Loading Notes
The following is what we do to work up a load. We
don’t guarantee that our techniques will work for
you.
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| Bullet |
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| Ordering the right size bullet |
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When I want to shoot a .458 bullet, I make a bullet just
short of .459 and size it in a .458 sizer. This gives me a
perfectly round bullet. This helps me control neck tension.
I feel that correct neck tension is one of the most
important requirements of a load that shoots well. |
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The bore riding portion of the bullet we use is .001” to
.002” under the bore diameter. This helps the cartridge load
easily when the bore is fouled. |
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| Casting Bullets |
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I use a ladle to pour my bullets. |
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I use a 30-1 alloy. My
lead pot holds about 35 lbs. of alloy. |
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I cast bullets at 750 degrees and heat my mould up before I
cast in it. |
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| Weighing bullets |
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We weigh the bullets to within 1/10 of a grain and sort them
into groups within 1/10 of a grain. |
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| Lube |
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| I lube my bullets in a luber sizer. |
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| Brass |
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| I prepare my brass by making the primer pockets uniform
inside & out. I clean the inside of the neck of the brass
with a bronze brush. |
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| I size and expand my brass to .001” to .002 “smaller than my
bullet size, which gives me the correct neck tension. |
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| Primers |
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| We try several primers
when we work up a load. Some primers work better
with some powders than other powders. We test black
powder, primer, and compression combinations until
we find a load that shoots well. We shoot groups of
12 or more shots over a chronograph and use wind
flags to identify wind changes. |
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| Powder |
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| We try different black powders to find the powder that works
best with the bullet, primer, & compression combinations. |
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| The powder is weighed to 1/10 of a grain on an electronic
scale. |
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| A 24” drop tube is used to pour the powder into the
cartridge. |
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| Wads |
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| We use Walter’s
vegetable fiber wads. I also place a newspaper wad
between the bullet & the other wads. |
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| Seating Depth |
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| I start out with a load in which the bullet just touches the
rifling. The loads that I am shooting now are jumping up to
.01” before they contact the rifling. |
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| I don’t index the bullet into the case or the cartridge into
the rifle. |
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