Loading for m1917 winchester

[Jerome Cooper]

The 1917 can do very well with cast bullets and they can be an economical source for practice, target and effective hunting ammunition. The 06 can be loaded with anything weighing between 110 and 220 grains and there are a lot of bullet choices in the cast world to work with. Whichever weight one chooses of course has some relation to what you want to do with the ammo. There is one consideration however and although it is not a strictly limiting factor, it is worthwhile to be aware of it. Col Harrison, writing for the NRA loading handbook did a thorough investigation on the performance of 30 cal cast bullets. One of the parameters that he established is that 1917 barrels with 5 groove rifling (which way the twist goes is not important) has lands that take up a major portion of the circumference of the bore. As such the rifling requires a bullet with a shorter "body" (less than half the length of the bullet) that will ride in the grooves and a longer "nose"...which will ride on tops of the lands and be guided by them. The ideal bullet design (no pun intended) was 311334 (not any longer in production) Lyman still makes 311332 a close copy. Saeco's 301 version of the old RG-4 is also an excellent choice. RCBS and Lee also make designs of various weights that will work well too. Other molds such as Lyman 311291,311041 and 311284 as well as 311299 and 314299(if a larger diameter bullet is needed) have been reported to shoot good groups. There is some variance in the measurements of 1917 bores so it is a good idea to slug your bore if possible to see exactly what internal dimensions you are dealing with before choosing a mold, or making adjustments to it later if necessary. Depending on BHN bullet hardness; the use of Lino or water quenching etc. velocities of up to 2200-2300 are easily attainable and will afford good target ot hunting capability. With the current trend in ammo prices it makes getting into casting an interesting venture. The 1917 can be an accurate rifle if you get into making it one. JC

[Wineman]

I discovered with a chamber cast that my Eddy M1917 (1918 date 5-groove barrel) has almost no "throat" the lands start right at the edge of the case mouth. Cast have to be under 0.311" or I have problems. I usually shoot 175 grain Sierra MK's for jacketed and it is pretty accurate with these. I did shoot some HXP surplus at a JC Garand match and they did fine.

Wineman