunts Book now for 2017 & 2018 Tel/Fax: (877) 751-1681 dean.wheeler@nf.sympatico.ca www.biggamecanada.com P.O. Box 159, York Harbour, NL, Canada A0L 1L0 A historical volume documenting the ammunition reloading equipment by the Herter s Corporation of Waseca, Minnesota. Contains photos of the presses, shellholders, dies and much more. Softbound, 73 pages. $19.95 Contact Ed Sager: HERTERSPECIALST@AOL.COM RGB BULLET CO. Quality Hard-Cast Bullets BHN 5-22 Large Selection of Pistol & Rifle Bullets Custom Sizing on Request Next-Day Shipping on Most Orders PO Box 130 - Littlerock, CA 93543 Tel: 661-998-3164 www.rgbbullets.com tended to increase sixgun performance and seat to overall lengths that exceed SAAMI specifications. Common examples include Elmer Keith designs loaded in the.357,.41 and.44 Magnums,.45 Colt and others, as well as LBT Long Flat Nose (LFN) bullets and similar designs. In most revolvers, but not all of them, this is not a problem, as their cylinder lengths will readily accept longer cartridges. There are several advantages in seating to longer overall lengths, usually including better bulletto-bore alignment, closer bullet proximity to the rifling to help reduce skidding, and increased powder capacity. The latter feature lowers pressure, but most performance-minded shooters prefer to increase the powder charge until maximum pressures are reached, which naturally increases velocities. Cast and lead bullets are sometimes criticized for causing barrel leading, which can be a legitimate concern; however, much of this unjust reputation stems from magnum factory loads produced during the 1960s and 1970s. Factories loaded.357 and.44 Magnum rounds with swaged lead, plain base bullets that had minimal lubricant and were pushed to 1,400 fps or faster. I vividly recall shooting these loads in sixguns that had sparkly, clean bores, but after firing just six rounds the barrels were so badly leaded that accuracy was horrible, and the rifling was completely coated with lead. If handloaders use the correct bullet design that is properly alloyed, leading can be very minimal or nonexistent, even when fired at magnum velocities. When a load is working properly, several thousand rounds can be fired without cleaning the barrel. I often clean powder residue and lubricant from the chambers, cylinder and inside the frame (for reliability) but not the bore. A few guidelines that might help achieve top accuracy and prevent barrel leading when using lead and cast bullets include limiting velocities to around 800 or 900 fps when loading comparatively soft, swaged lead bullets from Hornady and Speer, which can be very accurate. When using commercial hard cast, bevel-base bullets (typically with a BHN of 15 to 22), velocities should be held to 1,000 fps or less. To help prevent fusion and bullet tilting in the throat, they usually shoot best when fired in guns with throat diameters that are close to the diameter of the bullet. For velocities of 1,000 to 1,100 fps or slower, plainbase bullets cast with a BHN of 10 and sized close to the same diameter as the revolver s throat will perform well. When plain-base bullets, such as the Keith design, are shot at magnum velocities of 1,200 to 1,400 fps, it is preferable to cast them with a BHN of 14 but not over 16, and use a high-quality, soft lube. Some barrels may still be prone to leading, which may be the result of a rough or improperly cut forcing cone, a rough bore or imperfect chamber-to-bore alignwww. Rim Rock Bullets.net Top Shelf Cast Lead Bullets Cowboy Standard Gas-Check.25 85 GR. RNFP/500 $28.00.32 78 GR. RNFP/500 $25.00.38 120 GR. TC /500 $32.00.38 125 GR. RNFP/500 $33.00.38 130 GR. RNFP/500 $34.00.38-40180 GR. RNFP/500 $42.00.44-40180 GR. RNFP/500 $42.00.45LC 160 GR. RNFP/900 $79.00.45LC 200 GR. RNFP/500 $44.50.458 350 GR. RNFP/100 $26.00.32 Keith 125 GR. SWC /500 $46.00.380 95 GR. RN /500 $31.00 9mm 115 GR. RN /500 $31.50 9mm 125 GR. RN /500 $33.00.38 148 GR. DEWC/600 $41.50.38 158 GR. SWC /600 $44.00.40 180 GR. RNFP /500 $41.00.45ACP 200 GR. SWC /500 $44.50.45ACP 230 GR. RN /500 $47.00.45LC 255 GR. SWC /500 $55.00.38 148 GR. WC /500 $40.00.38 158 GR. SWC-HP/100 $25.00.38 180 GR. LBT-WFN/100 $28.00.41 230 GR. SWC /100 $32.00.44 240 GR. SWC-HP /100 $38.00.44 240 GR. SWC /100 $38.00.44 305 GR. LBT-WFN/100 $47.00.45LC 260 GR. SWC-HP/100 $41.00.45LC 325 GR. LBT-LWN/100 $47.00.45-70 430 GR. LBT-LWN /40 $24.00.500 440 GR. LBT-WFN/100 $61.00 Prices subject to change without notice. This is a good cross reference of the bullets we offer. We have about 144 sets of molds with new molds coming. Sixteen employees working 10 hr. a day shifts 4 days a week with 12 casters, 7 auto lubers and 12 star lubers gas checking every day. We have bullets made with five different alloys that we order 40,000-60,000 lbs at a time a mixed per our set alloys. Now in our new state-of-the-art 12,000 square foot facility! Our Online Catalog Has Over 100 Different Bullets! Everything is in stock Specialty Sizing Available Brinell Hardness from 4-22 Rim Rock Bullets 35675 Minesinger Trail Polson, MT 59860 (406) 883-1899 Mon-Thurs, 8:00-5:00 p.m. MST sales@rimrockbullets.net 26 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 311
When matched with correct loads, jacketed and cast bullets can provide good accuracy. Examples include a Colt New Frontier (left).45 Colt with Oregon Trail 250-grain RNFP bullets and (right) a Ruger GP100.357 Magnum with Hornady 158-grain XTP bullets. ment. In these instances, switching to a gas checked bullet can be an excellent solution. While cast bullets can be carefully alloyed and hollow-pointed to achieve perfect expansion, they are mostly known for offering deep penetration. Notable designs featuring a flat point (meplat) are extremely effective for hunting big game. Jacketed bullets from companies such as Hornady, Sierra, Nosler and Speer can offer outstanding accuracy and performance and are often very forgiving to imperfect sixguns. For example, years ago I had a Smith & Wesson Model 29-5.44 Magnum with a 6-inch barrel, nearly perfect chambering, chamber and barrel alignment and a properly angled and smooth forcing cone. The bore, however, showed slight chatter (uneven waves) along about the last inch and a half. It wouldn t shoot any cast bullet worth a darn but would commonly group Hornady and Nosler 240-grain jacketed HP bullets into around 2 inches at 50 yards. If loading jacketed bullets in standard-pressure cartridges, due to their bore resistance, I generally choose lighter than standard bullet weights. In the.38 Special, for example, I drop from 158-grain lead bullets to 125- to not over 135-grain jacketed bullets. In the.44 Special, the standard 246-grain lead RN bullet is replaced with 200- to 220-grain December-January 2018 jacketed examples, and the traditional 250-grain lead bullet in the.45 Colt is changed to a 200- to 230-grain jacketed bullet. These changes reduce the amount of bullet-bearing surface and allow velocity to be increased, reducing the possibility of sticking a bullet in the bore. Increased velocity also allows reliable expansion, which generally cannot be accomplished with jacketed bullets of standard weight, at least if pressures are kept within industry guidelines. Jacketed bullets are often chosen as they do not lead barrels; however, as is the case with rifles, they can leave enough copper fouling that requires solvents to remove in order to maintain top accuracy. Nonetheless, they can easily be shot at magnum revolver velocities while producing fine accuracy. While jacketed bullets are often appreciated for reliable accuracy, they also provide predictable expansion at correct velocities. Over several decades, I have shot many mule deer and whitetail deer with Hornady XTP-HP and Speer Gold Dot HP bullets (now known as Deep Curl) at velocities from 1,300 to 1,400 fps that time after time have given picture-perfect expansion and predictable terminal performance. I have also had excellent results with jacketed sixgun bullets offered by Winchester, Sierra, Nosler and others. www.handloadermagazine.com 27
A borrowed Model 71 was used to test the accompanying handloads. The.348 R.H. VanDenburg, Jr. In the early days of the Great Depression, Winchester Repeating Firearms Company engineers and designers began to think about a new hunting rifle and cartridge. The rifle would be a lever action, as in those days it was the most favored. The company s Model 86 Winchester had fallen on hard times. All of the black-powder cartridge chamberings had been dropped, and the old-timer had been chambered only in the.33 WCF cartridge since the 1920s. With its 50th anniversary coming up in 1936, it appeared to be time to introduce an updated rifle and cartridge. The plan worked, up to a point. In January 1936, the new rifle was introduced and the 86 was dropped, along with its remaining cartridge. The new rifle was the Model 71. It resembled the Model 86 in many ways but differed in others. The 71 had a half magazine holding four cartridges and a pistol grip necessitating a curved lever. The vertical locking lugs of the 86 were maintained but were now tapered. Overall cartridge length accepted by the 86 was considered to be 2.875 inches (often 2.88 inches in practice); this dimension in the Model 71 was reduced to 2.795 inches. The Model 71 was offered in rifle form with a 24-inch barrel over its lifetime. A 20- inch carbine was offered I m given to understand between 1937 and 1947. There were two versions of the Model 71. A Deluxe version included a pistol grip cap, sling swivels and sling along with checkering on the buttstock and forend. A standard version lacked these amenities. Winchester developed a special rear peep sight for the 71. It was adjustable for elevation 50 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 311
Winchester Loads for a Winchester Model 71 and windage and mounted on the end of the bolt. A standard open sight on the barrel was an option. When it came to the cartridge, Winchester continued with an odd size. Bullet diameter was.348 inch; the.33 Winchester had a bullet diameter of.333 inch. The case decided upon was the.50-110 Winchester, which also served as host to the.50-105,.50-100 and.50-110 High Velocity, depending on powder charge and bullet weight. The.50-110, introduced in 1887, had a case length of 2.400 inches, a rim diameter of.610 inch and a base diameter in front of the rim of.553 inch. The new cartridge was simply shortened to 2.255 inches and necked down to accommodate a.348-inch bullet diameter with the other dimensions remaining the same. Body length became 1.650 inches, case body and shoulder together became 1.804 inches with a remaining neck length of.451 inch. Shoulder angle was 19 degrees, 4 minutes. These dimensions are from current sources such as the Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, 10th Edition. Some earlier sources listed the same cartridge overall length but with a neck in excess of.5 inch. The rifle and cartridge were introduced in January 1936, with the.348 Winchester cartridge loaded with 150- and 200-grain bullets. Various reports of factory-original muzzle velocities for the 150- grain bullet range from 2,890 to 2,920 fps. Muzzle velocities for the 200-grain bullet have been reported from 2,520 to 2,535 fps. In The Rifle in America, Phil Sharpe notes that he became aware of the new cartridge early on in its development during a visit to the Winchester factory. He was able to test fire the experimental cartridge as well. At the time, cases were headstamped.34 Winchester, and Sharpe kept a sample for his collection. Considering the two-digit designation old fashioned, Sharpe suggested the company go with three-digit nomenclature reflecting the groove diameter of the barrel, hence, the.348 Winchester. It is interesting to note that at the time all this was going on at the Winchester plant, the company was developing a new bolt-action rifle to replace the Model 54 the venerable Model 70, which was also introduced in January 1936. This explains how the Model 71 got its name. It was not named after its year of introduction like other Winchester lever actions; it was simply the next number available. The Model 71 Winchester was only chambered in the.348 Winchester cartridge, and the cartridge was only chambered in the Model 71, with a couple of exceptions. The original load offerings of 150- and 200-grain bullets were met with a demand for a heavier, 250-grain bullet. In time, Winchester complied. The 150- and 200-grain bullets were introduced as part of the company s Super Speed lineup. The 250-grain load was first offered with a Silvertip bullet. Eventually all three bullet weights were available as Silvertips. Other companies, such as Remington and Peters, produced.348 Winchester ammunition, with Peters offering a 210-grain Belted bullet. After World War II, returning G.I.s looked more to bolt-action rifles with telescopic sights as their preferred hunting tool, and the Model 71 began its inevitable slide. In 1958, the Model 71 was dis- The rifle was shot using a Lyman front sight and a Williams rear sight. December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 51
.348 Winchester continued after 14,254 rifles and carbines had been manufactured. Ammunition production continued with the three bullet weights being offered, but in 1962 the 150- and 250-grain bullets were dropped, leaving the 200 grain as the sole option. It s still in the Winchester line today; other major manufacturers of.348 Winchester ammunition have discontinued the product altogether. In 1987 Browning began selling a Japanese-made replica of the Model 71, also in.348 Winchester. Parts were not interchangeable with the original, but the rifles were well received. Both rifle and carbine models were offered in standard and Deluxe editions. The rifles appeared in the 1988 Gun Digest with the notation that production would be limited to 3,000 rifles and 3,000 carbines. By 1991, Gun Digest no longer listed the 2020 W. Quail Avenue - Dept. HL Phoenix, AZ 85027 Case separations can occur from stretching due to overloading or setting the shoulder back excessively. model, suggesting the run ended in 1990. Despite its relatively short run and limited production numbers, the Model 71 and Browning look-alikes are held in high esteem in Alaska. Its lighter weight and handling characteristics have made it a favorite with those who hunt and fish where contact with big bears is likely. Even though ammunition options are restricted to a 200-grain bullet, the demand for new.348 Winchester component cases is high. It would appear few cases have been the basis for so many wildcat cartridges ranging from the.348 Improved through the.375,.416,.458 and even the.50.348 Winchester Handloads overall loaded bullet powder charge primer length velocity comments (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) 175 Cutting Edge IMR-4895 53.0 WLR 2.785 2,683 Lever Raptor 54.0 2,749 RL-15 53.0 2,690 54.0 2,745 best this bullet 200 Cutting Edge IMR-4895 49.0 WLR 2.785 2,503 Lever Solid 50.0 2,548 51.0 2,587 best this bullet H-4350 59.0 2,611 60.0 2,636 200 Swift A-Frame H-4350 59.0 Federal 210 2.765 2,444 60.0 2,486 IMR-4895 50.0 2,392 most accurate load 52.0 2,469 200 Hornady FTX H-4350 59.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,461 60.0 2,499 W-760 58.0 2,463 59.0 2,516 Varget 56.0 2,580 best this bullet 57.0 2,653 IMR-4895 51.0 2,439 52.0 2,479 200 Hornady FP IMR-4895 50.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,450 51.0 2,509 IMR-4350 59.0 2,416 best this bullet 60.0 2,462 Varget 52.0 2,414 53.0 2,460 RL-15 52.0 2,404 54.0 2,454 H-4895 50.0 2,491 51.0 2,538 200 Hawk FP IMR-4895 52.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,503 53.0 2,533 RL-15 53.0 2,496 (Continued) 52 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 311
A Lee Universal Case Expanding Die was used to bell case mouths for cast bullets. calibers. The most well known is likely the.450 Alaskan. My involvement in all this began a couple years ago when a good friend walked into his local gun emporium, spied a Model 71 resting in a corner and decided quite rightly that life would be better if he returned home with it. Calling to celebrate the new purchase, he casually informed me he had for some years 100 new, unprimed.348 Winchester cases. He ordered loading dies and CELEBRATE OUR GREAT SHOOTING AND HUNTING TRADITIONS EVERY DAY! (Continued).348 Winchester Handloads overall loaded bullet powder charge primer length velocity comments (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) 200 Hawk FP RL-15 54.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,532 H-4350 59.0 2,410 best this bullet 61.0 2,460 230 Hawk SP H-4895 48.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,299 49.0 2,323 IMR-4350 56.0 2,239 57.0 2,299 best this bullet 250 Barnes H-4895 46.0 Federal 210 2.770 2,200 Original FP 47.0 2,248 best this bullet A-4350 54.0 2,115 55.0 2,179 H-380 49.0 2,130 50.0 2,137 250 Hawk FP H-4895 46.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,170 47.0 2,235 H-4831 60.0 2,229 best this bullet 62.0 2,257 270 Hawk FP H-4895 42.0 Federal 210 2.785 1,984 43.0 2,009 A-4350 50.0 1,929 51.0 1,994 H-4831 56.0 2,115 best this bullet 57.0 2,119 200 Cast RCBS H-4895 42.0 Federal 210 2.715 1,999 348-200-GC 43.0 2,143 H-4350 52.0 2,132 53.0 2,153 H-4831 59.0 2,145 60.0 2,176 SR-4759 20.0 1,559 21.0 1,624 best this bullet Notes: All loads shot from a Winchester Model 71 with a 24-inch barrel. Winchester brass used throughout; trimmed to 2.245 inches and crimped with a Lee Factory Crimp Die. Be Alert Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs. Cover artwork by Brett James Smith Renowned wildlife artists Leah Brigham, Eldridge Hardie, Lou Pasqua, Brett James Smith and Ross B. Young along with The Upland Almanac have collaborated to produce the fourth edition of In the Uplands 2018 Upland Bird Hunting Calendar. The full-color, 8 1 2 x 11 calendar contains 13 months of outstanding images by these great artists. This is a limited edition publication. Order yours today! $12.95 plus $3.50 shipping & handling. Catalog No. 18UACAL Wolfe Publishing Co. 2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A Prescott, AZ 86301 Toll Free: 800-899-7810 Fax: 928-778-5124 wolfeoutdoorsports.com December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 53
.348 Winchester 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Suitable bullets include the (1) Cutting Edge 175-grain Lever Raptor, (2) Hornady 200 FTX and (3) 200 FP, (4) Swift 200 A-Frame, (5) Cutting Edge 200 Solid, (6) Hawk 200 FP and (7) 230 SP, (8) Barnes Original 250 FP, (9) Hawk 250 FP and (10) SP, (11) Hawk 270 FP and a (12) 200-grain cast bullet from an RCBS mould. bullets, and I researched loading data. Upon arriving at his place with said data and a few powders, we set about loading cases for his new rifle. It was the standard version, sans checkering, sling swivels and pistol grip cap. The rear sight was a Williams peep. The levergun was in quite good.302.338.375.416 Whispers are developments of SSK Industries. Custom barrels for Contenders, Encores, bolt guns and semi-autos as well as complete guns and the cans to keep them quiet are available. SSK chambers over 400 calibers. Wild wildcat ideas welcomed. SSK Industries 590 Woodvue Lane Wintersville, OH 43953 Tel: 740-264-0176 www.sskindustries.com 54 www.handloadermagazine.com shape; according to the serial number, it was manufactured in 1949. At his local gun club range, we hit a snag. Lowering the rear sight until the cross piece barely cleared the gun s vertical locking lugs still left 200-grain bullets impacting more than a foot high at 100 yards. Clearly, the previous owner had shot it little, if at all, as such performance would be unacceptable under any condition. To shorten the story a bit, my friend later called, offering to lend me the rifle for this article, and I set about gathering as many.348 Winchester bullets as I could find, and ordering a higher front sight from Lyman Products. The sight selected was the Model 31 with a height of.345 inch. This solved the problem but left little flexibility. Were the rifle mine, another sight with a height of.360 inch would have been used, assuring greater flexibility regardless of bullet weight or velocity. Powder selection began with IMR-4895. Especially with 200- grain bullets, it seemed about ideal, but since most load data developed with it was fairly old, there were now several powders with similar burning rates that needed to be explored. Eventually 11 were chosen. Bullet selection turned out to be a surprise. I ended up with 10 jacketed bullets ranging in weight from 175 to 270 grains, plus one 200-grain bullet cast from an RCBS mould. Most were flatpoints, befitting the lever-action, tubular magazine design. There were two exceptions: a Hornady 200-grain FlexTip (FTX) bullet with its polymer tip, and a Hawk 230-grain SP developed, I m told, because Ruger once chambered its No. 1 rifle in.348 Winchester. Cutting Edge provided two bullets, a 175- grain Lever Raptor and a 200-grain Lever Solid. Both are homogenous brass. Swift contributed a 200-grain A-Frame. Hornady makes two.348 bullets, the aforementioned FTX and a 200-grain InterLock FP. Barnes lists 220- and 250-grain bullets in its Original lead core series, but I was only able to obtain the 250-grain bullet. Hawk Bullets provided four: a 200-grain FP, 230-grain SP, 250-grain FP and a 270-grain FP. The company makes a 250-grain SP, but I did not have a large enough sample to conduct any tests (the Hawk 165-grain FP was not available at the time of my testing). And last, a cast RCBS 348-200-GC 200-grain bullet. Eleven bullets and powders, with multiple powder charges of each, promised to be too daunting a task of little or no value, so decisions had to be made. IMR- 4895, the long-time favorite, was the fastest-burning powder selected and performed extremely well across the board, but other slower powders, all the way to H-4831, had their moments. The powders I would rate best are IMR-4895 for most uses up through 200-grain bullets, along Handloader 311
with IMR-4350, H-4350, Reloder 15 and Varget. For bullet weights above 200 grains, H-4831 produced the smallest groups and extreme velocity spreads. Also performing well in this group were IMR-4350 and IMR-4895. For cast bullets, several powders performed well, but the best in terms of extreme spreads and group sizes was SR- 4759. As this powder was recently discontinued, I would fall back on either IMR-4895 or H-4895. Another snag was discovered during the handloading and shooting process. Lever actions tend to lock up at the rear of the bolt, thereby allowing for a certain amount of flexing upon firing. This in turn leads to case stretching. If a handloader is not careful in the sizing operation, case separation is inevitable. That said, keeping cases trimmed to 2.245 inches, setting the shoulder back no more than is absolutely necessary to smoothly close the action and not seeking the maximum muzzle velocity not only solved the problem, but also ensured a reasonable case life of five or more loadings. For example, it is easy to find load data for the popular 200-grain bullets showing a muzzle velocity in excess of 2,500 fps. Reducing this to 2,400 fps was all it took to minimize case stretching in the borrowed rifle. This backing off from maximum loads would hardly be noticed in the woods at peep sight ranges and frequently produced tighter extreme spreads and smaller groups. To be fair, some of these high-velocity loads shot very well, especially with Cutting Edge bullets, but the price was too high in case life, at least for me. Crimping when loading cartridges to be used in lever actions is a necessity. A Lee Factory Crimp Die accomplished this chore well on bullets with and without cannelures. Narrowing down bullet choice was difficult and best left to the individual shooter and his specific needs. That said, at least one load with each bullet performed very well. For game such as pronghorn and whitetail, I would not select bullets heavier than 200 grains. For heavier game, strongly constructed, 200-grain bullets and those of greater weight are a better choice, especially in close timber. Among the 200-grain choices, I became particularly enamored of the more lightly constructed Hornady 200-grain FP and the more strongly constructed Swift A-Frame. For heavier bullets, in this particular rifle, the Hawk 250-grain FP really stood out. All bullets shot to the same windage. Vertical stringing at 100 yards was due to velocity variations. A 270-grain Hawk bullet might barely reach 2,000 fps, Rifle Tang Peep Sight Adjustable for Windage and Elevation Fits Most Lever-Action Rifles Blued Steel Finish Made in the U.S.A. WWW.THEHAWKENSHOP.COM whereas a top-loaded Cutting Edge 175-grain Lever Raptor could slide over the screens at 2,800 fps. The most pleasant to shoot and most generally useful were 200-grain bullets at 2,400 fps or so. The best 100-yard, three-shot groups hovered around 2 inches certainly adequate given the sights and likely uses. Looking back, the Model 71 and its cartridge may well be anachronisms, relics of an earlier age. But for those of us who admire the handiness of the action type and the slower and quieter pace of hunting in the woods, there will always be a place for a good lever action. DARDAS CAST BULLETS Dardas Shooter s Supply, Inc. 123 E. Hampton Rd. Essexville, MI 48732 Tel: 989-450-5396 Fax: 866-325-6525 Email: info@dardascastbullets.com www.dardascastbullets.com December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 55
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