NRA High Power Comp.

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  • Last Post 26 August 2008
longhunter79 posted this 26 July 2008

Need some help.  I know there is a lot of experience out there.  I have been a caster and a shooter for 30 years, and then some.  I am going to try and work up a usable load in an Remington O3A3 4 grove bbl.(I have a set of Redfield sights on the rifle.)  I have most 30 cal moulds(a Lot, ha).  But need some help with a high power load.  I will be shooting the standard High Power course of 200, 300 and 600 yds.  So what will work..... ?

Will take any and all comments.  If nothing else it could work in to a  a good practice load but think I can be competive.......

Your thoughts,

Thanks,

Jon

Jon Welda

CW5 USA Ret.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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billwnr posted this 26 July 2008

I never shot mine above 1700 fps but didn't care to shoot them if someone was in the pits.  Slower lead bullets “bounce” off the rocks different and give larger chunks for the pullers in the pits to dodge.

just my $.02.

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RicinYakima posted this 27 July 2008

FWIW, I shot Hi-Power for 10 years with cast bullets, but only at the 200 yard reduced range course. Load was Lyman 311284 @ 1600 f/s. Lyman's cast bullet handbook says that drop is 350 inches at 600 with a 100 zero. I don't know if your Redfield has enough elevation adjustment.

ric

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longhunter79 posted this 27 July 2008

Thanks guys for the reply.  The pit issue did cross my mind.  angle of drop at 600 was a concern.  I guess I will just use cast as a practice for the 200yd offhand.  Thanks again for the input.

Thanks,

Jon

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DonH posted this 28 July 2008

longhunter79 wrote: Thanks guys for the reply.  The pit issue did cross my mind.  angle of drop at 600 was a concern.  I guess I will just use cast as a practice for the 200yd offhand.  Thanks again for the input.

Thanks,

Jon

The angle of drop issue has been hashed out in long range BPCR circles. A search of the net will turn up some info. Bullets like .45 cal launched at 1250-1300 fps and above are deemed to be no problem to pullers in the target pits ( same with other calibers of similar velocity and trajectory).  A .30 bullet like 311284 started at 1700 fps will have a significantly flatter trajectory than those big .45s and you are talking 600 yds, not 1000. A fellow shooter and I shot .40-65 BPCRs along with standard high power rifles in a 300 yd prone match at my local club. There had been some concern about the issue you have raised but at 300 yds the .40 bullets launched at 1200-1250 fps impacted the berm only a bit below the normal impact area.

In the end you have to be comfortable with the practice but I believe it to be a non-issue. Lead splatter could be an issue depending upon the particular impact area.

 

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sundog posted this 28 July 2008

Jon, I shot high power this past Saturday with a CMP issue RI 03 w/HS 4 groove, Ly peeps front and rear, set in a Bell & Carlson Carbolite stock.  Very comfortable.  Max range at my club is 200 yards, so we shoot the reduced course.  My load was 31.0/surp 4895 and a tuft of dacron with a 314299 sized to .312.  That load also shoots very well in an older hvy bbl Mdl 70.  I think anywhere between 28-32 grains would work just fine.

Now time to tell on myself.  I ran across something that has never happened to me before (loading since early 70s).  I am a very careful hand loader, but for some reason I missed some cleaning media stuck in the bottom of a case.  That round was in a string during the rapid prone, and the next round didn't want to chamber.  Uh-oh says I.  I pulled the bolt back without ejecting to take a look see.  Looked fine, so I slammed'er home again.  Chambered fine, finished the string.  Then, during SF prone at round 17, it happend again!  I'm thinkin', “no, this can't be happening."  I ejected the round, got out of position to take a look see, turn the rifle over and about 20 pieces of media fell out.  Get back into position, try to chamber a round, no go.  Back off the bolt and slide it in again, it goes.  Last three rounds were fine.  Finshed SF prone with a 176 and Xs, not the best I've ever done, but it's been awhile since I shot this rifle.  I'm pretty sure this rifle is capable of at least 190 SF prone with this or similar load at 200.

When I got home all my cases were mouth up in their boxes, so I did the flashlight thing and found one case that had about 15-20 pieces of media stuck in the bottom.  Had to scrape them out with a probe - did I mention that I never had this happen before.  Sure, gotta check when the come out of the tumbler, but I've never had any fail to empty out by tapping them or stick a small dcrew driver in there with a twist.  I'm very careful about checking powder level while I'm loading, saw nothing amiss last week while getting the ammo ready, so that indicates that the offending rounds, three that showed themselves, had only a very small amount stuck in the bottom.  All flash holes were open.  I knew this, that's why I kept shooting during the match.

Last thing I had to do was blow out the receiver with compressed air as it had some media lying in the lug well, base of the barrel.  All is good to go now for next month, and looking forward to it.  The media that I used was new big bag crushed walnut from the feed store, Midway brass polish, and let run for about 10 minutes before adding that batch of brass.  I'm going to run another batch through just like the first and check them very closely.  I'm wondering maybe if there might be too much moisture of if the media itself may be a bit sticky.  If I discover anything, I'll report back.

Anyway, with the cost of full length gas checked bullets (jacketed) shooting with cast makes a lot of sense (cents).

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RicinYakima posted this 28 July 2008

Sundog,

I had the same issue with Midway add to media compound. Even here in the desert, it takes a lot longer than 10 minutes to get the carrier liquid to evaporate. I have even let it mix for 5 minutes, poured it into a bucket and let it set for a day, and still had sticking problems.

Ric

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CB posted this 28 July 2008

Jon,

I go along with Sundog. I've used 28.5gr H4895 in my 30-06 with a 200gr cb that clocked 1,820fps. The Lyman 311299 is hard to beat, while the 314299 sized at .312” works good in worn barrels.  I only shoot 200yds, but I'd guess this load ought to be competitive for 300yds.  Any farther is a mighty far peace to go for a 30 caliber 200gr cb, as the remaining energy drops off pretty fast.  Good luck and show them highpower shooters how well lead CBs shoot!  ;)  ..............Dan

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Mark Wackerfeld posted this 26 August 2008

Try the lyman bullet 311284 weight at@ 210, to 215g with lyman #2 lead and 21g SR - 4759 weighed no filler.

Drived from Frank Marshall Jr. load

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Ed Harris posted this 26 August 2008

inadvertent double-click dupe pls. remove

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Ed Harris posted this 26 August 2008

I used to shoot an original Winchester M1917 .30-'06 refitted with Parker-Hale 5A rear sight in NRA conventional highpower matches with cast bullets back to 600 yards over the full course and I had lots of fun.  With good cast loads I shot Expert level scores. 

For the 200-yard stages I used the NEI No. 69 which weighs 162-grs. in wheelweights, cast frosty from the mould and water-quenched, lubricated with Lee Liquid Alox, putting on Hornady GCs in a .314 Lee die which leaves the bands unsized, loaded with 15.5 grs. of #2400.   Bullets were seated to the crimp groove and fed through the magazine.  200 yard zero was about 400 yards on the sight.

For 300 yards I used the same NEI No. 69 bullet with a heavier charge of  either 24 grs. of RL-7 or 28 grs. of H322 or 4895 pull-down. Only a minimal sight change was needed from 200 yards.

Cases were full length sized and decapped without pulling an expander button through the case mouth. Instead case mouths were expanded to permit hand starting the bullet to the base band only, using an RCBS .32 ACP expander plug.  Final bullet seating was done using a backed-off Lee 7.62x54R seater in order to have enough clearance for the “fat” bullets.   Bullet assembly into the brass was tight enough that crimping was unnecessary. 

At 600 yards I used the NEI No. 72A similarly quench-cast of wheelweights, at 205 grs., crimping GCs in the same .314 die, lubing with Lee Liquid Alox, applying a light second lube coat, then loading either 48 grs. of H414 or WW760. Bullets were seated to contact the rifling, but not to engrave, so they could be extracted unfired without de-bulleting.   These loads would hold ten ring with a good X-count at 600, In the wind deflection was about like shooting ordinary 150-gr. Ball M2.

I used Winchester WLR primers throughout and TW54 military cases sorted to +/- 1.0 grain for weight, with the case necks turned to 0.012.”  

I would routinely push one wet patch of Ed's Red through the bore after completion of the rapid fire stages to let it soak during the pit change, then I would dry the bore and chamber with two patches prior to firing my first sighter at 600.   Elevation to get on paper at 600 yards was about 800 yards on the sight.

At Quantico we needed 2000 fps for bullet to impact on the slope of the pit berm. 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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