.310 Cadet Load

[Ray P]

TheDoubleD:

Thanks for the feeler guage info! Just checked my cadet franken-tini with new Bertram brass. Looks good :-) One step closer to getting it built & ready to shoot.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Pete D.]

Jorge: I use 32-20 brass to load my cartridges for the little Cadet. The brass has been trimmed to 1.120" case length. Normal 32-20 cases are 1.31" long. That is a lot different - more than 1/5". Consider that the .357 magnum bullet was made 1/10" longer than the .38 Special so that it would not chamber in the weaker gun. This difference is double that. Wrong type of bullet also.
I cast the proper "heeled" bullet using a brass CBE mold that I purchased from The Ammo Dump, an outfit down your way. The address is NZ but the website notes that they are an AU based company.
http://www.theammodump.com/
It's simple enough to cast your own - not a lot of equipment required (a cast iron pot, an old camping stove, a dipper, some beeswax, the mold and a tube of liquid Alox lube.) You don't actually need dies at all to load the Cadet round. You do need a priming tool. And, of course, powder and primers.
Pete

[graybeard]

Hi all,
I know this thread has been off line for a while now but I wish to let yuo know about my success with the BSA 310 cadet.
Being in northwest western Australia I have problems getting hold of imported powders so I have built a load using the ADI 100 pistol powder.
Bertram 310 brass trimmed to 1.075" o/a length
LEE mould heeled projectile 125gn 0.316" diam or Hawkesbury River 125 gn projectiles
Any small rifle primer available
Ap 100 powder, 6gn
Chrony says I am getting 1150 - 1210 fps 10ft from the muzzel
I also tested some vintage Kynoch ammo and got 1180 - 1230 fps
Also tested Super brand ammo and got consistant 1200 fps

Hope you all get your 310's running as sweetly as mine.

[Simon P]

There was an article in Classic Arms Magazine in 1999 on loading the 310 Cadet Rifle, I used this as the basis for my reloading and shoot out to 300M quite accurately.

Modified 32/20 cases thin rimmed.
North Devon Fireams Services (NDFS) Dies
RCBS mould designed & sold by NDFS
4.5grns of unique
Lubed with Lees Liquid Alox

Jim at North Devon Firearms told me that he found Military 310 cadet rifles would often accept the 32/20 cartridge case without being thinned down, but this was not generally the norm for commercial rifles in 310 calibre, sadly NDFS are no more.

[tcattermole]

The 310 Cadet's rim is very thin, so an unmodified 32-20 or 32 SWL shouldn't chamber. If the action will close on one, the rifle is probably out of headspace.
The 32 SWL bullets are undersize for the bore, but if the rifling is crisp there may (just) be enough engagement to stabilise the bullet. However, there will be a lot of gas blowing past that undersized bullet, so you should expect lots of leading from gas cutting.
TonyC

[TheDoubleD]

The 310 Cadet's rim is very thin, so an unmodified 32-20 or 32 SWL shouldn't chamber. If the action will close on one, the rifle is probably out of headspace.

TonyC

Actually only partially true. If it closes on a 32/20 cas it probably is out of head space for a standard .310 rim. But it might not be out of head space for .310 Cadet cartridge made a 32/20 case.

You will have to measure the gap to find out.

[Pete D.]

I do know that the little Martini that I put together chambers the brass from Grafs, headstamped 32-20. I haven't measured the rim thickness but I suspect that no one sat at a lathe and thinned every rim - not for the price that they ask.
I would like to acquire some proper .310 brass, though - just to have it. I wonder if brass is available from Kynoch. Just a few years ago, I was able to buy 577-450 brass from them; I shall have to check about the .310; I have an inquiry sent.
Pete

[TheDoubleD]

Buffalo Arms has both type of brass thinned rim 32-20 and Bertram .310.

[Pete D.]

Douglas: Pete from NY here. I'm assuming that the Bertram brass is good quality or you wouldn't refer me to it. IIRC, there were some issues with their 577-450 brass some years ago; consequently, I have stayed away from their offerings. I haven't heard back from Kynoch, though, so the Bertram looks attractive.
I suppose it has to be a step up from altered 32-20 cases.
Pete

[TheDoubleD]

I haven't seen any problems lately with Bertram Brass. For a short while Knynoch had Bertram make 577/450 for them.

The only brass from Bertrams I would shy away from is in some of the really obscure calibers that aren't seen much. I have some .375 Flanged Magnum that is pretty bad, it came in one of their old white pasted label box.