First Test Mosin & Cast Bullets

[SKS50]

Back at Christmas I got a new to me 1933 Tula HEX receiver 91/30. The stock was in fairly bad shape finish wise but the bore is good and bluing just needed so minor touchups and bolt needed a good polishing. While I was at it I cork bedded the action and refinished the stock to a blonde finish instead of the
red shellac finish.


The Lee .312" 185 gr. RN. is what I plan on shooting in this Mosin rifle as it's a pretty close match to the Lyman 314299 but much cheaper. I'm casting this bullet from COWW's + 2% Tin and water quenched,final bullet dia. measured at .314". The end result is going to be to push these up clost to 2K fps. with some H4895 reduced loads in the end but for right now I'm going to use my old tried and true Alliant 2400 just to get some test done.

Part of the Lee 185 gr. mould block,nice mould for the money.


A few of the bullets I cast up,no lube was applied when the photo was taken.


I was able to get out a few weeks ago an shoot some test loads in my Mosin I had reworked a couple months back and try out the new Lee .312" 185 gr. RN bullet I had cast up. The bullets were cast from Wheel Weights + about 2% Tin and quenched straight from the mould. The next day they were sized to .314" in my RCBS Lube A Matic using Lars 2500+ and Gator gas checks.

Cases were once fired PPU brass I got at the LGS they get from the local gun range. I full length resized the case this time around and trimmed them to proper length and resized the case neck using my NOE .312" expander plug. The throat is pretty deep on this rifle so I couldn't seat the bullet out as far as I wanted so I seated it half way on the middle driving band for this test load. I used 19.0 grs. of Alliant 2400 and Winchester LR primers.

For this test I loaded up 25 rds. as I have installed a MOJO rear aperture sight on the rifle an the original factory post so I knew it would take a few rds. to get it on target an leave the rest to chrono and do some accuracy test. I set my target up at 50 yds. which is a far as I can shoot in the back yard range,below is the final one of two five shot groups from day’s shooting and I had another target with the shots in the orange square area once I made the final sight adjustment but was unable to retrieve it before the weather moved in. After firing those 25 rds. the bore was nice and shiny with only a few specks of burnt powder residue here and there. I'm pretty pleased with the initial results an will be trying a couple different loads in a few weeks as well as a couple more of the 2400 loads in larger increments as I have room to increase it.

Information

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[Patrick Chadwick]

2% tin is what I use for my muzzle-loading target rifles, such as the Pedersoli Gibbs. It is soft enough that it will slug up to fill the bore - which has grooves somewhat deeper than a smokeless-powder cartridge rifle such as a 91/30. For BPCR rifles I use 5% tin - some shooters use even more.

If you increase the powder charge in your 91/30 cases, at some stage the bullets will no longer engage the rifling properly, but will be stripped. The effect is known with heavily charged muzzle-loaders, with nitro powders it is a certainty, as the grooves are shallower than in a BP rifle, and with a faster twist rate. So more force is being applied to a smaller area on the side of the engraved groove on the bullet.

You will know when this happens, as when the first bullet is stripped, the grooves will immediately be fully leaded, and you will in effect be firing a smoothbore gun for subsequent shots - which will be all over the place and tipped, because they are no longer being stabilized by rotation.

The bullets need to be cast in a much harder alloy, such as the usual Lyman "No. 2 alloy" (see the Lyman reloading manual), where antimony is added to the lead, usually by adding scrap typemetal.

[Patrick Chadwick]

The end result is going to be to push these up clost to 2K fps.

With 2% tin, the bullets will be stripped and the bore leaded long before you get there.

I recommend that you get the Cast Bullet Handbook from Lyman.

[SKS50]

Never had a problem with bullet stripping in any of my rifle loads. My quenched WW's alloy is actually a bit harder than #2 an has worked fine in some of my rifles up past 2200+ fps. depending on the barrel twist,I do heat treat bullets as well. I have the Lyman Cast Bullet Manual #3 & 4 as well as the NRA Cast Bullet Manual. I've been casting and handloading off an on for 35 years.

With this particular cast bullet length vs. twist rate it's probably going to max out at around 2K fps. maybe even slightly lower as 2K fps. is just a goal to shoot for but not a necessity. A 1:12 or 1:14 twist bore and a different cast bullet design like the 30 cal. XCB cast for a different alloy would make it much easier but that cost money and I have to work with what I have.

It's my first go round with this particular LEE bullet in my Mosin's but several of my shooting buddies have used it for years along with the same alloy mix I'm using in there various Mosin rifles.

One just recently won the Arizona CBA Military rifle match shooting several 10 shot groups at 100 yds. with an average size of 2.1" to 1.45" using IMR-4895,3/4 Dacron tuff on top with an average. MV of 1980 fps. range.

Anyway next week when I get by the LGS and pick up my H4895 I'll get some loads worked up and put them on paper and we will see how that goes. I forgot to mention this particular rifle has a deep throat,I had plans to set the OAL just off the leads but that wasn’t possible so I ended up just seating it out about .250" longer which ended up with the case mouth being down midway on the second driving band,still fits the magazine fine.