Glaciers
Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Well I started making up some loads for my favorite old Savage. It was made in the early teens IIRC. It's is a Delux pistol grip Perch Belly stock, crescent butt, 26 inch half round half octagon barrel, ivory globe front site that lays down, with a folding barrel site, and a tang site similar to a 1B. The rifle is in very good but used shape with a strong bore. My phone is down and a lot of pictures are on it so I will grab my wife's phone and get a picture of the rifle. The pictures I have on my laptop are to large.
I do have a couple of pictures so I will put them on now along with some of my first loadings.
Fairly nice shape for over a hundred years old. I've had this rifle for a little more than 30 some odd years and until now never fired it.
I used a NOE 311 165 RF bullet I cast with Al's 2 cavity brass RG hollow point mold. I prefer the flat or cup point to the hollow point.
I tried my best to get this bullet to work in my 30-30's but it's a full diameter nose with a way to slow of a taper to the flat point to work in either the Winchester or Marlin. But sized to .311 and checked and coated weights in at 165, works without a hitch in the Savage 303.
Started out with 6.3 grains of unique that's the 4 in the upper left of center, looked good for a start, then down hill. The two patterns lower also on the left. Then at 9.5 grains, improvement. Upper right orange dot 10 shots, right at 1400. Switched to 2400, patterns. Started at 15.5 grains and ended up at 19.2. With the increase in powder, also increase in groups. Right side, lower patterns. I believe things would be better with softer alloy. These were COWW aged 6 weeks, ended up at over BHN of 18, maybe pushing 22.
Worked out ok for the first go around with this nice rifle.
I do have a couple of pictures so I will put them on now along with some of my first loadings.
Fairly nice shape for over a hundred years old. I've had this rifle for a little more than 30 some odd years and until now never fired it.
I used a NOE 311 165 RF bullet I cast with Al's 2 cavity brass RG hollow point mold. I prefer the flat or cup point to the hollow point.
I tried my best to get this bullet to work in my 30-30's but it's a full diameter nose with a way to slow of a taper to the flat point to work in either the Winchester or Marlin. But sized to .311 and checked and coated weights in at 165, works without a hitch in the Savage 303.
Started out with 6.3 grains of unique that's the 4 in the upper left of center, looked good for a start, then down hill. The two patterns lower also on the left. Then at 9.5 grains, improvement. Upper right orange dot 10 shots, right at 1400. Switched to 2400, patterns. Started at 15.5 grains and ended up at 19.2. With the increase in powder, also increase in groups. Right side, lower patterns. I believe things would be better with softer alloy. These were COWW aged 6 weeks, ended up at over BHN of 18, maybe pushing 22.
Worked out ok for the first go around with this nice rifle.