Range Report - Reduced Rifle Loads

[GeneCC]

Disclaimer - this post is for informational purposes only. The Author and PAFOA.org and its sponsors and owners assume no responsibility for damages caused by the use of these loads. Reduced loads with certain powders can cause Detonation, a dangerous condition that can damage firearms and people. Use of reduced loads can also cause bullets to lodge in the barrel, which can cause injury if a round if fired into an obstructed barrel. I used a chronograph to insure that every bullet was fired from the firearm.

Caution - use of enlarged flash holes at standard loads and pressures can be dangerous. Proper case preparation must include examination of flash holes. The author marks enlarged flash hole brass with a triangular file on the base. Use whatever method works for you and then stick to it. Consistency is a necessary virtue for reloading.


Note - these strings were taken under short distance runs, to check for function, obturation (no gas seepage around the necks) and pressure signs. Future runs will involve accuracy. The ultimate goal is a cheap load to use on the two hundred yard range of my club.


30-06, fired from an Springfield 03, serial number above 800,000. Sporterized, 24" barrel. 150gr Berry's 30 caliber bullet (aka 30-30 bullet) were used in all trails. I did not want lead fouling but wanted a softer bullet.


Load 1 - Hodgdon H4895 reduced load, 32 grains Winchester case, standard LR primer, standard flash hole. Load calculated in accordance to Hodgdon instructions (see https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/u...ifle-loads.pdf )

Results - Average velocity 1785 feet per second. 1st standard deviation is 39 feet per second.

Recoil was lesser than factory load. Obturation was fair. Some necks were dark with gas blowby. No pressure signs but eight of the primers were partially pressed out of the pockets, about half a millimeter, cause unknown. If this were seen on all cases I would be concerned about Head Space issues. This was mostly seen with this load.


Load 2 - Reddot 13.0 grains. Classic known as "The Load". Winchester case with flash hole expanded to 9/64". Magnum primers were used.

Results - 1464 feet per second. 1st standard deviation is 24 feet per second.

Recoil was less than factory load. Obturation was good, some soot on necks. Two out of ten primers partially pushed out of pockets, less than one half mm, no signs of pressure.


Load 3 - Trailboss 13.4 grains. Winchester case with flash hole expanded to 9/64". Magnum primers were used. Trailboss is a pistol powder with limited use in rifles. See http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf When I followed the instructions for calculating weight based upon bullet and case observations my max and minimum loads were exactly what Hodgdon calculated for the 30-06 using a 150 gr bullet.

Results - 1287 feet per second. 1st standard deviation is 28 feet per second.

Recoil was less than factory load. Obturation was good, some soot on necks. One out of ten primers were partially pushed out of pockets (less than 1/2 mm), no signs of pressure.


Load 4 - Trailboss 13.8 grains. Winchester case with flash hole expanded to 9/64". Magnum rifle primers were used.

Results - 1295 feet per second. 1st standard deviation is 15 feet per second.

Recoil less than factory load. Obturation was excellent, some soot on necks. No primers were pushed out of their pockets.


Conclusions - I will retry Reddot at 13.0gr and Trailboss at 13.8 grains. I hand primed these cases and did check for good seating.

Others may have better luck with H4895 with this rifle and bullet combination or other combinations. Every rifle, case/primer and reloading process will introduce changes.

In the case of reduced loads approach lower loads with caution. These loads have been verified by their manufacturers or reputable reloading manuals.

Edit - Primer setback can be caused by low pressure or headspace issues. I check case head space using a case gauge. All were fine.

[frankski]

Thanks for sharing your results.

Working with reduced loads is fun. I've had mixed results with .308. The H4895 reduced load data from Hodgdon has provided me some nice, low recoil, yet accurate loads using 125g Hornady and Nosler bullets. The main benefit is light recoil you can shoot a lot without fatigue, or for recoil sensitive shooters. They still chrony around 2600 fps, the same as 168s with full loads, and have similar POI.

The 150 plated bullets from Xtreme have not worked well with 2400, the only pistol powder I had available and with load data for truly light loads. Results were weird - 2 in one hole, then one off the paper. The ES was erratic, and I think combustion was incomplete. Maybe I'll pick up some Trailboss and try it again.

You mention you want to shoot at 200 yards. There will be a lot of bullet drop, and some loads will go subsonic before reaching the target, which will likely impact accuracy.

In my case, the goal of having a low recoil, inexpensive load for all around plinking led me to shooting more .223 and .357. The .223 uses half the powder of .308 and bullets are cheaper as well. The trajectory is pretty flat. My .357 levergun is accurate to 100 yards, subsonic loads are easy to load, and are a hoot to shoot. Blasting clay pigeons on the 100 yard berm is fun and cheap.

Let us know how the continuing tests turn out!

[A/C guy]

Do a search for "blue dot reduced loads". There is quite a bit of data for various calibers. I tried some in the 22-250, reduced to Hornet/K-Hornet velocity. Accuracy was just as good as full power and muzzle blast was reduced quite a bit. Only problem was that it shifted point of impact down about 6" and 3" to the left. Other than that, I would have used it for shorter range shots.

[Tim Ault]

With those loads you listed there's no reason to enlarge the flash holes. I've been shooting reduced cast loads for a number of years also in a Springfield never had the need to enlarge the hole even with loads as low as 5 gr of bullseye with midweight bullets , use well fire formed brass and neck size only . If you want to try some other reduced loads the Speer manuals list loads with Reloader 7 , 4198 and 4759 .

[Bang]

.... primers were partially pressed out of the pockets, about half a millimeter, cause unknown.

Not enough pressure to expand the cartridge case brass against the chamber walls, the case is free to slide back against the bolt face. But it doesn't stop there. The shell is "loose" and pressure within it sends the primer out of its pocket and is able to do so because the brass case is able to slide forward since it is not expanded against the chamber walls.

[frankski]

On my way back from shooting handguns yesterday I stopped by my LGS and picked up some Trail Boss. This morning I loaded some test bullets from 10 to 11.5 grains under 150g Xtreme plated bullets. As mentioned in my earlier post (#2) these bullets had performed poorly with 2400 powder and I still had about 230 left in the box.

All shot well at 50 yards, with groups of about 1". It was windy and I wasn't shooting for gold so I expect this test understates their accuracy potential.

Recoil was negligible - maybe less than a .223. And they were all quiet, especially the 10 and 10.5g loads, which were probably subsonic based on Trail Boss load data.

As a side note, this essentially replicates a .300 Blackout load, without buying a dedicated rifle.

Next time out, I may try these at 100 yards to see how accuracy holds up.

[Tim Ault]

Here's another good read by ed Harris on the old gallery and guard practice loads using the old standby of Bullseye which I have found works great for reduced loads .

http://castbulletassoc.org/blog/arti...ullseye-powder